Next Friday - The Dance!

Next Friday we celebrate Munda's life in a BIG way.  Come - and bring your friends, neighbors, and folks you meet along the way!  Here are the details.

WHAT:
Benefit Dance in Memory of Munda DiIulio, organized by Aero Energy

WHEN:
Friday, November 6, from 7:00 to 11:00 p.m.

WHERE: 
New Oxford Social & Athletic Club Pavilion
200 West Golden Lane
New Oxford, PA
Tel. 717-624-8321
Click below for a Google map and directions:

View Larger Map

TICKETS:
$10 each, available for purchase at the door.  RSVP (suggested, not required) to Joyce Miller.

OTHER CONTACT INFORMATION:
If you get lost on the way, contact the club at 717-624-8321, or me (I'll try to help) at 202-550-6583 (cell).
Other things you might like to know:

DJ:
There will be a DJ playing a variety of music; bring your requests!

FOOD:
There will be food:  BBQ & Hot Dog sandwiches, pasta salad, cheese & bologna, veggie tray, chips & pretzels. Beer & soda also included. There is no cost for the food, it is included in the $10.00 ticket cost. For an extra buck, however, you can purchase a double Jello shooter!

RAFFLE:
The dance will coincide with raffle that already includes 45 items, among them:
2 Penn State baskets
Steeler Basket
Texas hold ‘em Poker set
Wine basket
Christmas basket
Numerous “Mary Kay” baskets
Wal-Mart gift certificates (5)
Gift certificates to area restaurant
2 rounds of golf at the Bridges
Nice watch
Designer sun glasses

50/50, "13" JARS, and DOOR PRIZE:
The ticket to the dance enters you in a drawing for a “Tail Gate” grill valued at $200.00.

ATTIRE:
Some asked me, so I have to write that for you, it's black tie.
For everyone else, John Deere green, Penn State colors, or Steelers colors are a plus, and cowboy boots and denim are always in fashion, but you can just come as you are.

Clouds and Sun

It has been a rainy time in so many ways, these past few weeks!  But there are glimpses of sun.  Shauna's sister, Luck, has been spending her weekends with Shauna to help ease the loneliness.  Sisters!  (See below.)

This past weekend my sister Shannon and cousin Taylor joined them, and they had a great time.  What's that about Taylor dressing up as a chicken?!

Meanwhile, Ray and I spent the weekend training hard for the upcoming races - a marathon on November 1 and the big 50-mile race on November 21.  On Saturday we ran 18 miles, and on Sunday we ran 16.  For some reason, 6 and 1/2 hours of running really fills up a weekend, mainly because it also requires a lot of eating and sleeping!

It also requires a bit of putting ourselves back together; Ray and I are both nursing minor injuries from the wear and tear of training - Ray's knee and my ankle.  It's just what happens when you push yourself for so long.  We do a lot of stretching, soaking, rubbing, icing, heating, and popping Advil - and a little whining (mostly me).

This coming weekend we will run a full marathon - 26.2 miles - in Manchester, New Hampshire.  It will be the last run we do over twenty miles before our big race, and the 12th such run we've done this year.  An even dozen - woo hoo!

For those of you who are doing the math, that's over 240 miles.  Combined with all of the other training runs, we've run over 1,600 miles this year - the equivalent of running from Washington, DC to Denver, Colorado.

I just hope that we can make it through the weekend without making our injuries worse.  From here on out, we only need to run another 125 miles before the big race!  We're so close.

More to come!

Bittersweet Disneyworld

In mid-October, Munda's wife Shauna and their kids and grandkids took the trip to Disneyworld that they had all planned together. The idea of the trip gave Munda hope when times were tough. It was hard for Shauna and everyone to take the trip without him.  But after looking at the pictures - below are a few - how can you say that Munda wasn't with them?  He was in their hearts, and in the faces of his sons, daughter, and grandkids - in their eyes and their smiles.

