Anyway, enough hoopla.  I asked him “what’s next” in terms of running and fundraising, and there are some surprising answers.  Read on…

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Lara: You were out of town a few weeks ago, at Dom’s funeral.  Dom D’Eramo lost his fight with cancer after battling for a year.  I know I’m using the words “fight” and “battle”, because he waged an all-out war against the disease that ultimately claimed his life.  You’ve put your heart and soul into honoring your friend.  Now that he’s gone, tell me what’s left…

Joe: You know Lara, I often wondered what it would be like if Dom didn’t win his fight with cancer.  I tried not to think about it too much, as there were a lot of times as recently as April, where it looked like Dom really had a great shot to beat this thing.  But the one thing I tried to remember is that this whole “Run for Dom” started out as a tiny idea, just a fleeting thought in my mind to honor our friendship and his fight by running for him and his family. Nine months later I was standing at the starting line of the Boston Marathon with his name on my shoes with more friends and supporters than I could count.  So I kept telling myself that I could not possibly know where we would be if it all ended some day, but that when I got there I would know what to do.

And sure enough, that’s exactly what has happened. I know that what I need to do, what I have to do, is keep running, writing, making friends and keeping Dom’s memory alive so that we can make sure that his two little ones not only have all of the benefits of an education that Dom would have provided, but that they also know that a lot of people loved their Daddy, and that he was an incredibly amazing man.

Lara: It sounds like your fundraising is taking a new direction.  You talk about providing an education for Dom’s kids; is there a new twist on the horizon?  Can people run and raise money for an education fund?

Joe: It sure has;  in about a week or so the fundraising site we created last year – www.runfordom.com will be re-launched under the same domain name.  I’ve spent the last week or so doing a design overhaul so I guess, technically, I could add “Webmaster” to my title(s).  We’ve opened two 529 Education accounts for Sierra (age 3) and Nico (age 1) D’Eramo and we will be running and racing to raise money for their educations.  The truly amazing thing is that other runners have asked if they too can “Run for Dom” – and they will be able to have their efforts linked through Run for Dom and money that they raise will go to the kids 529 plans.  Lastly, I am just now taking the first steps towards organizing an annual Run for Dom 5K run & walk on the anniversary of Dom’s passing back in his hometown.

I don’t know the first thing about being a race director.  But I know that there are a lot of people out there who do, and I am going to be working hard to find as much help and advice as I can to put on a first class event the second Saturday in August next summer.  I know Dom would shake his head, tell me I was crazy if he knew – but I also know he would think it was pretty damn cool.

Lara: It crossed my mind a few weeks ago when Dom’s health was deteriorating so rapidly, that an education fund would be a way to help Sierra and Nico, the kids that suddenly lost their Daddy.  Great minds think alike!

As for being a race director… Your passion for honoring Dom’s memory is opening a lot of doors and eyes to ways that people can connect to others in the community.  That’s what it’s all about, right?

Joe: I have been so touched by the runners who have reached out to me to ask if they could run for Dom.  A friend of mine that I met through Dailymile.com and the http://joerunfordom.wordpress.com/ blog will be raising money for the Education Funds with his first marathon, Chicago this fall.  He is truly amazing and said he will personally matching half of whatever donations he collects.  I’ve been repeatedly blown away by how much love and support Dom and his family has received.  The funny thing is, Dom was actually that guy that would do absolutely anything for you, without question.  That is why I am so passionate about telling his story.  He really was one of a kind.

I think you are exactly right regarding the 5K for Dom, Lara.  I don’t start out on too many things expecting to fail, but I have no idea how well attended the first couple Memorial Runs will be.  I’m hoping that we can start something that will be a great race and can hopefully help with Sierra and Nico’s college funds through any profits.  But no matter what, it will give all of us a reason to celebrate Dom’s life and his courageous battle every year and bring that community together in his honor.  The next year will fly by I’m sure – but I really can’t wait for that race day.

Lara: Will you be doing your own races this next year in Dom’s memory, as you did Boston and Pittsburgh a few months ago?  Or will you funnel all that energy into the Memorial 5K next August?

Joe: Oh no, I’ll be racing.  No doubt about that.  My next marathon will be the Austin Marathon on February 20, 2011.  Training starts October 18th.  So between now and then I have a couple of 10K’s, a half-marathon and a handful of 5K races on the books.  There’s actually a 5K this Saturday (August 28^th, 2010) as long as Baby Landry cooperates and doesn’t arrive early.  I’ll also be running two huge (40,000+ runners) 10K’s this Spring on consecutive weekends – so we’ll have another “double” on our race calendar as well.  I will focus fundraising however on the Austin Marathon where I’m going to chase another Boston Time.

Lara: You have a new baby about ready to join your household!  Do you think you’ll be able to keep up with all the races you have scheduled once you have an infant in the house?  How have you and your wife, Dawn, planned for the “baby” variable?

Joe: Well, I’m smart enough to know that I don’t know anything … so we’ll of course have to see how this all “shakes out” – but we’ve been able to work it out so Dawn will be home with the baby September, October and November, I’ll be staying home in December – so Landry won’t have to go to childcare until January 3rd or so.  I’m an early morning trainer as it is, usually out the door at 5 and back by 6:45 even on my long days, so we’ve worked out our tentative schedule that will give me my mornings to train (barring anything unforeseen), and I get baby time in the afternoon/early evenings.  Just about anything worthwhile has some pretty significant sacrifice involved, whether that is training, working, parenting, marriage etc. – we’ve always done a good job balancing those things for each other, and I’m hoping that continues.

Lara: It sounds like you and Dawn are pretty realistic about the unknown… you train and prepare as much as possible, and then just go with it and see what happens.  I’ll look forward to hearing about how parenthood adds another awesome layer to your already full, rich life.

Joe: I’ll tell you, I’ve had some pretty emotional finishes to marathons recently – but I’m betting that seeing that little girl at the finish of the Austin Marathon in February will be pretty special.

Lara: You know, for most people, having a kid makes them WANT to give back to someone else, ie their kids.  You’ve always had that instinct in your life though.  I don’t particularly have a point here, I’m just thinking about where you are in your own process of maturity, as compared to the “norm”.

Joe: You know what’s interesting Lara, is that I was actually reflecting this morning while going through my hill repeats… when you do things for the right reasons, because it simply is the “right” thing to do, not necessarily the easiest or the most convenient – there is almost nothing that you can’t accomplish.  I’ve tried to focus less on the results and more on the journey and I have not only been much happier, but I’ve ended up much more successful as well.  Not sure what my point is either – but I did find that interesting today.

Lara: I’m going to take a stab at this and say that’s one of the biggest lessons in life.  You have journeyed through a massive life lesson, so it’s pretty much second nature to you now.  Too often, people (and athletes in particular), focus on the end result, the goal of a particular time or place in their age group, and forget about the process that got them there.  Did they go into the journey mindfully?  Did they do it for the right reasons?  Were the reasons self-serving, or was there an aspect of altruism in there somewhere?  Athletes can be very single-minded and tend to focus on numbers and goals rather than the overall experience far too much.  I have been guilty of this at times, myself, so I think I’m qualified to make this statement.  And yet, we all find absolute joy in getting out of our heads and doing things for others, whether it’s race for charity, take time to help a fellow runner, or volunteer at an aid station so you can scream yourself hoarse while cheering on others.

Joe: I think you hit the nail on the head.  My father always used to say to me, “youth is wasted on the young” and I never had any idea what he was talking about.  Only now, over the last few years have I really “gotten it”.  He seems to get smarter and smarter the older I get.

