Springtime Run on Heartbreak Hill - I Am Not What Happened to Me....

I am what I choose to become.



We don't get to choose what happens to us. We can only choose how we respond to what happens to us. How we play the hand we are dealt. Some would say I was dealt a pretty crummy hand; paralytic polio at age 5 and being severely abused from 8 years old until I was 17 years old. My dad's suicide when I was 17 and then my nephew's suicide in 2011; being at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on 4/15/13. I've had 25 surgeries including major reconstruction leg surgery on my "polio" leg.

I was diagnosed in 2006 with post polio syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease and gone through a few relapses in these past 7 and a half years.

But my heart is filled with gratitude for the blessings and grace in my life. At times, the journey was filled with uncertainty. I suffered and yes I mean suffered with symptoms of PTSD. I struggled and went down many different roads to finally arrive on my healing path today using Aquatics Therapy at Spaulding Rehab, regular massage sessions at Sollievo which incorporate Zero Balancing into the work and running.

I took a two year running hiatus. The events of 4/15/13 made me realize that I needed and wanted to rejoin the running community. This "comeback" unlike returning to the roads after running the 2009 Boston Marathon, has required patience and releasing expectations of what I should be able to do.

I'm allowing myself to run from the inside out this time.

Today we did 5 miles on Heartbreak Hill. I have been tracking my workouts on Nike. My pace is improving with each run and today, I had negative splits - on Heartbreak Hill.

It was gorgeous with the sunshine, the trees in bloom, the birds singing.

I realized that I had never trained on Heartbreak Hill in Spring or summer because we began our long runs for the 2009 Boston Marathon in the winter. I had to take a running hiatus in 2009 after Boston. In 2010 I was running again but didn't think to use Hearbreak Hill for training and then was on a running hiatus from 2011 to 2013.

But I'm back now and embracing every moment of this journey.

My diagnosis doesn't define me. The trauma I experienced doesn't define me. I feel a renewed sense of healing, hope and possibility in my journey which feels solid and grounded and right and true for me. I honor and care about myself mind, body and Spirit.

It's a lot of hard work to get back into training but I feel a wellspring of joy rise up within me.

In October of 2007, a few months after being discharged from Spaulding Rehab Outpatient therapy, I asked my personal trainer if she thought I could get any stronger. We decided to find out just what this body could do.

I'm exploring and testing my limits all over again because...

I am not what happened to me... I am what I choose to become!

Royal Flush from Seasons of the Soul

One could say I was dealt a hand of crummy cards to play
at first blush I would have to agree
bluffing became my way of life
playing my cards close to my chest
ever vigilant
shifting eyes
wondering
do I continue to play or fold?

The stakes were high
I could no longer up the ante
living on the edge
waiting to find freedom only in death
every day a living death
something had to give
new rules
unconditional love
trust
strength
courage
steadiness
releasing fear by experiencing fear
losing self consciousness
opening my heart.

I bet everything I had
riding on hope, faith and a prayer

“I’m all in”
putting my cards on the table
there it was
a royal flush!

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

Paying It Forward - #supportcrew

Someone out on Heartbreak Hill stopped by our L Street Water Stop and asked if he could take a cup of water. We said of course. He looked at the table we had carefully and lovingly prepared and with a sweep of his arms he asked, "What inspires you? Why do you do this?"



Our first answer was - you - you inspire us. He was dripping sweat and had one more hill to run in the series of hills known as the infamous Heartbreak Hill before finishing his long run from Hopkinton to Boston College for a total of 22 miles.

When I got home, I gave some pause to the answer to that question.

We got up early on a Sunday morning and loaded up all of the supplies into our car. We drove over to Heartbreak Hill and set up table, poured water and gatorade and poured skittles, pretzels, cookie thins and swedish fish into bowls. We had ibuprofen, vaseline, tissues - lots of tissues and paper towel and trash bags.

We had a wonderful water stop partnership today with the family of one of L Street's members who did the long run while they did the water stop. We became fast friends. We talked about where were you last year and anticipation of this year's marathon. They embraced me and my story and said they couldn't wait to read my memoir. We laughed together as our water stop partner did running fashion commentary. When one runner who we didn't know asked if he could leave his runner's backpack with us we collectively held our breath. He could see that we didn't want him to drop off his bag with us so instead he took out the water bottles and left them. We talked about how everything has changed since 4/15/13.

