Operation Jack

Fighting autism, one mile at a time.

Archives for 2010

Race Report: Surf City Marathon

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I don’t have to run fast to be competitive, and the Surf City Marathon was a perfect example of that. I was the official pacer for the 3:30 group for second straight year, and my goal was simple. I wanted to come closer to 3:30:00 without going over than I did last year. Last year, I went 3:29:54.

When pacing, I run by pace, not by heart rate. I keep an eye on my Garmin and do my best to keep my average and current pace right on the money depending on how long I think I’m going to run with the tangents. 26.2 miles required an 8:00 pace, 26.3 needed 7:59, 26.4 needed 7:57 and 26.5 needed 7:55. I planned on getting rolling at about 7:59 or so per mile and then adjusting based on how straight my lines were.

I explained my strategy to my group before the start of the race. I told them I was going to attempt to run as even as possible. There’s one decent downhill that I would take advantage of and we’d run about a 7:35, but on the way back up the hill, I told them we’d be a little bit slower. Aside from that, I’d be shooting for miles right around 8:00 and I promised them if they stuck with me, I’d get them to the line at the right time. I told them about my 3:29:54 from last year, and they seemed relieved.

But then a friend of mine who was running with was was talking to me about my run in the Diamond Valley Lake Marathon the day before. My group looked a little panicked when they heard that I was responsible for pacing them even though I had run a marathon the day before, but I told them not to worry. This was my fifth double, and the slowest I’d done in any of the second-day races was a 3:21 in Mobile this year, but the 22-degree temps (11 with wind chill) probably had a little something to do with it.

I told them I was so sure I’d run a good race, that if I did, they owed a visit to operationjack.com, but if I didn’t, they could go curse about me to everybody! And then, we were off.

I was a tiny bit slow out of the gate, but I’m not worried about five seconds after one mile. A marathon is a long, long race. I got heckled in the second mile, which surprised me. Some guy was flying buy, yelling that the 3:30 pacer was going too fast and killing his people. The funny thing was, I was actually slow. I don’t normally get mouthy on the race course, but I told him what my time was when I paced last year, and that I was pretty sure I’d be just fine.

I was a little off here and there on my early miles, but I settled into a routine. It looked like we were going to be running 26.4 miles, so I tried to keep my average pace at about 7:57. I got it there by about mile 8 and held it. I got a good feel for the effort I needed to run the right pace and locked into a zone. We hit the half in 1:45:03 and I jokingly told the group we’d make up the three seconds.

The more we kept rolling, the more it actually started to look like I was going to run about 26.35 miles. I figured I was probably going to be 20 seconds fast, but I didn’t change anything up. Less than a second per mile probably isn’t all that bad. I’m competitive with myself, so I’d rather be one second fast than 20, but there was no sense slowing people down if they were locked into a groove.

I started to fatigue a little bit over the final two miles, but the sun came out, and let’s be realistic … I was pretty close to the completion of my second marathon of the weekend. I tried to start motivating people, telling them to stick with me and they’d be in the 3:20s. Of course, it’s tougher to hit a pace when the sun’s peaking and you’re near the end of 26.2 all-out miles.

I ended up crossing the finish line in 3:29:39. I was a little bummed, because it was too fast for what I wanted to do. I really wanted to be in the 3:29:50s, but I expect a lot out of myself. I know that there’s really nothing wrong than being fast by less than one second per mile over the course of a marathon. Individually, I was pretty happy about my heart rate. Last year, I averaged 161 when I paced. This year, 153. I’ve suspected from my morning runs that I’m getting into better shape, but it’s going to be tough to see results because I’m not going to be fresh until next year.

Anyways, I had a lot of fun out there on the course today. For starters, it’s very rewarding to help people achieve their goals. Lots of people thanked me afterwards, and that was pretty cool. Also, I saw a lot of people I knew over the course of the race — probably at least two dozen yelled hellos. At one point, somebody running with me asked, “Is there anybody you don’t know?” It was a fun day. Good or bad, aren’t they all?

If you want to see my splits, they’re here.

Eight down, 52 to go. I can do this! Next up, Austin!


Me and two my biggest fans: My brother Josh and my good friend Ben

Me and Train 4 Autism founder Ben Fesagaiga

Race Report: Diamond Valley Lake Marathon

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Imagine a day with perfect conditions for racing. Clear skies, no precipitation, absence of wind and great course conditions with solid footing. Take the exact opposite of that and you have the 2010 Diamond Valley Lake Marathon. 3:28:01 after the start of the race, I crossed the finish line after experiencing the worst race-day weather of any of my 35 (to-date) marathons.

