Healing, Hope and Possibility: Boston Marathon

Showing posts with label Boston Marathon. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Journey Well

It was the Thursday before Boston Marathon weekend 2014. My therapist at Sollievo Massage and Bodywork knew the events that were coming up for me, for the city of Boston and people watching and waiting around the world. Thursday evening was our annual pre marathon meeting at L Street Running Club. Saturday was the BAA 5K, the Boston Marathon Expo and many events honoring survivors and their families. On Sunday we took the field at Fenway Park to represent the BAA volunteers and Monday was when Boston raced again.

As we said goodbye Joseph said to me, "Journey well."

With those two words I knew that I had to write another book and that the title would be "Journey Well."

Every book begins with a blank page.

I had no idea what was going to fill the pages of Journey Well. It's been written in real time woven together with excerpts from my memoir, "Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility", poems, blog posts from then and now and journal entries. I know the arc of my story ends with my running of the 2014 Tufts 10K. I have been revising and editing and editing some more as I go along.

What is my intention for writing Journey Well?

April 15, 2013 was a defining moment in my life and in the lives of people in Boston and around the world. It was a personal wake up call for me to return to my healing path and the sport and community that have been medicine and a lifeline for me throughout my marathon of healing the late effects of paralytic polio and experiencing 9 years of domestic violence as a child and adolescent.

My intention is to capture the essence of Boston Strong through my experience of the 2014 Boston Marathon and as I profile the people who are Boston Stronger.

In Journey Well, I take an honest look at what led me to stray from my healing path and the running community in the hopes that others who are vulnerable and hungry for healing will be discerning about who and what they choose to help them heal.

Despite the horrific events I experienced in my life, I always kept the spark of hope, healing and possibility alive in my heart and soul. I am blessed with the gifts of Aquatics Therapy at Spaulding Rehab, weekly treatments with Joseph at Sollievo that help me to heal mind, body and Spirit, my running and the unconditional love, laughter and support in the running community. My village grows. I have been so blessed with experiences that make for a great read - and a life well lived.

We can always begin again. And no matter what happens to us, we can always find a way to journey well.

And now - drumroll please -- unveiling the cover of Journey Well with deepest thanks to Kathleen Healy Fencil and J. Alain Ferry of RaceMenu and Race Director extraordinaire for the inspiration and cover and author photos.

"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.

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

"The desire to run...

".....comes from deep within us - from the unconscious, the instinctive, the intuitive." ~George Sheehan, MD

Following numerous orthopedic leg surgeries, I would be in an immobilizer and crutches. As I hobbled around watching runners train for the Boston Marathon, I would joke, "Oh I'm not gonna run it this year."

Even though I had never run a day in my life; never even owned a pair of running shoes and was taunted and teased whenever I did try to run in gym class, as a survivor of paralytic polio, there was a runner inside of me just waiting to be born.

And as I sat in a leg brace, using a wheelchair at times for mobility feeling just about the worst I ever felt in my life having been diagnosed with post polio syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease, I wrote the poem

Running the Race February 2007

Early summer 1959 my kindergarten year
everyone around me filled with nervous fear
Despite the Salk vaccine hope polio would disappear
the polio virus crept right up and knocked me in the rear.

Dancing all around the gym feeling free just like a bird
I dropped to the ground just like a stone and no one said a word.
The pain it was so searing-the diagnosis even worse
"It's polio" the doctor said...he was abrupt and terse.

Called one of the 'lucky ones' I had a 'mild case'
but with the other athletes I could never keep their pace.
Miss Holly physical therapist, curly hair and a warm, broad smile
it tempered the pain of being apart - to walk I'd take awhile.

I always wore those 'special' shoes the kids they poked and teased
with no support and much abuse with childhood I wasn't pleased.

But put nose to the grindstone and learned all that I could
I couldn't kick a ball but my grades were always good.
Years went by and no more thought to polio did I give
I accepted the limp and everything else and decided my life I would live.

But symptoms of weakness and muscle pain did grow
I kept a stoic face hoping no one else would know.
Life no longer was my own I struggled through each day
suffered in silence, isolated from friends-t
rying to keep depression at bay.

And with the grace of glorious God
my world it opened wide
I discovered there was a Post Polio team and they were on my side.

Sought out paths for healing and my spirit flew free
for the first time in life, I could truly be me.
The chains are gone and possibilities abound
I'm a tree with my roots planted firmly in ground.

Using wheelchair to travel, set limits on what I could do,
Resulted in joy to realize I could live life anew.
Celebrated my body- creaks, groans and need for a brace
While in my mind I focused on winning a 10K race.

I'm now off the sidelines, no need to sit and whine
so much gratitude fills my heart and love and beauty shine.
After all these years I can join the loving human race
I exceed all expectations and now I set the pace.

And a year later, as my personal trainer asked me what my next goals were I rattled off, "I want to go outside. I want to dance. I want to feel free in my body." And as she had all of her things packed up with her hand on the door knob (she was an in home personal trainer), I said those words that came from deep within me bypassing any thought process whatsoever, "Wait...I have one more goal. I want to run the Boston Marathon for Spaulding. I know they have a charity team."

After my nephew's suicide in 2011, I forgot the truth about running and set off on this detour to try to fix my polio body from the outside in through the work of KMI Structural Integration.

I was running just fine but they convinced me otherwise. And sure I did need healing and I needed to build strength but the kind of yoga they offered and KMI Structural Integration were not healing for me.

Every situation has a purpose and led me to where I am today.

I found my way to Aquatics Therapy at Spaulding Rehab which was just what I needed to find my strength and provides a perfect complement to my running. I am nourishing my neuromuscular system and making new connections and building strength in a safe, fun and joyful space.

I found my way to a mind/body therapist at Sollievo Massage and Bodywork where, in my most recent session, I discovered what I knew to be Truth all along. I am perfect just as I am.

Every time I am out on a run, I am reminded of the expansiveness of life. I connect with nature and know that this Universe is large enough to hold all the pain I have lived through. I no longer have to carry it inside of me but rather, am meant to live a life of peace and joy. I realize my inner strength that flows from the wellspring of perfection in me. Through running and through running a marathon, I discovered that I am strong enough to handle whatever life may bring. There was never anything wrong with me. There was never anything that needed to be fixed. I just went through a period of confusion induced by grief and reconnecting with the energy of my family of origin.