Lara: Okay, you’re making me laugh!  Wise father, wise son… like recognizes like.  No wonder you and Dom saw into each other’s souls so easily.

Joe: One of the hardest things last week at Dom’s funeral (and there were a lot of hard things) was seeing Dom’s mother and father.  Dom was a “Jr.”, the oldest of three boys, and he was named after his father, Dominic Vincent D’Eramo, Sr.  As it’s so close to the birth of my first child – I really had a flood of things going through my mind last week.  But seeing the father bury the son was really tough.

Lara: Kids aren’t supposed to die before their parents.  We as parents aren’t supposed to bury our children, especially a child in the prime of his life.  How are his parents doing?  And Val, his wife?

Joe: The family was able to take Dom, the week before he passed away, on a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains.  They rented an RV, loaded everybody up and went away for a few days – and I think that time was really special for all of them.  Dom had been so very sick since July that I know that everyone who was close to the situation felt like Dom was suffering, in a lot of pain, and he now is truly in a better place.  That said, he was such a vibrant person, full of love, life, humor – he barely stood 5′ 7″ tall – but was larger than life.  His passing has created a huge vacuum in their lives that I know will be hard to fill.  The D’Eramo’s are a tight-knit family and Val and the kids have a lot of love and support in Pittsburgh.  In time I know they will all be fine – but we all miss our Dom.

Lara: How much money do you think was raised for Dom this past year?  The hospital bills must have been enormous.

Joe: The expenses that were involved with Dom’s treatment, procedures and his major surgery in November ran well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars out of pocket.  Through the two marathons we were able to raise $27,685 directly through Run for Dom.  There were other outright gifts that were made directly to Val and Dom as awareness spread and people in the community wanted to help.  Dom’s brothers also sold tickets for two large raffles that included a hotel stay, Penguins game, and dinner out on the town in Pittsburgh.  They raised more than $20,000 during each raffle as well.  So, a lot of good was done on behalf of Dom and the family, but there is still a long, long way to go on the fundraising side.

Lara: How can people contribute to Sierra and Nico’s 529 College Fund?

Joe: Checks can be made out to “College America” with Sierra or Nico D’Eramo’s name in the “For” line, and mailed to:

Northwestern Mutual Financial Network

5100 US Steel Tower

600 Grant Street

Pittsburgh PA 15219

Attention:  Mark Pellis

Lara: I think it’s amazing that so many people want to help Dom’s family, and that they’re running to raise funds to send two toddlers to college.  How can people get in touch with you about adding their marathon to the roster of fundraising efforts?

Joe: As I said before, I would love nothing more than to have other Athletes “Run for Dom” – nothing makes heavy lifting easier than another set of hands.  And we have quite a bit of lifting to do for those young children.

The best place to reach me directly is at:  joe-runfordom@austin.rr.com they can also visit the new www.runfordom.com in about a week or so, and there is a “contact us” page.  Anyone can submit a comment or question to me there at any time about Dom, the family, fundraising, training or racing.  It is one of the new enhancements to the site that I am very excited about.

Lara: Is the money tax-deductible?

Joe: Right now “Run for Dom” is not a 501c3 organization – so gifts to the family and or the 529 education plans are not tax deductible for residents outside of Pennsylvania as that is where the 529 plans have been opened.  For residents in PA, there are tax benefits and Mark Pellis at Northwestern Mutual can help with the appropriate documentation and forms.  I will also have a new “gift portal” on the new www.runfordom.com donation page that will make electronic gifts smooth and easy – much like we used Paypal last year.

When we have the 5K race logistics all set, my next big project will be to look into transitioning “Run for Dom” to 501c3 status.  That is a long journey – but nothing that this marathoner isn’t prepared for.

Lara: Joe, thanks so much for taking time to chat with me today.  I’m looking forward to following your training when it starts up again in October, and also hearing how your adventures in fatherhood are going!

Best from Colorado,

Lara

A few months ago I interviewed Joe for this blog (check out the first interview if you’re new here), and a few people in the bloggy-world published the interview on their blogs as well.  Now that Boston and the Pittsburgh marathon are over, Joe has his sights set on some new goals, one of which is to learn how to be a Daddy!  He and his wife, Dawn, are expecting a baby girl at the beginning of September.

Joe’s journey from deciding to run two marathons in 13 days for his friend, writing about his training, finding out he’s going to be a Dad, and running the marathons has been a journey that a lot of people have been following.  I spoke with Joe last week to catch up with him and see where he finds himself in the grand scheme of life.  We started out talking about babies and families…

“Lara: When is the baby due? How’s Dawn doing with all of your running?

Joe: Baby is coming on September 2nd or thereabouts – I’m counting on Dawn to keep me out of trouble as I learn the ropes – going to be a lot of fun making a ton of new mistakes and learning from them.  She is doing awesome Lara – she’s just over 5 months at this point, made it to both marathons, handled “ground support” at both and is feeling great. It’s about to get hot here in TX though, so I think the countdown is on to when she starts feeling uncomfortable.

Lara: You have a Mile race coming up soon.  How’s it going?

Joe: I’m really excited for the next two races- the Congress Avenue Mile is May 22 – so I’ve been pushing pace and running around 7:00′s this week, will try to run some 6:45′s next week and then see what we can do for the timed mile.  I have absolutely no idea.  5:25? Who knows?  After that I have an age-group title to defend in June at a small 5K in Holland, TX so I’ll be doing a lot of “speed work” these next couple months and dialing back on my long runs – which is good timing with summer coming to Texas.

Lara: Your goal times are incredible too.  For your marathon you wanted to keep an average pace of 7:20’s and now you want to pull off a 5-minute-mile.  Runners have an innate ability to be so versatile for different distances.

Joe: It’s been really amazing how well I recovered after Pittsburgh.  I was much less sore than Boston – those damn Newton Hills really tore me up – but I think another thing that helped was getting a sports massage the day before the Pittsburgh marathon.  I’ve never done that before.  The therapist really stretched my legs and hips hard; I was actually a little nervous about all that stretching, but I think it helped my legs rebound quickly after the race.  I ran four days later and a few days later did 6 miles at a 7:08 pace as though I had never raced the week before… absolutely amazing.

Lara: That’s quite a recommendation for proactive treatment.  Have you been working with a sports therapist at all during your training?  What made you decide to get in there and see someone, and try a new technique that might (or might not) help your performance?

Joe: I really have not used massage for anything but getting “loosened up” after a marathon to help the healing process.  But with the short turnaround between Boston and Pittsburgh I just went with my gut and figured I would give it a try.  The massage therapist at Verve in Pittsburgh works with the local sports teams (Pirates, Steelers and Penguins) and really understood where I was tight and why.  She spent about 30 minutes up on the table really stretching me with all her weight and then the final 30 minutes just loosening my muscles overall.  I felt awesome leaving there and really felt great until mile 13 of the Pittsburgh race – that was when my hip soreness and quad soreness from Boston came back on me.  I was grateful that I was virtually half-way through Marathon #2 before any of that soreness returned.

Lara: I read your Pittsburgh race report and had that sinking feeling of wondering when you were going to hit the wall.  From the sounds of it you thought the same thing.  I was surprised, honestly, that you didn’t have any pain or muscle tightness until mile 12!

