#flashbackfriday My Runner's Scrapbook - "Where you stumble and fall, there lies your treasure."

I was feeling sadness around leaving my running and the running community for almost two years. Truth be told, I did not have a relapse of post polio symptoms. The modality that was supposed to be helping me heal, KMI Structural Integration, instead was creating confusion in my body.There was a lot of emotional and physical damage done through the work that joyfully I am now able to heal. As a trauma survivor, I had a wonderful way of believing something was good for me when in fact it could not have been more wrong for me. While it's true I live with the late effects of having contracted paralytic polio and the effects of trauma, I was at the top of my running game. There was still much more that needed to heal and strengthen but needing to stop running was not because of the progression of post polio syndrome. I was vulnerable after my nephew's suicide in March of 2011 and they preyed on my vulnerability.

Tom reminded me last night about how I cried after one of the first Aquatics Therapy classes at Spaulding Rehab. "This is where I belong," I said with tears streaming down my face. "I never belonged on a yoga mat in that studio. It was just so wrong for me." The people who I followed were master manipulators and convinced me that running was bad for me. Because I wasn't allowing my body to be as it needed to be, I did not have the energy or the desire to run. I remember the moment I stumbled off of my healing path and bought into something that a private yoga teacher said to me. "Are you working with your bodyworker on this structural imbalance?" "I don't have a bodyworker right now I replied. "Well then you are going to see my teacher. He can help you fix this."

As Joseph Campbell says:



Rather than focus on the detour and my sadness, I want to celebrate my running journey and finding my greatest treasure last Sunday with a PR at the Bill Rodgers 5K Run/Walk for Prostate Cancer as I remembered and reclaimed who I am!

Let's begin with my early training run that was chronicled in The Brookline Tab, "Run Don't Walk" was the title of the article. Don't you just love my running threads? It was shortly after this photo that I went to Marathon Sports and bought the proper running attire to go with my first pair of running shoes ever.


My first race ever - The Corrib Pub Run 5K on 6/1/2008. My pace was a 16:44 minute/mile. It was an accomplishment to have run for 40 continuous minutes at that point in my training.


The Marathon Sports 5 Miler July 2008 and finishing last yet feeling like a champion for not quitting despite the heat and having all the polio demons rear their head:


Tufts 10K October 2008, "Running with God" as I wrote about in an article for Cape Healing Arts Magazine. My daughter and I ran our first 10K race together and finished with a time of 1:26:14. A 13:53 minute/mile pace!


And who could ever forget the Tough Ten Mile Turkey Trot in November of 2008. The entry fee was 10 canned goods/person. The timing method was popsicle sticks. The hills were brutal but Team McManus was filled with joy. Oh yes and did I mention it was fareezing cold that day?


My first Half Marathon in Hyannis. How lucky was I to be inspired and encouraged by Bill Rodgers and Frank Shorter.


And then Boston 2009:


I did have to take a time out from running for more physical therapy and treatment of cervical spine disease after the marathon. I could no longer strength train with my personal trainer. But you can't keep a runner down for long and by summer of 2010, I was running again and training for Tufts. I had a friend who had never run a 10K. It was time to give back. We trained together and crossed the finish line of the 2010 Tufts 10K with a time of 1:36:10. We had the best time together and what a joy to help someone cross the finish line of their first 10K.


I was racing a 5K a month and by December of 2010 had my best time ever at the Jingle Bell 5K with a 13:43 minute/mile pace:


My friend and I ran the Hyannis 10K in 2011 and bested our Tufts time finishing with a 14:30 minute/mile pace for a time of 1:30:05. Tom was training for Boston and ran the Half. Here we are with Dick Hoyt.


I ran two more races in 2011 and could feel that I was losing my edge and my joy of running. By September of 2011, I called it quits....

Reunited and it felt so good at the Feaster Five Expo in November of 2013


and out on the course


I trained during that grueling winter through the Polar Vortex and found my strength in Aquatics Therapy.

