One Mile at a Time

Finish Line
Originally uploaded by andrew_mo.

I just finished reading a blog-post from Austin's own Kristin Armstrong and she was talking about dividing long miles into "chunks" in order to get through them. I have done this many times before, and I like Kristin's term, calling it affectionately "chunky monkey" (not the ice cream).

On my last run before the marathon yesterday, I started thinking about the chunks that I will divide my race into on Sunday.

My friend who I coach, Joe, told me that he was going to dedicate every mile of his race to someone special in his life. I started doing that myself, in my head, on my last run before the marathon.

I thought I would write it out and maybe attach the list to the back of my bib number. I thought that I might attach meaning to each of the miles and choose the person I will dedicate that mile to based on those special meanings.

So here is my list:

Mile 1: My Grandma Betty because if she was still here with us today she would march up Congress Avenue a la Ann Richards and she would probably do the Congress Avenue Mile with me. Maybe I'll run it for her next year.
Mile 2: My best friend in Texas, Stephanie, because that is the longest distance I have got her to run with me.
Mile 3: My brother, Leland because that is our favorite distance that we ran together back in cross country at Standley Lake High School.
Mile 4: Dedicated to my running buddy Jennifer Root, because that was the distance of the first run she ever did with me on Shoal Creek before I convinced her to do her first marathon which she will complete on Sunday with me!
Mile 5: Dedicated to Lovey, who is a not a person, she is actually dog who loves to run the Turkey Trot 5 Miler with her co-owner, Liz.
Mile 6: Dedicated to my buddy Liz aka CODY Molleur, because I helped her train and PR in the 10K distance (6.2 mi) and that was what got her into marathoning.
Mile 7: Dedicated to my running buddy Rob Hill, because at this point in the SA Marathon he'll be more than 1/2 way through his SA 1/2 marathon and if he could see me then, at mile 7, he would make fun of me that I have more than 1/2 to go because he's mean like that.
Mile 8: Dedicated to my friend back in elementary school, Lisa H. That was our favorite number and we'd always bike in figure 8s on our street.
Mile 9: Dedicated to my sister, Mackenzie.
Mile 10: Dedicated to Grandpa John who thinks that 10 is long enough and a marathon is only for "dynamos"
Mile 11: Dedicated to Carmelo, my running buddy who always likes to push 11 milers and pretend they are 9 milers.
Mile 12: Dedicated to my aunt Jennifer and uncle Steve who know my strength better than I do sometimes.
Mile 13: For my "fastest girls" Jennifer Pool and Jodi Lisa, who have rocked out many a half marathon distance with me. Most memorably, of course, for all of us, was Dallas Whiterock 1/2 Marathon last December 2007.
Mile 14: For my best friend in New York, Carrie L. Adams.
Mile 15: Dedicated to my cousin Maria who thinks I should go pro! HA!
Mile 16: Dedicated to Liz who helped me through that mile in my last marathon. She also did a water stop for me at this point in my run last January.
Mile 17: Dedicated to Corrie, because I love her and it was at this mile mark that I saw her for the first time in my last marathon. She was holding a sign that read "NOTHING RUNS LIKE A MERCEDES" and she pushed the wall back with that sign and her cheers.
Mile 18: Dedicated to Joe, who bonked on his first 18 miler but subsequently rocked his 22 miler fully and completely solely due to my pasta making skills. I know he can do it!
Mile 19: Dedicated to my ex-boyfriend and his now wife. His wife once told me that she would "clench her fists for me" while I was running my first marathon. To him because when I saw him on during this point of my first marathon, I was so empowered to run away from him that I sped up on my last 6.2 miles, making a powerful negative split.
Mile 20: To my friend Jeff D who has bandit ran the NY marathon and told me to be careful for the wall at 20. He is still running, though sidelined by injury right now, he still understands the meaning of the phrase "there is no wall!"
Mile 21: To my old running buddy who recently got married I think, her name was Becca Green. We held hands with each other while crossing the mile 21 mark which we thought was the 20 mark. At mile 21, I felt like I had more in me and I could go faster. So I told her that, and she said for me to leave her. So I left her. The last thing she said to me was "Go, Mercedes, go qualify for Boston!"
Mile 22: To my dad who always seems to say the most annoying things to me at this point of each of the marathons I've ran. It gives me something else to think about than the pain. To my mom, too
Mile 23: To my all-star super-star supporter, Ava Thomas, who told me "we'll see you at the finish line" at mile 23 of my last marathon. She ran down Red River with me, holding my hand.
Mile 24: To my Grandma Irene, who gives me wings. I know she's there watching me run every time I hear a bell ring. I might bring a bell with me to San Antonio and have my mom ring it. (NOTE: it will not be a cowbell, it has to be a twinkly fairy or angel sounding bell)
Mile 25: For Becky and Andre, because they rock and they know I rock, too. And if Andre were with me at 25 he would push me harder than I knew I could go...then he would duke it out with me to the finish.
Mile 26: For Robert, because we both think the MARATON is funny because it doesn't have an H and it's shorter.
Mile .2: For my best friend Janet K, because she understands that .2 is a long way to run and the last steps are just as important as the first steps.