Life

Life / Races / Running — No Comments
27
Aug 10

Running with a purpose

I’ll admit it, when I started running a little less than a year ago, I did it for selfish purposes. I felt old, fat, and honestly, not a very good example for my two young boys or my wife. Running has helped me become a better example for my family.

As I got into running more and more, and started to participate in the running community, I also noticed that there where many regular people out there who were runners that I could look up to and gain inspiration from. While I figured that more experienced runners would be able to give me tips and advice on my running, what I didn’t know is that I would find people whose lives were true examples of the very characteristics I want to teach my boys: hard working, giving, positive, loyal, and there for you when needed most. One of those people is Joe Marruchella.

I first “met” Joe on DailyMile, a social site for runners and other endurance athletes. What I first noticed about Joe was how incredibly positive he is and how much he gave of himself. I’d see him giving encouragement, pats on the back and sometimes, a kick in the butt to other runners on DailyMile. Always in a positive way. Always with a you can do this attitude. And he had the credibility as an accomplished runner to deserve the numerous “followers” he had. On one particular day early this year, I was reading an entry he made on DailyMile where he talked about Running For Dom, got curious, and clicked through to his blog to see what it was all about. This is where things changed for me.

Joe’s lifelong friend, Dom D’Eramo, had been diagnosed with cancer in the spring of 2009, just a few months after the birth of his second child, a daughter. Joe, a self-described “regular guy,” decided to take on an extraordinary task as a means to raise money to help his friend fight this disease. Joe would run two marathons in the span of just thirteen days in the spring of this year. No, he didn’t choose the easiest marathons, he chose two of the most challenging: the Boston Marathon and the Pittsburgh Marathon. As I read about his incredible journey to help his friend Dom fight for his life, I knew I wanted to help.

I decided to reach out to Joe just say that I admired what he was doing for his friend and wished him good luck on his runs. It was from these brief exchanges that a friendship was born. Joe finished those two marathons for his friend, and in the process raised $26,200 to help with the mountain of medical bills the D’Eramos faced. Not that this alone was not enough, but if you really want to get a glimpse into the kind of human being Joe is, please read his race recap of that second marathon. This man, physically and emotionally spent, decided he’d just keep on giving, and helped other hurting runners make it to their finish line. Waiting for him at the finish of the Pittsburgh Marathon was Dom. As it should be.

Joe and Dom

You just can’t sit back and read about someone giving his all like this, you have to reach out and say, “What can I do to help?” And so that’s what I did. I helped Joe reach his fundraising goal, which helped the D’Eramos cope with medical expenses.

Dominic D’Eramo fought and fought and fought. But cancer took him last Sunday, August 15, 2010. He left behind a wife and two young children.

When Joe returned from the funeral services, instead of simply wallowing in sadness, he immediately started thinking of how he could continue to honor Dom’s memory, but more importantly, how he could make sure Dom’s children were taken care of in the way Dom himself would have wanted. Since then, Joe has been helping the family setup and begin to fund 529 College Savings Accounts for the two D’Eramo children.

And so, I am doing what I can to help raise money to help fund these accounts. I’ve decide to run the Chicago Marathon for Dom.

I’d really love your help in raising money. If you can spare any amount, please go over to a site I’ve set up and pledge what you can for my run. If you pledge $1 per mile and I complete the marathon, I’ll ask for a $26.20 donation. If you can pledge $10 per mile, your donation would end up being $262.00.

http://runfordom.why-i-run.com

Life / Motivation / Running — 4 Comments
13
Jul 10

Asking for help

Marathon training has been going well.  I think I’ve finally learned to take it a little easier on long runs in the heat and humidity, so I’m feeling stronger throughout the run.

This Sunday will bring a new milestone for me:  a personal record for distance.  My training plan calls for 14 miles and to date, the longest I’ve ever run is the 13.1 in May’s Flying Pig Half Marathon.  And it only goes up from there.  I’m looking forward to pushing myself further and further, but at the same time, I’m nervous about failing.

I have always been terrible about asking for help when I needed it.  I believe that stubbornness has an upside: self-reliance.  However, I’ve also noticed that I run better and more confidently when I’m with others.  So I think I’m going to have to reach out to running friends to see if anyone is crazy enough to run with me for some portion of these hot Sunday long runs.

Life / Running — No Comments
4
Apr 10

A simple thank you

A few weeks ago in this blog, I hinted at health issues a loved one in my family was dealing with. A little later, I addressed the concern a bit more directly.  Three days ago, the details came forth in what was a very difficult post to write, but more to the point, a very difficult period to go through.

With just a few days’ time to reflect, I can tell you that I have been absolutely overwhelmed by the outpouring of support my family has received during this time.  My mother flew to Cincinnati without a moments’ hesitation to take care of my boys while I supported my wife.  My younger boy’s baseball team all got together to sign a card for him to let him know he’s loved.  Team moms gave rides to practices and neighbors helped with bus stops.  Since we flew home the day of the funeral, my family has not had to eat a single meal of our own cooking as neighbors and friends continue to simply show up with prepared meals.  My sisters have sent flowers, my aunts have sent Facebook messages, my dad drove cross-state to attend the funeral, co-workers have covered meetings, and my email inbox has more “keeping you in our thoughts and prayers” messages than anything else. While it has been incredibly hard to have lost someone so special, it has also been an amazing reminder of just how much we are loved.

