I know that in the middle of January, I am going to need to look at this post and remember the sensational summer day we had today in South Boston.
Our daughter was signed up for a CPR class through L Street Running Club. We packed a picnic and while she was in training, we spent several hours in the sun and surf.
It was a day meant to delight the senses. Salty sea air, seagulls' calls, the ebb and flow of the tide and crashing of the waves. The cold ocean water embraced my legs helping me to recover from yesterday's training run for the Tufts 10K.
Several members of L Street came out to say hi to us after the class ended. Ric Beaudoin who is a member of L Street and Merrimack Valley Striders teased us about being lazy and just sitting there doing nothing. As I talked with other members of the Club and our daughter to hear about the class, I had one ear tuned to what Ric and Tom were plotting. I saw out of the corner of my eye that they were making a pact to run the Hyannis Half Marathon together this year. That's where we first met in February of 2009. It was Ric who introduced me to both L Street and the Striders.
I'm chomping at the bit to run another half but to train for a half in winter would not serve me. I know I need more time finding my pace and comfort with the 10K distance. Just like I wanted to take off after that runner who said "on your left" yesterday as we were crossing the Mass. Ave Bridge on our training run, I want to train for another half. Patience young one, patience I tell myself. I can still enjoy the energy of the running community as a spectator especially in Hyannis.
Next week our Club hosts the Jim Kane Sugar Bowl 5K. Mac, founder and former L Street President is the race director. He and his wife Alma had taken the CPR course and we saw them when we get to get water on the Boulevard - Day Boulevard. We talked about the Race, and running. It always feels so good to connect with our friends in the running community. There's a comfort, a knowing and a wonderful energy whenever we get together.
I feel rejuvenated and incredibly blessed.
What I loved about today's sensational summer day in Southie is we drove maybe a half an hour at most from our home and everything was free - except for a couple of bottles of water.
Photos of the day which will trigger the sights, smells, sounds and sensations of the surf against my body, of a sensational summer day in Southie whenever I need them:
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.
It takes incredible courage to start a race knowing that you will probably finish last. I don't know many people who would step out and step up to the challenge running by themselves to claim a 6.1 mile course not knowing if the water stops or the finish line would be there when you arrived. But I do know one such person - Melissa Gleaton who blogs about her journey in Learning to Walk Again.
I was blessed to meet Melissa when Tom and I went to train for the Feaster Five last November. She was so supportive of my return to the roads and reassured us that we couldn't get lost during our training run. We enjoyed sharing journeys over a cup of tea after the training run. We saw each other again at the Feaster Five starting line. She told us that she would plug into her iPod and tune into her own running rhythm. She preferred to run her own race.
We stay in touch via Facebook and messages.
I saw that she was going to run her first 10K today.
I told my husband and daughter about the race and my daughter said she'd love to run it.
The weather forecast was dreary given that the first hurricane of the season, Hurricane Arthur was making his way up the East Coast. They rescheduled the Fourth of July Boston Pops concert to July 3rd because of the forecast.
Tom and I woke up at 10:45 pm with the house shaking and rattling with thunder, lightning and wind gusts but awoke to clear and calm skies this morning at 5:30 am.
We always arrive early to a race because we don't know what traffic and parking will be like. Our daughter picked up her bib and shirt and took this selfie before the race:
The race announcer was incredibly energetic, setting a festive tone for the day celebrating the sport of running and the spirit of July 4th. Tom went to the car to get our jackets as the skies were beginning to turn grey. When he returned he said, "You're not going to believe who is doing the announcing," and showed me this picture of Steve Cooper from Channel 7 News who we met when I spoke at a Merrimack Valley Striders Meeting a few years ago:
Steve said, "And you never know who you might see here. You might just see the Race Director for the Boston Marathon. Dave McGillivray is here."
Milling around before the race began, I was stopped by this elderly couple. The man was wearing a race bib and a hat that told me he must be a veteran. "Excuse me. Where's Tom Licciardello?" he asked and "who is announcing the race? Tom used to announce this race and he did such a great job." Fortunately I'd done my homework and was able to give him a brief race history and then told him that Steve Cooper was doing the announcing, 'You know the guy from channel 7 news.' He went over to see him and turned to his wife who is also named Mary - they are Joseph and Mary you know like from Bethlehem he told me and said, "Oh Mary - we know him. That's Grace's nephew." I asked him if he was a veteran. "World War II - Navy." He smiled. I thanked him for his service and our gift of freedom. I told him I worked at the VA for many years. He told me he was going to run the 5K and hoped for a placement in his age group proudly telling me he was 81 years old. I checked the results on Cool Running. Joseph Diprima - 81 - 37:44 - first in his age group indeed!