The forecast was for rain, and the forecast was accurate. I hid under a tent that was just to the side of the start line until the beginning of the race and I took off from there. Within the first mile, I was getting whipped by the wind and the rain was stinging as it hit me. I knew it would be a long day, but the race report would be fun to write.

About 22 of the 26 miles of this race are run on a dirt fire road. We were on that path within about 1/2 mile and it was very muddy. I was cautious early, trying to get used to footing. It was slippery in parts, my feet sunk into the mud for a fair amount and there were dozens of big puddles I had no choice but to run through.

I fell into a rhythm after a couple of miles and knew it wasn’t going to be a fast day. This was my third time running this race and I never run a quick time. The course isn’t a killer, but it’s just not quick. In perfect weather, I ran a 3:17 two years ago and a 3:24 last year. Both times, I ran the Carlsbad Marathon faster the next day, so that’s probably a good indicator that I can’t really compare a performance on this course to a regular road course. It’s not a trail run, but it’s still not ideal for a blazing time.

At about six miles in, we cross over a long road — I think it’s a dam — and there was a fierce headwind that made me feel like I was on a treadmill. I was running and running and going nowhere. I had been running 7:30 miles in the mud, but with this wind, I turned an 8:37 mile on a flat road.

From there, the elements didn’t get any better. The rain was off-and-on the entire race. Sometimes it was a sprinkle, sometimes it was a heavy downpour. The course was a run around a large lake and after we got past that dam and wrapped around the lake, the wind alternated between crosswind and headwind for about 10 miles.

I hit the 1/2 in 1:41 and just hoped to match my 3:24 from last year. I knew I had no shot at a time I’d like. At about 17, it started to rain pretty hard. It was a little dark out and I started to cross over a dam on the other side of the lake. That’s when the hail started pelting me. I started thinking of Rocky IV when Rocky is training in Siberia. I was thinking that if Rocky would have been training for a marathon, this is the kind of run he would have had. It was straight-up miserable. Nothing fun about it. I went as hard as I could across that second dam, because I was afraid I was a lightning target.


My dirty legs after the race.

I made a wrong turn at about 20 that cost me about 30 seconds, but I figured out quick enough that I was back on the right track and I kept plodding through the quicksand. Well, it was just mud, but it felt like quicksand. I could feel the strain in my hamstrings, because I had to pull with more effort for each step.

I ran out of gas and faded and realized the 3:24 wasn’t going to happen. A friend of mine, Jeff Cate, caught up with me and we ran the final two miles together. He was using it as a training run, and he looked really strong. I think he’s going to run in the mid-2:50s in Los Angeles March 21, although he thinks he’s only at right around 2:59 or 3:00. We finally finished and he forced me to finish in front of him.


Me and Jeff after the race.

I went 3:28:01 and he went 3:28:02. He probably could have gone 3:27 flat if he wouldn’t have stuck with me. My time was good for fifth overall, second in my age group. When I found out the guy who won last year in 2:42 was only able to run 3:03 to repeat as champion, I felt a little better about my time.

All-in-all, an extremely difficult today. But I know it was a great workout, I really beat myself up and in about a year, I’ll look back on it fondly. No sooner than a year though!

This Looks Like A Picasso!

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Earlier this week, Jack surprised us this by giving us a hug spontaneously. This morning, he surprised again with his artwork. He’s put some thought into what he’s doing on there in the past, writing “BEN” (his brother’s name) and drawing a clock. This was one of the better drawings we’ve seen, though, so I definitely took a picture! We continue to see progress with him. Maybe he’s reaping a reward from all the work I’m doing?

Here’s the picture he drew. He had a good morning. He stayed up in the playroom drawing and watching Up!, smiling and laughing the whole time. The past two mornings were filled with meltdowns, so this was a breath of fresh air!


He later drew a little hat, but he wrecked his drawing before I could get another picture!

Weekend Forecast
I’m not talking about the weather — I’m talking about my racing. But unfortunately, that’s going to force me to talk about the weather. I have a double this weekend, my second of the year, and I’m looking forward to the challenge. Saturday is the Diamond Valley Lake Marathon, which is run around a big lake about 70 miles from my home. This is my third time running it, and both times I’ve run it, I’ve won my age group. I’d like to make it three-for-three.

It’s definitely not going to be an easy run, though. The elevation rolls a little bit and there are a couple of short, steep climbs, but about 22 of the 26.2 miles are run on a dirt fire road. I’ll end up with a few pebbles in my shoes, which isn’t that big of a deal. I’m more concerned with the mud. It’s supposed to rain, which will make it tough. You can bet I’ll go all-out, though. I think I have a follower who’s running a marathon on Sunday who’s pledging a dollar for every minute faster I am than him in his race. I don’t have this 100 percent confirmed, but I’ll blog more about it on Monday.