Run With Us - Two Marathons in Fifteen Minutes

No. 1: Baltimore Marathon, October 10, 2009



No. 2: Steamtown Marathon in and around Scranton, PA, October 11, 2009

Initial Results

Thank you so much for the encouragement, Shauna, Luck, and everyone!  We did it - we ran two marathons back to back, or as they say among crazy marathon runners, we "doubled."  I'll soon post here the photographs and video we took of the Baltimore and the Steamtown (Scranton, PA) marathons, held on Oct. 10 and 11, 2009, respectively. For now, here are our results:

Ray Rogers
Baltimore, 26.2 miles: 4 hours, 26 minutes, and 17 seconds; finished 194th out of 310 in age group (37th percentile)
Steamtown, 26.2 miles: 4 hours, 27 minutes, 19 seconds; finished 80th out of 95 in age group (16th percentile)

Krista Shaffer
Baltimore, 26.2 miles: 4 hours, 35 minutes, 21 seconds; finished 85th out of 161 in age group (47th percentile)
Steamtown, 26.2 miles: 4 hours, 35 minutes, 40 seconds; finished 108th out of 141 in age group (23rd percentile)

Ray and I paced ourselves much slower than our best marathon times so that we could be sure to complete the back-to-back marathons.  (Ray's best time is 3 hours, 8 minutes, and 22 seconds; and mine is 3 hours, 39 minutes, 25 seconds.)  Our pace for the 50-mile race in November will be even slower - probably 12- or 13-minute miles.

An initial observation about these two races is that they couldn't have been more different.  The Baltimore Marathon was huge, very urban, and very crowded.  It drew a lot of people for whom it will be their first and only marathon. The course is designed to showcase the city's downtown - and probably also to not cause TOO much traffic disruption. Most of the onlookers were friends and relatives of people running the race. 

The Steamtown Marathon was small and rural.  The course is designed to be fast - overall, it's downhill.  It attracts a lot of regular marathon runners as well as younger runners who are trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon - generally a very fast group.  (You can see that Steamtown people are a lot faster if you look at how Ray and I placed in our age groups in the two races.)  The onlookers were townspeople who made signs, decorated their yards, and handed out orange slices or lollipops or whatever else they thought runners might like.

I think you can imagine which one Ray and I liked better!  I can't wait to show you the videos.  More on the ASAP. 

One Down, One To Go

As I write, I'm propped up on three pillows in a hotel room in Scranton, relaxing after 26.2 pretty hard miles of running through Baltimore followed by a 200-mile-drive.  Ray is sprawled on the floor, trying to stretch out some hard-to-reach leg muscle.  After I finish this note, we're going to switch tasks and places.

What a day!  But we did it!  But I'm too tired to write much, and we have to get up at 5 tomorrow to get the starting line of our next marathon here in Scranton.  So for now, I'll just write:  Ray's time was 4:25ish, and mine was 4:35ish, more or less as planned.  Ray and I documented this race very well; we each carried cameras and took pictures and videos.  As soon as I am able, I'll post them.  For now, here's a photo each from before, during, and after the 2009 Baltimore Marathon:

The run was harder than we expected; Ray and I both had pains in knees and ankles.  But after stretching a few times throughout the day, we feel pretty good tonight - ready to run another one.  So on that note, good night.  More tomorrow, okay?

A Mile Is a Mile Is a Mile

Yesterday I drove to Ravens Stadium in Baltimore to pick up Ray's and my race packets and numbers for tomorrow's Baltimore Marathon.

Wow!

Everywhere you looked, there were reminders of how huge this event is.  The stadium is huge; it will serve and the starting and finish line.  As I stood in line there to pick up our packets, I was flanked by thousands of other runners; over 20,000 will race on Saturday.  When I got to the front of the line, I met with one of thousands of volunteers, who reached over to one of thousands and thousands of boxes and pulled out packets for Ray and me.  And all of those thousands and thousands of people were eager, excited, and full of nerves. It was intense!

I got a huge knot in my gut.  This is so different from how I usually run, I thought.  Will I be able to focus on my goals for this race?  Will I be able to relax, shut out all of the overstimulation, and make it a good run?

Then I remembered the 1986 basketball movie Hoosiers.  It's about a small town Indiana basketball team that makes it to the state championships - remember?  (The team's Coach Dale is played by Gene Hackman.) When the team arrives at the imposing sports complex where the championship will be held, Coach Dale gets out a tape measure and has them measure the basketball court to show them that it's the exact same size as the one back home.