What a joy to celebrate my race-iversary at the Corrib Pub 5K with Tom and my dear friends the Feeney Sisters


They cheered me onto a strong finish:


I wasn't planning to run any other races until the Tufts 10K, but the Universe had other plans for me with the Bill Rodgers 5K Run/Walk for Prostate Cancer where I was once again inspired and encouraged by four time Boston Marathon champion Bill Rodgers

and went on to run a 5K PR of 46:53 at a pace of 15:06 since my return to the roads


And a post race celebration that will live forever in my heart


But I don't rest on my laurels. With a 5K PR behind me, tomorrow I begin training for Tufts 10K 2014. The time to beat 1:36:10. I'll have my daughter to pace me and will know that my husband and Tom Licciardello will be waiting for me at the finish. I've begun to imagine the magic of the day knowing that there are going to be many more wonderful memories to add to my runner's scrapbook. And as for that stumble into the abyss, well it happens but I found my gold!

And to those who told me that I had to correct my arches, stand this way, move that way; this is the proper alignment. To those who believe that change comes from the outside in and there is something to fix. To those who told me I was out of balance that my thoracic spine did not have enough movement and on and on it went..... To those who humiliated me, mocked me and used me for their own personal gain in the name of helping me. To all of you - this is my response:

“The true runner is a very fortunate person. He has found something in him that is just perfect.” ~George Sheehan




"Wait, I have one more goal," Mary McManus told her personal trainer in February of 2008 shortly after coming out of her toe up leg brace. "I want to run the Boston Marathon for Spaulding Rehab Hospital." Mary traded in her polio shoes for running shoes and embarked on the journey of a lifetime. Mary McManus was at the height of her career as a VA social worker when she was told by her team at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital’s International Rehab Center for Polio in December of 2006 that she needed to quit her job if she had any hope of preventing the progression of post polio syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease. In “Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility” Mary takes you on her seven year healing odyssey as a survivor of paralytic polio and trauma from her diagnosis, to taking a leap of faith to leave her award winning career at the VA to heal her life and follow her passion as a poet and writer. You’ll experience her trials, tribulations and triumphs as she trains for and crosses the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and discovers the opportunity for healing in the wake of new trauma: the suicide of her nephew in 2011, and the aftermath of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. This is Mary's journey of coming home to her human form free from the influences of the ghastly ghostly invaders who had invaded her sacred earthly home. Her memoir includes journals and blog posts from her seven year healing odyssey. This is her journey of transformation and her message of healing, hope and possibility.

I donate 50% of royalty payments through on line sales to The One Fund to help Boston Marathon survivors and their families. Copies are also available at Brookline Marathon Sports. $5 of each book sold at Marathon Sports is donated to The One Fund.

"Hooray for PR's!" I loved what this body could do!

I ran not only for me though --

I remember when I was one of those who couldn't run.


Alain Ferry, Race Director for the Bill Rodgers 5K Run/Walk for Prostate Cancer asked me what my times had been and what I had set as my PR for Sunday's race. He paused when I said I'd been running about 49 minutes for my 5K runs. Taking off two minutes can be a lofty goal. I told him that, during my training run out on the course, I'd done 47 and change for a 15'24" pace. 47:00 minutes on race day would be the way to go.

I decided to look up my race results which I had not been paying close attention to. I had tossed the idea of going for any PR's since my return to the roads on 5/25/13. I was happy to be out running again and just finishing was enough of an initial goal.

The last race I ran before bidding a temporary farewell to running was:

Brookline Symphony Orchestra 5K September 2011
46:57 15:09 59 01-98 59 F 13 Mary McManus

And here are the results for my first race after coming back to the roads:

Brookline Symphony Orchestra 5K September 2013
47:50 15:26 3 55-64 91 F 85 Mary McManus

I had the best time (not reflected on the time clock) on Thanksgiving Day at the Feaster Five:

Feaster Five 5K November 28, 2013
49:43 16:01 Mary McManus

What a joy to celebrate my Race-iversary at the Corrib Pub Run which was my very first road race ever in June, 2008 when I ran a 51:52 16:44 minute/mile pace

Corrib Pub Run 2014 5K June 1, 2014
48:03.0 15:30/K 406 60 F 22 60-69

It was a hot and sweaty evening and I struggled to make it through the:

Father Bullock 5K 2014 June 8, 2014
0:48:06 MARY MCMANUS F 60 69 CHESTNUT HILL, MA 15:31

And then not only did I PR since my return to the roads but I beat my time by 4 seconds from the last race I ran almost 3 years ago!