Joe: I really thought I would feel it around the 10K to 8-mile mark, but I really felt strong and ran strong to the half-way point.  I was so relieved, as I thought it would be a full 20-mile gut-check kind of day.  But obviously all the training miles really helped as well as the cross training on the tri-bike and strength training.  But once I hit the uphill climb from miles 12-15 and my not-yet-recovered leg muscles got put under strain, they started barking pretty loudly.  In a way I enjoyed it – even though that sounds crazy – it was supposed to get hard…

Lara: You were mentally prepared for both of these races.  I loved the part in your race report when you said that you woke up Sunday morning and realized that you had slept easily through the entire night.  Sleep is a pretty good indicator of stress, or pressure that we put on ourselves.  Funny that people love to race, but it gives so many people such a pile of nerves.  You didn’t have that this time.

Joe: I was SHOCKED, Lara, about my sleep before the race.  I think part of it was seeing Dom and Val at dinner with the family and just getting a chance to really drink it all in.  It took all the pressure off of me knowing that all anybody expected was for me to do my best on Sunday – whatever that meant.  I felt like I was playing with house money on Sunday and that whatever I could do, would be good enough in the eyes of everyone I cared about.  So, I hit the pillow and slept like a baby.  I hope I can always feel like that before a race in the future.  With rested legs there is no telling how well I could have run.

Lara: “Playing with house money…” I like that.  You finally realized that whatever YOU did would be good enough.  And that was enough to let you rest peacefully.

Joe: Exactly – that was a tough course on Sunday as well – the winner in 2010 was almost 10 minutes slower than the winner in 2009.  I realistically was going to finish in 3:32 or so before I started “sheparding” runners to the finish.  At one point I stood for 4 minutes getting that charley horse worked out of my left calf – I think I did pretty well finishing in 3:42 only 13 days after Boston – so I was really pleased with the race.

Lara: As you should be. I’m wondering what your Mile race training plan is going to look like?  A sprint is a ton different than a marathon.  How are you going to transition into your fast-twitch muscles?

Joe: Great question, Lara.  I really wish I had an extra week because last week I just focused on getting the remaining soreness out of my legs and feeling 100%.  So this week I’m running some intervals on the track on Thursday and again on Saturday.  4X400′s 4 times with a 2.5 mile warm-up running to the track and a 2.5 mile cool down running home.  Really easy on the way there and back.  Tomorrow I’m doing my typical Wednesday 6 miler at 7:00 pace.  Next week, which is race week I’m going to run intervals on Tuesday and Thursday with just a short shake-out 2-3 mile run on Friday.  Race is Saturday.  I think if I had just one more week I could have done some more interval work and really gotten ready to roll.  The only other thing I’m going to do is this Sunday I’m going to go for an 8-mile fartlek to just run some short, quick paced strides mixed in with some tempo work.  Not an exact science – but the best I can do with only a couple weeks to prepare.  I think I’ll learn a lot and be ready for this race next year.

Lara: That sounds pretty good.  Are you timing it and hitting certain paces, or are you doing this training sans technology?

Joe: I’m “loosely” timing my 400′s as not even my wife would get up early enough to go to the track with me and time me with a stop watch.  I’m trying to see how close I can get to running that 1:20-1:25 range and go from there.  I think race conditions and the slight downhill course can get me going enough to get in that 5:20 range – but honestly – I have no idea.  That’s what makes this such a fun race to be a part of.

Lara: When we spoke a few months ago you talked about having a “reason to run”.  Raising money for Dom and family has been a really compelling motivator for you for quite some time.  Now that the fundraising is finished and you hit your goal, what is going to be your “reason to run”?

Joe: I’ve really learned a lot, Lara, about why this sport is important to me.  When I look back I think I was a pretty selfish runner up until last summer.  I didn’t really invite people to my races with the exception of my wife and family, I didn’t really talk with a lot of runners beforehand, just enough to pass the time.  I wasn’t active in any running clubs or running groups and I pretty much had goals that were individual goals: PR’s, qualifying for Boston, getting stronger, getting faster etc. What I realized was that running, while a great source of peace and solitude where I could disengage from work and find my “therapy”, was something I should be sharing more. I reached out on Twitter, Daily Mile, on various running sites and blogs and quickly found out that there were people out there that wanted to know me.  They wanted to talk with me about running and/or life and that I was truly part of a community.  The more I gave, the more I received – that’s how you and I met.  So in addition to raising awareness about Dom and making a difference in his and his family’s life – I helped other runners reach their goals.  So, I’d like to continue to do that.  We have such an amazing sport – filled with amazing people – doing amazing things.  We’re all very passionate about the things that are important to us.  I realize now that I want to surround myself with those kinds of people as much as possible.  When I find a cause that I am passionate about, I’m going to go all in and try to make a difference.  In my downtime from racing and becoming a new Dad I’m going to hopefully help new runners discover our sport, or veteran runners reach their goals.  Boston was a perfect example for me in celebrating running.  It was a goal I chased for over a year and it was absolutely incredible.  Anyone who has that on their list of goals is someone who should chase it down.  If I can help that process and I don’t?  Shame on me, because I know better.

Lara: I can just imagine you in 12 years or so, coaching your daughter’s track team or helping at-risk kids find a better way to blow off steam and learn healthy coping habits.  Reaching out to others is something you’re very good at; this isn’t going to be a stretch for you at all.  Compassion makes the world go round.

Joe: I hope so Lara – that would be such a great thing to do.  I’ve been really lucky and blessed to find something that I am passionate about and love doing relatively late in my “active years”.  It’s all about paying it forward that is for sure. 

Lara: How’s Dom doing, as of now?  How’s his family?

Joe: Dom is struggling a bit right now, both physically and mentally.  A few weeks before Pittsburgh, he had to go back into the hospital with an unexplained blockage.  He was having trouble with bowel movements – (who could have imagined THAT as he tried to make the adjustment back to solid food with no stomach, spleen etc.) – this led to a procedure to remove a blockage and a temporary and reversible colostomy.  When they removed the tissue that was causing the blockage they found that it was scar tissue from his surgery.  That was “normal” so to speak, but after further investigation they actually found microscopic cancer cells in the blockage.  After all of the PET Scans, chemotherapy treatments (6 total) and surgery – that was very unexpected.  The Doctors all feel that this was old cancer cells, not new, and that it is not indicative that the cancer is back or it has spread.  But now we are waiting for Dom to regain his strength before they can prescribe another treatment course that will probably involve more chemotherapy.  This was a pretty big mental blow to him and the family. He is ready to fight and is eager to get back in there for treatment – but at 118 lbs. and still unable to really eat the way he needs to… we’ve got to get him “beefed” up a bit before he can step back in the ring again to fight.  He’s really amazing Lara – absolutely the bravest man I’ve ever known.

Lara: How’s he going to get beefed up if he can’t eat the nutrients he needs?  How does that work?

Joe: He’s back on the feeding tube for close to 8 hours every day – that really just gets him to the base-line 2,000 calories a day liquid diet.  The struggle is where he then tries to eat solid food on top of that, like oatmeal, soup etc.  When we were at the pre-race pasta dinner for the Pittsburgh Marathon there were plates of pasta, veal parmesan and fresh bread everywhere.  I was sitting near Dom and watched him fight down 1/4 of a bowl of homemade chicken soup.  It is so sad to watch as you can see him reconciling the fact that he knows that he needs to eat, but his body just won’t let him.  There is nothing I wouldn’t do to help him get over that issue and gain the strength he needs to keep going.  I tease him that he needs a “training calendar” to put on his fridge like I have that says, Monday – 10 bites of jello, Tuesday – 8 spoons of Oatmeal, Wednesday – 12 bites Cream of Wheat and just keep building on it from there.  Just like Marathon Training, before you know it you’re up to 30 bites of jello, 25 spoons of Oatmeal and 36 bites of Cream of Wheat.

