It was on my bucket list for years and then it wasn't and then, after finding my way to Dr. Ryan J. Means it was game on to run in the Bermuda Marathon Weekend.
Who knew I would or could go the distance again after a very serious knee injury in December 2014. The MRI showed that there was no gastroc muscle as a result of childhood paralytic polio, a torn meniscus that was beyond surgical repair, a fatty lipoma (huh?), degenerative joint disease, degenerative changes as a result of multiple surgeries including reconstructive leg surgery 20 years ago with hardware removal and bone spurs. What a great run I'd had in 2014 with 9 races and many PR's but I wasn't doing proper cross training, I had a massage therapist who had no desire or intention for partnering with me as a runner and there was still a boat load of the effects of severe childhood trauma stuck in my body.
After meeting Anthony Raynor, Race Director for the Bermuda Marathon Weekend at the Finish at the 50 Road Race in July of 2015, I decided that I was going to train for and run the Bermuda Half Marathon in January of 2016.
Once was not enough and in January I ran my second CONSECUTIVE Bermuda Half Marathon.
I wasn't planning on a third until Anthony and I met at the Blue Diamond Athletic Display's Booth at the Boston Marathon Expo:
He was kind to offer us an invitational entry if we'd return to Bermuda to run again!
But a dream without a plan is just a wish. I grabbed my calendar and with the help of my Team members, Tom and Ruth Anne, we planned out our mileage to build slowly to the Half marathon distance.
Ruth Anne and I put together a playlist.
We watched the video from when Tom and I ran the Bermuda Half Marathon in 2016 (we are at the 2:43:17 mark):
During the final .2 of a mile on today's 5 mile training run, we imagined what that moment will feel like in January.
We have our five day training cycle that includes cross training at Wave Health and Fitness on the Bike and Arc Trainer and the pool, strength training at Team McManus' home gym,
a 5K run and a long run.
While the race is 7 months away, it's vital to have a plan in place. After all, a dream without a plan is just a wish and a plan without a dream is just a task!
I am very excited to begin the journey on the road to the Bermuda Half Marathon 2018!
To going the distance with strength and courage!
~Mary
Be sure to visit my website by following this link.
My books are available on Amazon.
Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life
Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing Hope and Possibility that chronicles the first 7 years of my healing journey:
And my latest and greatest book - Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance (With a Foreword by Jacqueline Hansen):
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