Bill Rodgers 5K Run/Walk for Prostate Cancer August 10, 2014
22 46:53 15:06 F60+ 6/7

I loved the feeling of racing and having a goal beyond just finishing a race. I felt alive and present in each moment. I had to be fully present in my body or could have easily tipped the balance and gone over the edge rather than working right up to my edge. I embraced the discomfort to see what my body could do when I left nothing on the roads and trust in my body's ability to heal and recover and be better and stronger than it was before I raced to my PR.

When I turned that corner heading toward the finish line on the Boston College Campus, I turned a corner in my healing journey. I have a new feeling of confidence and strength in my body and in my Being. I have reclaimed my life as my own transcending that detour I took away from running and delving into the healing modality of KMI Structural Integration. I ran hard and loved every moment of the race. To have Phil Lipof, MC from WCVB TV validate my efforts and to be celebrated by Phil, Alain and the beautiful community of runners, walkers and volunteers was the icing on the PR cake.

As my friend Jess Lanzoni said on Facebook, "Hooray for PR's!" I am deeply grateful and I so loved to discover what this body, heart and soul could do when put to the test.

"Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility" is now available on Amazon.



"Wait, I have one more goal," Mary McManus told her personal trainer in February of 2008 shortly after coming out of her toe up leg brace. "I want to run the Boston Marathon for Spaulding Rehab Hospital." Mary traded in her polio shoes for running shoes and embarked on the journey of a lifetime. Mary McManus was at the height of her career as a VA social worker when she was told by her team at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital’s International Rehab Center for Polio in December of 2006 that she needed to quit her job if she had any hope of preventing the progression of post polio syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease. In “Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility” Mary takes you on her seven year healing odyssey as a survivor of paralytic polio and trauma from her diagnosis, to taking a leap of faith to leave her award winning career at the VA to heal her life and follow her passion as a poet and writer. You’ll experience her trials, tribulations and triumphs as she trains for and crosses the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and discovers the opportunity for healing in the wake of new trauma: the suicide of her nephew in 2011, and the aftermath of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. This is Mary's journey of coming home to her human form free from the influences of the ghastly ghostly invaders who had invaded her sacred earthly home. Her memoir includes journals and blog posts from her seven year healing odyssey. This is her journey of transformation and her message of healing, hope and possibility.

I donate 50% of royalty payments through on line sales to The One Fund to help Boston Marathon survivors and their families. Copies are also available at Brookline Marathon Sports. $5 of each book sold at Marathon Sports is donated to The One Fund.

Wednesday Wisdom: On Running the Marathon of My Life - Patience, Pacing and Peristence

Whether in running or in life, I find there are two greatest challenges. One is sticking to the training plan and the other is coming back after a setback. We go along on our path building speed and endurance on the roads and in our lives and then something happens. A layoff, a loss, an illness or for me managing the late effects of paralytic polio and trauma, that causes us to pause, to regroup, to reevaluate and to figure out how to move forward again.



In 2011, after my 26 year old nephew's suicide, I was not sure how I was going to move forward. I took a detour from my healing path. I stopped running and I withdrew from the running community. I found myself among people who would draw me back into the dance of family dynamics and who fueled my struggles as a polio and trauma survivor. Every situation serves a purpose and I am so grateful for the soul lessons I learned while I was on my detour.

After 4/15/13, I had an awakening and realized what was important in my life. The #onerun on 5/25/13 brought me back into the present and in realizing how important running and the running community is in my life.

From my memoir, "Coming Home:A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility":

“Oh look they are doing a #onerun tomorrow,” Tom said.

“I am terrified to be a part of that,” I answered.

“Then we have to register,” Tom said.

Tonight I realize there is another layer to all of this healing: the Boston Marathon bombings. It still causes the hair on the back of my neck to write those words. Tomorrow morning, Tom and I are going to walk the last mile of the Boston Marathon and to walk the part of Boylston Street that I’ve been afraid to return to....