Lara:  Could it really work like that?  Can a person train their body to accept food, like an athlete trains their body to endure harder work?

Joe: I’m smart enough to know one thing Lara – and that is I don’t know much about anything.  But to me it seems like exactly the way to go here.  He’s asking his body to create a new way of dealing with food.  He has to recruit other parts of his system to form a new stomach and process nutrition.  The human body is an amazing thing, and when you start placing it under pressure, it changes and adapts.  That’s how our runner-bodies adapt and improve.  I think there is something there, but even if I’m wrong, I think having goals to wake up to every day that helps you move closer to your long-term goal is a powerful tool.  If our training plan had 18 weeks of blank squares and the final square said – run 26.2 miles, I don’t think too many of us would even show up on race day, let along finish.

Lara: It really helps to have a support network of people around you.  That’s what it comes down to, doesn’t it?  You ran Pittsburgh and slept like a baby because you innately knew that you were loved and protected.  Dom keeps fighting because he knows, in the same way, that there are all these people propping him up.  It’s less of a fight when you’re not going it alone.

Joe: You are so right regarding the support network.  It’s amazing the amount of love that has been showered on the D’Eramo’s – it is making a huge difference to keep that family going.  It’s hard to even think about where they would be without everyone in their lives that care so much about them.

Lara: I was looking over our last interview and you were talking about “Maniac” being on your playlist.  Are you sick and tired of that song, or does the playlist still speak to you?  What are you listening to now (when you’re not running naked, of course)!

Joe: “Maniac” has been on my playlist a lot and makes me smile.  I’ve actually been running w/out music almost every other run since Pittsburgh, as part of my new “naked running” initiative.  It’s been really great.

Lara: In reflecting on this whole process, what would you say has been the most memorable, more important lesson you’ve learned?

Joe: I think that regardless of how successful the actual fundraising portion of Run for Dom was or wasn’t – it was truly successful because we saw an opportunity to make a difference and went for it.  We were never afraid to ask for help, never too proud to accept a lending hand and hopefully make a lasting impression on those that we came in contact with.  I’ve received so many notes, letters, messages and calls from people who I had never met before or who I have known since I was a little boy telling me how proud they were of me and for me.  I really never felt like I was doing anything that “substantial” – I just had a friend that needed help and I tried my best to help him any way that I could.  At the end of the day I was hoping that I would look back on May 2nd and feel like it was enough.  Nine months ago, I never dreamed that it would have been so successful and that it would have changed the way that I looked at things so dramatically.”

Nine months… that magical gestation period where human life is created.  He’s re-created his life in working hard for someone else’s.

Joe’s going to keep running, and Dom’s going to keep fighting cancer.  Please check in on them periodically and see how it’s all going.

Cheers!

Yesterday I posted the first half of an interview with Joe, the amazing marathoner and blogger who is running two marathons in thirteen days as a cancer fundraiser for his friend Dom.  This is the second half of the interview.  When you’re done reading, please consider clicking over to Run For Dom and donate by sponsoring a mile of one or both of Joe’s marathons.  To view the interview in full, click on Joe’s Interview.

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Lara: These are Dom’s Lessons, then.  We can do so much more than we thought we could, because we’re healthy, and we’re alive.  That seems like a pretty good message to impart.

Joe: Agreed, Lara.  I think we all have times in our life that we thing about being a better “me”.  This really was a wake-up call for me that life is really precious – the most precious thing that there is – and whatever I can do to honor Dom and help his family get through this challenge so he can see his kids grow up, help make a dent in their medical bills or contribute to the kids’ college funds… This is a small price to pay for the lesson I was taught this August.

Lara: People can support your efforts by sponsoring a mile in either Boston or Pittsburgh, or both.  How would they do that?

Joe: We’ve had people donate anywhere from $26.20 ($1/mile) for one race, $52.40 ($1/mile) for both races and have sponsored an individual mile for a $100 donation and above.  The “Sponsor a Mile” initiative has been really neat as a friend, family, sisters etc. can pick out a mile of either marathon that they want to “name”.  The donors are listed on my blog and right now there are 7 miles that are unclaimed for Boston, and 9 unclaimed miles for Pittsburgh.  I’m going to have the “Sponsor” lists with me on the course so I can think about the people who have donated while I race.  Just today, a friend of mine from Alabama sponsored mile 24 at Boston.  He asked if I would play the song “Maniac” on my iPod during “his” mile.  It’s moments like that over the course of 26.2 miles or 3 hours and 20 minutes (give or take a few) that you draw on for a quick smile or some encouragement to keep pushing when the race gets tough.  26.2 miles is a challenging distance that really tests every runner at some point, and the more friends that I can have with me along the way, the better!

Lara: You mention “Maniac” will be on your Playlist; what else will get you through the miles?  And, can someone suggest a song for you?

Joe: Absolutely! I am always looking for new music and would enjoy the encouragement.  It’s funny; I have music I run to, and music I listen to – and their paths do not cross very often.  I listen to faster, “louder” music when I’m running; Green Day, The Clash, Social Distortion, but I’m much more mellow when I’m just hanging around the house.  Then, I listen to Bruce Springsteen and Pat Green.  I have a funny story about music and racing.  I’m originally from Philadelphia where Rocky isn’t just a character; he really exists in the collective minds of Philadelphians.  For the Pittsburgh Marathon last year I wanted the theme from Rocky to come up in my list right around mile 20 based on my Boston qualifying pace.  I hit it really perfect and was about .35 miles into mile 20 when it came on my Nano. I was running next to a guy for a couple of miles who was also trying for a Boston Qualifying Time, and we had chatted a bit.  He was 10 years younger than me and needed to run a sub 3:10 to qualify (I needed sub 3:20, one of the few benefits of being a 41 year-old marathoner at the time).  When the song came on he caught me smiling and asked me why.  I told him that the theme from Rocky just came on my earphones.  He looked me dead in the eye and said, “Dude, can I listen?” It was the funniest moment of that race and I remember it like it was yesterday.  Unfortunately a BQ (Boston Qualifying Time) was not in the cards for him that day, even though he was a really strong runner.  If he hasn’t made that time already, I know he will.

Lara: HA!  I can just imagine him running next to you, wanting to share your earbuds!  That’s a great visual… two hot, sweaty guys running along in silence, connected by a cord of technology that’s jammin’ out the theme song from Rocky…

“Runners are passionate people by nature, and nobody knows how to make a difference like runners do.”

Joe: That’s the part that is so great about races.  There are only a handful of people actually competing against each other – everyone else is competing against themselves, which is what makes it such a great experience.  I actually dropped one of my water bottles around mile 13 and knew I couldn’t go back for it because I was trying for that specific time.  About 50 strides later a runner tapped me on my shoulder and handed me my water bottle.  He had sprinted to catch up to me when he saw me clap my hands in a bit of anger when it hit the pavement… that’s what it’s all about.  I think about him as well a lot.  He helped me to my 3:17:43 time also.  Marathoning is a sport that everyone thinks is a “solo-mission” but the fact is nobody is alone out there.

Lara: That’s pretty accurate for the adventure of life, as well… we all think we’re so alone, and we don’t always realize just how many people are truly supporting us.  Which leads to my next question:  You’re “Joe” from Joe_RunForDom.  Are there other people out there who have offered to dedicate a marathon to Dom as well?

