It was "only" .2 of a mile farther than I'd run since the Tufts 10K last October but it was a huge milestone for me as I build back my base to go 26.2 again in October of 2016 at the Newport Marathon.
I'm up to 40 crunches and 38 sit ups and holding plank for 1'45". It's been a slow and steady building of increased time and increasing reps listening to my body for when it's ready for that extra push.
And sometimes that extra push comes inadvertently - like when I miscalculated that from 10:40 to 11:30 is 40 minutes planning to increase my swim time by 5 minutes today and realized after the fact I'd been working out for 50 minutes. That's what happens when you are in the pool at Wave Health and Fitness with the sun streaming through the skylight and you get lost in the moments of enjoying movement and cross training.
While a part of me would love nothing more than to get out on the course and run another marathon this October, I am relishing every moment of the journey. I love feeling stronger and doing more than I was able to do the week before. I love the discipline it takes to train and cross train for a marathon. I love sharing the journey with Tom and how Team McManus is reunited to run another marathon; something I thought would never happen again in this lifetime.
Every mile, every additional rep, every extra moment of cross training in the pool deserves to be celebrated.
Yesterday, the Newport Marathon posted the course map on Facebook.
I printed out the map and the written directions for the course and have it up on my fridge. This summer we are going to take a few trips down to Newport, drive the course and train on part of the course. Next summer we will amp up the training on the course.
It's a wonderful adventure to train for another marathon. I have nothing to prove you know because I've already run one marathon - the Boston Marathon - the most prestigious marathon in the world. Although I am 6 years older, I feel stronger and more confident than I ever have in my life mind, body and Spirit and plan to continue to train for Newport mind, body and Spirit. I'm celebrating every small victory along the way, feeling the joy in the journey and the joy of being able to fully embody and embrace myself as a distance runner.
Be blessed! Journey well! To all good things...
My latest book, "Journey Well" is now available on Amazon along with all of my inspirational books. 50% of book proceeds are donated to the Massachusetts Resiliency Center, a safe, welcoming space for survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing to heal and stay in touch with one another; a virtual hub for a widely dispersed community whose lives have been impacted by the tragic events of April 15th and the events that followed.
When terror struck the world's oldest and most beloved marathon on April 15, 2013, it was a defining moment in Mary McManus’ life and the lives of all those in Boston and around the world. It was her wake up call to return to the sport and community that have been medicine and a lifeline for her throughout her marathon of healing the late effects of paralytic polio and experiencing 9 years of domestic violence as a child and adolescent. Mary captures the essence of Boston Strong through her experience of the 2014 Boston Marathon and as she profiles the people who are Boston Stronger. Through her blog posts, poems and journal entries woven together with excerpts from her memoir, “Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility,” you will experience, through one woman’s journey of transformation and healing, that no matter what happens to us, we can all learn to journey well.
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