similar paths during the past decade, from being winners of Government's Athlete of the Year award, to marriage and motherhood and now a re-emergence after brief exile.

The two middle distance runners view 1994 as an important year, starting with International Race Weekend, carrying on to the CAC Cross-Country championships next month in the Bahamas and also involving other overseas events such as the Commonwealth Games this summer.

Both considered participating in either the mile or 10-K this weekend, with Fisher looking to build on her splendid improvements in the mile in 1993 and Watson using the 10-K to gauge where she stands and to see how much progress she has made since her comeback in the cross-country series last year.

Fisher started last year by running 5:07 in the Bank of Butterfield Mile which earned her a second place finish among adult women. That same month she broke the Bermuda record with a time of 5:02.5 at the Miami Mile when she placed 10th in the Elite group. In New York in September she became the first local female to go under five minutes for the mile, recording a 4:55.6 time.

That marked an improvement of 12 seconds in about nine months.

"I like the short stuff and I'm content with the mile,'' said Fisher. "It's very intense but I like it. It's over and done with one time.'' Watson, like Fisher, also prefers the shorter races but admits the 10-K will be her race this weekend because of the way her training has been going.

"I'm getting ready for the cross-country so I'm trying to concentrate on the longer distances,'' she explained.

Wherever she competes this weekend, Watson says her performance will enable her to see where she stands in her training .

"I'll get to see where I am,'' she said. "I would rather be competitive, but the 10-K can determine where my training is at that time.

"So far my training seems like it's on schedule. My fitness level is coming on quicker than I expected. I've only been training since September.'' Both runners faded from view briefly after winning the Athlete of the Year -- Fisher for her accomplishments in 1984-85 and Watson in 1988-89. Motherhood had something to do with that, with Fisher now the mother of two and Watson having a one-year-old son, Domico.

"I read in fitness magazines where women who have babies say they seem to perform better. I may not be better, but my fitness is coming on a lot faster,'' said Watson.

"Since becoming a mother it's been very tough on me,'' said Fisher. "On the whole we're seeing what happens, but I guess I'm blessed with the talent. We (her and husband Eddie) still have a few goals we're aiming for.'' Fisher is aiming to knock even more seconds off her mile time. But for anyone thinking she might have a crack at three of the four races during International Race Weekend like Kavin Smith and Lynn Kynoch did last year, forget it.

"I don't think I would do the marathon and half marathon, it's too much,'' she explains. "If I could train as hard as Kavin I would be very happy.'' Not that running a mile is a piece of cake. Fisher appeared in a photo in this month's Runner's World magazine, the world's leading running magazine, that accompanied an article entitled "The Magic of the Mile''.

The picture was taken at the Miami Mile from which Fisher emerged more satisfied with her (Bermuda record) time of 5:02.5 than her 10th place finish among elite women.

"I'm pretty happy with my time, it was a very tough course,'' she stated.

"It's a lot like the Bermuda course with two turnaround points, but a bit tighter than Bermuda. You were running into headwinds of 40 miles an hour near the three-quarter mark, like outside the Bank of Bermuda on a very windy day.'' Nine months later she ran even faster in New York as she went under the five minute mark for the first time. "I ran outside myself,'' she admitted.

"My main aim was to get under five minutes and if I can get under 4:50 one day I'll be happy. It couldn't be done unless I specifically train months and months for that mile. We still have good competition here, but I still need really good competition.

Fisher added: "I'm more nervous in my own country, most definitely. Everybody is shouting at you `I've got a bet on you'. Even my own doctor did that and the nerves shot from my head to the tips of my toes. It does get quite nerve wracking in your own country.'' Watson's biggest obstacle is overcoming boredom on the long runs. "I hate distance running with a passion, even the mileage (in training),'' she admits.

"My best race is probably the 1,500, but I like the 800. By the time I hit five or six miles my mind wanders.'' Watson started participating in some cross-country races to boost her fitness, and after some good performances, and with the encouragement of national coach Jerry Swan, decided to get more serious.

"Jerry said, `why not runs some races' and that got me enthused again,'' Watson explained. "Then Jerry mentioned the cross-country and how they were taking the top four women to the CAC.'' Just how well she does in the coming months will determine whether she will make a strong bid for a place on the Bermuda Commonwealth Games team.

"I'll wait and see what the standards are and around May or June, I should have an idea if I'll be close or not, or maybe say I've had my heyday and leave it alone.'' Husband Mike, himself a noted middle distance runner, often reminds her what she needs to concentrate more on -- miles.

"I definitely don't put in enough miles,'' she conceded. "I need to be out there running a lot more miles.'' SHE'S BACK -- Donna Watson, shown here with husband Mike and son Domico, will be running in the 10-K.