Joe: Great question Lara – I just got an e-mail this week from a young woman who is a friend of Dom’s brother Matt.  She and three of her friends are going to run the Relay portion of the Pittsburgh Marathon and are going to be getting folks to support Run for Dom through their efforts.  I’ll be getting another page set-up for them at www.runfordom.com under the “other fundraising efforts” tab, and donors will be able to keep up with them as well.  I’m hoping that a few more runners or running groups want to get involved – with the races now 9 and 11 weeks away respectively – now is the time to get cracking if we are going to do it.

Lara: And what about people that aren’t able to run Boston or Pittsburgh?  Can they run solo or form a Relay team in another race and have that count as a fundraiser for Dom?

Joe: Absolutely!  That’s one of the amazing things about runners; we are always looking for a cause to run for.  Runners are passionate people by nature, and nobody knows how to make a difference like runners do.  I would love to have as many friends and supporters as we can find toe the line for Dom.  He is truly a remarkable young man.  I refer to him as “All-Time” because that is what he is.  All-time.  He’s had more than 9,700 visitors to his personal page that’s hosted by the Caringbridge organization.  I wish more people could really get to know Dom as I do.  I know that if our roles were reversed, there isn’t a thing in the world he wouldn’t do for my wife Dawn and me.

Lara: It sounds like you’ve known him a long time.

Joe: My wife Dawn has known Dom basically their entire lives.  She and I have been together for 15 years and married for 10.  I’ve known Dom since Dawn and I first started dating.  I met him in the parking lot of a Pittsburgh Steelers playoff game.  He was there with a ton of his buddies at the tailgate and I really only knew Dawn.  Dom spent a couple of hours talking to me and getting to know me when he could have been hanging out with all of his buddies.  I’ve never forgotten that about Dom; because Dawn was such a close and important person in his life, he wanted to get to know me, because I must be pretty special too.  Funny thing is, it was Dom who was the special one.

Lara: You’re pretty humble about that.  I have a feeling it was more about “kindred spirits” recognizing each other.

Joe: Maybe Lara, maybe.  All I know is that I plan on him being around for a long, long time.

Lara: Is Dom going to be at the Pittsburgh race finish line?

Joe: (Laughs)  I’m actually angling for his mother to cook my pre-race meal on Saturday night, too.  With a name like D’Eramo, you know the pasta is legendary!

Lara: That’ll be the best pre-race meal you’ve ever had! (Laughs)

Joe: And her Christmas eve dinner this year was incredible.

Lara: Speaking of family, how’s Dom’s family doing with his illness?  You said he has a wife and two small kiddos…

Joe: It’s been really hard.  His wife, Val, is doing a great job keeping Dom’s spirits high, but when you’re recovering from such an aggressive surgery there are plenty of tough days.  His kids provide a pretty big energy boost for him though.  Sierra is 3 ½ and is completely adorable.  She actually took my blood pressure with her doctor’s kit when I was there at Christmas!  And Nico is 9 months old now is such a cute little guy.  He was the recipient of the first baby bottle I’ve ever provided.  True!

Lara: I can only imagine that there are so many family and friends rallying around this family.  It seems only right that with all the good thoughts, energy, medical treatment and will, that he’s going to get better.  It’s almost too much to think of the alternative.  He HAS to get better.

Joe: Absolutely.  On Christmas Eve a few months ago, when all his friends and family held hands to say grace it made a circle around the entire downstairs of his parents’ house.  Kitchen to living room to dining room to hallway and back to the kitchen – it was pretty amazing to be a part of that circle of love.

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Joe is raising money for Dom’s cancer treatment.  People can sponsor a mile for Boston or Pittsburgh, or both.  Donations have ranged from $1/mile in one race to $100+ for a particular mile in one of the races.  People are putting together Relay teams and raising funds for Dom’s battle to kick cancer’s ass to the curb.  All of this is so that in a few years, Dom will be there to pick his kids up from kindergarten.

You can visit Dom’s personal site on Caringbridge.com’s website and offer good wishes to him and his family:  http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/dominicderamo

To sponsor a mile, visit Run RunForDom.com and Donate:  http://www.runfordom.com/donate.html

More info on linitis plastica:  http://www.knowcancer.com/oncology/linitis-plastica/

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With the advent of social media and the internet, some people we get to know and love are folks that we’ve never actually met face to face.  Social media is so inter-connected that you can become friends with someone through Twitter, Facebook, DailyMile, and the blogosphere.  This is how I met Joe Marruchella.

I came across Joe’s blog by way of a comment he left on ChicRunner.com, a blog we both visit regularly. Struck by the thoughtful way he commented on a post, I clicked on his name, landed on his site, and started reading.  After I finished reading the entry I got up to walk around and clear my head, then came back to read it again.

The premise of his blog is simple; Joe’s dear friend Dom was recently diagnosed with a horrible form of cancer.  To raise money and awareness for Dom, Joe is running two marathons in thirteen days.  He had already qualified for the Boston Marathon when Dom was diagnosed with cancer last summer, so Boston is the first of his two marathons.  Dom lives in Pittsburgh, the place where Joe met his future wife who also happens to be a close friend of Dom’s.  So it made sense for Joe to choose to run the Pittsburgh Marathon.  All signs point to Dom being at the finish line in Pittsburgh this Spring.

Joe and Dom

A lot of people get cancer.  Every person that is affected by this brutal disease has a compelling story.  The first thing about Joe’s blog that stood out was the title; “Joe is Running for Dom”.  His name on Twitter and DailyMile is Joe_runfordom.  He has linked his online identity to Dom’s as a way of raising awareness and funds for his friend’s cancer treatment.  I’ve seen this from parents whose child is seriously ill, but never from a friend.

Over the past two months I’ve been a faithful reader of Joe’s blog, following both his marathon training and Dom’s progress and set-backs.  With Joe’s first marathon only six weeks away, I approached him and asked if he’d be willing to do an interview with me.  He graciously accepted, and now I’m honored to share the content of the interview with the world at large.  It is my hope that a few people will be as moved as I have been by this story and will sponsor a mile or two, for Dom.

Due to the length of the interview, this will be posted as a two-part story.

Lara: Joe, you surprised me when you said that you weren’t always a runner, and that there was a period in your life where you called yourself “Fat Joe”.  How did you turn from “Fat Joe” into the amazing runner that you are now?

 Joe: Well, “Fat Joe” made an appearance when I turned 34 (I’m 42 now).  I was traveling for work about 35-40% of the time, eating late meals, not exercising and the food quality was not the greatest… lots of big meals, desserts and the like.  I’m 5′ 8″ and at one point weighed 176 lbs. Not good!  The worse part was I just didn’t feel healthy.  I was always an athlete growing up, playing baseball, basketball, football – but never running.  I didn’t even know how to start.  But I was determined to do something about my weight and lose a few pounds before going on a vacation to the Outer Banks in 2005.  I started walking on my lunch hour which gradually morphed into running 1/2 mile, walking 1/2 mile… by that fall I was running three miles about 4 times a week.  I changed my diet (which included swearing off all fast food, which I am proud to say I have not had a single fast food meal in about 5 years).  I stopped drinking Coca-Cola, cut a few other things from my diet, and the pounds came flying off.  Now, my race weight is about 137 pounds and my body fat percentage is about 6.3 percent.

Lara: You sound incredibly healthy!  You dropped 39 pounds and a lot of body fat; when did you decide to start racing?

“If you want big rewards you have to take big risks.”