5/25/13

The moving pre-race ceremony began including 30 seconds of silence for those who lost their lives in the bombings. There was music and inspirational speeches and not a dry eye in the crowd as the church choir from where 8-year-old Martin Richard who was killed in the blast, made his first communion, sang the National Anthem. Tom and I had our arms around each other. Everyone was in a spiritual embrace.

And then we were off crossing the one mile to go marker in Kenmore Square where four years ago, Tom, our daughter Ruth Anne and I ran toward the finish line. I ran the 2009 Boston Marathon for those who couldn't and for those who were told they shouldn't run or would never be able to run again. Back then I was delivering a message of healing, hope and possibility. Today I was one with the survivors knowing they have a long road ahead for them but knowing that they, like me, would be able to go the distance.

We got to Hereford Street and I took a deep breath, as I knew we were going back to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and passing The Forum where the second bomb exploded. As we passed in front of the Mandarin, we stopped for a brief moment to give our thanks to the staff who ensured our safety. The two doormen who had been there on Marathon Monday while we watched the race before going upstairs to join the Spaulding Rehab party were there. How healing and wonderful to see them, express our gratitude and be back on a part of Boylston Street I was afraid to visit.

I told Tom I was ready to sprint to the finish line. I said a prayer as we ran by The Forum. I sobbed as the crowds were cheering and we were surrounded by runners with their bib numbers from Marathon Monday and thousands of people who had been touched by the tragic events of April 15. At the finish line we shared stories with one another. We hugged. We cried. We healed...

Despite the cold and the rain, the love and energy of the community kept us warm. The event organizers did an amazing job at honoring the victims of the bombing and the survivors – “You are out there to run for those who can’t.”

That’s why I ran the marathon in ’09 – and here I was running the last mile with a deep connection to the survivors of the bombing knowing in every fiber of my being what it’s like to work to regain mobility and to recover from trauma where you face death. There were so many emotions as we listened to the pre-race ceremony speakers and then as we reclaimed Boylston Street as our own.

It's been a slow, long road back but patience, pacing and persistence pave the way.

I started out with a walk/run at a half mile. Little by little I built back up to a 5K distance.

Training for and running The Feaster Five was a wonderful opportunity for me to come back into the running fold and rediscover the joy of running.

I reconnected with my friends from the Merrimack Valley Striders and made new friends when we went to Andover for a pre Feaster Five training run.

I'm so excited that tonight we are going to a Striders meeting where the theme is connecting with friends old and new.

I used my 5K distance to begin to build speed and then began to build distance. I held steady at 5 miles until after I ran a series of 5K races. Two weeks ago, I crossed the threshold to 6.1 miles. I can go the distance for the Tufts 10K.

I challenge myself on my 5K distance runs with tempo runs and fartleks but I am also patient with myself. I am running from the inside out paying attention to how I feel in my body. I know that no two runs are the same and there are so many factors that can contribute to how much I am able to do on any given day as is true for every runner.

I've learned that I can and do recover; chronic fatigue is no longer an issue for me but I do need to give myself time to rest and recover. I create an optimal healing environment for myself. I plan out my activities. On a day that I feel well and energized, I am so tempted to do more than what is scheduled. And then, more often than not, I end up not feeling well for a few days.

In addition to two runs a week, I go to Aquatics Therapy classes at Spaulding Rehab twice a week. One class is for upper and lower body strength training. I am up to 5 pound ankle weights. The other class is to build aquatics strength and work on core and cardio conditioning. Once a week I go for massage therapy at Sollievo Massage and Bodywork where my therapist and I work together to continue to heal mind, body and Spirit.

I'm definitely planning on going the distance. I am working on finding my distance and my pace. I know my distance for now is a 10K. I am grateful for every step I take on this journey on the roads and in my life. I know how blessed I am! And every day, I practice patience, pacing and persistence so I can go the distance and journey well.






My memoir, "Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility" is now available on Amazon.