I’ll start my Super Bowl Sunday with the Surf City Marathon for the fifth consecutive year. Well actually, it used to be called Pacific Shoreline, and the first time I ran the 1/2, but regardless, I’ve made it a habit of working off my calories that day well before I consume them. I’m the official 3:30 pacer for the race on Sunday, so my goal is a 3:29:59. Last year, I was the 3:30 pacer and went 3:29:57 on my Garmin, 3:29:54 chip time.

I take pacing pretty seriously. If I mess up my own race, that’s my own problem. But I don’t want to mess up anybody else’s race. I was only off the perfect time by five seconds last year, but I still hope to be closer this year.

What about 59 and an Ultra?
I got a crazy idea yesterday, but it’s still in the infancy stages. I haven’t even told my wife, which means she’s going to get mad when she reads this and she’ll call me and tell me I’m nuts. But I have a friend who’s an extremely good ultra runner (he’s run Badwater about four times, he runs 100-milers on a whim) and we were talking about Tahoe a little bit. The third day of the triple also gives you the option of a 72-miler instead of just a marathon.

So I was talking to him about us doing that together. I’m very passionate about raising money to help fight autism, and he’s very passionate about raising money to build wells in Africa. I’m thinking that if we did this the right way, we could help each other do very good things for both causes. But I don’t consider ultras to be marathons. Would I need to add another marathon to the schedule? Would I just call it 59+1? Am I just an idiot? I don’t know. I’ll figure it out at some point.

Pasta Dinner Saturday Night!
If you’re running Surf City, or if you’re in Southern California, come to the Operation Jack pasta dinner on Saturday night! We can actually accommodate a few more at the door than I thought. I’ll be there, Jack will be there, food will be there … what more could you possibly want?

Ice Cream Update
For most people, eating ice cream five days in a row would be an unusual binge. For me, though, it’s an indicator that I really messed up six days ago. I went with vanilla last night. Not glamorous, but it was good.

Thank You Deirdre Edwards!
I decided I’m going to try to thank somebody for something they’ve done for Operation Jack in every blog I write. So far, I’ve thanked Jake Rome, Erin Ruff and Danica Kooiman. Today, I’ll thank Deirdre Edwards. She’s always very supportive of what we’re trying to do and she always spreads the word on the social media outlets I interact with her on.

Early on, she helped design flyers for me and was able to obtain 14,000 two-sided, full-color flyers printed on a nice card stock for FREE! Those have really helped quite a bit! Also, she volunteered to help me out with the dirty work involved with Saturday’s pasta dinner, and I’m going to be working with her to help plan a future event.

Operation Jack takes a lot of work from a lot of people. I run myself into the ground, but I can’t do it all on my own. It’s nice to have people like Deirdre in my corner!

That’s All For Today
Have a great weekend everybody! Geaux Saints! And relax a little more than I will!

A Gift From Jack!

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Time drags on forever when you’re waiting on something — that extra day before your magazine comes in the mail, 15 extra minutes that you stand there waiting for your ride to pick you up, an hour sitting on the plane waiting for your delayed takeoff. Well yesterday, I finally got something I’d been waiting six years, four months and 16 days for … a hug from Jack!

I had already given him a kiss goodnight and I was downstairs making a phone call for work. As I sat there waiting on hold (those 10 minutes seemed like forever, too!), Tiff called me upstairs because I needed to see something. At bedtime, one of us typically lays next to Jack in his bed for five or 10 minutes, scratching his back or arms as he relaxes before going to bed. Well, last night, he put his arm around her up by her neck to hug her and wouldn’t let go. She wanted me to rush upstairs to see that, because he’s NEVER done that.

I got up to his room, and she wanted him to give her another hug, but he didn’t. After about a minute, though, he spontaneously looked at her and said “mommy”! He doesn’t do that. Ever. Tiff got pretty excited, and about 15 seconds later he looked over in my direction and said “daddy”! And no, he doesn’t ever do that, either!

We were completely shocked, in a good way. We know there’s something going on in there, and when something comes out, it’s exciting. We still look forward to the day that he talks with us and tells us what he’s thinking and interacts with us, Ben and Ava.

He wasn’t really giving Tiff a hug again, but I believed it. He wasn’t really letting her get up, so she asked him what he wanted. When we prompt him with “what do you want?” we usually get a muffled answer that helps us know what he wants. He’ll say “drink”,”chip”,”cookie”,”push play” and a few other things like that in his cute, muffled voice.

But last night, in response to the question, he said “I want Daddy”! As you can probably guess, that was the first time that ever happened, too. He didn’t have to ask twice. I went over to give him a hug, but he beat me to the punch, giving me the same neck-lock he gave Tiff a few minutes earlier. And he wouldn’t let go. He was giving me kisses and pulling me tight enough to bend my glasses a little bit. All the while, I still had the phone on hold, prepared to hang up if I actually got to a live person at that time.

