Bermuda Marathon Weekend: Which Place Changed Your Life?

I rarely do the Nametests on Facebook but thought I'd see what the response was when asked the question, "Which Place Changed Your Life?"



Of course it was Bermuda Marathon Weekend!

It was the miracle of training for and completing 3 Half Marathons in as many years for me and it was all the moments of miracles that led up to Team McManus' triumphant run around Bermuda.

When we were first reunited as Team McManus in May of 2017 after Ruth Anne's multiple hospitalizations to treat severe depression and PTSD with as many med trials, adverse reactions to meds and programs that were not a good fit, we had trouble finding our rhythm on the roads and in our lives. Ruth Anne had been on her own for 3 years struggling to find her way and Tom and I were empty nesters. We were all determined to experience success as Team McManus.

There was always one constant and an anchor for whatever was happening in Ruth Anne's road to recovery and my continued healing from the effects of paralytic polio and trauma: our dedication and commitment to training for the Bermuda Half Marathon!

We trained in heat and humidity and freezing cold. We learned that quitting was not part of who we are despite bone chilling 17 degree temperatures which felt like I don't even want to know how cold. We ran in the rain and the snow. Every Saturday morning without exception we set the alarm, did our core work, had our breakfast, packed up the running backpacks and off we went to get in our miles.

The left knee that the doctor predicted would need a total knee replacement by now after an MRI in January 2015, was fine throughout the rigors of training. Bone spurs, torn cartilage, degenerative changes, a fatty lipoma, and no gastroc muscle were all reversed through meditation, visualization, journaling and exercises prescribed by my chiropractor/healer, Dr. Ryan J. Means or Dr. Ryan as he likes to be called to build strength and grow a new gastroc muscle. Dr. Ryan introduced me to the work of Dr. Joe Dispenza that built on the work of Dr. Bernie Siegel for me that I'd been familiar with for years. Dr. Ryan inspired me to take my healing journey to a new level! He left for China to follow his own destiny but we continue to stay in touch. Whenever he visits the States we get together and he reminds me of the power of the body to heal.

I did develop a right hip/groin/back "issue" that was attended to by my chiropractor with whom I started working with in July and ongoing meditation, ice flushes in the shower, warm Epsom Salt baths and a "visit" from the physiatrist I had when I was recovering from paralytic polio as a child. I remembered how he would have me stretch my back to prevent scoliosis and after feeling his presence in the shower one morning, imagined how I felt with him encouraging my body to heal through his kind words, his touch and his encouraging words.

Once we finished our last long run, 12 miles, simulating race day, I knew that I could go the distance for a threepeat.

Returning to Bermuda with Ruth Anne was magical. The last time we had been on the Island together, I was using a wheelchair at the airport and sporting a toe up leg brace using a cane to gingerly walk from our hotel nor far from the center of Hamilton and back. I cried when we walked down the stairs on the tarmac and there was a wheelchair waiting for another passenger.

There were signs and magic everywhere on the Island.

The first evening we had dinner with Denise and Lanette at The Pickled Onion:


and of course were able to find Denise and Lanette pre-race:


Ruth Anne and I walked the beach together:


We had a sign that God and our dearly departed friend Herb Simmons who introduced us to Bermuda in the late 90's were watching over us at our first breakfast at Windows on the Sound:


Despite many fears leading up to race day about being able to trust my body, and the pain in my right hip/back/groin I knew that I could not give into them. Part of me felt that everybody would have understood if I would have chosen to not start the race BUT how could I miss out on all the fun that I worked so hard to achieve?

When we landed in Bermuda, Ruth Anne was moved to say out loud, "I made it! I'm not in the hospital!" We went through several "close calls" as we navigated outpatient mental health care but having her eye on the prize - getting to Bermuda to run the Half Marathon was potent medicine.

Ruth Anne, Tom and I discovered our strength, our will, our determination, our faith and above all else the power of our Love to train for and cross the finish line of the Bermuda Half Marathon 2018.

The Bermuda Half Marathon changed our life as did every step of every mile that got us to the starting line, through 13.1 miles and to crossing the finish line.