We gathered with our friends from the Merrimack Valley Striders:
Our friend Paul Hudson was sporting the MVS shirt that was designed with the Boston Strong ribbon logo after 4/15/13. It says:
We run to grieve.
We run to cope.
We run to heal.
We run for Boston.
It was time for the Kids Race. Steve Cooper said that these kids trained through the grueling New England winter with their parents to get ready for today. They had their sights set on July 4th all year long. There were over 150 kids participating in the kids race today:
I found Melissa to wish her well on her run and snapped this pic of her:
The runners were off. I found an Andover Policeman on a bike and asked him if they keep the finish line open until the last runner has crossed. I let him know that this was Melissa's first 10K and she might finish last. He asked me what her number was and what she was wearing. He went out on the course and checked with the event organizers, and looked for me when he returned. He assured me that they wouldn't leave anyone out on the course and the finish line would stay open until the last runner was in. I remember how important it was to feel support when we ran the Father Bullock Road Race and that the last runner is not abandoned on the road.
Steve Cooper announced as many names and numbers as he could making sure that everyone felt like a winner. As our daughter came down the chute, my husband called out to Steve to tell him her name. He announced her name and told her to wave to the crowd. What a moment of joy. We were so caught up in enjoying the moment that we didn't take a photo of her. She ran about a 10 minute mile and had a wonderful race telling us the sense of camaraderie and the runner's code of conduct at its best that was out on the course today.
I saw Dave McGillivray cross the finish line and said hi to him after the race. He shook my hand, smiled broadly and asked me how everything was.
Runners crossed. Steve Cooper made his way to the awards ceremony. The crowds dispersed.
I spoke to the timing officials and let them know that there was still one more runner out there. He told me that they needed to start breaking down and packing up the mats but would keep the clock running. A woman walked over to the finish line and I asked if she had someone she was waiting for. She said, "Yes, it's me Lin," and I realized she was there to cheer on Melissa as well. We met on Facebook. She also wanted to make sure that Melissa had a finish line to cross.
At 1:39 gun time, he turned off the finisher's clock. I asked him what he was doing that there was still one more runner on her way in. It was her first 10K. He apologized. He thought that everyone had crossed. He reset the clock and told us that he would also enter her results manually to ensure that her results appeared on Cool Running.
We were all feeling a little anxious as the finish line was being broken down. Other members of the Striders came over to the finish line. One Strider, Adrienne, said she would go out on the course to run her in. But we all had total faith that Melissa would finish in under two hours; the time when the course officially closed. She trained well and she trained hard. She was determined! The rain held off. There were a few sprinkles, some sun but mostly cloud cover for the race.
Lin spotted her in the distance with Adrienne. She was power walking when Adrienne found her. She gave her that boost to let her know she was almost finished and then stepped aside as Melissa finished strong with a run to the finish.
Members of the Event Staff came over to the finish line and I told them that this is what the sport is all about. I told them that we needed to cheer Melissa on to the finish. I remembered the scene in Dave McGillivray's book, "The Last Pick," when he had received instructions to divert a runner in the Olympics so that they could set up the stadium for the closing ceremonies. Dave ignored the instructions and made sure that the runner had the same experience as the winner because ultimately the time did not matter. It was the effort put forth by the runner.
We screamed as Melissa came down the finish chute. Everyone clapped, whistled and I screamed. The timing official moved one of the trucks so Lin could get the photo of her finishing the race.
Melissa is the embodiment of perseverance and courage. She was out there running her race at her pace and went the distance today. She also took off 1:30 from her training run two weeks ago.
No one can run our race for us. We all have to dig deep, find the courage and the perseverance to run the race set before us with endurance as Melissa did today.
Yet there is great comfort in knowing that when we are out there, we are never alone. We run together.
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.
Let me begin by saying you made it! You made it through this mess. You are healing in ways that defy what the medical community said would happen to your body after being diagnosed with post polio syndrome. But the physical manifestation is not as important as the healing of your heart and soul although they of course cannot be separated out from one another.