But now I'm back running, strength training feeling blessed and grateful. For as George Sheehan also said, 'The true runner is a very fortunate person. He has found something in him that is just perfect.'

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Go Forward!

A few years back, one of my facebook friends sent me a dog tag and key chain from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.

I wore it when I ran my comeback Tufts 10K race in 2010.

As I look back on my healing journey living with the effects of having contracted paralytic polio at the age of 5 and experiencing assault after assault on my body at the hands of family members which did not give my body time to heal from polio, I am amazed at my Spirit's desire to always find a way to go forward. I didn't know if I would be able to run again after the 2009 Boston Marathon. Yet, with hope in my heart, I returned to my "master magician" physician Dr. El Abd at Newton Wellesley Hospital Spine Center and worked with a wonderful physical therapist who helped me build upper body strength and work to heal cervical spine disease. In December of 2010, I crushed the Somerville Jingle Bell Run with a PR pace of 13:43/minute.

And then life happened in March of 2011 and by September of 2011, I called it quits with running believing I would not be able to run again. This was my time in the chrysalis; a time of darkness and uncertainty and a time to prepare to transform again.

4/15/13 happened and the #onerun and I realized I had to get back running and I had to find a way to reclaim my life despite or maybe because of everything that happened to me.

Slowly, almost imperceptibly, I began to go forward.

I worked in Aquatics Therapy, in my training runs and beginning in March with a mind/body therapist to heal, to gain strength and endurance and then to see what this body could do at last week's Bill Rodgers 5K Run/Walk To Benefit Prostate Cancer.

This weekend is the Falmouth Road Race. Last year, it was just about four months after the events of 4/15/13. Everyone was reeling and healing. It's amazing to see how much healing has happened in our running community in the past year. The weight of loss and trauma has been lifted; celebration and joy are in the air.

Meb won Boston and is competing in Falmouth this year.

“I am so happy to be coming back to Falmouth,” said Keflezighi, who will be on the starting line in Woods Hole for the first time since 2009. “The Falmouth Road Race is run on one of the most beautiful courses I’ve ever seen, and the people there have embraced me as if I’ve lived on-Cape all of my life. I always run well there, and to return now as the Boston Marathon champion makes it even more special, knowing that so many of my Falmouth friends were there and cheering me on.

This will be the fourth time Keflezighi has run the New Balance Falmouth Road Race. He has twice finished as runner-up, in 2007 and 2008, and in 2009 he placed fifth. Each time, he was the first American finisher....

When Keflezighi crossed the finish line on Boylston Street last spring in an emotional victory, he became the first man to win the Boston Marathon, New York City Marathon (2009), and an Olympic medal. Now 39, he also won the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials and finished a remarkable fourth in the 2012 London Olympics, and is the oldest man to win the Boston Marathon since 1931.

“We’re excited that Meb has chosen to run in Falmouth,” said Dave McGillivray, race director of both the Boston Marathon and the New Balance Falmouth Road Race. “Standing at the finish line and soaking in the chants of ‘USA! USA!’ as Meb ran up Boylston Street was a privilege, and seeing the impact that he and his win have had on runners and children since then has been eye-opening. Falmouth is a lucky town.”

Meb will also be hosting a charity run.

My friends Paul and Marcie DiLorenzo will be celebrating their raceiversary in Falmouth this year. They were married at last year's starting line. What light, love and joy they brought to us all four months after 4/15/13. One year later they have four month old Rad in tow. In a few short months, they will cross another finish line as they finalize the adoption of their two beautiful, awesome sons, Gino and Vann.

As for me? I have one more 5K race on 9/28th, The Blue Cross Blue Shield Island Run to benefit Boston Harbor Island Alliance, Big Sister Association of Greater Boston & The Greater Boston Food Bank before I return to the starting line of the 2014 Tufts 10K. With the Tufts 10K just two weeks after the Island Run, I won't be setting an intention for a PR for the day. It will be a wonderful opportunity to race and enjoy the day with friends.

My sights are set on Monday, October 13, 2014 when I return to the start of the Tufts 10K for Women.

My time to beat is:
1:36:10 15:29 Mary McManus

Long before I was on Facebook and long before I was following the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, I wrote the poem Running the Race and wrote these words:

I'm now off the sidelines, no need to sit and whine
so much gratitude fills my heart and love and beauty shine.
After all these years I can join the loving human race
I exceed all expectations and now I set the pace.

After last Sunday's PR, I have total confidence that I can work toward besting my time from 2010.

We are all so blessed to be presented with opportunities to Go Forward and unleash our inner superhero.

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

Friday, July 18, 2014

A Debt of Gratitude to Marathon Woman K.V. Switzer "A girl can't run the Boston Marathon" - oh yes she can!

I just finished reading Kathrine Switzer's "Marathon Woman", best known as the woman who created quite a stir at the 1967 Boston Marathon wearing bib number 261. Jock Semple, the race director jumped off of the press truck when he realized there was a woman running in 'his race' and tried to physically push her off the course. He ripped off her bib number on her back. Her boyfriend at the time pushed Jock out of the way and she went on to finish the race in 4 hours and 20 minutes.

The moment she crossed the finish line, she knew her life had been changed forever. The experience ignited the fire in her soul. She was only 19 years old and still in college yet she was aware on some level of what she was being called to do.

Today we don't think much about being able to compete in all female races or that there is a women's marathon event in the Olympics. This year marks the 30th year of the inaugural women's marathon event in the Olympics won by New England's very own Joan Benoit Samuelson. It was the tireless efforts of Kathrine Switzer that gives women this opportunity. But for Kathrine, her mission goes beyond women having the right to compete in races. For Kathrine, her mission and passion is all about bringing the transformational power of running to women worldwide. She calls running "The Secret Weapon." She didn't want to keep the secret weapon she discovered while running a mile around her back yard a secret. Here she is describing the life changing moment when her military father responds to her telling him she wanted to be a cheerleader:

Kathrine highlights the culture of what it was like to grow up female in the 1960's. While the women in my family took the cultural stereotypes to the extreme, I realized that their values and myths of what it meant to be female was being reinforced by the sociocultural norms of the time.

