Operation Jack

Fighting autism, one mile at a time.

Archives for 2010

Race Report: Operation Jack Marathon

by 32 Comments

Normally I try to keep race reports from getting too long, because I know they probably get pretty boring. I mean, how many times do people want to read about my heart rate getting too high and me taking another gel pack? But there are so many things to write about the Operation Jack Marathon that I don’t know if I can keep this short.

First, just in case you haven’t been here before, I’m a marathon runner and a father of three. My middle child, 7-year-old Jack, is severely autistic. I ran 61 full marathons in 2010 to raise money and awareness for a charity I’m a part of called Train 4 Autism. I named the endeavor Operation Jack, after my son.The Operation Jack Marathon was the 61st and final marathon of the year for me. If you didn’t see the blog I wrote last week as my swan song, click here to check it out.

So anyways, when I originally looked at the calendar to set up my race schedule, I knew this weekend would be a challenge. Christmas on Saturday and the day after Christmas on Sunday. Where would I find a race? I couldn’t possibly leave the family on Christmas Day if I found something on the Sunday. I launched Operation Jack with that weekend as a TBD. It truly was a TBD.

I had a plan in the works, but it fell through in late September. So, in October, I started brainstorming and decided to put on a marathon to close this all out. I was nervous about it — I didn’t know how in the heck I’d be able to recruit people for a race — but I was optimistic I could get at least 10 entrants and cover the costs. I went through a bunch of red tape and several different government agencies to get a permit and insurance. We had a course, I created a spot on this site, worked with a registration company and we got it rolling.

I had the help of Operation Jack supporter Jake Rome, who was a huge help in planning this thing. I worked with my designer, Tara Larivee, to get shirts and medals designed. I had a committee from Train 4 Autism helping take care of everything. I was nervous and anxious about this for two months. I was worried about having enough participation to make it a good event and the last thing I wanted to do was let anybody down.

Before I knew it, registration started to climb in a hurry and I got anxious that we’d have too many people to be able to handle things. This 10-person race I was hoping for ended up with 151 registrants and about 40 volunteers! I showed up early to make sure everything was rolling fine and when people started lining up for registration, I got pretty excited. It was showtime. There were runners all over the place, mingling and waiting for the race to start. I knew they were all out there to support the cause.

I saw the Train 4 Autism popup go up, I saw familiar faces and I saw unfamiliar faces. I moved my dad’s car to a lot we rented, synced up with my mom, who was in from Atlanta, and walked the 1/2 mile back to the start area thinking about what an exciting day it would be. I knew that no matter what happened, it would be a day I would always look back on.

I did an interview before the race then talked with a good friend of mine for a bit. We looked around and basically said that wow, my dream from two years ago was a reality. New people were out for the cause, and it was going to be a great day for Train 4 Autism that probably wouldn’t have otherwise happened. I don’t want to say I did it, because I didn’t — a lot of people did it. And I KNOW it wouldn’t have happened if my son didn’t suffer from autism. So it was a pretty special day before I got going. I got on the megaphone a few minutes before the start and thanked everybody for showing up. It was amazing to look out and see so many people ready to start this race. My legs hurt, but it’s pretty sweet to be in my shoes.

Next thing you know, we were off. Immediately, the first thing in my mind was that this was finally the last race of Operation Jack. I was running, and I was only about three hours away from completing the goal I’d set. The goal of 61 marathons isn’t tremendously important on an individual basis. The biggest thing about it is that it’s a tactic to gain attention and increase awareness of Train 4 Autism. But it’s still challenging to run that many marathons all-out in a single year. I won’t lie — I was intimidated by what I was facing at the beginning of the year.

But finally, the last marathon was underway and I could put this thing to bed. Of course, I still had to cover 26.2 miles on foot, and no matter how many times you do that, it’s never easy! One of the benefits of putting on marathon you’re going to run in is that you kind of forget you have to go pound it out! But I showed up ready to run. I had no desire to take it easy and let my last race be a victory lap. I did a few things different with my training and fueling this week and I thought I’d have a chance to be ready to move pretty quickly. Not necessarily a sure-fire thing, but I took some gambles because … why not?

I started off holding the sub-3 pace I wanted for a couple of miles, but it felt fairly tough and I felt sick to my stomach, like I wanted to throw up. My calves got a bit tight early, but that’s typical when I’m pushing the pace in a marathon. They usually feel good by about four miles in. I was running with a friend of mine, John Loftus. John is a great guy, a blazing fast runner (2:41:19 PR, won his age group at the Boston Marathon in 2009) and also a running coach, so I had good company.