Munda lived that way; he was the same in every situation, and everyone "knew the same Munda."  And he did well in everything.  He had that kind of integrity.

So instead of thinking about all of those runners, I'm going to think of Munda's example.

Ray's Marathon Packing List

The list speaks for itself.  (It says, MAN, this is going to hurt.)

Paperwork Related
Hotel Confirmation
Active.com registration
Maps / Expo / Hotel
Navigation GPS

Run Gear
Running Shoes
Running Shorts
Short Sleeve Shirts
Long Sleeve Shirts
UnderArmour heat gear (top)
UnderArmour heat gear (bottom)
UnderArmour undies (w/ heat gear)
Running Socks
Running Gloves
Wind Pants
Watch (or GPS)
Old Tube Socks (for arms)
Winter Hat
Running Cap

Random Running
Bag Balm
water bottles
cheap "drop" bag
Gallon H20
Body Glide
Trash Bag
Protein Drinks
Goo (4+)
extra "drop" bags
Duck Tape
Sharpie marker

Food Stuff
Cooler/Ice
Milk
Yogurt
Protein powder
Oatmeal
Blender
Fruit
Coffeemaker
Coffee Beans
Coffee Grinder
Cups??
Sugar
Creamer/Milk
bagel / eng muffin
peanut butter / jelly
Tea
Honey

First Aid Stuff
Vitamins
Aleve
Safety Pins
Toilet Paper
band aids
Tums
baby wipes
super glue
moleskin
Swiss Army knife
sun screen
first aid kit
drink powder
electrolyte caps

Shower Stuff (if need)
towel
wash cloth
brush
shampoo
deodorant
soap

Marathon Preparation

This weekend Ray and I will run two marathons as a part of our training: the Baltimore Marathon and the Steamtown Marathon (in Scranton, PA).  We've been training a long time for these back-to-back marathons, and I think we're prepared - for the running, that is.  The scarier part of this weekend might just be navigating our way around - and between - two cities hobbled by converging runners (over 20,000 will come to Baltimore) and road closures.  Yikes!  I won't bore you with the details, save these two:  (1) I just printed out over 20 pages of maps, directions, parking instructions, and race course information!  And (2) here's a rough schedule:

Friday afternoon, October 9 
- Ray drives from Virginia, we meet in Baltimore and pick up our registration packets, numbers, and timing chips at the Race Expo. 
- Return to my home in Annapolis.

Saturday, October 10 
- Get up at 5 a.m. or so so that we can drive 30 miles to Baltimore before they close roads.  Yawn.  Well, maybe 5:30.
- Bang!  The gun goes off at 8:00 a.m. in downtown Baltimore.  The race starts and ends at Camden Yards, where Orioles play.
- Ray and I hope to be finished by 12:30.  Then we'll jump in my car and get on the road, headed to Scranton, 200 miles away.
- Race packet pick-up in Scranton ends at 5 p.m.  We hope to get there in time!
- For dinner, Ray and I have been looking forward to a steaming plate of "Killarney pasta" at the Banshee Irish Pub in downtown Scranton.  MMMMmmmm-MMMM.  Ray ran the Steamtown Marathon last year, and we found this place and this dish, which tastes like a reuben sandwich.  Afterwards, we wasted a lot of good sauerkraut trying to figure out the recipe over the course of several months. This time, we're just going to ask 'em for it, gosh darn it.

Sunday, October 11
- Up and at 'em at 5:00 a.m. again.  Well, maybe 5:30.  This marathon is not a loop, but rather point-to-point, so we have to catch a bus to the start of the race.
- BOOOOM!  They fire an actual cannon to start this race at 8:00 a.m.  I bet the neighbors love it.  Here's a picture from last year:

- Hopefully we'll finish by 12:30.  Then we get in the car and drive 230 miles back to Annapolis, and then sleep REALLY GOOD.

Tomorrow I'll post Ray's marathon packing list.  When I first saw it, I wondered what the heck we need all that stuff for.  Now I regret to say I know.

Why?

"Why would anyone want to run 50 miles?"  This is a question many people have asked me - and now they're starting to ask Shauna and other relatives of mine.  Well, it's a good question! 