Kathrine used her marketing and PR strategies to both work within the framework of the cultural norms to make inroads in the female and societal psyche about women's abilities and to blaze trails through her uncanny ability to build collaborative relationships in the midst of conflict.

Kathrine believes that women have incredible potential if they have the opportunity and belief. Through organizing races on a global scale, she changed women's lives. There is power in crossing a finish line and getting a medal around your neck. You do something you never thought you'd be able to do. For me as a survivor of paralytic polio, and childhood domestic violence and having been diagnosed with post polio syndrome, every training run and every race is a victory for me. Every step empowers me and takes me into the present moment leaving behind all that went before.

Kathrine blazed the trail for all of us to experience the transformational power of running.

My breath catches for a moment when I realize that were it not for Kathrine's courage, passion, ability for community organization and activism on a global scale (often sacrificing her health and her personal life for the cause), that the Boston Marathon would not have been a part of my journey. Nor would I be training for the Tufts 10K in October.

To K.V. Switzer, Marathon Woman and so much more, I owe a debt of gratitude.

"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.

Thursday, June 19, 2014

#tbt The Marathon Sports 5 Miler: Success - It's What You Do With What You've Got

After my first road race, The Corrib Road Race 5K, we signed up for the Marathon Sports 5 Miler in July of 2008. It was hot. It was an evening race. I had just begun my running career.

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

Our first 5 mile race was the Marathon Sports 5 miler. It was a hot, steamy evening in July. We got lost on the way to the race. Tempers were running as hot as the thermometer because I was so anxious about running my first five mile race. My energy tended to wane by the evening as I was continuing to deal with the late effects of paralytic polio. We finally arrived and walked around trying to enjoy the pre race festivities. As everyone took their place at the start, I could see that this was a serious, competitive running crowd; quite a contrast to my first race ever, the Corrib Pub Run 5K in June.

Runners went out fast and Tom, Ruth Anne and I were in the back of the pack with a few other people. Even they took off and I told Ruth Anne to go out ahead of us. I experienced my first (of many) marathon training meltdowns. I cried as I shared with Tom all the memories of having kids take off and leave me behind that were bubbling to the surface. I was sweating and tired and hot. I couldn’t tell where my tears ended and sweat began. I told Tom I had no business training for the Boston Marathon. Tom was wonderful and he told me that I couldn’t quit. We would make it through this race and we would make it through every training run. He believed in me when I did not believe in myself. I did know, however, that if I didn’t finish that race, I would never make it to the starting line of the Boston Marathon. Alison gave me water and a high five out on the course. She was worried about me in the heat and wanted to make sure I was okay.

Despite finishing dead last, members of the Marathon Sports family who knew the story of Team McManus, had air horns and a truck on the field honking and blowing and cheering us on to the finish. Ruth Anne circled back around to bring us into the finish line. She was there at the finish line to give me a hug and celebrate my first 5 mile road race ever. I knew training for Boston was not going to be easy, but I knew I had what it was going to take to make it happen.

Fast forward to today. I am not going to run the Marathon Sports 5 Miler but will experience the joy of watching Tom cross the finish line. We will celebrate this summer classic with our Marathon Sports family.

One might easily ask: It's six years later, wouldn't you have improved in your strength and endurance to be able to run this race again?

Not yet....not this year...maybe not ever or maybe someday ...

"Rarely does the path to recovery follow a straight line
Like a tidal stream, it bends and twists
It surges and trickles
It ebbs and flows.
That is why rehabilitative care must be fluid too.
Spaulding takes an approach to patient care that is flexible, highly personal and informed by a deep understanding that while every patient strives to reach higher ground, no two rehabilitative journeys are ever alike."

I am at a place of peaceful acceptance in living with a spinal cord injury: the late effects of paralytic polio and the injuries that resulted from 9 years of violence, but by no means does my condition define or limit me to a life on the sidelines.

After 7+ years on this amazing journey, I realize that regular strength training on land does not work for me. I tried several times over with different trainers and different approaches and I ended up injured and no stronger than when I began.

Fortunately, Spaulding Rehabilitation Network built a new facility in Charlestown complete with an Aquatics Therapy Center. I am able to build strength.

In addition to twice a week Aquatics Therapy classes, one with 5 pound ankle weights and one that focuses on core and cardiovascular conditioning, I run twice a week. In my 3.1 mile runs, I work on speed with fartleks and/or a tempo run. I'm running from the inside out listening to how and when to push myself. I'm training for the Tufts 10K. My second weekly run is to build endurance.

I go for weekly massage therapy sessions at Sollievo Massage and Bodywork that incorporates Zero Balancing into the work. The sessions are a wonderful catalyst for healing trauma and the late effects of paralytic polio. The challenges remain but my attitude has shifted.

When once I felt really frustrated by needing to sit on the sidelines and feeling left out or left behind, I can now smile and feel the joy of supporting Tom in his running career. He supports me in my running career, helping me to train and running races with me at my pace. I choose races that are for all ages and all abilities that I know I will enjoy.

I had always experienced success in my intellectual and professional pursuits. It's awesome to experience success in my running career and on this awesome healing odyssey best defined by Woody Hayes:

Running the Race - February 2007
Early summer 1959 my kindergarten year
Everyone around me filled with nervous fear
Despite the Salk vaccine hope polio would disappear
The polio virus crept right up and knocked me in the rear.

Dancing all around the gym feeling free just like a bird
I dropped to the ground just like a stone
and no one said a word.
The pain it was so searing-the diagnosis even worse

"It's polio" the doctor said...he was abrupt and terse.
Called one of the 'lucky ones' I had a 'mild case'
But with the other athletes I could never keep their pace.
Miss Holly physical therapist,
curly hair and a warm, broad smile
It tempered the pain of being apart - to walk I'd take awhile.