He kept me focused when I needed to be and we spent a fair amount of time chatting (when my breathing allowed — for him, it was an easy run). The course was flat and along the ocean before turning to head alongside a creek. There was some wind on the way out, but it was at our back on the way in. Temperatures were in the mid-50s. The weather was about as good as any race I ran all year.

I could tell by about mile 5 that I didn’t have enough to set the world on fire. My pace had slowed to somewhere around 7:15s or so I think. I was still going to push for the best finish I could, but I didn’t have as much in me as I’d hoped. I got over my nausea by about mile 8 and then settled into a groove running miles around 7:20 or so. The course was a 6.55-mile out-and-back, so half marathoners ran the loop once and marathoners went twice.

I hit the half in 1:35:35, a 3:11 pace. I saw my wife and kids which was cool. They were excited and Benjamin was having fun working at an aid station. At that point, I felt like I was on the track and they were ringing the bell for the last lap. It was finally time to finish this thing off!

The wind was a little stiffer on the way back out, but it wasn’t terrible. I started to run out of steam by about mile 18 and could only manage 7:45s. When we hit the final turnaround at 19.65, I was excited that all I had to do was run back in and this whole thing was done. I started to get a little nervous, because I didn’t know how I’d be emotionally when I got to the finish. I’d been dreading that, because I didn’t know how I would react.

I started thinking a lot about my first race this year in Texas, and that dread I had, and how it had all come full circle with the (almost) completion of Operation Jack. For the most part, though, I was staying focused on my running. I needed to get my body to the finish line and the fatigue was starting to set in. I really wanted to get done. Five miles to go. Four miles to go. I was counting them down and getting excited to be done.

I had worked out something with Tiff and Jack was going to be a half-mile out from the finish and I was going to push him in while he was in a jog stroller. We hit mile 24, which is a good spot for me in a race, mentally. It starts to feel easy at that point, because I know the finish is close. Me and John took a bit of a wrong turn, but got back on track pretty quickly.

At 24.5, John told me that I only had a mile until Jack would be there. With a little over a mile to go, I saw my good friend Ben Delaney with him. Time for the handoff, time to finally get to the finish of a marathon of marathons! It’s tough to push that thing if you’r not used to it. I also had to try to keep it fairly steady, because he had a sandwich bag with celery and carrots in there, plus a sippy cup with a drink, and I didn’t want them to fall out.

I asked Ben if Jack was having a good time and he said he was just checking things out and he seemed fine. He had seen a plane a few minutes earlier and got really excited. I kept pushing, talking with John and Ben and making sure Jack was OK. The tenths were ticking down, and I wasn’t feeling the emotional overload I thought I would. I was just feeling physically beat and pushing the stroller was getting tough. Ben offered to help, but I told him no, I’d bring it in myself.

Finally, I got to the finish line and saw a bunch of people waiting for me, applauding. I kind of suspected that would happen. I saw quite a few people who had driven a considerable distance and it was nice to see them. I saw Ben, Ava and Tiff and they all came over to congratulate me.

Oh, I went 3:18:43, as if that matters. I got third place (yay for a small field!) so I got a trophy, which I was really hoping for since it says “Operation Jack Marathon” on it.

Anyways, a reporter from the Los Angeles NBC affiliate was there to do a piece on us, so I had to go straight into an interview while I tried to catch my breath. I made my way around to try to talk to everybody who was there and thank them for being there. Then I just kind of hung out for a while, watching people finish and talking to the volunteers.

Everybody seemed to like the race, which was really my biggest concern for the day. Everything seemed to go off well and it was a fun day for Train 4 Autism. In fact, several people were asking if we were going to the race again next year! I told them to wait until Tuesday to ask me that. It would be fun, I think, to put something on like this every year. But I need to decompress, first.

A couple of interesting things: I found out that a runner flew in from North Dakota just for this marathon! He flew out Saturday night, flew back after the race and it was his first-ever marathon! That totally blew my mind, and I was relieved to hear he had a great time. There was also another runner who drove down from the Bay Area for this and it was also his first marathon. I took pictures with both of them but haven’t gotten the pictures onto my computer yet. I’ll update this later.