To your health and well being
From my heart to yours,
Mary

Proud to be a part of Friends of Blue Diamond Athletic Displays, Inc.

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):

In The Swim of Things and the Miracle of Healing

The other day I reflected on remembering when... in my healing journey and a subtle yet miraculous transformation that happened when I was able to organize myself neurologically to get off the toilet seat even though the door was ajar and Tom was in my line of vision. It's so important to appreciate every gain big and small in this wondrous miraculous journey of health, wellness and well being after my body was ravaged by paralytic polio and enduring years of violence at the hands of family members.

I'm still celebrating my 3rd Bermuda Half Marathon in as many years and now it's time for me to get into a rhythm of workouts without having an endurance goal on the horizon. I can feel how there is a part of me that would love to join Tom and Ruth Anne on the road to RunTheBluegrass but I know that I need to give myself time to continue to regenerate neuromuscular connections, build strength and allow everything to heal from the training for 3 endurance events in as many years.

My life has been so blessed by Dr. Bernie Siegel or bernie or CD for Chosen Dad as he likes to be called. I learned about his work while I was in the hospital with a serious bone infection in my right shoulder in the early 1980's. I had an earth angel of a nurse, Beth Jordan, who realized that I needed to heal my life. She brought in his cassette tapes and I bought his book, "Love, Medicine and Miracles." His wisdom continues to be a part of my life every day. We just purchased his meditation CD's again after I found an autographed CD case in a drawer that I usually don't open unless I am looking for documents. I couldn't find the CD's anywhere in the house so we took it as a sign that we needed to buy them again and incorporate them into our healing meditations. Fortunately, Wisdom of the Ages had them for sale.

Bernie taught me about the power of the mind/body connection and the power of self-love for healing.

I am immersing myself in healing allowing my body to continue to transform and transcend the past.

Tom and I did a pool workout together yesterday. It was his time for cross training during half marathon training while Ruth Anne did rowing, stretching and an upper body workout. I know that next week I'll be incorporating weights into my pool workout again and I look forward to when I can get back to two days of outdoor running. I'm so blessed and grateful for a gym with great cardio equipment and awesome classes for when I'm ready to branch out into working my body in new and different ways. I also have working with a personal trainer on my 2018 health and wellness plan.

I have decided to put any endurance running on the back burner for now while I find new and exciting ways to both challenge my body while I stimulate healing.

For the first time after pushing myself to the edge of my physical capabilities, I am not injured! I do have a right hip/groin/back that needs time and tlc to heal from the rigors of training but overall I am doing so well! I'm allowing the miracle of healing to continue to unfold in my life while providing the best environment I can for health and wellness with good nutrition mind, body and soul, exercise, meditation, rest and a good night's sleep. For the first time in these past 11 years after the diagnosis, I feel the joy in the journey; the joy to create something new and to be connected to Source to guide my way.

It's time to be in the flow and in the swim of things and experience where this beautiful current of life leads me.

To your health and well being
From my heart to yours,
Mary

Proud to be a part of Friends of Blue Diamond Athletic Displays, Inc.

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):

Breakthrough on Heartbreak Hill

There was a chilly start to the day yesterday. Temperatures were supposed to go into the 50's. Tom and Ruth Anne are training for RunTheBluegrass and needed to do 5 miles on hills according to Kara Goucher's Half Marathon 10 Week Training Plan. I'm recovering from our triumphant Bermuda Half Marathon run. I couldn't get a fix on what I needed to do. Should I go solo and run around the Reservoir or should I do my 5K on the hills? My hip/back/groin are still healing but I know that the body achieves what the mind believes! If I told my body we'd be fine going out on the hills, we'd be fine.

As the day quickly warmed up, I decided to join them on Heartbreak Hill.

There is always magic on Heartbreak Hill. I've written blogs about Heartbreak Hill in my old blog Healing, Hope and Possibility and in this blog.

Yesterday held magic for me in my solo 5K run.