I always wore those 'special' shoes
the kids they poked and teased
With no support and much abuse
with childhood I wasn't pleased.
But put nose to the grindstone and learned all that I could
I couldn't kick a ball but my grades were always good.

Years went by and no more thought to polio did I give
I accepted the limp and everything else
and decided my life I would live.
But symptoms of weakness and muscle pain did grow
I kept a stoic face hoping no one else would know.

Life no longer was my own I struggled through each day
Suffered in silence, isolated from friends-
trying to keep depression at bay.
And with the grace of glorious God my world it opened wide
I discovered there was a Post Polio team
and they were on my side.

Using wheelchair to travel, set limits on what I could do,
Resulted in joy to realize I could live life anew.
Celebrated my body- creaks, groans and need for a brace
While in my mind I focused on winning a 10K race.
Sought out paths for healing and my spirit flew free
For the first time in life, I could truly be me.

The chains are gone and possibilities abound
I'm a tree with my roots planted firmly in ground.
I'm now off the sidelines, no need to sit and whine
So much gratitude fills my heart and love and beauty shine.
After all these years I can join the loving human race
I exceed all expectations and now I set the pace.

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.

Sunday, June 15, 2014

On Father's Day

I scroll through my Facebook news feed and I see photos and tributes to fathers.

A father is a person of strength who guides us, helps us feel grounded yet encourages us to follow our dreams; supports us, provides us with a foundation to believe in ourselves, loves us unconditionally and gives us tough love when we need it. My biological father was unable to fulfill this role for me. While he helped me to recover during the acute phase of paralytic polio and made sure I had access to the best possible medical care, three years later and for 9 years, I bore the brunt of his alcoholic rages and projections from his psychotic thoughts. He threatened my life on numerous occasions. But this blog IS a message of healing, hope and possibility.

My strong connection to the Divine Father has guided me since I contracted paralytic polio at age 5 and upheld and strengthened me through the trials and tribulations of my life. I can feel this strength, love, light, compassion, grace and gratitude flow deep within the river of my soul.

I have been blessed with wonderful people who have provided me with all I need on my journey.

I thought it fitting to share the video we just uploaded from my Book Release Party on 5/23. You can read about the evening in my post, "Everything I Imagined and More."

This is the first Father's Day that I can feel joy for those who were able to experience wonderful relationships with their fathers and grandfathers and who feel a sense of continuity and tradition in their lives. Mine was a different path to walk.

I can celebrate myself this Father's Day. Despite having a father who was unable to provide for me, I celebrate the woman I have become drawing from the strength of the Divine Father and so many who have blessed my life with support, encouragement, guidance, healing, love, laughter and the gift of running.

May you find peace in your heart, strength in your soul and joy and light in your life however you choose to celebrate Father's Day.

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.

Saturday, May 31, 2014

A Rainbow and a Green Light

I have always been a believer in signs. I remember one time I heard someone talking on the radio and realized that I had made a mistake on a Eulogy Poem that I was getting ready to deliver the next day. When we trained for the Boston Marathon, we were sent all kinds of signs; my favorite was a penny at mile 13 that Bernie Siegel told us to look for. He said that it would be a reminder that he and God were watching over us that day. The Universe is always nudging us along with signs to support and uplift us, redirect us or let us know we are on the right path or sending us a message of love and support just when we seem to need it the most. And yesterday, Tom sent me this photo on his way home from work yesterday. He got off the train at Cleveland Circle and there it was:

a rainbow and a green light

A great time to pause and reflect on the Rainbow Connection - the lovers, the dreamers and me....

I am reminded to feel the expansiveness of love, light, possibility and creativity. We all have he green light from the Universe to move confidently in the direction of our dreams.

And all we have to do is look up and look within to find our treasure that we are meant to share with the world!

You can read more about the signs I found on my road to the Boston Marathon along with other Divine interventions in my life in my memoir, Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility now available on Amazon.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

The Grace in the Running Community

After contracting paralytic polio at the age of 5, I was in a full leg brace. Definitely one of the lucky ones to not be in an iron lung and to be able to walk again, I struggled to physically keep up with my brother and my friends. Kids being kids, they'd take off and leave me in the dust while I lugged my leg brace along as best I could. This was the fuel for my Type A, overachieving, relying solely on my intellect personality until I hit the wall in my life in the summer of 2006.

Back into a leg brace, using a wheelchair at times for mobility and facing a grim future, the first poem I wrote, Running the Race, in the dark night of my soul in February 2007 used the metaphor of running. I had never run a day in my life and never owned a pair of running shoes. Something in my soul drew me to running. What a treasure I found in the running community.

My first 5 mile race, the Marathon Sports 5 Miler in July, 2008, was when I discovered what the running community is all about. While I struggled with all of my internal demons and negative self talk, the Marathon Sports Family was preparing to welcome me as I crossed the finish line - last!

We celebrated on Facebook with Thor (an appropriate name for him) after he ran his 100th marathon at this year's Boston Marathon. He went on to be the sighted guide for Randy Pierce as Randy, a totally blind runner and founder of 2020 Vision Quest, qualified for Boston.

My friend Melissa Gleaton inspires me. She is new to running and has this fierce determination about setting and achieving goals for herself.

She posted these words of wisdom on Facebook: "During my 5k on Saturday I felt like I was struggling and thought "there is no way I can do 10k in July." Then, during my 5-miler on Sunday I felt great, that I could even go one more mile. What a difference a day makes." She did the Memorial Day Weekend Challenge racing a 5K and then a 5 Mile Race the following day. With grace, she posted the photo of her last place in the 5K and the next day, posted the photo of her medal from completing the challenge:

John Young is the embodiment of grace as evidenced when he had to withdraw from the Boston Marathon this year due to illness. He went on to finish the race.

As a volunteer at Boston's Run to Remember, I was inspired to see Justin O'Connell who lives with rods in his back after surgery for scoliosis, come down Arlington Street in the "back of the pack." He had run this year's Boston Marathon and last Thursday won first place in the Challenged Athletes group at the Team Hoyt 5K. He was going to drop out of the Run to Remember at mile 8 but the fans and one very special runner who runs with Back on My Feet Boston, Jess Lanzoni, supported and encouraged him so he was able to cross the finish line.