And that’s pretty much it, I guess. Operation Jack, mission accomplished. I ran my 61 like I said I would and I went all-out every time like I said I would. It’s tough for me to really measure any accomplishments other than the money, but I’m pretty sure it was all worth it.

I’m not going to disappear now. I’ll still probably blog once or twice a week and tell bad jokes on Twitter, plus I’m going to get to work on building up my local Train 4 Autism chapter. I’ll keep pushing to try to make things better in the autism world, even though I don’t have much of a gameplan right now.

I’ll give one more reminder, as we get pretty close to the end of the year … you can still make a tax-deductible donation by clicking on the Donate Now! link at the top of any page on this site. Also, don’t hesitate to spread the word! I did this so you would talk about it. Tell your friends on Twitter and Facebook to stop by!

If there’s anything for you to remember from what I did this year, please let it be Train 4 Autism. Not that some nutty guy in California ran a whole lot of marathons.

Train 4 Autism.
Train 4 Autism.
Train 4 Autism.

Ya hear? If you ever come across somebody impacted by autism, send them this direction so I can tell them how they can use us to raise money for the autism-related charity of their choice! ANY charity!

Oh, and if you ever suspect your child is delayed, don’t wait to get treatment. Have your child evaluated so they can get treated as soon as possible. Early intervention is critical!

That’s all. Thanks for reading!


Me coming in to the finish. Jack was having a blast — he thought it was like a ride!

Me and Jack coming in to the finish with Ben (bib 268) and John (bib 298) close behind.

Me and John after the race.

Jack checking out the microphone.

Jack really wants the microphone!

My new favorite photo.

Sweetheart!

Ben and Jack.

Tiff getting interviewed.

My Swan Song

by 13 Comments

Well, this is it — my last blog before I’m finished with Operation Jack. I won’t post again until I write my race report. So, rather than wasting five minutes of your day with my silly jokes, I’m going to tell you one last time why I’m doing Operation Jack and what I want to come from it.

Operation Jack is my attempt to run 61 full marathons this year to raise money and awareness for a charity I’m a part of called Train 4 Autism. I’m a marathoner and a father of three. Running marathons is something I do, although I never ran more than 10 in a year before 2011. My middle child, 7-year-old Jack, is severely autistic, so I wanted to do something to make a difference. This was what I came up with. I’m through 60 so far. The 61st will be the Operation Jack Marathon on Sunday.

I came up with this idea to run all these races as my way of trying to make the world a better place. I’d like to think that everybody wants to make the world a better place. Maybe I’m wrong. I’m not going to sit here and say I’m 100 percent altruistic, but every since I started going to church with my family in 2008, it became increasingly important to me to not live for myself or care too much about myself.

Am I perfect in that regard? Heck no. I’m incredibly flawed. But I’m much happier with the way I approach the world and live my life. I enjoy running, but over time, starting in 2008, I wanted to use my running to do something for more than just myself. I wanted to make something happen. I want to make a difference. If I really think about it, I’m sure there’s a little selfishness in that regard. I mean, say I really made something big happen and made a lot of lives better. Well, maybe I’d have some kind of legacy. Who doesn’t want to be remembered?

But then Jack comes into play in that regard. I want Jack to be remembered. I want him to have a legacy. He’s going to have a tough time in this world. I look at him and get upset because he got robbed. He doesn’t get the same childhood I got, with friends and Little League and sleepovers and playing after school. He gets special ed and therapy and diapers. Me and my wife (his mom) Tiffany will always fight for him and do everything we can to help him along. But I’m realistic about his prognosis.

I mean, look at this video. He’s 7.

There are lots of bad things in this world that harm kids. But autism is what robbed my little boy of his fair chance. I believe that I’ve been led down the path I’m on for the past 36 years, and autism is what I’ve been called to fight. I hate it. I hate what it does to kids, I hate what it does to siblings, I hate what it does to parents and I hate what it does to families.

I want to see it eradicated from the world. I want researches to find the cause, I want researchers to find a cure and I want effective treatments to be developed. I’m not a scientist. I don’t have a lot of money to throw after this problem. But I do have one talent. I can run a marathon, and then run another one fairly soon, then repeat the process.

To me, it’s not a big deal. I can do it, so it doesn’t seem too difficult. But I’m aware that the average person gets some “wow” out of that, so I figured I’d find a way to use that God-given talent to help me fight autism. It took months and months of brainstorming, but this is what I came up with.