Many runners were out training for the Boston Marathon. What a joy to smile and say hi asking if they were training for Boston. It didn't matter that I was walking at a pace slower than they were running. When you're out on Heartbreak Hill, everyone has a beautiful connection.

Tom and Ruth Anne took off at their own pace. It was the first time in my running career that I did not feel left behind. I loved and thanked my body for going 3 Half Marathons in as many years. I embraced the solitude and time to be alone with my new playlist, "The 12 Minute Mile" and the Divine. I loved feeling the tailwind as I walked up the hills and dancing with the Universe coming down the hills with a strong headwind. It was the Divine's way of inviting me to meet a situation head on from my past that was still causing me physical and emotional pain and suffering. I got in touch with powerful feelings and surrendered them to the Divine asking for healing. I felt waves of love and gratitude wash through me.

I reflected on how blessed I am to feel healthy and whole recovering from the rigors of half marathon training. What a blessing to be back on Heartbreak Hill feeling the sunshine and anticipating Springtime in Boston. I flashed back to when we trained for the 2009 Boston Marathon. I reflected on the miracles of healing that have happened throughout my life and especially these past 11 years after being diagnosed with Post-Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease.

As Tom and Ruth Anne finished their run, calling out my name and having crushed their training run with a 12 minute/mile pace we took a selfie as Team McManus:


Even though I am not going to be running RunTheBlueGrass Half Marathon with them this year, we are and will always be Team McManus sharing adventures together and experiencing the power of transformation through running.

Tom and Ruth Anne had an incredible run together. Ruth Anne had a sparkle and was filled with energy and excitement. Father-daughter time is always a sacred time especially being out in the glorious sunshine on a late January day in Boston feeling the magic that is Heartbreak Hill.

My breakthrough on Heartbreak Hill continues to fill my heart with love and gratitude pulling me out of the past into my beautiful present where everything is healed.

To your health and well being
From my heart to yours,
Mary

Proud to be a part of Friends of Blue Diamond Athletic Displays, Inc.

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):

Going the Distance: I remember when....

This morning as Tom stood in the doorway of our bathroom and the door was slightly ajar, I said to him, "Watch this!"I got up off the toilet seat without holding on and without him needing to move out of the way so I could neurologically organize to get up off the toilet seat without using the sink to support me!

Three years ago I could not get out of a chair without using a support nor could I get off of a toilet seat without using the sink. I met Dr. Ryan J. Means after a very serious knee injury. I was an injury waiting to happen since I was pushing myself to PR race after race and was not doing any cross training or strength training. I also had not healed a lot of the residuals of paralytic polio and trauma in mind, body and soul. Dr. Ryan suggested exercises for me to do to grow a new gastroc muscle in my left "polio" leg and gave me a regimen of strength training exercises to do. He taught me the proper way to squat using the wall so I could get the neurological proprioception in place and fire up new neuromuscular connections that had been wiped out by polio and that couldn't regenerate because paralytic polio was followed by severe childhood abuse.

He turned me onto the work of Dr. Joe Dispenza. I had been meditating ever since the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome in December of 2006 but combining Dr. Joe's work with the work of Dr. Bernie Siegel and partnering with Dr. Ryan in chiropractic care, I was on a powerful healing path. I realized that my difficulty in standing up was a result of the stuck memory of my father's violence when I tried to stand up or when he'd push me down hard into a chair. How liberating to be able to stand up with strength and courage for myself transforming into the person I was always meant to be.

I had difficulty organizing myself neurologically if there was anything in the line of my vision but not today. I cued myself with "Mind over matter" and stood up with ease.

I remember when I couldn't walk up the stairs in my house without clutching the bannister.

I remember when I didn't have the strength or energy to do grocery shopping and we used Stop and Shop's peapod.

I remember when I needed a leg brace and a cane and whenever I was going to walk for any distance, I needed a wheelchair.

I remember when everything hurt in my body and my muscles and nerves burned all the time.

I remember when I had to drink through a straw and use a chin tuck and dry swallow so I wouldn't aspirate my food.

I remember when I couldn't pass the initial evaluation from my personal trainer that I hired after completing outpatient treatment at Spaulding Rehab.