Joe: Great question! I was on the road traveling with the CEO of my company, who is a great mentor and friend.  He caught me coming into the hotel from my morning run in NYC and asked how my run went.  I told him it was “okay”.  He then asked why it was “only okay”; didn’t I enjoy it?  I told him not really, I was only running because we had eaten a big dinner the night before and I needed to burn some calories.  He said that the reason I didn’t enjoy running was because to me running was punitive.  I needed to run for a reason OTHER than burning calories.  That I should in fact run a race, and not any old race, a big race – a MARATHON!  I honestly thought he was crazy.  But when he talked about the experience that he had – it started to sound not only possible, but truly amazing.  I flew back to Texas the next day and during the flight home I decided that I was going to train for a marathon.  The second I walked in the door I told my wife what I was going to do, and dove headfirst into trying to figure out the first steps; how to train, who to listen to, etc.  I remember my run that Saturday morning (my next run) – which in a lot of ways was really my “first run”.  I had a purpose, I had a goal and I absolutely loved it.  It was only 4-miles, but it honestly changed me from “a guy who runs” to “a runner”.  I am so grateful that my CEO took the time to talk with me that day.

Lara: So you’re saying that it took a literal “Reason to Run” to make a difference in how you approached the thing that you did for your health.

Joe: Absolutely; having a reason really provided a great perspective.  It was my ATTITUDE toward the activity, not the activity itself that needed to be adjusted.  Don’t get me wrong; I like rest days – they are an important part of training and they help you get stronger and stronger as a runner.  Without a break every now and then you are only tearing your body down and not giving it a chance to come back stronger.  But I LOVE my run days.  I could hardly get to sleep last night looking forward to this morning’s 16-miler.  I know that sounds a little crazy, but 100% true.

Lara: And now, you’re running for Dom, a friend of yours who has cancer.

Joe: You bet Lara, and I’ll tell you that this one hit me like a ton of bricks.  Up until this point I had been pretty fortunate that the people that I am close to are healthy.  Other than a scare with my father about five years ago (who is doing great and turned 81 this month – Go Dad!) I have not had a lot of health-related challenges in my life.  Last August my wife called me in tears because our friend Dom had just being diagnosed with cancer.  He’s 39 years old and has a wife and two little ones at home. I felt like someone put a hundred-pound weight on my chest.  I spent the better part of a week trying to make sense of it – but as you can imagine, there really is no sense to make of it.  I felt like I had to do something to help Dom and his family as he was in literally the fight for his life.  I was on a Sunday long-run of about 10 miles, not training for a race in particular (I had just completed the Pittsburgh Marathon three months before getting the news about Dom).  He was actually one of the friends and family members to come to the post-race breakfast in Pittsburgh that day.  On my 10-miler I kept thinking about how great it would be to go back to Pittsburgh in 2010 and run Dom’s hometown race.  But with it being only 13 days after the Boston Marathon that I had worked so hard to qualify for.. what could I do?  I remember the exact spot on the trail that I have run literally hundreds of times when I thought “Why not run them both?  Why can’t I run Boston and then Pittsburgh 13 days later?”  If you want big rewards you have to take big risks.  If I could put myself out there and take on a challenge like that, surely people out there would be interested in hearing about Dom’s battle and support me in honoring him.  That’s how Run for Dom started; on an August morning in Austin at Brushy Creek Park, down by the lake.

Lara: What kind of cancer does Dom have?

Joe: Dom has linitis plastica which is a rare, invasive cancer that attacks the organs.  Dom’s stomach and spleen were affected the most.  His initial diagnosis was very bleak; 100% mortality rate and not a long life expectancy.  After visiting several specialists he found his doctor at Pittsburgh Medical who is a pioneer with this type of cancer.  In December Dom underwent successful surgery that was quite invasive.  His stomach and spleen were removed, along with parts of his intestine and parts of a few other adjoining organs.  He had a Hot Chemotherapy Bath that bathed all of the areas affected, and is now approaching the second of three chemotherapy treatments and that will mark the end of his treatment course.  His PET Scan three weeks ago was 100% clean.  His doctor is extremely happy with the results from the surgery, but Dom is really struggling with nutrition now.  He has a lot of pain and nausea when he eats and/or drinks, so since his surgery in December, he gets most of his nutrition through a feeding tube.  It takes him about eight hours to take in 2,000 calories.  After my 16 mile run this morning, I ate almost that much at breakfast… unbelievable.

Lara: I have to pause here because this is hitting me pretty hard.  It’s incredibly difficult for a healthy person to imagine the intensity of this disease.  Dom is 39 years old and is supposed to be in the prime of his life.

Joe: I know Lara; it makes me so thankful to be healthy and able to do pretty much whatever I want, whenever I want.  What the hell was I doing eating McDonald’s Double Cheese-burgers and lying around the house.  FAIL!

Lara: So this is a wake-up call of sorts; health can be pretty fleeting.  When you go out on your training runs for the purpose of running two marathons in 13 days, is it possible that you’re giving yourself the health and exercise that Dom can’t have?  If you BOTH can’t have it, at least one of you is living the healthy life?

Joe: That’s an interesting point Lara; I’ll tell you one thing that has changed about my training runs that I attribute to training for Dom.  There is a hill along one of the routes I run, it is a really good hill to train on because it forces you to practice running downhill for almost a full kilometer with not a single flat place.  It’s steep enough that you have to lengthen your stride, but not too steep that you have to “brake” the entire way down.  It’s perfect practice for the start of the Boston Marathon where the early portions of that race can really destroy the quadriceps over the first few downhill miles.  Up until I started training for RFD (Run For Dom) I had run up that hill exactly one time.  It seemed unfair.  Too steep, too long, no breaks, no recovery. Since I started my 16-week to Boston, 18-week to Pittsburgh training schedule I run up that hill every Sunday and I place it in the last 1/4 of whatever distance I am going.  I run that hill now and think only about Dom.  How if, given the chance, wouldn’t he relish that hill?  Would he celebrate it? Run up it and at the top, laugh to himself at just how easy that was compared to the other things he is going through?  So that’s what I do now once a week.  That hill gets shorter and shorter, flatter and flatter every time I go up it.  Heartbreak Hill in Boston at mile 21?  I’ll have a little something for that one when the time comes.

To be continued…

 Joe of Joe is Running for Dom is a blogger many of us have come to know and love.  We know him from his blog, Twitter, and DailyMile.  Joe is running the Boston Marathon  on April 19th and will run the Pittsburgh Marathon thirteen days later as a double fundraiser for Dom.  Many of us have run races for a cause, though truth be told, often the charity is a corporate one to which we  have no personal attachment. Joe epitimizes running for a cause, but in this case, the cause is one of his best friends.  This makes it personal.

Here’s a snippet of the interview, a preview of what’s to come:

Lara: Health can be pretty fleeting.  When you go out on your training runs for the purpose of running two marathons in 13 days, is it possible that you’re giving yourself the health and exercise that Dom can’t have?  If you BOTH can’t have it, at least one of you is living the healthy life?

Joe: That’s an interesting point Lara; I’ll tell you one thing that has changed about my training runs that I attribute to training for Dom.  There is a hill along one of the routes I run, it is a really good hill to train on because it forces you to practice running downhill for almost a full kilometer with not a single flat place.  It’s steep enough that you have to lengthen your stride, but not too steep that you have to “brake” the entire way down.  It’s perfect practice for the start of the Boston Marathon where the early portions of that race can really destroy the quadriceps over the first few downhill miles.  Up until I started training for RFD (Run For Dom) I had run up that hill exactly one time.  It seemed unfair.  Too steep, too long, no breaks, no recovery. Since I started my 16-week to Boston, 18-week to Pittsburgh training schedule I run up that hill every Sunday and I place it in the last 1/4 of whatever distance I am going.  I run that hill now and think only about Dom.  How if, given the chance, wouldn’t he relish that hill?  Would he celebrate it? Run up it and at the top, laugh to himself at just how easy that was compared to the other things he is going through?  So that’s what I do now once a week.  That hill gets shorter and shorter, flatter and flatter every time I go up it.  Heartbreak Hill in Boston at mile 21?  I’ll have a little something for that one when the time comes.