I’m fairly inward with a lot of my emotions. Writing this blog can be like my diary. I’m really numb to what my son goes through. I’m not in denial, and I’m 100 percent behind trying anything and everything to help him get better. Desperate times call for desperate measures and we’re desperate. But it doesn’t really seem real to me. It’s more surreal than real. I still think he’s going to come out of this. It’s tough for me to really process what he’s going through.

I know I hate autism, though. I hate hearing from people I went to high school with and learning that they have kids who have this wicked neurological disaorder. I hate autism and I’ll continue to fight it. I hate it. I think you get what I’m saying.

And I use Jack as my driving force behind this. It’s important for me to always remember that I would have never done this if not for him. Anything that comes out of this would not have happened if he didn’t struggle with autism. I want to make what he’s going through have a purpose. That wouldn’t make it worth it, but at least it could accomplish some good.

That good I’m seeking isn’t just me having 61 medals to hang on the wall. It’s helping Train 4 Autism grow, which will help people raise money for small, local autism-related charities. Or the big charities, too. It doesn’t matter. All of us fighting autism are in the same fight, regardless of which charities we support. I want Jack’s autism to end up making things better for other kids. Helping Train 4 Autism grow is my first attempt at that.

When all is said and done, forget about my ice cream and cheeseburgers and travel mishaps. If there’s anything I want people to remember from everything I’ve done, it’s Train 4 Autism. Sometime down the road, when you cross paths with somebody impacted by autism who wants a vehicle to help raise money for a local charity, I want Train 4 Autism to come to mind. If you want to run a marathon someday and do it for a cause, I want you to think of Train 4 Autism. Train 4 Autism. Train 4 Autism. Is it in your head yet?

One other thing I want to stress while I still have a platform is if you have a child someday that’s slow to develop and you discover they might be on the spectrum, don’t delay with treatment! Denial only hurts your child. Early intervention is CRITICAL. Do not ignore warning signs!

So that’s it, I guess.

Train 4 Autism, early intervention.
Train 4 Autism, early intervention.
Train 4 Autism, early intervention.

I think you get it.

I’ll post a race report after the race on Sunday and I’ll blog next year, maybe twice a week or so. But for the most part, I’m done blogging my way through Operation Jack. It’s been an incredible ride and I appreciate you all following along. It’s been a huge test. I’ve failed along the way, I’ve gotten stronger along the way. Individually, it’s really been a once-in-a-lifetime experience and it’s been awesome to have some many people along for the ride. And finally, I can see the finish line.

But remember, it’s not too late to spread the word on Twitter or Facebook, and of course, it’s not too late to make a tax-deductible donation! Pass this blog along — let’s make one last attempt to bring people in!

Remember, Train 4 Autism. Early intervention!

Am I Superman?

by 5 Comments

Judging by the feedback I’ve been getting, I don’t think you guys like the question and answer blogs I’ve been doing. But, I still have a few more questions to answer, so I’m going to answer them. Somebody asked if I was Superman, and today, I’ll give a truthful answer to that. Are you curious? Keep reading!

Real quick, just in case you’ve never been here, welcome! I’m a father of three and a marathon runner. My middle child, 7-year-old Jack, is severely autistic. I wanted to do something to use my running to make a difference, so I’m attempting to run 61 marathons this year to raise money for a charity I’m a part of called Train 4 Autism.

I named this endeavor Operation Jack, after my son. This year is almost done, as is Operation Jack. I’m through 60 of the 61 so far! OK, moving on …

A couple of quick things about race 61, The Operation Jack Marathon
The Operation Jack Marathon is this Sunday. If you’re in the Southern California area, come out and join us! The rain is supposed to go away tomorrow! Click here to see all about the race, registration, etc. Come out and run with us! If you’re not local, consider the Satellite Run option. We’re aiming for all 50 states and we only have 10 to go. Participants get a race shirt and a medal. And, of course, they’re helping a great cause.

Post-Race Celebration Sunday
We’ll be getting together at a local restaurant. I created an evite. Click to operationjack.org/postrace to automatically view it. The invitation is open to anybody. If you want to go, just RSVP so we know to expect you!

What was your favorite course, most memorable, most scenic, least scenic, and what the heck what I thinking course?
I’ve touched on the favorite course thing, but it was Humpy’s in Anchorage. Most memorable will probably be this weekend’s Operation Jack Marathon. How am I ever going to top that? Least scenic, I’d probably go with Arizona Rock ‘N Roll. And What the heck was I thinking? The Tahoe Triple.