We sent them on their way as the numbers dwindled and waited for a total of 3 hours to make sure the very last runner had a water stop available to them.

And I remember when...

When I was training for the 2009 Boston Marathon, there were often times when the water tables were pulled up during training runs because I was a real back of the packer but during my first 5 miler; the Marathon Sports 5 miler, Alison, the then manager of the Brookline Marathon Sports store waited until we went through to make sure we had our hydration.

When we went out and back to Heartbreak Hill for the first time, Alison was there to greet us when we returned to the store letting us know she was worried about us. I knew how she felt because I was waiting for my friend Tina to come through. Once she arrived she said, no worries, I'm slow and steady!

The President of L Street was in the back of the pack and she expressed a heartfelt thank you for us staying out there and for all we did for the Club.

We felt so much joy greeting runners from L Street and runners who were "running alone" as they told us. I told one woman, "You never run alone because #weruntogether." She smiled through the pain of her screaming quads. It was a joy to ask runners what they needed and to have what they needed on hand. Thank you to one of the L Street members who posted the shopping list on the homepage of the website. Ibuprofen was consumed, vaseline used to ease chafing and chapping. As one member said she didn't want to eat anything because her stomach was queasy (a feeling I remember all too well), I suggested pretzels with the salt that might help to settle her stomach.

There was one runner who came up from Atlanta to see what these hills were all about. He was so happy to partake of our offerings.

So while we were paying it forward for all of the love and support we received on our road to the Boston Marathon, we received so much in return. Sure, I could bemoan the fact that I can no longer run more than a 10K but I'd rather celebrate that I am back out on the roads; more importantly I get to pay it forward being a part of support crew.

The Magic of Heartbreak Hill

When we were training for the 2009 Boston Marathon, we wanted to get a break from the brutal New England winter. We spent 5 days in Puerto Rico. On the plane ride home, we did not have seats together. Ruth Anne sat in front of me and struck up a conversation with the two people who flanked her on either side. "Oh man," she said. "I have to get up early to go on an 18 mile training run." Little did she know that she was telling this to Johnny Kelley (the elder's) nephew. Tom Kelley and his wife Dot were enthralled with the story of Team McManus. They sent us an autographed photo of Johnny Kelley and told us that he would be watching over us on Marathon Monday.



They told us stories about Johnny and shared with us that his theme song was, "Young at Heart." It was played at the unveiling of his statue on Heartbreak Hill:




From the first time I ran on Heartbreak Hill on January 24, 2009, I felt its magic.

Yesterday, Tom and I did a five mile run from Newton Wellesley Hospital to Lowell Ave. and back. We hadn't done that part of the course together since we ran it in 2009.

The energy was electric. Runners were going up and down Heartbreak Hill. Everyone said good morning and the feeling of #weruntogether was never more palpable in the City.

Two young girls ran up to us and said, "Excuse me, can you tell us where Heartbreak Hill is?" We said, "This is it. It began at the corner of Comm. Ave. and Washington St." They giggled with delight that they were on Heartbreak Hill obviously training for their first Boston. "We don't have too far to go do we?" "Where you going?" we asked. They said BC. Our advise was to take it one mile at a time.

We then passed these huge trucks and my husband asked what was going on. We were told that NBC is shooting the first pilot in Boston in 20 years for a show called Odyssey about international espionage.

We continued on our run and turned around after reaching Lowell Ave.

As some runners were trudging up Heartbreak Hill we would give thumbs up, say you're looking good and I began saying (much to my husband's chagrin) We Run Together!



Frowns and struggles turned to smiles.

I know that I am not running Boston this year but I can certainly lend my energy, my smile and my support to all those training for Boston. And I can share with others the magic of Heartbreak Hill.

Do you have a favorite Heartbreak Hill moment? Do you remember the first time you ran Heartbreak Hill? If so, please leave a comment.