I now know the terror you felt lying paralyzed with no one to care for you. At times your body still quakes in the wake of those moments when your mother smoked a cigarette and glared at you strung out on prescription pain medication. How blessed to have a mind/body therapist who could allow you to process this experience in a safe space and even help us experience moments without any tremors at all!
You were blessed by the earth angel Miss Holly, a physical therapist who introduced you to the healing cadence of Dr. Seuss and planted the seeds for poetry to blossom in your soul to help you heal and bring love, light and inspiration to others through your gift of poetry.
Experiencing "touch that feels good is a move toward health," as Zero Balancing posted on Twitter. For you to experience touch that feels good with clear boundaries focused solely on helping you to heal was a reminder of those moments of being left alone with no one to care for you. And so you spoke your truth yesterday through my body. I weep for you and what you had to go through but I also celebrate you.
I celebrate your strength and your determination to not let those looks kill you. I celebrate your courage to return to school and hone your intellectual skills since athletics did not seem to be an option for you at the time. How amazing that you went to gym class and withstood the tauntings of "easy out Alper". How miraculous that one day, when the outfield moved in because they knew you couldn't kick a ball worth a damn, you connected with that ball and it ended up being a home run because there was no one in the outfield to play it. I am so happy that you chose life even though you faced death many times over in the years that followed.
Although growing up was not easy by any means, just look at the life you have had. You spent 25 years in service as a social worker, 19 of those at the Department of Veterans Affairs serving those who served.
When it came time to leave because it was a life or death decision, your husband told you it was a no brainer and has supported you through every one of your at times crazy ideas including running the 2009 Boston Marathon. He was with you as you struggled to find your way to healing modalities that would truly help you to heal and you are here now.
And take a look around my dear sweet child! Look at the people who are now in your life. It took a lot of strength and courage to realize there were people who were, to quote Tom, hijacking your energy and your good will and to cut ties with them.
You are surrounded by this community of runners filled with grace, gratitude, unconditional love and support and a runner's code of honor that leaves no runner behind! When once you lugged your leg brace desperately trying to catch up and fit in, you now are embraced and surrounded by those who believe "no distance too short, no pace too slow." (Motto of L Street Running Club) Invitations abound for you to run in those races that make sense for you for now, be a spectator or volunteer.
As one of the Striders posted on Facebook this morning
We love you too! This is why we run - not (usually) for time but because we want to share our love of each other and do something good for ourselves too! Exercise doesn't have to be hard core or WORK when you're sharing it with your girls!
We are writing beautiful new chapters in this marathon of our life, getting through the challenging moments, celebrating the triumphs knowing that through it all, we were never alone!
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.
{This past week has been a whirlwind of activity and emotions. I have been blessed to meet people who are the embodiment of Boston Stronger. My blog today and over the next several days features several of the people who have graced my life during this past week since the anniversary of 4/15/13.}
I first met Tom Licciardello when I was an inspirational speaker at the Merrimack Valley Striders Club after running the Boston Marathon 2009. I met Ric Beaudoin, a member of the Striders and L Street at the Hyannis Half in 2009. He heard my story and said I had to speak at his Club. To quote Jerry Maguire, Tom Licciardello "had me at hello." His smile and warmth embraced me. Our paths would cross around the running circuit as I would cheer on my Tom at different races. When I stopped running, and my Tom limited his races, I lost contact with my runner friends. After the events of 4/15/13 and my own return to the roads, I quickly reconnected with Tom and my friends in the Striders. I decided it was time to run a race I had heard about but never run on Thanksgiving Day. We hugged at the Feaster Five Expo as though no time had passed since the last time we saw each other. It was an emotional reunion in the wake of Marathon Monday.
I have never seen anyone with so much energy in my life. As we were moving through marathon training season and preparing for the 118th Boston Marathon, I saw a post about packet stuffing. I had heard about packet stuffing from members of my club L Street and the Striders. Tom told me he would love to have me on his team of volunteers and gave me the link to apply. I was thrilled when I got my assignment. Here is Tom at the beginning of our shift:
He had already completed 3 four hour shifts with one more to go after our shift.
Tom was responsible for bag check at the BAA 5K on Saturday morning and had to arrive at 3:30am on Marathon Monday to be ready to receive the bags from over 30,000 runners on race day on the Boston Common. As he anticipated his role on race day, he did so with humor and grace. He has this way of making everything seem seamless and effortless.
