My Marathon Dedication

A running pal of mine posted a marathon dedication list before her second marathon and explained that each person, thing or group corresponds to a mile that she will be dedicating to them. I fell in love with her idea and decided that I would do one for my second marathon. WOW, I can’t believe that it is ALMOST HERE!

So here is my Marathon Dedication!

1. Crissy: You get mile one, girl, because you are the most fun and happy person to be around at the start of a race. Even before you GET to the race, I love receiving your text messages on race morning. Your excitement turns me from not a morning person to totally ready to go! You are one of my favorite people to run with – and as much as I wish we were running this together, I know you can accomplish your goals. I have faith in you!
2. Michigan Runners: You guys get mile 2 because “two miles is hard!” You have all supported me, pushed me, and encouraged me along this journey. If it weren’t for this group, it would have taken me a lot longer if EVER to run a marathon. I definitely wouldn’t have been crazy enough to sign up and do it again without you!
3. God: Psalm 26:2 “Test me, LORD, and try me, examine my heart and mind.” I may not spend many Sundays in church anymore, but I still have my faith. I choose to spend time with God out in nature, on the trails, with the beat of my heart, the pound of my feet on the pavement and the sound of my breath. Without my faith, I would have never had the strength to start this journey all of those years ago. At mile 3 we will be starting to cross the Ambassador Bridge, the most spiritual part of the whole race for me.
4. Tiffany & Zac: You guys have never met me and yet have been two of my biggest supporters and cheerleaders throughout this whole training season! Thank you for your messages and for keeping my longest Snapchat streak alive with me. I will be thinking of you guys as I officially enter into Canada and start the best part of the whole marathon.
5. My Canadian Family: Mile 5 starts our journey along Riverside Drive and the best part of the race, in my opinion. The signs from last year were definitely some of my favorites and everyone along the course supporting us made us feel so welcome! I hope that you will be able to come out and cheer me on! Thank you for the cheers and support you have given me so far, watching my training and considering me an inspiration. You all inspire me to keep going.
6. Jenny: Since you love 10ks, you get my first 10k! It’s also in Canada, and by this point someone will be offering me Timbits and being very truly Canadian! And by thinking of you I will probably start craving grape soda and Chik-Fil-A. Thank you for running so many long runs and races with me and especially for helping my hubby reach some of his running goals. I love being your road trip partner and I am looking forward to helping you cross those out of state half marathons off your list!
7. Staci: I am so going to wish that you were with me at mile 7 because I will be about to start that ugly underwater mile. I will have thought of you so much by this time, and will continue to have you on my mind, as I remember the hilarious signs that people were holding in Canada, your “power up!” moment, trying to pee in the porta-pottys that seemed to be moving, and taking selfies with Detroit’s skyline in the background. I would have never run that first marathon if it weren’t for you being so crazy, and I am so glad that I could share my crazy with you! Thank you for all of your support and cheers!
8. Mom & Dad: You guys get mile 8 because it is the first mile back in the U.S.A. after enduring the grueling underwater mile in the tunnel. You both have shown me what it means to be strong, to endure the tough times, and to come out of them better than you started – and I am going to need to call on those lessons as I am reaching this point of the race. You have supported my running journey since it began, cheering me on for short runs around the neighborhood, helping me figure out the route I need to take to get the miles I need, and sitting and waiting in all sorts of weather conditions just so you could see me start and finish my races. Mom, you have been faced with a journey you never expected, a tough one, and I know that you are going to kick some butt and take some names. If I could take your place I would, just so that you didn’t have to endure it, but I know you’re tough and you’ve got this. Just like you know that I can finish this race stronger and better than before. As you’ll see on race day… “At the end of the day, the relentless always win.” If we are both relentless, we will win.
9. Bri: We will pass Joe Louis Arena around mile 9 which makes me think of you because of how much you love the Red Wings and that you got to run the last 5k there. I know you are so excited for this race, your first half marathon, and you’re going to be so close to finishing at this point! I’m so glad that our paths crossed and that we will be running this race together.
10. Lisa: My work wife, and one of my biggest fans. You always know just what to say when I’m struggling and you believe in me no matter what. The note you left on my desk Thursday will carry me through and I’ll be thinking of you when I hit my first double digit mile and thinking “What did I get myself into!?” I’ll hear you tell me that you believe in me and that I can do this. Thank you for being a huge support to me in everything.
11. Kristine, Kendra and Jacklyn: You girls are my soulmates and best friends. I’m going to need you at mile 11, because there are these little hills that sneak up on you and last year I felt so unprepared! Kristine, your texts last year before the marathon helped to calm my nerves, even from hundreds of miles away. Kendra, I love that you have “race-mom-ed” with me and truly embraced this crazy lifestyle of mine. Jacklyn, it made me so happy to see your posts after the marathon last year proclaiming that your best friend ran a freakin’ marathon. I have a feeling I will probably be texting all of you again to ward off the crazies and doubts that I will be having as race day draws nearer and the weather is as unpredictable as last year. Seeing you post about my marathon and how proud you were of me made me tear up – it means so much to me to know that you’re all tracking me and that no matter the distance between us, we are ALWAYS close in heart.
12. My Hammis Family: I am so grateful to have married Ken and to be a part of your family. You offer me the same love and support that you offer him and have made me feel like I was one of the gang since the very beginning. I will think of you all as I am getting closer to seeing Ken at the halfway point and I will know that I can do this!