"Wait, I have one more goal," Mary McManus told her personal trainer in February of 2008 shortly after coming out of her toe up leg brace. "I want to run the Boston Marathon for Spaulding Rehab Hospital." Mary traded in her polio shoes for running shoes and embarked on the journey of a lifetime. Mary McManus was at the height of her career as a VA social worker when she was told by her team at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital’s International Rehab Center for Polio in December of 2006 that she needed to quit her job if she had any hope of preventing the progression of post polio syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease. In “Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility” Mary takes you on her seven year healing odyssey as a survivor of paralytic polio and trauma from her diagnosis, to taking a leap of faith to leave her award winning career at the VA to heal her life and follow her passion as a poet and writer. You’ll experience her trials, tribulations and triumphs as she trains for and crosses the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and discovers the opportunity for healing in the wake of new trauma: the suicide of her nephew in 2011, and the aftermath of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. This is Mary's journey of coming home to her human form free from the influences of the ghastly ghostly invaders who had invaded her sacred earthly home. Her memoir includes journals and blog posts from her seven year healing odyssey. This is her journey of transformation and her message of healing, hope and possibility.

I donate 50% of royalty payments through on line sales to The One Fund to help Boston Marathon survivors and their families. Copies are also available at Brookline Marathon Sports. $5 of each book sold at Marathon Sports is donated to The One Fund.

An Open Letter to Dave McGillivray - Book Review - The Last Pick - "Set Goals Not Limits"

"The guy who stands 5-foot-4 dares to stand apart. he challenges others to do the same in their lives, whatever their dreams may be." Barry Scanlon, the Lowell Sun, March 29, 2000 in "The Last Pick"


Dear Dave,

The first time I saw you, you seemed larger than life to me. I was seated among the charity runners for the 2009 Boston Marathon. You were telling us everything we needed to know and more about running the Boston Marathon. If only I had read "The Last Pick" before I heard you speak, my anxiety would not have reached an all time high about running Boston. You reassured us that you were the last person to cross the finish line, but all I could focus on was the course closed at 6 hours and a thousand other things we were being told that made me wonder if perhaps I was out of my league. In "Last Pick", I could feel your desire to give others a chance to achieve their goals. Your deep compassion that was borne out of your own experiences as being the last pick and told you can't or you weren't ... over and over again was palpable on the pages of your book.

After that meeting, I told my coach and personal trainer, Domenick D'Amico that I was really anxious about completing the course in 6 hours along with the toll that waiting for the start would take on me since I am a survivor of paralytic polio and live with post polio syndrome, the late effects of paralytic polio. He was surprised that I hadn't registered as a mobility impaired runner with an early start. All it took was a phone call to Barbara Sicuso and a letter from my physician to give me the chance I needed to ensure a memorable Boston Marathon experience.

The next time I saw you was at the mobility impaired start of the 2009 Boston Marathon. You gave us the oral command to begin, "Runners take your mark, get set, go." As I wrote about in my People Who Are Boston Stronger blog featuring you, I was starstruck to be standing next to the race director for the Boston Marathon and having him give us the start of our 2009 Boston Marathon run. It didn't matter that there was an entire race to orchestrate and command. He was totally focused and present in that moment. We were all that mattered to him.

And that's who Dave McGillivray is.

Seven hours and 49 minutes later, Team McManus crossed the finish line of the 113th Boston Marathon and we raised $10,535 for Spaulding Rehab Hospital where I took the first steps on my healing journey. Because of your dedication and commitment to helping others discover what is possible for themselves, I was able to leave behind my identity as "easy out Alper", the last pick; a woman confined, defined and limited by her identity as a survivor of paralytic polio and trauma on the 26.2 mile course of the Boston Marathon. When I crossed the finish line, I was a woman transformed.

I had seen Katie Lynch's Boston Marathon run. As you so eloquently and compassionately explain it, for Katie to run 26.2 feet required the same amount of energy and effort that it takes an able bodied athlete to run 26.2 miles. You arranged for Katie to experience the thrill of a Boston Marathon run complete with a laurel wreath and medal. The love story between the two of you brought me to tears.