And since this is a running blog, I’d be remiss if I did not also thank the many runners out there, many of whom I’ve never met in person, who have sent me incredibly kind, personal notes of support and encouragement.  I’ve mentioned DailyMile many times in this blog and how much support the people on it have lent me as I continue to progress in running.  But until recently, that support had always been of the running kind and typically public: “Don’t skip your recovery runs,” or, “Keep up the cross-training as it will help you become a better runner.”  But over the past month, the great running advice has also been coupled with numerous, personal, direct  messages of support for my family.  I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.  Every running event I’ve ever raced or attended has been filled with people encouraging one another.  Since “joining” it, I’ve come to believe the running community is supportive at its core.  But I also now believe that the people that connect on DailyMile go above and beyond and actually care about one another.

I hope that when the time comes, I can be there to support the people I care about when they need it most.  Until then, I’d just like to say, “Thank you.”  From the bottom of my heart, “Thank you.”

Life / Motivation — 2 Comments
1
Apr 10

Into each life some rain must fall

This past Sunday was a bittersweet day for me and my family.  My father-in-law had been trying to recover from back surgery for a little over a month and not doing well at all.  My wife was in Florida to be with him and her mom.  I had been scheduled to run the Heart Mini Marathon here in Cincinnati but I was completely conflicted on whether or not to run the race.  On the previous day, Saturday, March 27, the family had decided to adhere to my father-in-law’s wishes, no matter how painful the decision, and remove the life-support machines on Sunday.  The doctors had told us that a number of his organs had completely failed, and because of that, he would likely only survive a couple of hours without the machines.

When I learned this on Saturday, my very first reaction (aside from the obvious grief) was to get on a plane immediately and get down there to be with her family.  When I talked to my wife, she was adamant that I run the race on Sunday.  Absolutely adamant. “You have no idea how important it is to this family that you go a do what you’ve been training for.  Run the race, then come to be with us.”  As we talked more she explained her position.  She knew our boys had watched me (and sometimes accompanied me) while I’ve trained over the last six months and she knew it would be a positive lesson for them to see that hard work has its rewards.  That I could understand.  What I didn’t expect to hear was that her family in Florida wanted and really needed me to run it as well.  They wanted to see some “normal” things in life continuing to go on and they wanted to see me, whom they thought of as “the runner,” doing what I’d trained to do.  In then end, although reluctant, I decided to go forward with it.

Early Sunday morning came, and with it a forecast of steady rain and 45 degrees throughout the race.  Based on the numbers I saw, that forecast must have kept a good number of people away because it was nowhere near as crowded as I had expected.  Based on my recent training numbers, my goal was to run the race at an average pace of less than 9min/mile and I did manage to beat that.  I finished the race (a 15K=9.3 miles) officially in 1:22:09, or an average pace of 8:48 min/mile.  I also managed to pull off negative splits, which I felt good about.

Midway through the race, I started to think about my wife, her dad, and my family.  I replayed the conversation in my head where my wife told me that I had to run the race because it was important to them that I did.  It made for a very emotional mile or so. I must have looked pretty silly running along with tears running down my face.  Getting to the finish line was emotional as well, but a really odd mix of emotions.  Guilt for taking the time to do the race.  Happiness for finishing the race and feeling like I still had more.  Loneliness as there was no one to meet me at the end.  Worry that the end had come while I was running.

By the way, not a drop of rain fell during the race.

As soon I finished, I headed back home for a quick shower, then back to the airport to go be with my wife, her mom, and her family.   My flight lifted off at 2:00 PM.  My father-in-law slipped away from us at 2:10 PM.  I didn’t make it in time.

When I landed and found that he had died while I was in the the air, I was overcome with sadness and guilt.  One race that day had gone well, but I couldn’t help but think I had lost the important race.  I truly don’t have any way of knowing if it would have made a difference had I made it in time or not, but I do know it’s something I’ll think about when I get back out on the road putting one foot in front of the other.

I need to get back running.  I need the physical exertion to help get through this.  I need the time to be alone with my thoughts and sort this out.  The only way out, is through.

Jack Frost, 1935-2010

Be still, sad heart, and cease repining,
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining,
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The Rainy Day

Health / Life / Races / Running — 2 Comments
24
Mar 10

Up and down

Sorry for the long layoff.

My runs lately have been really up and down.  One week ago, I had a run that was just incredible.  8+ miles, great pace and never really felt tired at all.  One of those runs where you feel like you could take on the world.  Then, that Saturday I set out for my long run, scheduled to be 12 miles, and didn’t make it.  I suddenly got very dizzy at about mile 7 and couldn’t go on.  Since then nothing spectacular, nothing bad.