We received an email from the director of volunteers at the BAA saying that they needed 50 volunteers to represent the BAA volunteers for a pre game ceremony at Fenway on Sunday 4/20. If interested, email Tom and the first 50 to respond would be selected. I just happened to see the email 3 minutes after it arrived and responded. Tom sent out the congratulatory email saying we made the cut.
April 20th is Tom's birthday. On 4/20/13, he took the field at Fenway representing the BAA volunteers in a somber tribute 5 days after the bombing. What an honor to experience this year's tribute which also signaled a moving forward with Tom on his birthday.
I wrote this poem for him:
Dear Tom,
A tough mudder, a husband, a wonderful friend
if anyone is in need on you they depend.
Packet stuffing no chore you fill the day with fun
I’m so blessed to know you – in my book you’re number one.
You embrace me as a Strider, you touch my heart more than you’ll know
thank you for your friendship to this world your smile brings a glow.
On this your very special day, we share the turf at Fenway Park
honoring what we’ve been through – your light snuffs out the dark.
You run the marathon of life with honesty, humor and grace
integrity and love and joy, you’ve easily won this race.
We’ve shared many special moments in Falmouth, Andover and more
may the year that unfolds ahead have so many blessings for you in store.
And when this day is over, wishes made and sun is set
here’s hoping that the miles ahead are your most wonderful miles yet.
Happy Birthday Tom!
He told me that he cried when he read it and gave me the most heartfelt thank you for writing this in his honor. Tom lives life with a heart full of gratitude and love, with a smile on his face and passion and dedication to his family, his work in financial planning, the Striders which he founded and serving the community of runners.
With Tom leading the charge, we took the field at Fenway Park and moved from looking back and remembering 4/15/13 to moving forward to the 118th Boston Marathon.
Tom said that he looks forward to a time when the word bombing no longer accompanies the words Boston Marathon. That day has arrived and because of the journey we traveled this past year we are Boston Stronger. I am so blessed to have traveled a part of this journey with Tom Licciardello.
Yesterday's blog was a recap of my experience of the Feaster Five. I alluded to how the events from the 2013 Boston Marathon was very much present as I went to the Expo and was palpable among the running community. I spoke about the love I experienced with the Merrimack Valley Striders who sponsor the race along with DMSE, Dave McGillivray Sports Enterprises.
"The Merrimack Valley Striders is a 501c(3) organization whose mission statement is - "An organization whose mission is to encourage and enhance running at all levels". Organized in 1979, MVS has grown to be one of the largest running clubs in New England."
Because I was not near the start and many were not given the size of the field as reflected in this photo posted by Dave McGillivray on Facebook
I did not know that the race was dedicated to the Boston Marathon Bombing survivors and that Celeste Corcoran was the official starter for the race:
The race is geared for families and the average runner according to this article I found in the Eagle Tribune, "Top Racers Know Their Place in the Feaster Five" and that certainly was my personal experience.
But it is so much more than a road race.
"Several dozen runners yesterday wore the pink T-shirts, which read “Remember Ritzer,” in reference to Colleen Ritzer, the Andover native and teacher at Danvers High, who was murdered, allegedly by one of her students."
And some notes from our beloved race director, Dave McGillivray:
Here are some notes and nuggets sent to us by Feaster Five race director Dave McGillivary:
-- Final numbers were 10,616 entries, plus the number of kids who registered today. Last year, it was 10,720, so about 100 less this year.
-- About 55 percent women and 45 percent men.
-- 8,920 official starters (not including the kids) and 8,876 finishers.
-- For the first time ever, Monday-Wednesday online registration (no paper) was available, which worked great.
-- Weather on Wednesday, setting up, was difficult. Race day was much better even though it was cold.
-- A moment of silence for Colleen Ritzer and the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.
-- The Andover Police get very high grades, enhancing support once again, with Safety Officer Chuck Edgerly and Andover DPW leading the way.
-- Someone stole everything at one of the water stations - tables, barrels, cups, pitchers, rakes, shovels and trash bags. Crews had to go back to the DMSE warehouse to replace all that was stolen.
-- All three nonprofits - Ironstone Farms, Bellesini Academy, Merrimack Valley YMCA and the Merrimack Valley Striders - combined to raise well over $100,000.
-- A lot of the leftover food was donated to Lazarus House after the race.
It was my best race ever and as I read the press today, I discovered what I already knew that The Feaster Five is so much more than a road race and will become a Team McManus Thanksgiving tradition!
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