We Run Together - We Heal Together - We Move Forward Together

When I woke up yesterday morning, on the ten month anniversary of the Boston Marathon Bombings, I opened my email and in my inbox I received Christa in New York: Curating a Creative Life Through Ancient Wisdom and Modern Tech's blog post as I do every morning. Her posts are better than a morning cup of coffee to get my energy and creative juices flowing. I wept as I read her post:


Inspired: Don't Just Remember the Boston Marathon: Honor Boston and Its Residents.

The weather forecast was calling for a winter storm warning. L Street Running Club cancelled its Sunday long run. I had done 6.2 miles on the stationery bike with intervals on Friday and I knew that I couldn't do the bike again on Sunday. I knew that even though I "should have" taken a rest day, I had to get outside and get my miles in.

My running and life partner, Tom, told me that he could do his training run at my pace and distance and then do 'cross training' by cleaning off the ice on our walkway and driveway.

We hurried to get ready and map out our route. The energy on Heartbreak Hill was electric. Ten months later, runners were getting their miles in being very mindful of patches of black ice and slush. We saw several people we knew and in truth everybody knew everybody out on the course. There were no strangers. There were charity runners' water stops and they offered water to anyone who ran by. We run together.

There were several runners who were fighting their way through the hills. I knew that look and I smiled, gave them a thumbs up and told them they were looking good. They smiled through the pain. We heal together.

After getting my run in, it was time to head to Brookline Marathon Sports store to promote Singing Boston Strong:Karis' Karaoke for a Kause.



Despite the falling snow outside, customers came into the store and I had the opportunity to talk about Spaulding and Karis' fund raiser. Several people said they would donate on line and two young ladies from the Newton South High School Girls Basketball Team said that they would spread the word and come out to lend their voices to Sing Boston Strong. I talked with the staff at Marathon Sports and we had an opportunity to debrief about that day ten months ago.

When I got home and logged into Facebook, I saw this post from Ellen Gabriel, the manager of the Brookline Marathon Sports store:

Our long-time loyal customer and friend, Mary McManus, is fundraising for Karis Antokal and Spaulding Rehab. Check out her story here: http://www.crowdrise.com/Spaulding2014BostonMarathon/fundraiser/karisantokal

Thursday I will co host the first of two fund raisers to benefit Spaulding Rehab Hospital where I took the first steps on my healing journey over 7 years ago now and continue to find my strength in the Aquatics Therapy classes; and where so many of the Boston Marathon bombing survivors found and continue to find their strength.

In two months, as my friend Christa Rose wrote, the media will turn its attention to the one year anniversary of the Boston Marathon Bombings. We move forward together.

Do You Remember Your First Time.....

doing hill training? This morning as warmer air replaced the polar vortex that had descended upon New England, the sun was shining and the sky was blue. There were few remnants of our recent winter storms. Tom and I headed out to do a 5 mile run from our house to twice around the Chestnut Hill reservoir and back home. As we ran down Eliot Street toward Cleveland Road I remembered the first time our personal trainer, Janine Hightower told me I was going to do hill training. I had barely begun to run outdoors. She said you may as well start now because you have Heartbreak Hill to contend with on Marathon Monday.

Oh how I struggled up that hill the first time. I thought my heart was going to come out of my chest. She told me that we were going to incorporate hill training into our training schedule. I thought she was crazy and I was thinking about firing her.

But she was right. Hill training prepared me for Heartbreak Hill. I remember the first time Domenick D'Amico, our coach from Spaulding Rehab sent us on a training run that incorporated Heartbreak Hill.



January 24, 2009


When we arrived, Domenick was there along with some other runners. Team McManus was a wee bit nervous not knowing what to expect or what was going to happen today. Ruth Anne had forgotten her hat in our haste to leave the house, but fortunately there was no shortage of hats at Marathon Sports. Domenick said we could pay when we got back to the store. He was deep in thought about what route we should run today, "Have you run outdoors? Have you done hills" and with a yes answer to both those questions he sent us down Beacon Street to Newton Wellesley Hospital, over to Wellesly, up Concord Rd, over to Route 30 via the Marriott, down Route 30 through Heartbreak Hill, through BC to go around the Reservoir and then back to Marathon Sports for a total of 17.5 miles.