Although I certainly don't have anywhere near the level of challenges that Katie had, after reading, "The Last Pick," I am able to fuel compassion for myself for the effort I have to put forth when I run and honor and celebrate myself as an athlete.

I loved how you made sure that the men's marathon Olympian, who struggled through his race, experienced the thrill of breaking the tape as though he were the winner, defying the order to reroute the runners out of the Stadium in order to prepare for the closing ceremonies.

"I just didn't think it was in the true spirit of the Games to redirect this poor guy away from the Olympic Stadium and onto a grass field where about 10 people and 3 pigeons would be waiting for him. He was after all, an Olympian representing his country."

I got on the two way radio and instructed my team to ignore the order from above. We were going to send this guy into the stadium no matter what. I ran down the track and begged the band practicing for closing ceremonies instead to play a tune for this last lonely runner. They were happy to do it. Laborers were covering the track with tarp, and we asked them to rip up a section so the runner could go down one lane. I immediately looked around for a break tape and ripped up some white duct tape that was holding down TV cables. I asked a medical person for a black marker and hurriedly wrote "Atanta '96" on the tape. (Yes I misspelled Atlanta in my rush.) ... Without even the slightest hesitancy, we moved the Olympic road cones and redirected the last runner right past security and into the tunnel. He completed one lap and crossed the finish, breaking the tape I was holding. He collapsed in tears, as did all of us."

That Afghan runner gave all of us an opportunity to experience a true test of courage and athletic spirit. He finished, and I hope he felt a sense of accomplishment, no matter what the time clock said."

I laughed, I cried and was spellbound by your journey in life and on the roads.

There was an eerie foreshadowing about you being physically and mentally prepared for a catastrophic event. You were well prepared to meet the events of 4/15/13 with all of the conditions you created in your life as the book ends and you were looking ahead to the next 50 years of your life.

I had no idea how you felt about autographs until I read your book yet you graciously signed my copy of "The Last Pick" when you spoke at our pre race 2014 Boston Marathon meeting at L Street:

"I ran the 2009 Boston Marathon as a mobility impaired runner," I quietly said to you.

"You did? Good for you," was your reply and then you signed my book, "Set goals, not limits."

Your honesty, integrity, generosity and humility are rare qualities to find in a man who has achieved as much as you have achieved. You talk about the importance of having an ego in the chapter, "Ego Is Not a Four Letter Word". ""Ego" is simply my belief in my own abilities;its my level of confidence," you explain. Yet everything you do is to benefit others. You are deeply committed to offering an experience for everyone to achieve their personal best through DMSE events.

You mentioned how one of your favorite races is the Feaster Five. Mine too! At a 16 minute/mile pace, I was in the middle of the pack.

Out of your childhood angst of being the last pick, you have blessed so many lives through your charitable work and through your philosophy of putting on events.

The Last Pick is a treasure that captures the essence of who you are with all of your strengths and vulnerabilities. Reading about your journey fans the flames of my desire to set goals not limits while honoring and cherishing my own journey paved in part because of who you are and what you do.



I'm really excited to see how the next chapters of your life are written.

As you poignantly say as you end your book,

"If you run a race correctly, then you planned wisely and gave it everything, so that by the time you finish, you've given your all. At the end of my life, I'd like to think I gave everything I had and then some, right up until I simply run out of time."

With gratitude,
Mary




My memoir, "Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility" is now available on Amazon.

"Wait, I have one more goal," Mary McManus told her personal trainer in February of 2008 shortly after coming out of her toe up leg brace. "I want to run the Boston Marathon for Spaulding Rehab Hospital." Mary traded in her polio shoes for running shoes and embarked on the journey of a lifetime. Mary McManus was at the height of her career as a VA social worker when she was told by her team at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital’s International Rehab Center for Polio in December of 2006 that she needed to quit her job if she had any hope of preventing the progression of post polio syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease. In “Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility” Mary takes you on her seven year healing odyssey as a survivor of paralytic polio and trauma from her diagnosis, to taking a leap of faith to leave her award winning career at the VA to heal her life and follow her passion as a poet and writer. You’ll experience her trials, tribulations and triumphs as she trains for and crosses the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and discovers the opportunity for healing in the wake of new trauma: the suicide of her nephew in 2011, and the aftermath of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. This is Mary's journey of coming home to her human form free from the influences of the ghastly ghostly invaders who had invaded her sacred earthly home. Her memoir includes journals and blog posts from her seven year healing odyssey. This is her journey of transformation and her message of healing, hope and possibility.