I remember when I declared I would run the 2009 Boston Marathon for Spaulding Rehab Hospital!

In February of 2007, I wrote poetry to inspire my mind, body and soul to heal. I remember how amazing I felt as I wrote poem after poem after poem imagining myself running free, unencumbered; dancing in the rain without my leg brace despite being in chronic pain and having doctors tell me that if I used it I would lose it.

What a journey this has been healing my life! Once I started to heal my heart and soul from my past, I was able to experience physical changes in my body. I experienced gratitude for my prayers being answered and for the gifts of polio and the violence and trauma I endured. I began to love myself and my life for the very first time in my life. It's a constant work in progress and a journey that I am deeply grateful to experience.

The other day I was at the pool at Boston Sports Club. The pool closed down unexpectedly when Tom and I were about to go for a swim on Sunday. We did the bike instead and I went back on Monday morning to swim. I noticed a woman staying close to the wall gingerly doing exercises. She asked me if she could share my lane just to go up and back. I was inspired to connect with her. She told me her story about when she had an episode of transglobal amnesia and the neurologist in the hospital noticed there was "something off." She went through a battery of tests and was told she had a rare genetic disorder along with osteoarthritis. I told her my story. I told her about my history, and how I ran 3 Bermuda Half Marathons in 3 years. I told her about the work of Bernie and Dr. Joe. She told me that her son is in medical school and he has been doing meditation. "He's really into the mind/body connection. He has been encouraging me to meditate but I just can't seem to "get it". I suggested one of Dr. Joe's videos on Youtube that is only a 17 minute meditation. "That seems so long," she said to me. I told her to just do it. She said that she was going to mention me to her son. The worst that can happen is she can heal. Her eyes filled with tears and hope. As we were getting ready to get out of the pool she said to me, "I just want to be able to walk."

I remember when that was my goal .... and I remember the days I prayed for the things I have now.

My heart overflows with gratitude and I continue to find joy and excitement in the journey of health, wholeness and well being.

To going the distance with strength and courage
From my heart to yours
Mary

Proud to be a part of Friends of Blue Diamond Athletic Displays, Inc.

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):

Going the Distance: I'm Now Off the Sidelines!

Shortly after being diagnosed with Post-Polio Syndrome in December of 2006, I got very still and asked for Divine Guidance. What was next for me in my life? Did I have a future? The doctors said that Post-Polio Syndrome is a progressive neuromuscular disease and the best I could hope for was to preserve what functioning I had at the time. I had difficulty swallowing, walking, breathing and everything hurt. I was tired all the time. That didn't seem like much of a quality of life for me.

The answer came in the form of a poem ... many many poems after that first poem, "Running the Race."

I love this last couplet of that first poem I wrote:
I'm now off the sidelines, no need to sit and whine
So much gratitude fills my heart and love and beauty shine.
After all these years I can join the loving human race
I exceed all expectations and now I set the pace.

It took everything I had to train for and run the 2018 Bermuda Half Marathon. It was my 3rd half marathon is as many years. Quite the accomplishment for someone who was told they'd spend the rest of their life in a wheelchair and a miracle of healing after being told I'd need a total knee replacement in a few years after a serious knee injury in December of 2014.

Now it's time for me to take a step back from endurance running and give my body time to heal and recover; from the rigors of training and to continue to heal from the effects of having contracted paralytic polio at age 5 followed by enduring years of physical, sexual and emotional abuse at the hands of family members.

I'm delighted and overjoyed to be where I am in my healing journey. In my mind's eye I run at a 12:00 minute/mile pace yet I'm so blessed and grateful to be able to run at any pace.

I have total confidence in my body's ability to heal from the strain of this training cycle. I'll be maintaining a 5 day training cycle with the emphasis on cross training and strength training and go for biweekly chiropractic treatments. In my meditations I continue to experience wholeness, health and well being leaving the past behind.

I'm so excited to be support crew for Ruth Anne and Tom as they train to RunTheBluegrass.. In the past, I would have felt frustrated and left out but instead I feel gloriously happy to support this wonderful father-daughter team as they tackle hills, work on speed and train together to go the distance for another half marathon.