Head over to RunForDom.com and support a mile in Boston or Pittsburgh!

2009 – The Year I Started Running Marathons

At the beginning of 2009 I didn’t have any running goals in mind. One day as I was getting the mail in the spring, I saw a “Team in Training” postcard that was recruiting people to run the Columbus Marathon & Half Marathon to help raise money to fight cancer. While I didn’t end up running with Team in Training, I did set my sights on the Columbus Half Marathon that was to take place on October 18, 2009. I also decided that I should run another race of some sort before the half to get accustomed to running a race. I chose a 10K in July. Then, the training started.

I followed all the “rules” for training, though I wasn’t really following a specific plan. It was Mother’s Day weekend when my right foot started to hurt. The more I ran & walked, the more it hurt. I couldn’t figure out why, as I had even bought my shoes at a running store after having my run/gait evaluated. After seeing a couple different Sports Med docs, I was diagnosed with a Morton’s Neuroma. The first treatment I was advised to try involved buying new shoes with a wider toe box. Got some new kicks and within a few weeks I was as good as new. I ran my first ever race on July 18, 2009 and finished 2nd in my age group!

It was now time to really get down to business. Time to start running longer runs. I had to learn how to properly fuel myself so that I was able to make it through the runs, too. I quickly learned that any distance of 8+ miles required mid-run fueling for me. I also learned that 6+ mile runs required eating before the run. I typically run at 5 AM, so that was tough to do. I started out with bananas. They were too filling for me to eat that close to a run. Then I moved to Sharkies and Gu/Clif Shots. While I love that these products are gluten-free, I wanted to try to stay away from “processed” foods during my runs. Well, that didn’t work. I had to learn to make it work on the longer runs – I needed quick fuel that I could eat while running. I was practicing for the big day in October. I wanted to mimic the foods I would be eating on that day so that I could make sure that my stomach agreed with my head. I finally figured out a system. I also added watered down Gatorade (also gluten-free) to my 8+ mile runs to help fuel & keep me hydrated.

Over the course of the training I was running 30+ miles/week. Those miles sure add up quickly! I knew that I was ready for my big day. I learned all about carb loading and how to do that gluten-free. Brown rice pasta, quinoa pasta, brown rice, buckwheat & millet all became very good friends of mine. Served up with roasted veggies, beans or lean meat/fish and I had a great, well balanced meal to fuel me through my run. I also had to keep an eye on my “diet” to make sure that I wasn’t losing weight. Long runs tend to make my appetite disappear, so I began having to watch the clock to eat on those days. Making sure to eat something well balanced every 3 hours or so.

Half marathon day came and I was sick with what I now think was H1N1. I was fever free, but had a nice cough going on. I ran anyway. I managed to finish in 2 hours 1 minute & 22 seconds, just over my goal of coming in under 2 hours. I was beating myself up at first, then I remembered I was sick. Okay, I’ll take it. I worked hard for that and am proud to have done as well as I did.

This brings me to the present. I have continued to run to maintain my fitness. I am currently running about 25 miles a week. I have also been incorporating weights to build strength in my upper & lower body to help me achieve the goals I have set for 2010. I have 3 races that I am planning to run in 2010. The first race will be March 21, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. It is the ING Half Marathon. Not only am I running this race, but so is my sister & a group of people that we have recruited to run in memory of my nephews, Wyatt & Jack. This half marathon will only be a training run for me – I will not be looking for a new PR during this half. Why? Well, because I am getting ready to start training for my first marathon in Cleveland on May 16, 2010! I do have a goal for this marathon – I would love to finish in under 4 hours. Can I do it? Only time will tell. Will I be upset if I don’t? Maybe, but that will only make me train harder for race #3 – the Nationwide Columbus Marathon in October 2010. All of those races will have me running lots of miles over the course of 2010.

So as I look back over 2009 I have come to the realization that I have run over 1000 miles this year. If you would have told me back in January that I would have run 1000 miles this year, I would have laughed. Then I might have cried. Will I hit 2000 next year? I have no idea. I think the race goals that I have set are enough.

I am intensely curious about your inner life. Three amazing women have shared their stories about “why they run”. Why do YOU run? Have there been “ah-ha” moments?

I started mining my running friends for stories, thinking that it would be so incredibly cool to have this collection of essays (is that what they are??) as a way to remember certain points in our lives. Running is so much more than the act of moving. It’s the will to get outside, the connection with other people, and sometimes the silence from the noise in our home. (Can you say CHILDREN?)

Check out the stories that have been collected thus far.

Becky Gray – Guilt

Jacqueline Garcia – Running with an Eating Disorder and Other Mental Illnesses

Jill Whitaker – The Mindful Runner

I’m thinking of my own “story”, and why I run. Well, I think I already know. I’ll save that for another post though, and send out this call to the amazing runners out there in the bloggy world.

Shoot me an email: Lara @ saturdaymorningzen.com and your story might just appear here as the next Guest Post!

Cheers to all in the deep darkness of December (well, it’s dark right now as I write this at 6 AM).

Read what guest bloggers have written so far:

Becky Gray – Guilt

Jacqueline Garcia – Running with an Eating Disorder and Other Mental Illnesses

Jill Whitaker – The Mindful Runner

I’d love to hear from you.  Contact me: Lara at saturdaymorningzen dot com (sorry, I’m wary of the spider bots trolling for email addresses), twitter or Facebook.

Jill and her Mom started running after her  mom was diagnosed the second time with breast cancer.  They decided to run a marathon to celebrate her recovery and crossed the finish line of the 2008 PF Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in Arizona with a hunger for more.  Since that time Jill has run other distance races and has said she’ll never stop running!  She particularly loves the “Race for the Cure” series and even got to visit Washington DC to do the Global Race for the Cure.  She’s running the 2009 Las Vegas Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon to benefit the Komen Foundation, raising money via her website, Jill Will Run .  She’s asking people to donate $1 in hopes of seeing what can be raised without requesting huge contributions from everyone.  Emptying the “car ashtray change” can make a difference!

The Mindful Runner

by Jill Whitaker

Too often I feel as though I have a million thoughts rattling around in my brain.  I recently wrote about this feeling on my blog, Jill Will Run, and how it is similar to a bird trapped under a roof.  (I will admit the inspiration for that simile came from a book.  “The Thirteenth Tale” by Diane Setterfield is full of rich literary imagery.)  Running has become a very therapeutic way for me to “release the birds” and get my thoughts in order.

There is an important aspect I’ve been working on improving in my life that helps both the “birds in the brain” and my running: being more mindful. 

Instead of trying to outrun my thoughts, I use a run to observe my thoughts.  It’s a difficult task at times and I often find that I’m trying to fix the thoughts as opposed to simply noticing the different directions my brain is traveling.  When I catch myself, I try to remember to just listen and that through listening more answers can be found.

This personal observation and mindfulness is beneficial in many areas.  I think the general attitude of the world seems that we must always be on the go; planning, plotting, rushing and moving.  This constant buzz can actually prevent us from evolving as individuals. 