That was tough, especially 46 marathons into the year in a month that featured two ultras, seven races total of at least marathon distance and five races that started above 6,000 feet, two that finished above 7,000 feet and one that was a four-story building shy of 9,000 feet. What the heck was I thinking?

Are you in fact Superman?
A supporter from Illinois asked me this question. This kind of stuff makes me blush. But I made a deal — you ask questions, I’ll give you the answers. Am I Superman? Yes. I am.

What’s been harder, the the running or the time without the fam?
The time without the fam, no question. I got homesick a lot more than I thought the running was getting too tough. In fact, the running never really fazed me. I just went through the grind and got it done.

But I hated leaving. Even last week, when I was excited because it was my last trip, I was sad to leave. I found that it was easier to leave when everybody was asleep, but I didn’t like being gone, and I got pretty upset when I missed things.

How do you recover so quickly after each marathon?
Previous high-mileage training helped with that. But I think maybe I’m just blessed to recover fairly quickly. I haven’t been 100 percent all year, and it’s been frustrating to not be able to do what I’ve been able to do in the past, but I haven’t been in a ton of pain. I’ve been more-or-less sore all year.

I went primarily protein in my diet the first three days after my races, I stretched a lot and I did slow, easy runs during the week. I took ice baths when I could, although not often enough.

What running products have you found are absolute garbage/must halves?
I don’t know of anything I haven’t really liked. I don’t buy every latest product out there and I’m pretty simple, so I couldn’t really tell you anything I don’t like. But the one thing I really came to like this year was my Zensah compression pants. I wore them after my races and they were a huge help in preventing cramping. I called them my polyester cramp removers and I loved them!

How do you deal with haters, hecklers and wiseacres?
Not too well! I knew going in I’d encounter some of that and I wasn’t looking forward to it. It’s tough to get attacked and I’d hear some things, but I think the best thing to do is tune it out and stay focused on the goal. I’m pretty thin-skinned, argumentative and defensive, so I’m glad there wasn’t a lot of it.

I had people questioning my motives and questioning my relationship with my family and it made me extremely angry. Those who witnessed it know I didn’t manage the situation well and in addition to learning how I should have handled it, I learned that absorbing criticism is a major weakness of mine.

If you trained for just one marathon, what time do you think you could post?
I’ll find out on April 18. I’m aiming for sub-2:55.

How do you manage the logistics? Meaning, how do you find the time to pick up your race packet, especially on weekends you do more than one race, and get all your flights planned for right times and arrange transportation.
The flights were pain. There are three airports I can fly out of. There are occasionally multiple airports I could fly into. And there are different websites I would use to check fares. So, sometimes I’d have to do 15 or 20 checks to find a good flight. Fares were critical, but so were timelines. I have a job. I have a family. But I had to get to where I was going, too. So I needed perfect timelines at perfect rates.

Sometimes, the rates didn’t look good and I’d investigate backup races. Sometimes I’d do 50 searches to square away a weekend. It took me six hours to book my tickets for the weekend I went to Kansas City and Denver. That part seemed like such a time killer.

As for lodging and transportation, I usually booked my room and car the night before I left. I really only had problems with that twice. I forgot to book a car when I went to Knoxville, Tenn., so when I got there, I just went to each counter and asked for rates. When I flew into Missoula, the only company left with a car was Hertz, and they were incredibly expensive, so to save money, I sat in the terminal for three hours to make sure I only had the rental for 24 hours.

I knew going in the logistics were going to be a nightmare and they were. And I got to take care of it all myself. Fun, fun stuff.

Regarding race packets, any time I had the opportunity to have somebody else pick up my packet, I took advantage of that. Race expos don’t do it for me any more. On my last double, I got from Memphis to Las Vegas in time to get to the expo. It was weird picking up my packet knowing I’d gone 26.2 on the other side of the country earlier in the day.

I usually arranged with somebody to pick up my packet for me (thank you, Ally Phillips!) for doubles, but I figured out a way when I couldn’t. That either required squaring things away with the race or getting to town on time. For weekends when I only ran one marathon, I made sure I’d arrive on time and then I’d go straight to the expo from the airport.

How many pairs of shoes did you go through?
I went through six pairs of shoes. I’m currently rotating pairs No. 7 and 8 and I’m about 25 percent through each of those.


I number them so I know which pair I’m wearing. It helps me keep track of the miles.