I have a deep and genuine sense of accomplishment that I have run 3 half marathons in 3 years; a feat I never thought I'd be able to achieve especially after a serious knee injury. I am deeply grateful to Anthony Raynor for giving us an invitational entry.. It gave me the opportunity of a lifetime to know that I am healthy, healed and whole and I CAN and did go the distance. I did so without getting injured although I did experience a muscle strain on my right hip and now need to unwind all the tension and torques in my body that resulted from the training.

Even though I plan to keep my distances short, I am continuing to go the distance on the roads and in my life. Once I recover from Bermuda, I'm going to take new classes, explore new workout routines and work on my speed.

Running will always be an integral part of my life and of my health and wellness regimen.

What an adventure and what a ride!

After 11 years on this healing odyssey from the effects of paralytic polio and trauma I can say unequivocally that now I'm off the sidelines! I exceeded all expectations and will continue to experience the joy in the journey and the challenge of overcoming my past.

To going the distance with strength and courage
From my heart to yours
Mary

Proud to be a part of Friends of Blue Diamond Athletic Displays, Inc.

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):

Bermuda Marathon Weekend: Welcome Home and a Time to Recover

We woke up to a Bermudaful sunny morning on Tuesday and headed down for an early breakfast to catch the final warm rays before heading back to winter in Boston. Keavin cooked with tlc preparing our last breakfast of our magical time on the Island. When he came out to give us a hug goodbye I noticed he was limping. He is going to have a partial hip replacement. We talked about healing and unbeknownst to me, he had already heard about my journey as a survivor of paralytic polio and trauma.

There's a band that plays at the Fairmont and Keavin is working on becoming their manager. As we walked through the lobby, Tom noticed them. I was off doing something else and Tom and Ruth Anne got inspired to tell them about my journey. He asked them if they could dedicate a song to me during their set on Friday evening. I didn't know why Tom kept asking me to not get into my comfy sweats and to go down to the Lobby. I was so exhausted from our full day on Thursday that I told him I needed to rest. Keavin totally understood my need for rest and said that they'll get me next time. Just another example of the magic that happens in Bermuda. We hugged and Keavin suggested that Tom and Ruth Anne go back home (oh how I wish you could hear that being said in a Bermudian accent) and I could stay on the Island.

We got all of our luggage together when we returned to the room and headed to the pool. I was working very hard to relax and not stress about the small window of time we had to get to the airport as scheduled by the hotel shuttle. I turned it all over to the Universe. As we waited for others to arrive to get the shuttle, the shuttle driver suggested we relax and get a little more time in the sun which is what we did. I tried to not look at the clock on the dashboard as we wound through the beautiful Bermuda countryside.

Our flight was leaving early but I stayed calm, cool and collected as we breezed through Customs and security. I'm used to having a lot of time to relax at the airport but I was happy to have that extra sunshine time before we left. We had just enough time to have a quick bite of lunch and.... to see Erik at the airport!

He was wearing his bling and took a photo of us wearing ours:


"And what team is this?" the flight attendant asked as we sat in our seats 13 D, E, F on the return flight to Boston.

We said in unison, "Team McManus!"

"What sport is this?" he asked.

"We ran the Bermuda Half Marathon," we replied.

"That's very impressive," he commented.

As the second flight attendant prepared the cabin for take off she looked at our medals. "I don't know what you won but congratulations!"

As they were bringing beverage service through the cabin, we were offered complimentary beer and wine. We told them we didn't drink so they gave us extra snacks and a full can of our non alcoholic beverage of choice.

When we got settled in at home, I posted this photo on Facebook #homesweethome #weranbermuda #teammcnanus #missionaccomplished:


Welcome home and congratulations poured in!

On Wednesday I saw my chiropractor. We shared in the joy of my accomplishment and brought relief to my body that was tired, sore and very tight. At the end of the session she said, "That should bring you some relief!" She suggested that I take it easy and only do a gentle walk until my body recovers from the rigors of training and running a 3rd half marathon in as many years. I will spare you the details of what we discovered was happening in my body and am only focusing on the healing and recovery.