13. Nicole: After this mile, you only have 0.1 to go to finish your first half marathon. I am so looking forward to running with you and can’t thank you enough for your support and friendship! I’m so glad that you decided to run this race because it is going to be an amazing first half marathon. You are going to ROCK this race.
14. Heather: At a mile into my second half, where I will start my solo journey, I will think of you. I might want to quit at this point and I have to remember why I ever began in the first place. It is truly thanks to you that I am even here on this day. You were the one who got me into running in the first place, and I thought you were crazy back then for wanting to run 5ks and 10ks, now look at me! Thank you for always believing in me and being proud of my accomplishments in running – you are a true best friend for always building me up!
15. FSARC: Without this group, I never would have met many of the people on this list, namely Staci. I probably would not have had the courage to run my first half marathon, or my second, or my third… and certainly not to run my first full and now my second! You all have no idea how much it means to me to see you at races cheering me on, even when I’m close to the back of the pack and you’ve been done for many minutes, even hours. Thank you for your cheers and support!
16. Mark: It has been so incredible to be a part of yours and Kenny’s running journey. We love having you join us at races, it is always a fun time! Thank you for asking about my training. I know you will be cheering me on during this marathon, whether you are actually with Ken or if it is in spirit. It means so much to me!
17. Erik & Karen: At this point in the race I will finally only have single digit miles left to go! I think of all that you two have been through together, all of the crazy things my adventurous brother has done, and I will know that you believe in me and that I can do this. I can’t wait to run the Little Rock Marathon some day and have you guys there to cheer me on in person! For now, know how much it means to me to have your support in spirit.
18. Kyle: I will think of you when I only have 8 miles to go, because of wonderful 8th grade bringing us together, lol. But seriously, I miss you so much, and I wish I could see you more often. You always know what I need to hear – whether it is the blunt truth or something nice and supportive. I can’t wait until Christmas time is here and we can get together again to celebrate our newly reignited tradition of Christmas Eve Eve.
19. Brittany: Your smile and lighthearted attitude is truly so motivating and inspirational. Even when I want to quit, I can hear you in my head telling me to imagine that it isn’t almost 90 degrees and 100% humidity but instead that there are snowflakes falling all around me and I’m cool as can be! I dunno how we both convinced ourselves to run another marathon, but here we are, a year later, doing it again! Lucky number 7 miles to go!
20. Nick Lynch: At mile 20, I will be hating everything, thinking that I only have a 10k left to go – my LEAST favorite race distance. And I will be thinking about all of the times when I didn’t want to do something, when I didn’t want to run the 10k, I didn’t want to run hard, I didn’t want to run in the rain, and you were there to keep me going. One of my favorite memories is running the 5 miles with you in Bay City last year before Detroit. The bridges in Bay City remind me of the bridge to Belle Isle and maybe if I just think of some of the ridiculous stories and jokes you’ve told me, it will keep me distracted from the fact that I still have a friggen 10k to go!
21. Ali, Jason & Charlie: It truly amazes me how my coworkers – from way long ago to rather new – get so interested and involved in my life, even only seeing me from time to time. Ali, I hope that you will sign up for your first race and I hope that I will get to run one with you soon! Charlie, we need to get a bike ride planned together – it is so flattering to know that you are inspired by my crazy training to be more active and healthy with your family. Jason, I hope that you will get back into running and maybe even run a full marathon yourself some day. Only 5 more miles left!
22. Lance: I don’t think you know the impact that you have had on me during this training season. I am giving you mile 22 because at this point I have just over 4 miles to go, and it seems like you and I always run 4 miles together. You have gotten me to go out for a run on days when I would have rather just given up on the whole idea of running this race, period. You’ve talked me through some hard stuff and you have no problem being brutally honest with me, and for that, I both love and hate you! ;)
23. Maggie: I will have thought of you many times during this race. While running across the bridge, thinking of how you told me how cool it would feel to know I was running to another country without breaking the law; over in Canada, looking across the river at Detroit, and realizing that we do live in a great country; and while on Belle Isle – last year I didn’t enjoy it much, but this year I hope to really take it all in. Mile 23 is when you realize you have to run the hardest 5k+ EVER, and I will listen to your voice in my head saying “Don’t quit!” I can’t wait to see how you do at your Ironman!
24. Christine: The end of the marathon is when all of your emotions run wild, and I remember being there for the end of your first marathon. I will be thinking of you at mile 24, knowing that I can do this, knowing that I put in the work. I will be thinking of all of the times you have supported me and helped me, my sister from another mister, and I hope that I will be seeing your face soon if not already!
25. Jenn, Joe & Nick: By the time I hit mile 25, I am going to be drooling over the cider and donuts that are waiting for me at the finish line! Thank you for making the journey bright and early many time to watch me run – aka, watch me start, wait around, and watch me finish. You have no idea how encouraging it is to know that you are there waiting for me! Last year getting the picture of you guys, mom & dad and Ken all anxiously awaiting my arrival at the finish line was what got me through this last difficult part of the race. It means so much to know you’ll be there again.
26. Ken: I know that you will be seeing me at different points throughout the race, and that I will be hearing from you constantly. That’s why you get 26 – because without you, I’d never be able to reach this finish line. You have been my number one supporter, have pushed me when I wanted to give up, believed in me when others thought it was impossible. I am so happy to have you beside me running this race we call life with me every day. Thank you for being my partner in everything, my best friend and the love of my life.