I’m scheduled to run the Heart Mini Marathon on Sunday, so I’m excited about that, but still not sure whether I’ll be able to.  We’ve been dealing with a critical illness to a loved one in my family, and because of that, schedules have been haywire.  I find it very unsettling to feel guilty about wanting to run.  The truth is, I want to get my runs in as scheduled and I want to run the Mini, but the reality is that I might not be able to.  This may be one of those life moments where I get to (re)learn the lesson that I am not in control of everything.

Life / Running — No Comments
11
Mar 10

Thankful for running

As I was running tonight, I started thinking about how thankful I am just to be able to get out there and run.  I remember thinking the same thing one night soon after the earthquake in Haiti.  You only need to read a few posts by currently injured runners on Daily Mile to see just how much you do miss it when you have to be away from it.  Having loved ones going through health issues that would prevent them from being able to exercise at all also brings it home for me.

So for today, I am simply thankful.  I’m thankful that I have my health, I’m thankful that I’ve got a family that supports me, and I’m thankful that I found running.

Life / Running — No Comments
24
Feb 10

Running in paradise

As I ran tonight with the temperatures in the mid 20s, I couldn’t help but smile.  Tomorrow we leave for a long-awaited trip to the Caribbean and I’m pretty sure my next runs will be about 50 degrees warmer!  I’m not even sure I remember how to run in shorts.

This was the trip that was originally planned back in November, but had to be canceled when my son got very sick.

Pictures and run reports to come.

Health / Life / Motivation / Running — 1 Comment
31
Dec 09

Year end recap, 2010 look ahead

It’s that time of year, the time for recaps.  Maybe in December 2019 I’ll have a decade-end recap too.

I restarted running on September 6, 2009, and since then I’ve made a lot of progress.  As you’ll see if you read through the first couple of posts, I didn’t set out with any particular goal in mind, other than to stop being disgusted with myself.  I’m setting some specific goals for 2010.

The thing that I am most proud of is the simple fact that I stuck to it.  That fact alone has a big, positive psychological impact on me.  Here are some of the stats.

Month Mileage
September 2009 11
October 2009 29
November 2009 54
December 2009 101

100 miles in December!  At the beginning, it took every bit of determination I had to simply run for 60 seconds straight, now I can look back on it and laugh.

I also managed to lose some weight too.  When I started in September, I was 214lbs (on a 6’0″ frame), which is obese by Body Mass Index (BMI) standards.  As of today, I am down to 185lbs which is back in the normal range for BMI.  More important than just the weight is the fact that I am a ton healthier as well.  I have much more energy, I sleep better, I eat better and I honestly just have a brighter outlook on things.  I have entire page dedicated to the more holistic view of why I run.

I started using the Couch to 5K program in September to get myself going and it really helped me a ton.  I managed to “graduate” from C25K by running my very first race, the Mason Mini 5K on November 8th, exactly 9 weeks after I started, and the day before my 41st birthday.  While I didn’t set any speed records (30:22), that race really got me hooked on running and motivated me to continue to improve.  One week later, I ran another 5K, the Race for the Lions at St. Ursaline.  I did improve my time a bit (29:34), but more importantly, I had a great time running and continued to keep motivated.

As Thanksgiving approached, I started to consider running the Thanksgiving Day 10K in downtown Cincinnati.  I have to admit, I was afraid to do it for fear of failing and demotivating myself, but I went ahead anyway.  I ended up with more training time than I had anticipated, because my older son got H1N1 so we had to postpone a vacation.  I completed the race in 1:04:24 and felt great, so mission accomplished.

The 10K really got me excited about training for a longer race, so  I’ve decided to run the Flying Pig Half Marathon in May.  I’m currently considering whether to train with a group, or just continue on my own.  Assuming the Half Pig goes well, I plan to run the full Chicago Marathon in October.  At the beginning of this post, I stated that I restarted running in September. The restart was because my initial forray into distance running was started and inspired by watching a friend run the Chicago Marathon many moons ago.  I didn’t have the discipline to stick with it, so starting again this year is partly to prove to myself that I can.

I look forward to running even more in 2010.

C25K / Life / Motivation — 1 Comment
28
Dec 09

My wife is tough as nails

So my wife made a commitment to herself to re-start the Couch to 5K program after Christmas.   I say restart because she got a little more than half way through the program this fall when she started to have very painful shin splints.  After trying to fight through the pain for about two weeks, she decided to rest it for a bit, let the pain subside, then start again.  Today was supposed to be the day that she started again.

Apparently, Mother Nature decided my wife needed a little more challenge than simply starting again.  Today in Cincinnati, it was in the mid-20s, blustery winds at about 15-20 mph, and it was snowing.  Not fluffy, gentle white snowflakes.  Icy, small, biting snow.

But, she went out there and did it.  Day one, week one complete.  Tough as nails.

Life / Running — 1 Comment
26
Dec 09

Overheard on DailyMile

I read a funny note on DailyMile from a runner in California that really hit home for me:

“I can tell that this year I can officially call myself a runner. All my gifts somehow tie into this (healthy) addiction!”

Ditto.

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