I took Thursday and Friday as rest days.

Tom and Ruth Anne began their training on Saturday for RunTheBluegrass happening on 3/31. While they ran around Jamaica Pond, I did a slow walking meditation. The fresh cold air with the backdrop of the beauty of Jamaica Pond in winter was the perfect setting for me to reflect on where I'd been in my journey and what's next. It was a glorious time for me to connect to the Divine doing a walking meditation. Despite the headwind and cold air, I felt a deep connection to the Divine. I have often felt angry and frustrated that I can't just go out on a run but today I felt such peace and love for my body and my life while walking as my future self....feeling how it will feel to run a 12 minute mile knowing I already can and so grateful that tears streamed down my face. I knew that my muscle strain and everything that got thrown out of alignment during training and running the half marathon is healed. I felt with every step I took there was more and more distance between me now in the present moment and the me that had embodied having once been paralyzed and brutalized by family members. It was truly Divine! My back that had been going into spasms completely relaxed and I felt such joy and happiness.

Even though I am not training for another event right now, we are still Team McManus and took this selfie:


I am doing 5 days of training with core work, strength training, cardio and cross training with a gentle walk as Tom and Ruth Anne do their training runs until my hip/back/groin issue resolve. I feel better and better with each passing day. I have my heart and mind set on attaining my goal of a 12 minute mile for a 5K and am figuring out what else I want to do with my health and fitness regimen. I know the Universe will help me figure that out.

Tom and Ruth Anne are following Kara Goucher's 10 week training plan to get ready for their Half Marathon.

This morning while I did a cardio workout for 6 miles on the bike, they did fartleks on the treadmill and around the track at our gym.

It was a beautiful way to begin the day.


Having completed my 3rd Bermuda Half marathon is as many years was a miracle and having Team McManus reunited with Ruth Anne was another miracle.

Every finish line is a starting line. We are now at the starting line of a new race. I'm so excited to experience this next leg on our journey.

To going the distance with strength and courage
From my heart to yours
Mary

Proud to be a part of Friends of Blue Diamond Athletic Displays, Inc.

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):

Bermuda Marathon Weekend: Beyond the Finish Line

We had a delightful ride back to the hotel with a female cab driver. Since Front Street was closed, we enjoyed going through neighborhoods we ordinarily wouldn't get to see in Bermuda.

We were greeted like royalty by the Bell staff as our taxi pulled up to the hotel.

We went directly to Wicketts proudly wearing our bling and chose the foods that were going to help us refuel after our triumphant 2018 Bermuda Half Marathon run. We ate by the pool and enjoyed the sunshine.

I knew I needed to get into the pool to begin my recovery from 9 months of training and 13.1 miles filled with smiles and hills. It was a bit of a challenge to change my clothes and get into my bathing suit but getting into the pool was well worth the effort. Ruth Anne and I headed to the pool while Tom relaxed in the room watching football.

We were too tired for the after party and decided to go to Boundary, the Sports Bar and Grille on the grounds of the Fairmont for dinner. Wings and salads were the order of the day. With football in the background when we got back to our room, we began packing up the room to get ready for our Tuesday departure. I fell asleep in the middle of our meditation which I rarely do and had the deepest sleep I'd had in a very long time.

It was a full on breakfast buffet on Monday morning for Team McManus celebrating our victory. I became fast friends with the omelette bar chef Keavin who cooked my over easy eggs to perfection. Food always tastes so wonderful after accomplishing a major goal. After breakfast we headed to the beach. The weather forecast called for rain and we had plans to head into Hamilton to do shopping in the afternoon. We wanted to get in one more beach day!

Ruth Anne body surfed and relished being in the water on January 15th! I was incredibly sore but knew that a walk on the beach and salt water would be the cure for anything!

"Congratulations on your run!" a woman called out to us.

"Thank you!" I said curious about how she knew we ran on Sunday.

I walked over to her. "I'm the one who said you should receive the Team Family Award."

