Medals4Mettle - A home for my medals

My medals that meet the requirements lay bare.  They have been stripped of their lanyards.  The mix of colors that adorned them lay cut on the dresser.  But the enormity of what I've been through to earn these medals and now what these medals will mean to others lay thick upon me like the fog in a California Valley on a cool December morning.

Medals4Mettle is a complete volunteer run organization that collects runner's medals and "donated to those who are battling serious and debilitating illnesses and who have demonstrated similar courage and mettle in fighting those illnesses."

Before I delve too far, many of you maybe like me, a simple person with a simple vocabulary that loves when a new word works it's way into my vocabulary.  Similar to mettle.

met·tle   noun

/ˈmedl/

noun: mettle; plural noun: mettles

a person's ability to cope well with difficulties or to face a demanding situation in a spirited and resilient way.

synonyms:

spirit, fortitude, strength of character, moral fiber, steel, determination, resolve, resolution, backbone, grit, true grit, courage, courageousness, bravery, valor, fearlessness, daring;

My running journey is rooted in the need for me to tackle my own health issues, both physically (heart) and mentally (stress).  I didn't alter my lifestyle to earn some medal for doing what I should have been doing all along.

For me it has never been about the bling.  My Instagram profile (run4bibs) states, "Bibs are the badges of the journey through unseen pain, small gains, sweat, tears, elation, & sacrifice."  Thus my race finisher medals quickly find themselves in a dark corner of my closet.  For me they are distractions from the cause, the purpose, the need that I continue my life race.  

Still it bothered me these medals hung in the dark with no purpose.  
  
Training for any distance ain't no joke.  It takes mettle to complete endurance distances, as the distance quickly exposes weaknesses in your perceived purpose, challenges your sanity, and brings to light the person within in all it's glory and ugliness.  

Yet those that are in the race for their lives day and night enduring mental and physical challenges are never rewarded with a "chemotherapy finisher" or "16th final blood transfusion" medal.  Until Medals4Mettle was founded in 2005. 

I feel blessed to have discovered Medals4Mettle.  Now, my endurance medals have a purpose.  They have a new home.  [queue light on dark corner of closet] 

Hopefully these medals that are being packed will inspire those running their races within hospital rooms to push a little farther and maybe even encourage a smile after a long day.

I hope this post inspire some of you who have qualifying medals in a corner, drawer, shoe box, or where ever to pick a medal or two or three to donate to Medals4Mettle and help recognize that "...someone is in a tougher race than you right now."   If you don't want to send them, let me know, I'll send them for you.  It's the least I can do.

Qualifying medals:  Medals4Mettle accepts only earned marathon, half-marathon, or triathlon medals. In the spirit of fostering philanthropy, we also accept medals earned by children who wish to donate them to other children.

If you want to know more about Medals4Mettle, you can visit their website, leave me a comment below, or message me via Twitter.