I won't lie here - it was not easy! We did not know where we were going at times; we had to watch out for black ice and negotiate our way through snow and slush at times along the route; there was a stiff headwind and temperatures were dropping throughout the afternoon; Ruth Anne is recovering from a head cold; at times Tom would set a pace that I couldn't keep up with and I vacillated between sheer exhilaration and dealing with demons from polio days. BUT we did it!!!! 4 hours and 45 minutes after we left Marathon Sports, we returned to a jubilant staff. Alison, the store manager, just back from her own vacation, hugged me so tightly and wanted to make sure we were all okay. I remember her on the Marathon Sports 5 Miler, giving me a high five and also checking in to make sure that I was doing okay. Her love, faith and beautiful Spirit is such a blessing to Team McManus....So this polio and post polio survivor ran Heartbreak Hill - all of it and I felt God's Presence so palpable with each step I took - and no matter whether we were running or walking, we did a 17.5 mile run today including Heartbreak Hill. I also felt Johnny Kelley's spirit blessing us and felt angels were just moving us along the route. We never got lost and whenever we needed a landmark - there it was. God bless Domenick for planning out this route which included a pit stop at the Marriott and we refilled our water bottles.

In 3 weeks, we will be doing a 16 mile long run and to be honest, I was terrified - until today. When I felt that little knot of fear, I would pray about it and the answer to my prayer came today when God told me to go to Marathon Sports and just do it!

God smiled with sunshine and the wind at our backs when we got to Heartbreak Hill and She told me you are going to run the Marathon and finish the course - you deserve all the joy and triumph and courage and celebration that saying Yes to me is bringing you. And you are going to touch so many people's hearts and lives with this journey - you are blessed and you are going to bless the lives of others.

And on April 20, 2009, 7 hours and 45 minutes after taking our start in Hopkinton with the mobility impaired runners, I crossed the finish line of the 113th Boston Marathon. No matter how many times I run on Heartbreak Hill, no matter how many times I do hill training, I always remember the first time.

Ode to Marathon Training - March 22, 2009 from A Celebration of Life available on Amazon
Blisters, black toes, aches and pains, a change in my routine
Long training runs, the hills, the sprints running clothes fresh and clean.
Carbo load and plan each meal power gels and gatorade
no matter what the weather no time to be afraid.
Humid - hot or freezing cold snow against the face
wind or sun or raining those running shoes I must lace.
What mile is this how long we been out check heart rate drink H20
meltdowns joys and triumphs only a few more weeks to go.
Heartbreak Hill won't break my heart this year has been the best
found myself and made new friends I feel incredibly blessed.

Why I Love Heartbreak Hill

I've written a lot of blogs about running on Heartbreak Hill.

I incorporated Heartbreak Hill into the poems I wrote on the road to the 2009 Boston Marathon

Ode to Marathon Training - March 22, 2009 (From A Celebration of Life available on Amazon.)
Blisters, black toes, aches and pains, a change in my routine
Long training runs, the hills, the sprints running clothes fresh and clean.
Carbo load and plan each meal power gels and gatorade
no matter what the weather no time to be afraid.
Humid - hot or freezing cold snow against the face
wind or sun or raining those running shoes I must lace.
What mile is this how long we been out check heart rate drink H20
meltdowns joys and triumphs only a few more weeks to go.
Heartbreak Hill won't break my heart this year has been the best
found myself and made new friends I feel incredibly blessed.

I stood many years as a spectator atop Heartbreak Hill cheering on Boston Marathon runners. I never dreamed that one day I would be among them. And two years ago, after running the Brookline Symphony Orchestra 5K and I felt myself experiencing another relapse of post polio syndrome symptoms, I thought for sure my running days were over.

It was cold yesterday and windy (not as cold and windy as today I might add). I knew I needed to get in one more training run before Thanksgiving Day's Feaster Five Road Race.

I was planning on an easy flat 3.1 miles somewhere but I knew I needed to get out there and really challenge myself. I needed to open it up and just go!