I am inspired and in awe of my friend Gail Martin who has set out to run a marathon in every state and runs ultras. This past weeekend she posted she had a -27 minute PR on her ultra. Yet a few weeks ago, she had one of her slowest marathon times and is able to take it all in stride. She encouraged me to come out for the Fr. Bullock Charity Race on June 8th. She posted on Facebook, please just come and enjoy yourself. There will be walkers and runners of all paces.

I am running for me now and feeling the joy and the gift of being able to run. I realize that the feeling of being "too slow" have actually kept me from being a part of recent races that I easily could have been a part of like the BAA 5K and the Run to Remember. I plan to run them next year. But if there are races with a fast field, I am delighted to volunteer or be a spectator for Tom.

With my return to the running community this past year after a two year hiatus, and having the view as a volunteer, a spectator, a mid and back packer, I can feel myself shaking loose those demons that were deeply embedded in my body, mind and soul as a result of paralytic polio and trauma. I am finding grace and equanimity in myself through being blessed to witness the grace and beauty of those around me. I feel the grace that is the thread that weaves together our very fabric as a community of runners. It does a mind, body and soul good!

"What distinguishes those of us at the starting line from those of us on the couch is that we learn through running to take what the days gives us, what our body will allow us, and what our will can tolerate." ~John "The Penguin" Bingham

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Everything I Imagined - And More

"Imagination is everything. It's the preview of life's coming attractions." - Albert Einstein

I set an intention for my Book Release Party; ease, grace and gratitude and that everyone who attended the event would leave feeling inspired not only by me but by each other's stories.

Friday night's book release party for Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility was everything I imagined and more.

Ellen Gabriel, the manager of the Brookline Marathon Sports store had refreshments at the ready. She told me not to worry about doing a thing except setting up what I needed to set up.

Boston Marathon memorabilia. Spaulding Rehabilitation Network singlet I wore on 4/20/2009. My bib signed by Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers. The newspaper from the 2009 Hyannis Marathon/Half Marathon the first Half Marathon I ran with a brief interview with a reporter. My finisher's medal, finisher's photo, the Spaulding Race for Rehab souvenir book and a letter from Johnny Kelley the elder's nephew when they sent a signed photo of Johnny to us.

I was reunited with my coach Domenick D'Amico and Amy Yok-Ming Wong who I met several years ago during one of Domenick's return to Boston trips. She runs for the Parkinsons Foundation in honor of her mom who died from Parkinson's Disease.

Guests arrived. We socialized and schmoozed. There were introductions and hugs all around. The energy in the room was electric. I met Randy Pierce who recently qualified for Boston who I wrote about in my blog. I introduced him to my Coach and they were talking about the Boston Marathon course.

The love that I felt in cyberspace for friends such as Maureen Lamie, who works as a hair stylist, was even more powerful in person.

Karen DiMare and I met through a Gratitude Challenge on Facebook. She shared with me the frightening health challenge of her husband Chris and we developed an on line friendship. I encouraged her and Chris to advocate for themselves and supported their positive attitude as they went through the uncertainty of his diagnosis. I know that my journey helped to give them strength and hope.

They surprised me with the gift of their presence. Chris had a tumor on his spinal cord. He had to learn how to walk all over again. Karen is the owner of DiMare Holistic Skin Care and I could feel how she blesses her clients with her loving and caring touch.

I met Vicki Vogt by phone when I worked at the VA. She was a loving liaison at the Perkins Talking Book Library. When I met her in person several years ago to record my poetry books for Perkins, she shared with me that she is a polio survivor. We have stayed in touch via email and Facebook. She looked amazing when I saw her. At my suggestion, she went to Spaulding Rehab's International Rehab Center for Polio and said she feels better. I had mentioned that I now go to Spaulding Rehab's Aquatics Therapy program during my presentation. During the book signing, she asked me for more details and plans to follow up with our mutual doctor at Spaulding to see about getting a prescription to go there.

I was humbled and amazed when a group of people from L Street Running Club arrived, including the President Theresa and her husband Steve. There were people who aren't on Facebook and who I did not have email addresses for, but who I had seen as part of #supportcrew on long runs or from meetings. They heard about it through word of mouth and showed up to support me. They hadn't RSVP'ed that they were coming.

And my friends Maura and Meghan with whom we shared water stop duty last winter for L Street arrived with Dennis for whom they were doing the water stop because he was training for Boston.

It was time to begin.... I opened with this selection from the Introduction of my memoir

"I left home at the age of 5 – my earthly home that is. I contracted childhood paralytic polio. Polio was the AIDS of its day. If you contracted polio, you were shunned. There was a fear of contagion. Fear breeds ignorance that is far more devastating that any disease. Three years later my father fell into alcoholism and I was raped and beaten, threatened with death and tortured by my father for 9 years until he ended his life. My maternal grandmother physically, sexually and emotionally abused me with cruel rituals that tortured my body and my mind. My mother was addicted to prescription pain medication. My older brother was numb and trying to survive the chaotic household as best he could. He chose to align himself with the aggressors. I learned early on how to dissociate and to harness the power of my intellect to survive but I paid a steep price for leaving home and disowning my body. I bided my time until it was time to heal."

The room was silent yet the compassion and support for my journey was palpable. (Photo credit: Maura Walsh)

I shared an overview of my journey and read selections that talked about my Boston Marathon journey that all began at the Brookline Marathon Sports store where I was fitted for my first pair of running shoes at the age of 53.

Emotions welled up within me as I recalled the role that Domenick played throughout our training and how the Marathon Sports employees became family to Team McManus.

It was time to sign the books and greet my friends one by one.

Maura Walsh with whom I shared the water stop is a professional photographer. She also captured these special moments for me:

My dear friend John Young came out to support me. He said what a difference we had made when he was finishing his race as I write about in my blog post Today He Was The Hammer. He ran his fastest time for 16 miles in part because he knew we were waiting for him at the base of Heartbreak Hill.

Here's a photo of Amy, John and me. John and Amy connected because they are both running the NYC Marathon. John is going to use NYC for his Boston Qualifier race. Amy had read about John in my blog and are now friends.

