All Blog Posts Tagged 'marathon' (11)

No yardsticks,no stopwatch, no ledgers can ever measure Success Touching a human heart Sharing courage, faith, trust Success Being bold, taking a risk, stretching the soul Success Being vulnerable, being real, loving and being loved Success Passion, purpose, reaching for the stars Success Feeling freedom Success Setting ego aside Success Finding meaning in suffering Success Holding onto hope against all odds Success Feeling joy Success Feeling peace Success Knowing I am a Divine Child of God SUC… Continue

My name is Mary McManus and I am a Type A personality. It was 'sobering' to hear Dr. Darren Rosenberg of Spaulding Rehab International Rehab Center for Polio comment on polio survivors as Type A personalities in a BU Today feature on my Boston Marathon Run. It was time for me to take another look at how I was still driving myself. I was not giving myself permission to be retired from full time work; I wasn't allowing myself time to be in the ebb and flow and be in a state of grace and gratitude.… Continue

"I hated every minute of training, but I said, "Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion." Muhammed Ali As a polio survivor I learned shame and embarrassment about what I could not physically accomplish. I am amazed that I found the strength and dignity to stand in gym class every day facing the taunts and jeers of my peers. Having had a vision of God when I was 5, somewhere deep inside I felt God's presence and knew the Truth that they could not touch my soul. But ne… Continue

Do you remember that song from You're a Good Man Charlie Brown - "Happiness is..." - it speaks to all the simple pleasures in life and the final lines to the song are: "FOR HAPPINESS IS ANYONE AND ANYTHING AT ALL THAT'S LOVED BY YOU." I will confess that after running the Boston Marathon, I had expectations that I would go on to be competing in road races, beating my personal records, getting up early to attend breakfast meetings... I had the expectation that I had beaten post polio syndrome as… Continue

Endurance - the power to withstand hardship or stress; "the marathon tests a runner's endurance" Endure - to put up with; tolerate Do you endure life or do you demonstrate endurance as you go through life? I used to believe that life was something to be endured - to just get through it as best I could. I had my moments of feeling close with God and boy did I pray to God asking God to relieve me of my burdens. But that was before I learned about endurance and before I discovered what and who I a… Continue

Celebrate the Hero Within “Heroism may be the only way to love. Heroism can't be preached; it has only to show itself, and its mere presence may stir others to action.” Henri Bergson Every morning when I awake, I see a painting created by a former patient of mine at the VA. He became a quadriplegic as a result of multiple sclerosis. He had never painted before the diagnosis of MS. He had the courage to share the blessing and the gift which emerged from the greatest challenge of his life. As he… Continue

Whether running the Boston Marathon or running my life, there are invaluable lessons which I learned during this journey. Keep my own pace – in this world of cut throat competition and everyone wanting to edge everyone out, it is crucial that I stick to my own steady pace. It is important to be self contained and not allow the crush of the crowd to overwhelm me or veer me away from what I know to be true. There was a crush of runners after the first wave of runners started in Hopkinton who caug… Continue

When it comes to mental toughness, I learned at an early age about mind over matter. If I would have listened to the pain created by the polio virus, I would never have been able to regain my ability to walk. I am so grateful to Miss Holly, my physical therapist who tempered the pain with her warmth and her love, reading Dr. Seuss to me before every grueling session. If I would have listened to the physical pain I experienced training for the Boston Marathon and the pain I experienced during the… Continue

There is no greater power than the power of Love. When I was first diagnosed with post polio syndrome in December 2006, not only was I faced with the physical challenge of using a brace and a cane and at times a wheelchair for mobility, but I was faced with a choice. Would I choose the path of anger, resentment and self loathing because 'this was happening to me all over again?' or would I choose the path of Love. With love and support from the staff at the International Rehab Center for Polio,… Continue

It's only a little over a week away and one of the best ways I know to express my passion about my journey from polio/post polio survivor to running the Boston Marathon for Spaulding Rehab Hospital (which helped me and so many take the first steps on my healing journey) is through my gift of poetry -- so here is my latest poem: Marathon Monday It's Marathon Monday, it's my day to shine with husband and daughter poised at starting line. I know I can do this - there's no way to fail tethered to… Continue

April is National Poetry Month and the month when the Boston Marathon is run. What do these two seemingly unlikely events have in common? Me! In 1959, I contracted paralytic polio in one of the last polio epidemics. With the grace of God and an amazing team, I was able to walk again albeit with a limp, a brace and polio shoes. Since I could never compete in athletics (or so I thought) I immersed myself in the academic world. I was high school valedictorian, a member of Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit… Continue