That was the first hug I’ve ever gotten from him. It’s pretty hard to explain what it’s like to have virtually no emotional interaction from your child towards you for six years, but I’ve become pretty numb to it all. We’ve known that there are plenty of thoughts going on inside his head, but it’s really encouraging to see things like this. We know better days are ahead, and with signs like this, we’re still optimistic that they’re not too far off.

After a few minutes, he let go to go to sleep and I went downstairs, still listening to the hold music on my phone call. After a few minutes, I finally spoke to someone and resolved my issue. For once, I wasn’t bothered while waiting a few extra minutes.

I Thought This Would Be Easy!

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My body hates me. 5 1/2 hours of sleep Friday night, cross-country flying Saturday, 4 1/2 hours of sleep Saturday night, up at 12:30 a.m. (body time) Sunday morning to run a marathon in 70-degree, 96-percent-humidity weather, then a cross-country flight back. My flight back was delayed an hour while we were on the tarmac and when we got in, we waited on the tarmac again because there wasn’t an open gate. I had to get a little bit of work done when I got home, but I followed my day-after-a-marathon routine and got up bright and early this morning to run six miles. Am I an idiot?

I like to push myself, and as long as that keeps you entertained and coming back to follow Operation Jack, I’ll keep running myself into the ground. Yesterday’s race was a pretty difficult 3:20:03 in Miami (you can read about it here). I’m bummed about the time, but totally content with my effort. I wrecked myself out there.

This weekend should be easier. I get to sleep in my own bed! I just have to run two marathons, but big deal!

Early Intervention Is Critical
If your child is showing signs that they have autism, you have two paths you can take. One will make you feel better, but the other will make your child get better.

Early intervention is the key, and the family I stayed with this weekend is living proof of that. The father is an online running friend of mine and I spoke to him last summer when he first realized his son had autism. It’s natural for parents to want to live in denial, but that doesn’t do your child any good. The family I stay with knew to attack the problem head on and their son has made amazing progress.

Their 2-year-old had regressed and had no language as recently as last summer. But after all sorts of speech and behavioral therapy, he’s doing remarkably well. He’s talking up a storm, very engaged and he was pretty social with me. I’m so, so happy for him and for his parents. They’re great parents who would do anything for their kids and this story looks like it’s going to have a happy ending.

I always say that autism is like a knee injury. It might always be there beneath the surface, and there are varying degrees of severity, but the sooner you treat it, the better it will be long-term.

And while Jack is still straggly pretty badly, I can keep think about my brother Josh and the knee injury analogy. Josh was in a serious car accident when he was 16 and has had at least a half-dozen or so knee surgeries in the past 17 years. But he ran a half marathon in October, proof that you never say never.

Schedule Change
A lot of races are switching weekends this year, so I’m changing up my schedule. I was going to run Baltimore and Long Beach, but they each dropped back a weekend, conflicting with Kansas City and Denver, which I’m sticking with. So the weekend of October 9 and 10, I’m going to run Hartford and Chicago instead. Registration for Chicago opens today. If you’re going to run it, don’t delay and miss the boat!

Surf City Pasta Dinner
The Surf City Marathon is this weekend in Huntington Beach, Calif., and we’re going to have a pasta dinner the night before. We’re starting to get a pretty good turnout and I’d love to see you/meet you there. More details are available here. You need to confirm by about Wednesday, because we need to call in the head count to our caterer on Thursday. I hope to see you there!

How’s This For Ironic?
On the Delta flight I was on last night, the TV screen in the headrest in front of me mentioned that Delta was the official airlines of the Grammy Awards, which were on last night. The funny thing is, the show was on CBS and the satellite TV on the plane only gave us NBC. Go figure.

Thank You Danica Kooiman!
I’m trying to thank somebody in each of my blogs, because so many of you have done so many things to help Operation Jack. Today, it’s Danica Kooiman.

A lot of you know Danica because she sent you here in the first place. And that’s why I’m thanking her. Back in the summer when I was first getting going with this, she helped get the word out for me and gave me very helpful advice about using social media to help promote Operation Jack. That component has really made a big difference and she gave me a big jumpstart.

Actually, maybe I should curse her, because this is like a second full-time job now!

Ice Cream Update
I know I’m probably letting a lot of you down by announcing this, but my current ice cream streak is 1 day. I didn’t have any on Saturday, snapping a string of 101 consecutive days eating ice cream, frozen yogurt or gelato. I was only nine days shy of tying my personal best of 110 days. But I promise to work hard again to reach 111 for you guys.

That’s All For Today!
Have a great Monday (if there is such a thing)! See you tomorrow or Wednesday!