Tomorrow, Team McManus marks a milestone for their training. 6.5 miles - halfway to 13.1 miles on the road to the Bermuda Marathon Weekend.
When we first started out on this epic journey to a threepeat for Tom and me running the Bermuda Half Marathon and having our beautiful daughter Ruth Anne join us for her first Bermuda Half Marathon, we struggled to find a rhythm together. I was anxious about whether or not I could go the distance for a threepeat especially since I was no longer working with the massage therapist who partnered with me for my first two half marathons in Bermuda. Ruth Anne was just getting back into running. After several runs, Team McManus found a rhythm and stride that was even better than when we trained for the 2009 Boston Marathon.
With each run we are gaining confidence; with every strength training and cross training workout we are feeling more determined. We are experiencing joy in the journey and a fire in our souls to go the distance.
This evening we get to host our Bermudian friends Anthony Raynor and Clarence Smith for dinner. I love to remember our first meeting with Anthony and Clarence two years ago. From "Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance":
Next up was the Bermuda Marathon Weekend booth.
Now what's pretty amazing here is that I had set my sights on running the Bermuda Marathon for my 60th birthday in 2013. But then life happened. I never thought about it again. Tom and I had stopped by their booth at other Expos and quickly dismissed ever going back to Bermuda never mind running a race there. Never say never! Tom started chatting with Clarence "Stoker" Smith and I joined in the conversation. We both felt a tug at our souls and the more we talked with Clarence and Race Director Anthony, the stronger the tug. We reminisced about when we used to go there with Herb Simmons and the Sea and Surf Anglers Club who had a tournament with the Bermudian Blue Waters Angler Club. I felt goosebumps and a warm feeling all over. Anthony told me that I'd be better off running the Half Marathon rather than the 10K because of the steep hills on the course. I told them that the last time I was in Bermuda I was in a leg brace and using a wheelchair to travel. Clarence's wife said, "Look at you now girl."
We exchanged information. Clarence told us he'd take us out on his boat when we came down for the weekend. I chatted with Anthony about the weather in January. "Look," he said in that delicious Bermudian accent. "I was told you people still have piles of snow near the Seaport Hotel from this past winter. I can guarantee you this. You will have no snow in Bermuda in January."
Anthony and Clarence are here to promote race weekend at the DMSE Sports Classic Race Expo. We volunteered last year and were pleasantly surprised to see Anthony:
Having dinner with them tonight is Divine timing as we get ready to run 6.5 miles tomorrow.
Team McManus is transforming the pain of the past into the joys of today by training to go the distance! 6.5 miles we are coming to get ya!
Go 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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