Shawna Jones was waiting for her friend to finish her marathon challenge and decided to cheer the runners into the finish line. She finished 10th overall in the challenge! I thought she was a volunteer. We had an incredibly emotional conversation that blessed our weekend and affirmed what we had accomplished as Team McManus - on the roads and in our lives.

Shawna's friend Madeline is very active in the fitness world and has a lot of followers on Instagram. She asked if it would be okay to share our story to inspire others! We hugged goodbye and wished them safe travels home. It is truly amazing how fast friendships are forged in the running world.

We took showers, continued to pack and changed into going shopping and out for dinner clothes in Hamilton but first one more lunch at Jasmine. Their crispy fried snapper makes my mouth water just thinking about it (and you don't believe in a mind body connection?!)

"Hey - I'm your new Facebook friend. I run with the Mystics. What's it been like two years since we met in Hyannis?"

Erik Cann was referring to an encounter that I wrote about in Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance:
"Oh my God it's a sign!" One woman stopped dead in her tracks as she picked up my Bermuda Half Marathon medal and said, "We were just talking about the Bermuda Marathon and wanting to run it." I shared my story with her and her group of Mystic Runners from Wakefield, Massachusetts. The energy was absolutely electric and synergy and synchronicity were happening all around!

We became Facebook friends through another Mystic who knew he was going to run in Bermuda. She teased him about going without the Mystics. Erik explained that he found this group of runners who were sharing a house and he decided to just do it.

We posed for this photo together:


For many years, we stayed at The Rosedon Hotel when we went to Bermuda.

"Shavaughn is that you?" Ruth Anne asked the person at the Bell desk one day.

Indeed it was! Shavaughn and Ruth Anne were like brother and sister whenever we visited the Island. He left the hospitality industry and went into retail and just recently came back to hospitality and is working at the Fairmont. What are the chances? We told him that we wanted to go into Hamilton for shopping and dinner. He hooked us up with a great driver who offered to pick us up after dinner. We arranged for a 7pm pick up at La Trattoria. When we went to make our reservation at La Trattoria where the driver dropped us off, we found out that they were closed for the evening due to a private party. Now what would we do....

We did what every Bermuda tourist does - we went shopping for souvenirs. What fun we had going into different shops and finding gifts that were just perfect for family and friends. I hadn't shopped with Ruth Anne in Hamilton Bermuda in 10 years! What an amazing journey.

Bermuda is even Bermudaful in the rain as Ruth Anne captured the beauty in these photos in Hamilton and a view from the balcony from our room:


I was feeling tired and sore. We went to the Hamilton Princess to sit down and decide where we were going to go for dinner. Part of me wanted to go back to our hotel but we had no way of contacting our driver. Ruth Anne suggested we go to the Lobster Pot!

The Lobster Pot held such special memories for us with the service we always received from one of the Island's star hospitality couples, Eva and Ronnie. Even though they left the Island several years ago, their legacy lives on. The hostess remembered them and spent some time chatting with us while we were waiting for our food. The service was impeccable and the food absolutely incredible! Ruth Anne had crab legs, I had a crab meat stuffed salmon and Tom had their signature rockfish. The Lobster Pot has no on line presence and has not changed in 40 years! It was such a comfort to experience the warmth of this Bermuda institution that has had no need to change in four decades.

"After all we've been through," Ruth Anne commented. "I can't believe we're here!" Neither could I! My 11 year healing odyssey from the effects of paralytic polio and trauma after being diagnosed with Post Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease and Ruth Anne's three year journey healing severe depression and PTSD. Ruth Anne bought a maroon Lobster Pot t-shirt. Years ago she had a well worn and loved orange shirt. It was definitely time for a new one.

On our walk back to outside La Trattoria, we took this photo of a wintry scene Bermuda style in 70 degree weather:


As promised, our driver arrived right on time and drove us back to our hotel for one more night and one more morning of our Bermuda Marathon Weekend adventure.

To be continued....

To going the distance with strength and courage
From my heart to yours
Mary

Proud to be a part of Friends of Blue Diamond Athletic Displays, Inc.

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):