After running the Cambridge 5 Miler/3 Mile City Walk, I connected with Jess Lanzoni who runs with Back On My Feet Boston. It was wonderful to meet her in person as we had run part of the way with women from Back On My Feet seeing how they encourage one another to just run to the next pole or stop sign or whatever. Jess is as warm, loving and genuine in person as she is in cyberspace. She told me in a facebook comment after the party that she would also like to buy additional copies of my memoir and asked if I would be donating a portion of the on line sales to The One Fund. I decided that I would donate 50% of the royalty payments which is $2/book to The One Fund to support the ongoing care that those affected by 4/15/13 are going to need.

Al Pappalardo has been a longtime friend. We met through the Merrimack Valley Striders Club. Last November we were reunited at the Feaster Five Expo. I had lost contact with Al and my friends in the running community after my nephew's suicide in 2011 when I stopped running and isolated myself from the running community. Here we are at the Expo:

He greeted me with, "Boy Mary, I had no idea the extent of your history." Al does charity work to prevent Child Abuse. I had sent him all the gift cards I had around the house for his raffle. I told him, "That's why I sent you all those gift cards for your event." I could feel the compassion flow from his heart.

People gave me checks and $20 bills saying keep the change for The One Fund.

We raised $122 for The One Fund from proceeds of book sales and the generosity of my friends.

At the end of the evening, Ellen took this photo of Tom and me:

He told me it was a no brainer when my team at Spaulding told me I had to quit my job if I had any hope of preventing the progression of post polio syndrome.

Seven years ago today I closed the door on one chapter of my life. Thirty of my friends came out to support me as I shared my healing odyssey and to celebrate the release of my memoir. My friends who could not be there in person sent me messages and told me they would be with me in Spirit. Were they ever!

The common thread among my friends and my life today is that we all believe in giving back. We take our challenges and create the best life we possibly can with them. While my friends applauded me at the end of my book reading, I applaud them for all that they are doing to make this world a better, more beautiful place in one way or another.

I am blessed and my heart overflows with gratitude especially to Ellen and to Marathon Sports.

In my mind's eye I visualized myself running, feeling free, whole and healthy as my pen became my Divining rod for healing as I wrote poetry after being diagnosed with post polio syndrome. It's been an incredible journey filled with ups, downs and everything in between but I am here now ready to write the next chapters of my journey.

My book release party and my life today is everything I imagined - and more.

You can order Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility, along with my books of inspirational poetry on Amazon.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Seven Years Later #tbt #thankfulthursday

May 25, 2007, I cleared out of the Boston VA Healthcare System, closing a chapter on 19 years of my life as a social worker at the VA to take the time I needed to heal my life. At the time, I didn't understand what that meant. I only knew that I was given the life altering diagnosis of post polio syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease. I knew that if I had any hope of a future, I had to leave behind the stress of my job.

#tbt mementos from my tenure at the VA:

A Certificate of Appreciation Award honoring my 19 years of service at the VA and a certificate from Voluntary Service for my years of collaboration with them to benefit the quality of life for our veterans:

From my memoir, "Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility" now available on Amazon

"I didn’t know what needed healing or how that healing would happen. I only knew that I needed time and space away from the stress of getting up at 5:30 every morning, commuting into Boston, taking care of veterans and their families as well as the people on my team, and my own family members. I hold myself responsible for my inability to set limits. I feel tremendous compassion for myself that I was like a hamster in a wheel and had no idea how to get off of it within the VA system. I know many of my colleagues resented me for how much work I did do. I was held up as the standard for social workers when it came to ‘my numbers’ and documentation. There is the middle way of being able to find balance and self care while providing outstanding care to veterans and their families but I was damned if I knew how to get there at that time."

I have been marking each anniversary but I believe that this is the last year to mark the anniversary of when I left the VA. I feel a sense of completion. I feel it is time to move forward. Coincidentally, May 25th was my father's birthday. I am ready to leave him and our relationship in peace, grateful that I survived and now live a life that is full, vibrant and overflowing with blessings.

I feel blessed, honored, humbled and grateful that tomorrow night is the Book Release Party for my memoir.

I am ready to close the chapter on these past 7 years and embrace my life here and now. The combination of biweekly massage sessions at Sollievo Bodywork and Massage which incorporates Zero Balancing into the sessions, Aquatics Therapy at Spaulding Rehab and running 2-3X/week to train for the Tufts 10K in October is a winning combination in moving forward in my life as a survivor of paralytic polio and trauma.

I appreciate the gift that each day brings. I'm working on a new book, "Journey Well: Poems and Stories to Inspire". I have races planned for myself and my family. I volunteer and am part of support crew for those races that have a fast field and that I know I wouldn't enjoy - for now. I have run the 2009 Boston Marathon, published books of poetry and my memoir. I know that I blessed many lives when I worked as a social worker at the VA and continue to bless and inspire others as others bless and inspire me by their presence in my life.

I have books to read, and a garden to grow.

Most people my age are planning their retirement. I am living mine. It took me 7 years to settle and find a place of contentment, peace, healing and integrity and integration in my life. My heart overflows with gratitude that I am here now. I have an incredible partner in my life in my husband Tom who, thank goodness, is willing and able to work past retirement age to support us. I have so many beautiful friends in my life with whom to share the journey.

Seven years later -- life is good.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

The Gift of Running

"I learned that the only requirement to be part of this wonderful group was to run. I didn't have to be fast. I didn't have to be great. I just had to run. And that's when running became not just something that I do but something that is a part of who I am." - John Bingham

A little over 7 years ago, as I sat in a leg brace using a cane and at times a wheelchair for mobility, I wrote the poem called "Running the Race." I intrigued myself after I wrote the line, "while in my mind I focused on winning a 10K race."

Running? Mary McManus? aka "Easy Out Alper" - um a rather unlikely combination to say the least.

But not impossible despite all appearances to the contrary.