The Spaulding Race for Rehab 2014 fund raising website is up and many of my friends are running on the team this year in large part because of the Boston Marathon bombings. I was with Greg Gordon, my dear friend and teammate from the 2009 Race for Rehab team as the bombs went off. He is running along with fellow 2009 teammates TK and Suzanne Adams. Suzanne and I first met in 2007, and have been friends ever since. We were with Suzanne when the bombs went off. Michelle Scribner-MacLean who I met at the 2008 pre race pasta dinner and with whom I have stayed in touch through social media is running. Her brother Mark was going to run in 2008 but an injury flared right before the gun went off. When I met Michelle, she was training to run her first half marathon.

As I read their stories on their fund raising pages, in addition to being moved to donate, I was moved to get out there and really get moving.

Thanks to Ellen Gabriel, manager at the Brookline Marathon Sports store, we had our winter gear ready to go.

We decided to run Heartbreak from Center Street to Chestnut Street. There is something magical and mystical about the sun in Winter on Heartbreak Hill. The trees were mostly barren and the sky was a brilliant blue. Despite the cold air, the sun's warmth could still be felt as somehow it is always felt on Heartbreak Hill.

There was an infectious energy on the hills yesterday. It's as though everyone is preparing in one way or another for the 2014 Boston Marathon. There are 148 days to go until April 21st as noted on my friends' fund raising pages. Everyone was greeting each other yesterday. There was a sense of camaraderie and togetherness - an unspoken bond of #bostonstrong. I felt a powerful emotional connection to my beloved coach and trainer, Domenick D'Amico from the 2009 Boston Marathon.

I felt the best I have felt in my body out on a training run and my statistics from Nike+ reflected that. 4.03 miles with an average pace of 14'8". I wasn't pushing myself or my body. I moved in my body, breathing hard and pouring sweat. I looked in the mirror after we finished our run and were back in the warm car. I had a glow about me.

I took a hot epsom salts bath when I got home followed by a hot shower. But despite my best efforts, I experienced muscle spasms in my neck, upper back and shoulders. I was having difficulty with cervical spine mobility. My legs were of course sore but felt wonderful.

But even though I was in a lot of discomfort, I was not worried about what was happening in my body. I know that I am blessed with two remarkably dedicated practitioners who would help me to work out whatever was happening in my body.

I went to bed at 9:00pm and woke up at 8:00am feeling wonderfully refreshed and recharged. (What a difference from waking up in the morning still feeling fatigued and foggy for years as I suffered with the residuals of polio and trauma stuck in my body.)

My body feels strong and healthy. I feel ready for my 2nd race after a two year running hiatus on Thursday. I have so much to be thankful for this year. Among my blessings, I have rekindled my love of Heartbreak Hill and can be a part of an incredible community that continues to heal and be #bostonstrong.

The 2009 Spaulding Race for Rehab Team at the starting line


A sendoff from Domenick as we head out for the last training run before the 2009 Boston Marathon


Two weeks ago posing with the Johnny Kelley statue on Heartbreak Hill


Even though my heart along with the City of Boston and the world was broken on April 15, 2013, there was something powerfully healing about healing my heart during yesterday's Heartbreak Hill training run.

A Trip Up Heartbreak Hill - A Trip Down Memory Lane - "Today, Records Fell"

In training for the Feaster Five on Thanksgiving morning, I have been incorporating hill training since the beginning of the race is a .5 mile steep hill. There is also a smaller hill at the end of the race.

Yesterday morning I told Tom that I wanted to train on Heartbreak Hill. When we Googled the distance from Walnut Street to Lake Street, spanning most of Heartbreak Hill, Google said it would be 2.3 miles each way. Cool!

I set my Nike+ app and off we went.