Two days ago I told Shauna, "I guess you can tell people that I want to run 50 miles because I think I can, and I want to find out."  I was sitting on comfortable sofa with my feet propped up on a coffee table, having just completed a weekend's worth of long runs, and looking forward to 36 hours of not having to run, and it seemed like a good answer.  But it was also kind of a selfish answer.  I, I, I...

This morning my training resumed, and as I hurtled myself out into the pre-dawn darkness, the question didn't seem so easy to answer.  "Why?"  "Do I really want this?"

Ray loves to read biographies of world-class athletes (which we definitely are not).  We've read a few of them together, and it struck me that many of these athletes also ask "What does it mean?" and struggle to make their extraordinary talent meaningful. Transatlantic rowers Julie and Colin Angus used their experience to further our understanding of the ocean and our impact on it. Swimmer Lynne Cox decided to use her natural swimming talent to further international relations and intercultural understanding; in 1987 she swam, for example, across the Bering Strait between what was then the Soviet Union and the United States. Ultrarunner Dean Karnazes was touched by a little girl with cancer, and he ran a race for her.

We all know Lance Armstrong, whose cause found him.  I'm reading his book now.  Its title is It's Not About the Bike.  I love the title!  Because it's not about the bike, the boat, the swim, or the run.

So what is it about?

Well, I do want to see if I can run 50 miles. WE - Ray and I - want to. If we stopped wanting it, no one else would say, "Awwww, c'mon!" Maybe it is selfish. Because of running, I take time away from other people - my friends, my work, etc. I spend money on shoes and entry fees.  Just because I want to see if I can.

But the experience of running (like lots of experiences, really) can be a great teacher about life. You learn that you can do more than you think. You learn that can't do everything. You learn that there are things you can control.  You learn that there are things you can't control. You learn, in sum, what it does and doesn't mean to be a human soul in a human body.

I think that's why sports pursuits and disease awareness/research fundraising seem to go hand in hand. Race for the Cure. AIDS Walk.  Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. At these events, survivors reclaim their bodies from disease, loved ones remember those who died, and everyone shares in the physical pursuit of a goal that is, really, celebrating and honoring human souls that (for a while) occupy human bodies, as best we can.

At the beginning of his book, Lance Armstrong writes:

Good, strong people get cancer, and they do all the right things to beat it, and they still die. That is the essential truth that you learn. People die. And after you learn it, all other matters seem irrelevant. They just seem small....

People die. That truth is so disheartening that at times I can't bear to articulate it. ....But there is another truth, too. People live. It's an equal and opposing truth. People live, and in the most remarkable ways. When I was sick, I saw more beauty and triumph and truth in a single day than I ever did in a bike race - but they were human moments, not miraculous ones....

I still don't completely understand it. (pp. 3-5)

So, why?  Because we (humans) can (rise above our bodies, and our spirits can triumph even in pain, suffering, and defeat, and looking back we will say that it's worth it).

Trail Running = Ouch

Today Ray and I ran 10 miles on the dirt trails at Beaverdam Park, bringing our running to a total of 28 miles this weekend.  About 22 of those miles were on dirt trails through woods.  This kind of training is risky because there are roots and rocks and lots of fallen leaves. Ray nearly turned his ankle last weekend on a dirt trail, and today I nearly turned mine. But 11 miles of the JFK 50 is on dirt trails, and it's good to train for those conditions and strengthen our ankles.

Here's a picture from mile 6.5:

 We're nearing the finish of the second - and hardest - cycle of our training.  The first cycle of our training began on June 15 with a 27-mile week.  The first cycle of training is to build mileage, and when we finished that cycle on September 6, we were up to 48-mile weeks (and 24 miles at a time).  Then we got an "easy" week of "only" 34 miles.  The second cycle of our training started on September 15 with a 55-mile week.  The second cycle is for even higher mileage, and also building strength and speed. That cycle ends next week, when we'll run a total of 68 miles - the most I've ever run in a week!  Then we get a week of "rest," during which get another "light" week of 34 miles.