What are you going to do you with your first weekend off?
Well, I’ll spend plenty of time with my family, watch a little football, work on the garage and take down the Christmas lights. From a running standpoint, though, I’m not sure what I’m going to do. I might take the weekend off, or I might go out for a 30-miler on my old training route. I’m not sure. I’ll see what I’m in the mood to do.

It’s probably hard to quantify tired, but how tired are you?
I’m straight-up worn out. I’m more tired than anything. I’m totally exhausted more than anything else. I’ve completely run myself into the ground. It’s not just the three hours a week that I’m running. It’s the 168 hours a week that I’m existing. I’ve been tired this entire year. I can’t even sleep more than 7 hours right now, because I’m so used to functioning on 6 that I wake up naturally after 7. I’m absolutely out of gas.

How long in 2011 before you do another race?
Boston, April 18. I hope I still have followers because it’s going to be a fun one. Oh, I’m pacing the 3:40 group at Surf City on Super Bowl Sunday, but that doesn’t really count. Physically, that’s just a training run for me.

OK, that’s all for today.
Is it really Wednesday? Wow. This week is going by way too fast. I’ll see you back here for one last blog before my last race. It’s not going to be a question-and-answer session, though. See you tomorrow!

More Questions, More Answers

by 2 Comments

Last night while I was eating my dinner, my wife asked me how many different flights I took this year. So, I looked at my list of races and started counting. I remember when I took direct flights and when I changed planes. I had 124 flights this year. I’m glad she asked — now I’ll always know! Several of you have also asked questions and I have the answers in the third in a series of Q&A blogs. How’s that for a transition? I’d give it a C+ — it was kind of weak.

Real quick, just in case you’ve never been here, welcome! I’m a father of three and a marathon runner. My middle child, 7-year-old Jack, is severely autistic. I wanted to do something to use my running to make a difference, so I’m attempting to run 61 marathons this year to raise money for a charity I’m a part of called Train 4 Autism.

I named this endeavor Operation Jack, after my son. This year is almost done, as is Operation Jack. I’m through 60 of the 61 so far! And now, the questions …

This can’t be the end of the line. What’s next for Operation Jack
Well, I’d say a nap. From a charity standpoint, I have no idea. I don’t know what I’m able to do any more. I know people got behind me because of all the marathons I ran this year, but this stuntman thing isn’t something I’m going to continue. I’d love to be able to continue to build a base and get people to make something happen. I just don’t know what I’m going to do or how I’m going to do it.

I’m going to try to build my local Train 4 Autism chapter and I’ll concentrate on helping new chapters any way I can (Maine, that’s you!). And really, I’d love to do anything I can. But I’m turning in my Superman cape for my Clark Kent glasses. I don’t know what I’ll really be able to do. If anybody has anything they want me to do to help a charity, you know where to find me.

Individually, I’ll be running the Boston Marathon, then training for a summer 5K, then I’ll move back into marathon training for the fall. I’ll also spend a lot of time with my family!

Which Marathon Was Your Favorite?
I have to answer this one with five different marathons.

1. Boston. Best run of the year for me, best quality field of runners and they put on one heck of a race.

2. Humpy’s (Anchorage). Amazing run. Very scenic, quick course. If there is one race I could go back to and run with my wife, it’s this one.

3. Oklahoma City. I loved it for everything it was about. It was a great tribute to the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing and they pulled it off really well.

4. Marine Corps (Arlington, Va.). Great race, great support, amazing military presence. I loved this race, it’s a must-do for any marathoner and it’s a great race for a first-timer.

5. Operation Jack Marathon. No idea how it will turn out, but it will be one that I always remember, no question.

How do you train/mentally prepare for all these marathons?
To do something like this, high mileage is probably the best way to train. When I peaked with my mileage in 2008, I was running 100+ miles every week. I ran 26-30 miles as my long run at least three times a month or so. Attempting to run 61 marathons isn’t something I knew I could do, but I was confident it was something I could reasonably go after. The one big difference between my training and the 61 is that I’m going all-out every time when I race. It makes recovery difficult, but I’ve always recovered fairly well, so I knew I could probably do it.

On a weekly basis, I take it easy. I don’t run much more than six miles at a time. I’ve run 10 or more miles maybe five times this year aside from the marathons. If I’m feeling good, I’ll go to the track and do a speed workout to keep the wheels turning. If not, I’ll just ride the bike at the gym. I have to walk that fine line between getting exercise mid-week and staying as fresh as possible for the weekend. For the most part, I feel pretty lazy about my workouts six days a week.