We often associate triggers with a negative connotation of flashbacks and unpleasant experiences. Only yesterday, being on Heartbreak Hill for the first time since 2009, triggered a flood of wonderful memories:

I noticed the details of the way the stones are inlaid on the carriage road on Commonwealth Avenue. I remembered finding a Helen Keller Quarter from my blog 4/5/2009

As we were heading out along Beacon Street here in Brookline, Mass., I saw a penny. Those of you who have read my blog know that we have had a lot of signs with finding money while we trained. There were a herd of runners behind us and I knew that if I stopped to pick this penny up, I could get trampled and then where would I be after a year of training and being on the threshold of running the Marathon. So I felt God's Presence and ran on. While on Heartbreak Hill, my daughter stopped in her tracks. Buried in the crack in the sidewalk on Heartbreak Hill, my daughter spotted a quarter - not just any quarter but a quarter dedicated to Helen Keller. Her quotes and life story have always been a major source of inspiration to me and Bernie Siegel, MD (who through the years has been a guiding healing light for me) has quoted her so many times in his talks, books and on his forum. During the last two miles of our training run, we found two more pennies - 27 cents! Not 26 but 27 so God is letting us know that we have what we need to go the distance....


Our first run on Heartbreak Hill which was mapped out by our beloved coach for Spaulding Rehab, Domenick D'Amico. And then on Marathon Monday being greeted by a teary eyed Domenick who gave each of us a hug and told us to go get our medal.

We remembered coming home from Puerto Rico in January of '09 and our daughter sitting next to Johnny Kelley's nephew and his wife. She was bemoaning the fact that she had to get up early and do an 18 miler in the cold and snow after having 5 days in the warmth of Puerto Rico. His nephew's wife told us that Johnny would be watching over us every time we trained on Heartbreak Hill and especially on Marathon Monday. He was with us every step of the way. After we met them, my theme became the title of Johnny's autobiography, "Young at Heart"



But something was incredibly different on this Heartbreak Hill run. I felt so different in my body. I had a wonderful stride and I could experience my subtle body energy.


I use Nike+ to track my workouts now to support Marathon Sports and #bostrong.

As the voice of Nike+ began marking the miles, I knew that we were going farther than the 4.6 miles on Google maps. But I had no choice but to finish out the run because we parked our car at Walnut Street and had to do an out and back loop. {Tom thinks that perhaps my Nike+ took into account the elevation while calculating the distance--who knows?). While I felt tired toward the end of the run, I also felt that I still had a lot in the tank which really surprised me. I am going to taper for the Feaster Five and maintain at the 5K distance which we opted for thinking that there is no way I would be able to run 5 miles again but after the race, I am going to begin to slowly and steadily build mileage and see how my body responds.

Here are the results from my workout according to Nike+

5.33 miles
Average pace 14"34"/mile
Total time 1:17:49
Splits:
Mile 1 13"
Mile 2 27:13
Mile 3 41:47
Mile 4 57:07
Mile 5 1:12:58
Mile 5:33 1:17:49

Nike reminded me that "Today, records fell." Okay it was only my 2nd Nike+ run but indeed records did fall.
I ran the farthest and fastest that I have run in the past 7 months since I began to run again after a 2 year running hiatus. My 5K time was 43:36. My time at the Brookline Symphony Orchestra 5K Fun Run & Walk was 47:50 - a 15:26/mile pace. I wasn't trying to go faster. I was not pushing myself in my body. I was in tune with my body moving from the inside out. There was a sense of unbridled joy being back on Heartbreak Hill, feeling the sun on our faces and a sense of coming home inside of my human form free from the ravages of trauma and paralytic polio.

Tom snapped this photo of me at the Johnny Kelley statue:


Today I am sore and it's a rest and recovery day but overall I feel strong and present in my body after taking a run up Heartbreak Hill and a trip down memory lane. But just like my 2009 run was so much bigger than me -- my healing journey is a message to all who were affected by the events on Marathon Monday -- that we do heal, we do become stronger and love and community is far more powerful than violence.

While I am not running Boston 2014, I am cheering on my friends in person and in social media supporting them with donations if they are running for a charity and feel so blessed to be a part of this amazing community. We are Boston Strong!


Ode to Marathon Training - March 22, 2009 from A Celebration of Life available on Amazon
Blisters, black toes, aches and pains, a change in my routine
Long training runs, the hills, the sprints-running clothes fresh and clean.
Carbo load and plan each meal power gels and gatorade
no matter what the weather no time to be afraid.
Humid - hot or freezing cold snow against the face
wind or sun or raining those running shoes I must lace.
What mile is this how long we been out check heart rate drink H20
meltdowns joys and triumphs only a few more weeks to go.
Heartbreak Hill won't break my heart this year has been the best
found myself and made new friends I feel incredibly blessed.