I donate 50% of royalty payments through on line sales to The One Fund to help Boston Marathon survivors and their families. Copies are also available at Brookline Marathon Sports. $5 of each book sold at Marathon Sports is donated to The One Fund.

Countdown to a New Year

After being in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel during the Boston Marathon bombings, life changed dramatically for me as it did for everyone whose lives were touched by the events of April 15, 2013.

The explosions opened up the portal for me to experience my own trauma history in a new way. I learned what it means to be Boston Strong.

I published a trilogy of poetry books this year inspired by my healing journey:

I bought my first pair of Vibrams



and now run in a minimalist running shoe:

I returned to the roads and to the running community where we celebrate and heal in the aftermath of 4/15/2013 running the Brookline Symphony Orchestra 5K Fun Run & Walk, my first race in 2 years:

and the Feaster Five on Thanksgiving morning:

In 2014, I will publish my memoir, "Coming Home:A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility."

I plan to run the Tufts 2014 10K and build my miles.

I will continue to heal and grow with the help of the wonderful Aquatics Therapy program at Spaulding Rehab where I began to find my strength again in 2013.

I will be putting my fund raising hat back on to support Greg Gordon and Karis Antokal's 2014 Boston Marathon run for Spaulding and plan to volunteer with the Development Office as we countdown the days to the Boston Marathon.

I will continue to share my message of healing, hope and possibility through my blog and in the way I live my life.

I am blessed and grateful for all that 2013 taught me and the place where it brought me as I begin a new decade of my life. I am excited for 2014!

The Feaster Five: So Much More Than a Road Race

Yesterday's blog was a recap of my experience of the Feaster Five. I alluded to how the events from the 2013 Boston Marathon was very much present as I went to the Expo and was palpable among the running community. I spoke about the love I experienced with the Merrimack Valley Striders who sponsor the race along with DMSE, Dave McGillivray Sports Enterprises.

"The Merrimack Valley Striders is a 501c(3) organization whose mission statement is - "An organization whose mission is to encourage and enhance running at all levels". Organized in 1979, MVS has grown to be one of the largest running clubs in New England."

Because I was not near the start and many were not given the size of the field as reflected in this photo posted by Dave McGillivray on Facebook



I did not know that the race was dedicated to the Boston Marathon Bombing survivors and that Celeste Corcoran was the official starter for the race:

WHDH-TV 7News Boston

The race is geared for families and the average runner according to this article I found in the Eagle Tribune, "Top Racers Know Their Place in the Feaster Five" and that certainly was my personal experience.

But it is so much more than a road race.

"Several dozen runners yesterday wore the pink T-shirts, which read “Remember Ritzer,” in reference to Colleen Ritzer, the Andover native and teacher at Danvers High, who was murdered, allegedly by one of her students."

And some notes from our beloved race director, Dave McGillivray:


Here are some notes and nuggets sent to us by Feaster Five race director Dave McGillivary:

-- Final numbers were 10,616 entries, plus the number of kids who registered today. Last year, it was 10,720, so about 100 less this year.

-- About 55 percent women and 45 percent men.

-- 8,920 official starters (not including the kids) and 8,876 finishers.

-- For the first time ever, Monday-Wednesday online registration (no paper) was available, which worked great.

-- Weather on Wednesday, setting up, was difficult. Race day was much better even though it was cold.

-- A moment of silence for Colleen Ritzer and the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.

-- The Andover Police get very high grades, enhancing support once again, with Safety Officer Chuck Edgerly and Andover DPW leading the way.

-- Someone stole everything at one of the water stations - tables, barrels, cups, pitchers, rakes, shovels and trash bags. Crews had to go back to the DMSE warehouse to replace all that was stolen.

-- All three nonprofits - Ironstone Farms, Bellesini Academy, Merrimack Valley YMCA and the Merrimack Valley Striders - combined to raise well over $100,000.