After intensive, extensive outpatient rehab through Spaulding Rehab, writing poems visualizing myself as healthy, whole and free in my body, quitting my stressful job as a VA social worker, and then hiring a personal trainer, I felt this urge inside of me. From my memoir, "Coming Home:A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility" available on Amazon

At my six-month evaluation in February, I had dramatically improved in every area of the assessment. I had come out of my leg brace and I knew that I was on a healing path. Janine asked me what my next health and fitness goals were.
“Well I want to feel free in my body. I want to dance. I want to be able to walk outside and feel unencumbered when I take a walk.”

Janine wrote feverishly and we worked out a plan. She gathered up her belongings and had her hand on the door knob.

“Wait. I have one more goal.”

Janine stopped and turned around.

“I want to run the Boston Marathon for Spaulding Rehab Hospital. I know they have a Race for Rehab team and I want to do it next year.”

Janine was non-plussed. I don’t know what kept her from turning tail and getting as far away from me as she could. She came back into my house and put down her things. She said that the first thing I would need is a pair of running shoes. She told me that Marathon Sports on Beacon Street would be able to help me. She laid out a cursory training plan and said that we would begin indoors to build up my cardio endurance. As soon as the weather got a little warmer, we’d go outdoors and I would learn how to run.

And run I did crossing the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon

It's been a healing odyssey filled with ups and downs. I wasn't sure if I was going to make it back to running and a state of health after my nephew's suicide in 2011.

After last year's Boston Marathon, I knew I needed to return to running and the running community.

I started from the beginning building up mileage, running a few 5K's and building strength in the Aquatics Therapy program at Spaulding Rehab.

And I decided I would run the Tufts 10K this year. I was up to 5 miles in my distance again.

The other day I realized - it's more than the miles. It's more than the time.

I felt something shift inside of me. I felt what a gift it is to run. The gift of running is the ability to live fully in the present moment.

And I began to challenge myself; to train in earnest and be fully present. I used strategies that every good coach uses. Focus on your breathing. Feel your footsteps. Let's see if you can pick up the pace. Make it to that house up ahead; to that Stop sign.

I took in the beauty of the scene and feeling a unity, a harmony, a wholeness in the midst of it all. I ended up doing a negative split of .50 seconds between mile 2 and 3 with an average page of 15:33 for that last mile. The time on my Nike+ isn't what ultimately mattered.

Somehow, on that run, and somehow during these past 7 years, I came to the realization that running is now a part of who I am. It is a gift and one that I am grateful for every time I lace up my running shoes and go out for a run. It is a gift that keeps on giving me health and the best friends in the running community. It's a gift that keeps me present feeling fully alive in the moment regardless of the challenge.

And if the time comes when in my physical form I am no longer able to run, running will always be a part of who I am and all that I have learned and become through running shall remain forever.

Monday, May 19, 2014

#MondayMotivation

Seven years ago today, I sat in my sparsely decorated office at the VA Outpatient Clinic at 251 Causeway Street poised to leave behind my 25 year social work career having spent almost 20 of them with the VA serving those who served. I brought home my books, photos, inspirational sayings, my lamp, my awards and left the bare minimum I would need until I officially "cleared out" on Friday 5/25/07.

From my memoir, "Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility" now available on Amazon --

This is the conversation Dr. Darren Rosenberg had with me during my initial assessment, October 2006, at Spaulding Rehab's International Rehab Center for Polio:

“I’m going to make a lot of suggestions for you. It’s up to you whether or not you follow my recommendations. I know this is a lot for you to digest but let’s begin. I am working on the assumption that we are dealing with post polio syndrome since the symptoms you are exhibiting are classic for post polio syndrome.”

“You need to quit your job. You’re eligible for social security disability. The stress of your work is exacerbating the symptoms. I am going to refer you to brace clinic, our speech and language therapist who will do a swallow assessment and based on her findings we’ll see if you require an endoscopy. I highly recommend a sleep study because it is very common for post polio patients to experience sleep apnea. The chronic fatigue can be a result of sleep apnea. You need to see our physical therapist who will not only get you started on some gentle exercises but talk with you about nutrition. Our occupational therapist is going to work with you on energy conservation and while you remain at work, what adaptive equipment you need to diminish the stress on your body. You’ve already had an EMG…..”

I began planning my exit strategy in February of 2007 after the diagnosis of post polio syndrome was made in December.

While I was beginning to feel a little better with outpatient rehab and writing poetry as my pen became my divining rod for healing, I faced a tremendous amount of uncertainty with my health and my finances.

As I sat in my office, was I frightened? I was terrified but I had to choose faith over fear.

It's been 7 years of ups and downs and everything in between.

I saw this on Facebook this morning:

I hit a lot of sour notes on this journey and I greet them all with loving kindness and compassion.

I have met many, many people on this journey many of whom would be my greatest teachers for the toughest lessons I needed to learn in order to heal. I found the strength to say goodbye to those I needed to say goodbye to.

I found the courage to be who I really am, as I am and embrace those who love and support me and challenge me to my best and highest self.

I sit here smiling. I feel better today at 60 years old than I have in my entire life!

I am a 2009 Boston Marathon finisher, the author of 5 books of inspirational poetry and my memoir. I am writing a 6th book of inspirational poetry, "Journey Well" which will bring together the best poems from my trilogy of poetry books and my recent poetic creations.

I am back on the roads once again seeing what this body can do training for the Tufts 10K in October.

Friday I am blessed that Marathon Sports Brookline is hosting my Book Release Party for my memoir. It's going to be More Than a Book Release Party ...

And all of this happened and is happening because I had the courage and faith to take that first step on 5/25/2007 ....

What first step are you going to take today to step confidently in the direction of your dreams?

Sunday, May 11, 2014

On Runners, The Running Community and Visionaries

I wasn't born to run and running does not come easy to me to say the least. But I love to run - well race walking now. For me and my body it's running.

When it comes to running, I was a late bloomer. Now there is an understatement. I remember when I was diagnosed with post polio syndrome in December of 2006. In February of 2007, I wrote the poem "Running the Race" ... while in my mind I focused on winning a 10K race. In February of 2008, I told my personal trainer that my next goal was to run the 2009 Boston Marathon. It didn't matter that I had never run a day in my life. I bought my first pair of running shoes at age 53. I trusted in my personal trainer, and Domenick D'Amico, my beloved coach and trainer with Spaulding Rehab's Race for Rehab team and my own grit and determination to train for a marathon. I had a vision and a feeling deep in my soul.