In January I experienced my first DNF (Did Not Finish) after tripping and falling in a marathon.  As I was trying to get medical assistance, sitting in the emergency room waiting for stitches, getting rocks dug out of my hands… all I could think was “How will I redeem myself? What’s next?”  And I think I actually delayed my recovery some by not allowing myself to focus on getting well.  I was too concerned with proving to the world that I am a tough runner and nothing can set me back.  My physical wounds healed, but my emotional well-being was damaged by not giving myself a break.

On an even more basic level, taking the time to rest mindfully can help with recovery from our everyday running and workouts.  Just sitting down and taking a moment to acknowledge that this rest is healing and is as vitally important to training as a long run or speedwork, gives the activity more focus and purpose.  (Yes, I’m going to say rest is an activity… simply because I need that label for myself.  Too often I’ve branded it as doing nothing and that just serves the purpose of making me feel down on myself.)

Mindfulness can be practiced during a run as well.  Take a moment to turn off the music and run on your own.  Notice your breathing, the world around as you run through it, the way your body moves and how it feels at that particular moment.  Do a mental scan from head to toe.  This practice can help you correct imbalances in your form, appreciate the power and grace of the human body and remember just how much you CAN do.  I have a friend who runs ultramarathons and she often reminds people that we are capable of doing so much more than we think.  When we let the negative thoughts get in the way, that’s the foundation where our limits and obstacles are built.   If you are constantly trying to block out the experience of what you are doing when running, how will you ever learn to appreciate the sport and what you are accomplishing?

Lastly, I think mindfulness can help us focus on our own abilities.  Turning our thoughts inward redirects our focus on our own skills at a personal level.  Instead of looking out at everyone else and comparing their pace and distance to our own, remember how far you have come and what changes and improvements you have made.

I challenge you to take a look inside.  Take stock of what YOU need, not what you think you NEED TO DO for everyone else.  Observe without negative judgment and remind yourself that it is okay to treat yourself kindly.  Then act upon those observations… keeping your thoughts mindful and actions purposeful.  You are worth your own attention!

Jill Whitaker writes the blog Jill Will Run.  Stop by and tell her “HI!”

Jacqueline Garcia

Jacqueline Garcia is an incredible actor with a sharp wit and keen sense of irony.  I met her several years ago when our kids went to preschool together.  After I started running, I would trot  nearby and listen to the wry humor flow from her mouth like water from a faucet.  Her opinions are pointed, intellectual, and hysterically funny.

Today, I am thrilled to post this essay by Jacqueline Garcia.  She took time out from her busy schedule as a working actor and mother of two boys to write this piece.  As with many writers, she didn’t know what she  meant to say until she finished writing and could step back to see what hit the page.  Jacqueline talks about the insane chatter that happens in women’s heads, and how running in the company of other women can silence the hysteria, if only for a few minutes. 

Jacqueline can be found on-stage in The Den of Thieves @ the Vintage Theatre (Denver, CO) 11/6-11/29. 

For ticket information,visit http://www.vintagetheatre.com/ticketinfo.htm

Running with an eating disorder and other mental illnesses.

by Jacqueline Garcia 

If a one hundred pound woman ran 75 minutes at a 10-mile an hour pace, how many calories would she burn?

This isn’t the prelude to a joke. This is a practical application of math which some adult promised I would futuristically use if I did my homework. It is also the stream of consciousness of a runner with hideous, Lycra sausage legs. Clearly, my runner’s high is an endorphin-fed state of pathology.

I have a deep and abiding love for the written word. And as a rule, I am adverse to first person narratives. I mean, truly, didn’t part of you just want to say to Carrie Bradshaw, “Shut up about your sex life, you aren’t very cute at all!” Or tell Randy Pausch, author of The Last Lecture: “While I’m very sorry for your ordeal, do you not see the irony in trying to convince people not to be so self absorbed and indulgent by indulging your own self-absorption in a lecture series about your own fabulously altruistic self?”  But alas, sane people don’t talk to their televisions and good people don’t speak ill of the dead. So I guess that I’ve further established that I am insane. And not such a good person.

During Saturday morning parking lot role calls I look around and wish that I could say about running some of the loftier things that my lovely running mates do. It’s shameful, but the principle reason that I run any given morning can be found right there among the APA’s seven categories: mania, melancholia, monomania, paresis, dementia, dipsomania, and epilepsy. Although, I think I can rule out epilepsy.  Maybe I’m just crazy.

It’s necessary to prepare the mind and body for a ten-mile run, especially when your head is already hard to live in. For example, visualization techniques are useful for making sure that the uterus stays strapped in, Lamaze breathing is helpful through the first ten brutally painful minutes of dilating lung spasms, and disassociation from the disturbing sensation of butt and thigh jiggles is a must. And, if at all possible, I suggest always running in the company of women. Women talk! They talk like hens. Some of them even talk even when they’re out of breath, which can sound a lot like they’re being interrogated at gunpoint. I could actually kiss these women for distracting me from myself with their hundred different, parallel conversations. Literally, if I were to lay a big, painful egg right now I might not notice.   I am absolutely enjoying the company and the rhythm of motion.

However, I am very thirsty. “Can I have sip of somebody’s water?” I don’t carry my own water, as the water belt is a really unflattering running accessory on some people, namely Me.

The morning light has begun turning everything a sort of early-morning-soft pink and I wonder what mile we’re at. It’s pretty. Beautiful, even. There are souls in this running group who are far more evolved than I. People who rightly celebrate the “Ohm” quality of nature by actually whipping out a camera and snapping a photo. I’ve seen them capture the humbling awe of wildflower faces. If I were to take a picture, if it were to occur to me to even bring a camera, my photo would probably unintentionally frame deer scat.

Anyone familiar with Frank Warren’s Postsecrets; Confessions on Life, Death and God? This is a project where people write down their darkest truth and mail it to Frank’s filthy PO box. Life, Death and God? Really, Frank, God? Way to guile other people into writing a wildly commercially, successful book for you. Okay, sure, you had the ugly idea to be a textual voyeur first. And the creator of Crocs had the idea to make ugly shoes first. But what a blight! Wouldn’t we be so much better off without these hideous examples of gross commercialism that masquerades as art and fashion? Again, I majorly digress. But I would like to say that My god is a jealous gasbag who cares way too much about what people thinks of how she looks while she is wearing me. How’s that for a secret, Frank?  Does that sentence make me heretical? It sure doesn’t make me agnostic, as it clearly acknowledges an existence of God… even if that God is presumably me? Dear God, dear Me, Oh no I’m also a narcissist! I knew it.

And just like that, my grace is gone. My feet have no purchase. I’m going down. Taking a digger. The universe is reaching her boney, tree root hand up out of the dirt in reprisal for my sin of conceit.

Then again, maybe it isn’t as linear as all that. I’ve always been a faller as much as I am a runner…and usually in the last stupid mile! The flatirons are Delphic to me and I stumble like a sinner through the valley of death. Falter, falter, falter. I often gash open my knees or elbows and bleed all over the trail just daring bears and cougars to find and finish me. It has been suggested to me by a friend that what I really am is a cutter. That I continually need to inflict physical pain in order to not feel the emotional pain of life. Boo Hoo.

So does this mean that instead of using a razor blade like some high school aged emo girl, my implements are flagstones and gravity? What am I, a cavewoman cutter?! Man, I’m old as dirt. Where’s my damn car.

1066 calories. That’s how many calories I’ve burned. But I’ve also stock piled endorphins and anecdotes and have earned a soy latte to wash down a handful of Prozac. Ah, that’s better. Once again, I’m so glad that I went running. The doctors can’t institutionalize me if they can’t catch me.