Beginning on October 20, we're back up to 50- and 55-mile weeks for three more weeks - our final race preparation, when we focus on technique and work out any aches, pains, and other worries.  Then we "taper" our training starting on November 2.  We run less and less, until the week before the race, when we run only 25 miles.

It may sound funny, but during the taper, your legs really miss running.  They tingle and tickle.  They want to be USED.  Your legs fill with energy.  When you finally set them on the race course you've prepared for, they are at peak energy levels, peak strength, peak everything.  They want to run.  And when you start the race, your legs just carry you away, doing everything you've trained them to do.  You may not want to run 50 miles, but your legs DO!

Well, that's what we hope for!   Munda provides inspiration for our minds; training provides the rest.

Oh - and lots of food and water.  Here's a water stop (which we set up in the back of Ray's truck, and circle back to it as needed):

We stock the cooler with water and protein shakes, and we also keep on hand pretzels, bananas, a delightful sports food called "goo" (more on that later), protein bars, and more - gummi bears, peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches, peppermint patties, and anything else that strikes us as yummi!

Run for Munda Continues...

Today, Ray and I ran 18 miles in preparation for the JFK 50-mile race.  It was a beautiful run through the First Landing State Park at Virginia Beach, and on the beach itself.  (Ray lives about an hour from Virginia Beach, and so sometimes we do our long runs there.)

Here's a map of our run:

And here's a photo of us after our run:

Training to run 50 miles is HARD WORK!  No, really!

Shauna tells me that the DiIulio family will enjoy a much-needed, long-planned Florida trip in a few weeks.  (Maybe I'll get some pictures to post here?)  It was hoped that Munda would be able to join them on the trip - and he will, in spirit. 

Tomorrow, we'll run an easy 10 miles through Beaverdam Park in Gloucester, Va.  More on that later!  And next week we'll run the Baltimore Marathon on Saturday, and the marathon in Scranton, PA on Sunday - the dreaded back-to-back marathons that all of the 50-mile-race training plans recommend as a benchmark.  Those races will be a very good indication of how well prepared we are for November 21. Gulp!

Memories, Thank You's, and Upcoming Events

I spoke with Shauna yesterday evening, and she couldn't say enough about how awed she is by the support she has received.  And very, very grateful!  The church was packed for Munda's funeral on Tuesday - with not only friends and family, but also most of the staff of Munda's former employer, Aero Energy, including CEO Tom Washburn.  And the Aero vehicle fleet - some of which had been washed and shined up very, very early that morning, I heard - made up the bulk of the procession to the cemetery.  (Pictures and a video below.)

Several of those who attended requested the addresses of Mr. Washburn and Rev. Ruddy, who led the service.  They are:

Tom Washburn, CEO
Aero Energy
230 Lincoln Way East
New Oxford, PA 17350

Pastor James Ruddy
Bethel Assembly of God
2075 Fish & Game Road
Littlestown, PA 17340
churchoffice@bethelag.com
 
Shauna and I also discussed the upcoming Aero benefit dance in memory of Munda.  "It'll be a celebration of Munda's life," she said.  It will also be another chance for the many communities that were touched by Munda's life to come together - and I really look forward to that, too. They/you are wonderful people! 
 
The dance will be held on November 6 from 7:00 pm until 11:00 p.m. at the New Oxford Social Club Pavilion in New Oxford, PA. (Click here for location and directions.)  There will also be a raffle. Contact Joyce Miller in the Aero Payroll/H.R. Dept for tickets to the dance, or to donate items for the raffle - email her (click here) or call 717-624-5810. Be sure to ask all your family and friends! 
 
In the coming weeks, I'll post here a list of items for the raffle.  Rumor has it that they include a pair of designer sunglasses and a quite expensive Raymond Weil Swiss-made ladies' wristwatch.  Homemade crafts (maybe yours?) and gift certificates will also likely be among the raffle items!
 
Finally, I'd also like to write and thank everyone who has "bought" miles for the Run for Munda campaign.  You've been - and you continue to be - a HUGE help!  So this campaign, too, will continue through November 21, the date of the JFK 50-Mile Race.  I'll post more information on the actual race later - but if you're interested now, you can find a map of the course online - click here. 
 
Thank you, again, everyone!  See you on November 6?