During these past 5 years, I have had to take a hiatus from running to address symptoms as a result of the late effects of paralytic polio and trauma. The longest hiatus was from 2011-2013. I thought I wouldn't be able to return to running after the stress of my nephew's suicide took a physical and emotional toll on me. After the 2013 Boston Marathon, I knew I needed to come back to running and the running community. Even though I wasn't born to run, running became a part of my life and feeds my Spirit.

The running community is a family. We cheer each other on and we support each other on and off the roads. There is unconditional love and acceptance. There is joy and high fives whether you break the tape or finish last or as my friend John Young did yesterday, finish his race 19 days later.

One of the things that amazes me about my 2009 Boston Marathon run is how it continues to inspire runners. My run fuels the vision others have to reach their goals.

Last weekend, Randy Pierce and his Guide Thor, drew strength from my inspirational Boston Marathon run. I celebrated their BQ victory as though it were my own knowing and understanding the challenge of going from a wheelchair to take on the challenge of a marathon. And Randy is also totally blind! You can read Randy's race report here and Thor's race report here.

I met Gail Martin through Domenick on Facebook. We finally met in person two years ago and have been close friends ever since. She posted on Facebook that she was going for a BQ and wanted to help her friend BQ because her friend had never run Boston. I provided her friend with inspiration and positive affirmations. Gail posted if body, day and outcome are willing.

She posted this photo on Facebook

She told me that she had printed the photo and laminated it to carry with her during their Maine Coast Marathon today. Even though they did not BQ, she had this to say,

Mary, you did a 4:05 with me today. Beautiful day, gorgeous course. Not much else aligned. Nature of the beast!

I wrote back that it was a PR for me.

We run for ourselves. We run for our health. We also run as visionaries. We believe that through running we can create change in ourselves and support change in others. We run to raise awareness and money for causes near and dear to our heart. We can believe in and support possibility in ourselves and others as we experience the beautiful flow of giving and receiving love and support.

And while I wasn't born to run, and I wasn't born into a family that supported health and athletics, I stumbled upon this amazing community. It all began with me having a vision of winning a 10K race with that poem I wrote while in a leg brace, using a cane and at times a wheelchair for mobility. While I have not been first to cross a finish line, by running and being a part of the running community where we share visions and chase Unicorns, I know that I am winning the marathon of my life.

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Today he was the hammer...Today he finished the race!

He weighed 195 pounds at 4'4" tall, and was a self proclaimed video game addict suffering from severe sleep apnea when he decided to save his own life five years ago. He had been advised against running because of the risk of injury as a Little Person. But that didn't stop John Young from competing in Sprint Triathalons, Half Iron Man Distances and taking on the Boston Marathon.

Last year, he and Juli Windsor were stopped just shy of the Boston Marathon finish line. Their moving and riveting story is told in this article in Runner's World Big: The Story of Two Little People Running Boston.

John vowed to finish the race as he trained through the grueling 2013/2014 New England Winter.

John and I first met at the Team Hoyt 5K several years ago. When I stopped running, I lost contact with many of my inspirational running friends and my friends in the running community. April 15, 2013 changed all of that. I got back on the roads and reconnected with my friends in social media and in real life.

John and I discovered many parallels in our journeys as we reconnected through social media. He travels the equivalent of two marathons for each marathon distance because he has to take almost twice as many steps. I have to use a lot more energy to run because of my history of paralytic polio and living with post polio syndrome. We each came to the sport late in life knowing that we were at a crossroads needing to choose life or risking worsening health and disability. We each share a strong faith knowing that we draw our strength from God. Conventional medical wisdom told us that we were taking a risk by running especially taking on endurance running but something deep inside of us knew that we had to take that risk. We were both there on 4/15/13 and shared in the terror of the day. I was a spectator at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. He was a runner and a husband and father whose family was in the VIP seats across from the first explosion.

It was exhilarating to follow John's training, tweets and facebook posts as Marathon Monday 2014 drew near.

We were surprised to have bumped into each other at the BAA 5K the Saturday of Marathon Weekend among thousands and thousands of runners and spectators. He was getting ready to head to the Expo and get his bib. Tom was getting ready to toe the starting line of the first leg of the BAA Distance Medley.

Marathon Monday arrived. I was tracking John. I got the text he hit the 10K mark and then nothing. I thought maybe there was a problem with the tracking system but I started getting texts for other runners I was tracking. As the day wore on I was getting worried. Maybe I missed him I thought but he knew where we were and I'm sure we would have seen him. We saw Juli run by and screamed to cheer her on to the finish.

When we got home, John posted that he had to withdraw from the race because a stomach virus gripped him at around mile 10 in Natick.

There was an outpouring of support for John. His 11 year old son Owen said, "Well dad. Some days you're the hammer and some days you are the nail. Today you were the nail." Yes 11 years old!

John posted on facebook that he would finish his race.

This morning at 6:30 am a dear friend of his drove him to Natick.

It was pouring rain but nothing was going to deter John today.

He posted pictures as he entered Wellesley and Newton and Facebook posts cheered him along the way.

After we saw he entered Newton, we prepared to meet John at the base of Heartbreak Hill at St. Ignatius. Another couple joined us as part of #supportcrew for John.

We chatted for a few minutes. John told us that whenever he feels leg pains, he gives a tug to Katie Lynch's sock and the teething ring and photo sent to him by a mom of a Little Person who was inspired by John's message of hope and possibility. He looked amazing, smiling through the rain and very pleased with his average pace of 13:30 minutes/mile. Before he risked cramping up, he went on his way to cross the finish line on Boylston Street.

Here's a John selfie with the Citgo Sign and Kenmore Square beckoning him to the finish

It doesn't matter that the 118th Boston Marathon ended 19 days ago. Today, John Young set out to finish what was abruptly interrupted on 4/15/13. Today John Young was the hammer. Today John Young finished the race.

Be sure to follow John's blog and his inspirational Tweets on Twitter.

Healing, Hope and Possibility