-- A lot of the leftover food was donated to Lazarus House after the race.

It was my best race ever and as I read the press today, I discovered what I already knew that The Feaster Five is so much more than a road race and will become a Team McManus Thanksgiving tradition!

Feaster Five: My Best Race Ever!

Our Thanksgiving holiday began Wednesday afternoon when we went to pick up our bib numbers and race schwag at the Feaster Five Expo.



I first met the Striders in Hyannis in February of 2009 at the pre race pasta dinner as Team McManus was preparing to run their first half marathon in preparation for the 2009 Boston Marathon. They invited me to speak at their December 2010 meeting. Here I am with Al Pappalardo and Channel 7's Steve Cooper:



and here's Tom Licciardello handling the sound system for the speakers



We stayed in touch on and off through the years but after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, there was a feeling among many in the running community about the importance of staying connected with each other.

I've always wanted to run the Feaster Five. I had not recovered after the 2009 Boston Marathon to run the Feaster in 2010 and then wasn't feeling well enough to run after the 2011 Brookline Symphony Orchestra 5K. But this year it was my time!

It was an emotional reunion with my Strider friends
Tom L. and me


Al Pappalardo and me:


Tom's wife Lyn and me:


More MVS love:


and MVS gear including tumblers for the One Fund:


I had a reunion with Ric Beaudoin who was the first Strider that I met at Hyannis who wanted me to speak at the Striders' meeting to share my inspirational story and Dick Hoyt and Kathy Boyer who have known me since February of 2009. We are all healing; the bombings have resulted in close bonds and a resolve to allow love triumph over hatred.

I went to bed early and got up at 5:00am to leave by 6:00am to ensure that we would get good parking at the race. It was cold and windy but we got to watch the sunrise. So much heat was generated among the throngs of runners. It took us 10 minutes to get to the start!

The course involves a really steep uphill at the beginning of the race for a good half mile:



It wasn't a PR according to my time.

4985 258/393 F5059 59:46 49:43 16:01 Mary McManus 59 F 3663 Chestnut Hill MA

But it certainly was a PR according to how I felt in my body and during the race. It was 2 minutes slower than the Brookline Symphony Orchestra 5K Fun Run & Walk but it also had a huge almost mile hill at the start of the race and another small hill at the end of the race as compared to the Brookline Symphony Orchestra's 5K Fun Run & Walk fast, two loop course around the Reservoir.

According to my Nikeplus, I did negative splits:
17:28 mile 1 (which included a slow walk in getting to the start)
32:27 mile 2 (14.99 minute/mile pace)
46:23 mile 3 (13.96 minute/mile pace)

It was the first race that I ran that I felt I was in the middle of the pack. That's because I was in the middle of the pack; 4985/6135 finishers for the 5K. I wasn't too shabby in my age group either and this is the last race before I enter a new age group!

I've been used to being a back of the pack runner and watching a sea of runners fade into the distance in front of me. But the Feaster's field is different and it was an amazing experience for me to be passing runners and walkers.

As we headed for the finish, Ric Beaudoin stands atop a ladder calling out names of the runners spurring them onto the finish. We called out his name and he said, "And here comes Tom and Mary McManus all the way from Newton, Massachusetts."

Our daughter Ruth Anne met us at the finish line and she commented on how I was absolutely glowing looking so different than I had after any other race.

I ran in 30 degree weather; mercifully there was not a lot of wind during the race and there was the beautiful course through the Andover neighborhood. I was present in my body and delighted in each moment of the race. I was racing out there today.

The Feaster Five: my best race ever and my best Thanksgiving ever!




Thanksgiving from Seasons of the Soul available on Amazon

Make every day a feast of giving thanks
serving up heaping helpings of happiness
health and joy

be with the ones you love
------especially yourself
and feel your heart overflow
because there is so much gratitude stuffed inside.

Feast your eyes on beauty and wonder
feed your heart on kindness and compassion
forgive and remember love lasts
laughter heals.

Taste the sweetness that life has to offer
breathe deeply
as the scents of the season
delight the senses.