Mentally, it’s tough. There have been a good 15 or 20 times this year that I’ve woken up and thought, “Man, I really don’t feel like running a marathon today.” That can be pretty tough, when you have to run a marathon. But I don’t have much choice, so I just do it. In those races, I usually lose focus and run poorly. Sometimes, I think about running fast, listen to upbeat music during the week and get myself excited to turn in a good performance. But really, when you’re running 61 marathons full speed in a year as an amateur on top of everything else you’re doing, it’s tough to find that motivation at times. It becomes a job.

How did you stay injury free?
I was blessed. I mean, I don’t know what else to say. I took 10-15 ice baths during the year (not enough), I stretched pretty regularly and I was reasonably trained for it. My injuries were minor (IT band flareups in my right leg, tendinitis in my right leg), and while they were painful, they didn’t threaten my ability to complete the races.

I did my best listening to my body, but really, I think I just have some kind of genetic makeup that helps me recover well and keeps me injury free.

What course that you ran this year will you never run again and why?
Lewis & Clark in St. Charles, Mo. It was the last running of that course, so there’s no option for me to run it again, but it was absolutely the least exciting course I’ve ever run. Nothing but … I don’t even remember. Maybe a couple of neighborhoods, plus some industrial areas I think. I couldn’t think of anything while I was running it other than, “this is the most boring course I’ve ever run.”

Are you satisfied with the way Operation Jack turned out?
Content? Yes. Satisfied? No. I say content, because I view the year as a gain for Train 4 Autism. Not only in the short term, but I also think there will be long-term benefits. But I’m not satisfied. It’s not like me to be satisfied. I’m hard on myself and I think I could have done better. There are things I would have done differently that would have made the year more successful, so no, I’m not satisfied.

Is there a course that you will run year after year after discovering it this year?
I don’t have the budget to run anything year after year. But if I did, it would be Humpy’s up in Anchorage. I loved that course and I could take a trip up there every summer, no question.

Is there a course you missed out on this year that you wish you could have run and hope to run in the future?
New York City! I really, really want to run that course someday and run through all five boroughs. I know it does a great job showcasing the city, which in my book is the most interesting city in the country. I want to qualify my way in, so I need to run a sub-2:55. I’m a little ways away from that, but I’ll get there.

When you look back at this year, what is the first thing that comes to mind?
The first thing that comes to mind is the first race of the year in Kingwood, Texas. That’s where it all started. I can’t believe I spent an entire year doing this and I’ll always think back to how it all started there on that nice run on New Year’s Day. In a broader perspective, I think the first thing I’ll always think of is going in and out of airports every single weekend.

I think that’s enough for today
I still have more questions on the list that you guys gave me. If there’s anything you want answered, let me know. I’ll see you back here tomorrow, probably with a few more Q&As. Have a great Tuesday.

One Last Weekend Recap

by 4 Comments

One last weekend recap, finally! I took my last trip of Operation Jack this weekend. It was a tough weekend for me, because I had so much going on behind the scenes, but it’s over and done with, and I can move on now.

Real quick, just in case you’ve never been here before, I’m a father of three and a marathon runner. My middle child, 7-year-old Jack, is severely autistic. I wanted to do something to make a difference, and I want Jack to have an impact on the world, so I’ve been attempting to run 61 full marathons this year to raise money and awareness for a charity I’m a part of called Train 4 Autism.

I named the endeavor Operation Jack, after him. If not for his autism, I wouldn’t have attempted this. So I know that anything I do through all this running to help Train 4 Autism, or really, anybody, wouldn’t have happened if not for him. So, I know that through his struggles, he’s making the world a better place, even though he doesn’t know it and he probably never will.

Yesterday, I ran marathon No. 60 of the year, and to put it mildly, I was THRILLED with how it went! I ran a Boston qualifier in Jacksonville. My time, 3:14, wasn’t the greatest time I’ve ever run, but I really wanted to find a way to dig deep enough to pull out a BQ in my 60th marathon of the year, and I did just that. Click here to read my recap.

Misc. Pictures From The Weekend
There’s a few pictures from this weekend I really liked and I’m going to share.


I saw this on Facebook while I was switching planes on my way to Jacksonville on Saturday. Tiff and Jack, both really happy for a picture. If it makes you smile, just imagine how much it makes me smile.