Heartbreak Hill for the First Time

This morning at 8 am as we had the cooler packed and ready to go around Jamaica Pond (it was 39 degrees and sunny; there were predicted wind gusts but we just had to take our training outside), I felt God speak to me - go to Marathon Sports and get a route from Domenick (our trainer for Spaulding Rehab's Race for Rehab Team) - it's time to get out on the Marathon Course. This meant that we had about 15 minutes to fill up the water bottles for our fuel belts, pack clementines and Power Gel into our pockets and get down to Marathon Sports. I felt throughout my whole being that we were meant to do this today.

When we arrived, Domenick was there along with some other runners. Team McManus was a wee bit nervous not knowing what to expect or what was going to happen today. Ruth Anne had forgotten her hat in our haste to leave the house, but fortunately there was no shortage of hats at Marathon Sports. Domenick said we could pay when we got back to the store. He was deep in thought about what route we should run today, "Have you run outdoors? Have you done hills" and with a yes answer to both those questions he sent us down Beacon Street to Newton Wellesley Hospital, over to Wellesly, up Concord Rd, over to Route 30 via the Marriott, down Route 30 through Heartbreak Hill, through BC to go around the Reservoir and then back to Marathon Sports for a total of 17.5 miles.

I won't lie here - it was not easy! We did not know where we were going at times; we had to watch out for black ice and negotiate our way through snow and slush at times along the route; there was a stiff headwind and temperatures were dropping throughout the afternoon; Ruth Anne is recovering from a head cold; at times Tom would set a pace that I couldn't keep up with and I vacillated between sheer exhilaration and dealing with demons from polio days. BUT we did it!!!! 4 hours and 45 minutes after we left Marathon Sports, we returned to a jubilant staff. Alison, the store manager, just back from her own vacation, hugged me so tightly and wanted to make sure we were all okay. I remember her on the Marathon Sports 5 Miler, giving me a high five and also checking in to make sure that I was doing okay. Her love, faith and beautiful Spirit is such a blessing to Team McManus.

So this polio and post polio survivor ran Heartbreak Hill - all of it and I felt God's Presence so palpable with each step I took - and no matter whether we were running or walking, we did a 17.5 mile run today including Heartbreak Hill. I also felt Johnny Kelley's spirit blessing us and felt angels were just moving us along the route. We never got lost and whenever we needed a landmark - there it was. God bless Domenick for planning out this route which included a pit stop at the Marriott and we refilled our water bottles.

In 3 weeks, we will be doing a 16 mile long run and to be honest, I was terrified - until today. When I felt that little knot of fear, I would pray about it and the answer to my prayer came today when God told me to go to Marathon Sports and just do it!

God smiled with sunshine and the wind at our backs when we got to Heartbreak Hill and She told me you are going to run the Marathon and finish the course - you deserve all the joy and triumph and courage and celebration that saying Yes to me is bringing you. And you are going to touch so many people's hearts and lives with this journey - you are blessed and you are going to bless the lives of others.

In yesterday's healing energy session, Janice and I were very talkative as she went about clearing out my energy and helping me to deepen my connection to Source as we intensely prepare for April 20th. God's Love is transmitted through her loving hands and God spoke to me through her as she said, "You have everything you need. You are overflowing with God's light so don't worry". Today, Team McManus took the plunge and ran a good portion of the Marathon Course with God's guidance and love leading the way. I felt as though I were Luke Skywalker listening to Yoda and she smiled when I shared that image with her.

It was a magical day and I feel so incredibly blessed to be on this wild adventure with my beautiful daughter and loving husband. My son reassured us that although he has to work today and tomorrow, he'll do the laundry on Monday to get our running clothes ready for next Saturday's run. God is good!

Please check out www.firstgiving.com/teammcmanus to learn more about my transformation from the crisis of post polio diagnosis to running the Boston Marathon and be inspired to donate so that Spaulding can continue their tradition of remarkable recoveries just like mine!