From "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953":
Anthony Raynor and Clarence Smith had me at hello at the Bermuda Marathon Weekend Booth at the Finish at the 50 Expo. Tom started chatting with Clarence "Stoker" Smith. I hung back but cocked an ear to the conversation. I gingerly eyed the pink Bermuda wrist bands, the bling from Bermuda Marathon Weekend races and the samples of pink sand. I glanced at Tom and felt we each had a tug at our souls. The tug got stronger with each moment we talked with Clarence and Anthony. We reminisced about when we went to Bermuda. I felt goosebumps and a warm feeling come over me, while a part of me was wondering why was I even having this conversation about running in Bermuda. Several months ago I was told to cap my distance and prepare for a total knee replacement.
“If you can get up to the Half Marathon distance, you’ll be better off than running the 10K with all of its steep hills,” Anthony said in his delicious Bermudian accent.
“The last time I was in Bermuda I was in a leg brace using a cane and a wheelchair.”
Clarence's wife said, "Look at you now girl."
There was no stopping me now. We exchanged information. Clarence told us he'd pick us up at the airport. I chatted with Anthony about the weather in January.
"Look," he said with a deep warm laugh, "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.
I went on to have an epic running comeback with 3 Consecutive Bermuda Half Marathons in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
This year I was blessed to witness Tom's stunning running comeback after a serious knee injury that started cooking last September. By November 1st, he could no longer bear weight on his left leg. In lieu of seeking out Western Medicine as a starting point, I had heard about George Leung, a sports acupuncturist who was 5 minutes from where we live. Fortunately, he had availability that evening.
Tom partnered with George and our chiropractor, Dr. Lizzie Sobel. He stopped running and focused on cross training in the pool, on land with strength training and when his knee began to recover, the elliptical. I would run on the treadmill at our gym, Wave Health and Fitness and he would row to get the endorphins he was used to experiencing from running. Although he was running "only" a 10K (there's really no such thing as "only" in the running world), he was very cautious with his recovery.
He stretched and used a Trigger-Pin roller to aid in recovery.
As he felt better, he got on the treadmill with me. It wasn't until one week before Race Weekend that Tom was a go for the 10K. He started to feel so good on the treadmill that he considered going back to doing the Half but he knew that discretion was the better part of valor.
We planned to go and enjoy Race Weekend whether or not he was going to run, but it was so much sweeter to see Tom back at his game and on the road to Bermuda Marathon Weekend.
His plan was to walk/run the 10K and not pay any attention to the time on the clock but listen to his body.
The energy at the Grotto Bay was electric. We had to catch the 7:30am shuttle to the Stadium. Although the breakfast buffet didn't begin until 7:30 we were able to have breakfast at The Java House which is where the runners congregated grabbing bagels, fruit, coffee and juice before the race.
We were treated to a spectacular sunrise at the Stadium:
As soon as we stepped off of our bus, my dear friend Dawn Angelique Roberts stepped off of her bus! We've been friends since Bermuda Marathon Weekend 2016. What a glorious reunion!
While Tom got into the zone for his race, Dawn and I spent Bermudaful time together.
I saw Tom off at the start. I caught up with Anthony and his cousin Jo-Ell, and waited for the lead runners to come into the finish sitting on a bench with Dawn near the stands in the glorious sunshine.
Dawn and I crossed over to the finish line feeling the excitement of runners' accomplishments. Dawn went off to take photos to report on social media. I had my cowbell, cheered runners in and talked with other spectators.
I expected Tom would do about a 15 minute mile given the hills and his coming off of an injury. I didn't expect him before one hour and 30 minutes.
At about 1:14 on the clock I heard the announcer say, "Tom McManus of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts."
Tom told me he could hear my scream as he entered the Stadium. As he got closer I kept screaming, jumping up and down and ringing my cowbell loud and clear.
His finish is at the 45:46 mark. It's 118:06 on the clock gun time
a 12:22 minute/mile pace! He started out walking but felt really awesome and so he moved into a jog and picked up his pace as he ran the course. He had not been on the roads since the end of October. He said the crowds were amazing and fueled his 6.2 mile journey of an epic comeback race.
If you are going to have a comeback race, Bermuda Marathon Weekend is the place to go!
To your health and wellness
From my heart to yours
Mary
My healing journey using the power of visualization is featured in David R. Hamilton's book, "How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body-Anniversary Edition." It's available on Amazon.
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:
Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance (With a Foreword by Jacqueline Hansen):
***Coming Soon - The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953***
“The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953” takes you on Mary McManus’ healing odyssey from a wheelchair to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond. After the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome in December 2006, Mary got still and asked for Divine Guidance tapping into the powerful connection she experienced to the Divine from an early age. She harnessed the power of her mind to heal her body, feverishly writing poetry in which she imagined herself healthy, whole and free from the shackles of her youth. Mary’s quest to heal her life led her to the sport of running. Her story is one that will leave you cheering for the underdog, discovering the meaning of different ability and experiencing the stunning view from the back of the pack of a race. You will have the privilege of bearing witness to how Mary overcame every challenge that life presented to her. The sport of running provides the backdrop for her journey of transformation from a survivor of childhood paralytic polio and severe trauma at the hands of family members to a woman who embodies faith, grace under fire, courage, determination, endurance and resilience. Running became a way of life for Mary that tested her mettle while forging friendships to last a lifetime. As you’ll discover in “The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953” nothing, not even a serious knee injury in December of 2014 could stop her on the roads or in her life.
