Medals 4 Mettle

A few weeks ago an email hit my inbox via the Fleet Feet listserv from Heidi Duss. I don't know her, but on behalf of the organization Medals 4 Mettle (M4M), she was requesting the donation of finishers' medals for marathons, half-marathons, and triathlons. M4M facilitates the gifting of these medals from event participants to children and adults dealing with chronic or debilitating illnesses who have demonstrated similar mettle—or courage—in bravely facing these challenges.

Gulp.

Some little kid inside me was jumping up and down protesting, "Mine, mine, mine! I EARNED those. I was a couch potato who couldn't run a mile, and those medals say that I ran 26.2 consecutive miles on five occasions and finished a half-Ironman distance triathlon plus others."

Yeah, so? A conversation came to mind I'd had with Scott shortly after we started dating. Prominently displayed in his office was a plaque awarded for community service in 1991 to him and his ex-wife, with both their names emblazoned on it.

Q: Why would you keep that on your wall?

A: It's work I'm proud of.

Q: Don't you know what you've done to be proud of without having to show off a plaque about it?

A: It's important to me.

Q: Isn't that kind of old news? So what have you done lately to be proud of?

A: Bitch... [He's too nice to say that but probably rightfully thought it.]

As I've quoted here before, I love Ralph Blum's statement, "We are not doers, we are deciders. Once we decide, the doing is easy." My self argument was blessedly brief. After running the Austin marathon last month to raise money for St. Jude's Children's Hospital and its bald-headed kids, as well as Scott's daily work with pediatric leukemia drugs and his stories of both heartbreak and triumph of patients and their families—it wasn't much of a stretch to envision one of those medals coming out its cigar box in the closet and finding a much better and deserving home around the neck of one of those kids.

A couple hours ago I went to Fleet Feet and handed everything I had that qualified for this program—5 marathon medals and 2 triathlon medals—across the counter to Jessica. Sending those medals to their higher good and relieving myself of that weight made me feel lighter than air, like I could fly through those events now. I don't need medals to remind me of what I achieved. My legs know. My head knows. My heart most definitely knows. And besides, those events are past. Done. Finished. May the mementos from those personal milestones go to bless someone else and inspire them further, and spur me to focus on what I have yet to accomplish.

What have I done lately?
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If you'd like to learn more about this program, read on. Have your Kleenex box handy.

Runners World story about how it originated: http://www.medals4mettle.org/pr_articles/M4M_Runners_World_9-08.pdf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEkk2_X__k0

Official website: http://www.medals4mettle.org/