{"id":6094,"date":"2020-04-07T15:56:40","date_gmt":"2020-04-07T20:56:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/w0ep.us\/TM\/?p=6094"},"modified":"2020-04-07T17:25:10","modified_gmt":"2020-04-07T22:25:10","slug":"april-9-2015-aiden-its-our-5-year-matchiversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/w0ep.us\/TM\/?p=6094","title":{"rendered":"April 9, 2015 ~ Aiden, It’s our 5 Year Matchiversary!!!"},"content":{"rendered":"

April 9, 2015 I opened my email and found at the top of my list an email from the FB group, IRun4Michael.\u00a0 I hurriedly opened the email to find these words:<\/p>\n

Congratulations! You have been matched in I Run 4!<\/b><\/p>\n

It was probably one of the most exciting emails I’d ever received!!!<\/p>\n

Eight months prior (give\/take) I had put in my name to be matched with a buddy in the IRun4Michael program.\u00a0 I had other running friends who had buddies through this program.\u00a0 Over time I’d watch them develop amazing relationships with their buddies and families.\u00a0 Their objective for running changed in that their reason for running was different!\u00a0 It wasn’t for themselves anymore, it was for their buddy.\u00a0 I knew I wanted my miles to matter so I signed up to be a runner for somebody.<\/p>\n

I had no idea it would take the substantial part of a year before I would be matched.\u00a0 Sometimes the waiting was almost unbearable and other times it would be in the back of my mind but I was always waiting…waiting…waiting… SO,<\/p>\n

When I opened that email on April 9, 2015 you’d better believe this runner was doing the happy dance!!!\u00a0 I finally had a buddy!!!\u00a0 My miles would finally matter!\u00a0 Things would change!<\/p>\n

Y’all, there’s no way I can ever begin to tell you how life-changing a thing it has been to be Aiden’s runner.\u00a0 I *thought* I knew how it would be from watching my friends and their buddies?\u00a0 Nope.\u00a0 Not even close.<\/p>\n

Aiden was all of 3 years old when we were matched.\u00a0 He was a fighter even back then!\u00a0 He had defied the odds and the doctors but was still with us by the time I came on the scene.\u00a0 He already had that mega watt smile!\u00a0 Holy cow but he can light up a room with that smile of his!!!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It was love at first sight.<\/p>\n

Aiden totally and completely had my heart from the very first second I saw his pic.\u00a0 Learning about all his medical challenges and how he faced life with that smile of his, seeing his parents and grandma and grandpa love on him with everything they had…I was determined to be the very best runner for him I could possibly be.\u00a0 He deserved the best.\u00a0 I didn’t want to be a dud runner.\u00a0 I wanted to be somebody he would be proud to have as his runner!<\/p>\n

I think our first race together as buddies was the Coke 10k in Corinth, Mississippi. *Best 10k in Mississippi BTW* It was about a month after we were matched.\u00a0 It was so exciting to be able to earn some race bling for Aiden so soon after being matched! There’s nothing I love more than earning medals for Aiden and sending them off to him!!!\u00a0 Together we’ve managed to fill up a few medal racks over the years.\u00a0 This is the one we’re working on at the moment.\u00a0 Aiden sets the bar high and is making us work hard for our bling these days!!!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

When we’re not running, what does Aiden like to do?\u00a0 He loves to swing.\u00a0 Swinging is probably pretty close to the tippy top of his favorite thing to do.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Swimming is a favorite as well!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Winter time there’s always sledding.\u00a0 I’m pretty sure he likes the chilly temps a whole lot better than I do.\u00a0 Brrr!!!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

He’s had a few pretty serious medical procedures done during the 5 years we’ve been buddies.\u00a0 The first one was a trachea reconstruction.\u00a0 That one took quite a bit of recovery time.\u00a0 It’s so easy to pick up little bugs when you’re in the hospital!<\/p>\n

The second pretty serious medical procedure was just this past February when he had a Hemispherectomy.\u00a0 They removed the left hemisphere of his brain in an effort to stop\/control his seizures.\u00a0 He bounced back from this surgery pretty well, all things considered!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

He loves dressing up for events at school and Halloween!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I mean seriously, is this the best Halloween costume or what!?!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Aiden and his family, MFH and myself have met up 3 times over these past 5 years.\u00a0 The first time we met was in 2016 when MFH and I were driving home from running Grandma’s Marathon.\u00a0 We stopped by to meet everybody and grab dinner.\u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The second time was in 2018 when Aiden, his parents and grandma stopped by our place in Mississippi!\u00a0 We had so much fun!!!\u00a0 We toured an Antebellum House, of course had dinner a few times and I had some race bling I’d been hanging onto to give to Aiden during their visit!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0The last time we met was just this last October!\u00a0 Now this was exciting stuff because Aiden and his dad ran their very first race at the Detroit Free Press Marathon!\u00a0 We all ran the 5k together the day before the marathon.\u00a0 Y’all, Aiden earned his first ever, very own bling!!!\u00a0 How awesome is this!?!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The next day at the marathon, we all met at the finish and I was able to give Aiden his race medal at. the. race. instead of mailing it off to him.\u00a0 Coolest thing ever!!!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Aiden and I ran Tunnel Hill 50M this past November.\u00a0 We ran the Yeti Winter Trail Series during this past winter.\u00a0 He was very patient with me while I tried to learn this winter trail running stuff.\u00a0 I’m getting better but need tons more practice!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Finally.\u00a0 FINALLY!!!\u00a0 After 3 years of trying, Aiden and I successfully ran a 100 mile race.\u00a0 We’re both so excited!!!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Aiden, we’ve packed a whole lot of stuff into our 5 years as buddies!\u00a0 We celebrated your first 2 birthday’s as buddies in Germany.\u00a0 We’ve had fun running in London.\u00a0 We’ve run all around the US and in Canada AND, if they don’t cancel NYC\u00a0 Marathon, we’ll be running there this fall!!!\u00a0 We’re just running machines, you and I!<\/p>\n

And don’t you think I’ve forgotten about your two beautiful and sweet angel sisters! I know I don’t mention them often but I’m running for them, too.\u00a0 They love you and do such an amazing job watching over you from heaven!<\/p>\n

So, buddy, what fun races do you have up your sleeve for us in 2021?\u00a0 Can’t wait to see what we’re going to be running!!!<\/p>\n

Love you with all my heart, Aiden and I’ll never be able to thank you enough for letting me be your runner.\u00a0 It is an honor and a privilege to run for you!!!<\/p>\n

Love, Mel<\/p>\n

#IRun4Aiden<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

April 9, 2015 I opened my email and found at the top of my list an email from the FB group, IRun4Michael.\u00a0 I hurriedly opened the email to find these words: Congratulations! You have been matched in I Run 4! It was probably one of the most exciting emails I’d ever received!!! Eight months prior […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[21,27,22,6,26,3,7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/w0ep.us\/TM\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6094"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/w0ep.us\/TM\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/w0ep.us\/TM\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/w0ep.us\/TM\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/w0ep.us\/TM\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6094"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/w0ep.us\/TM\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6094\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6116,"href":"http:\/\/w0ep.us\/TM\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6094\/revisions\/6116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/w0ep.us\/TM\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/w0ep.us\/TM\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/w0ep.us\/TM\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}