Jack woke up super-early Saturday morning, while I was leaving for the airport. Then he decided to kick Tiff out of her bed, take her laptop and start playing with his Easter eggs. Y’all need to know it’s Jack’s world and we’re just living in it!

I saw this and thought, yeah, this needs to make it into the blog.

Jack loves Curious George so I brought a small one along this weekend.

I’ve got another picture a little farther down in the blog.

I have a video, too. Last Friday was Jack’s holiday presentation at school. This video is a perfect example of why I love my wife. She doesn’t care about anything other than what’s best for Jack. In this case, she saw that he wasn’t dancing the way he should have during the presentation.

She didn’t care what anybody thought about her jumping up on stage to get him going. Last year didn’t go too well, and that wasn’t going to be the case this year — she made certain of that. She’s one tough, proud mama, and nothing will get in the way of her and what’s best for Jack. Period.

Down To The Wire
OK, it’s THIS WEEKEND, y’all! Operation Jack Marathon and Operation Jack Satellite Run — who’s not in? If you’re going to be in Southern California, come on out and join us! If not, we could use more people everywhere for the satellite runs.

Either way, you’re going to get the race shirt and the medal! So register … NOW! The list of satellite participants is missing a few. I don’t think I’ve updated it since Saturday. I’ll get to it later today.


Get yourself one of these!

No More Travel!
As my flight was touching down and landing last night, I was thinking about there would be no more travel. I felt like a kid getting out of school on the last day when I checked out my hotel yesterday, my last hotel of the year. Like a geek, I tweeted, “Cue Annie Lennox: ‘No More Hotel Rooms.'” I don’t think anybody got it.

I had a few hours to kill and I got to hang out at a sports bar and watch some football with two people I featured in my race report. That was about the first time I’ve gotten to chill after a race all year. I felt like it was a nice, little reward after a long, long year. And the Chiefs won!

When I checked in my rental car, it was my last time going through that routine, too. That was kind of weird, too. No more of that, either. It sounds kind of dumb, but I’ve checked in more than 50 rental cars this year. I have everything down to a routine and that’s one routine I won’t have any more.

And then finally, the flying. I used to be afraid of flying. Nothing fazes me now. I think taking propellor planes through thunderstorms this summer sealed the deal on that one. I got an upgrade to first class on the first flight, from Jacksonville to Atlanta. That was cool. The benefits of frequent flyer status!


This was my second plane on Saturday, only one seat on the left side of the aisle! I would have never flown on this thing in the past!

I’m pretty superstitious, and for the last flight, I chose seat 13A. I would have never done that in the past because of the number 13, but when I picked the seat, it was in a preferred row (the benefits of frequent flyer status!), the aisle was taken and the middle was open. I knew that if I took the window, it was pretty likely that nobody would be in the middle. Sure enough, that seat stayed empty, I put my backpack under the seat in front of the middle and had plenty of legroom. I figured out the routine, I got over the worries, and now I don’t have to do it any more.

When we touched down, I was thinking about how it was my last flight of this whole thing. But there was no real sadness or excitement. It just was. But I had a ton of obstacles getting home. First, we had to wait on the tarmac for a gate to open up. At this point, it’s 10:30 Pacific time and I had been up, without a nap, since 1:45 a.m. Pacific time. I’d spent 6 1/2 hours on two flights, plus I’d run a marathon. I was tired and wanted to get home!

But, my phone had died. So when we got into the terminal, at about 10:45, I had to charge it for about five minutes. I needed to call Tiff, because I knew she’d be worrying about whether or not I’d landed safely. Wives are funny like that. So I waited. And called her. When I fly out of Orange County, I park for free at my brother’s work, which is about 1/2 mile from the airport. Lucky for me last night, when I finally got outside for the walk, it was pouring. Then, I got to my car and changed my windshield wipers. I bought new ones on Friday night, but didn’t change them outside my house in the rain. I knew the right place to be would be inside the covered parking garage Sunday night. I just didn’t know how tired I’d be.

Finally I got on the road and drove cautiously through the rain, walking through the door about 11:40 — 22 hours after I woke up in Jacksonville. Tiff asked me if it had sunk in yet that there was no more travel, but it hadn’t. It’s still the same as normal right now — I just traveled home from a marathon and I have a race this weekend.

But I’m getting close. And I’m definitely tired today!

That’s All For Today
I need to get to the office. Y’all have a great day. I’ll be back tomorrow to finish up those Q&As.