Operation Jack

Fighting autism, one mile at a time.

Done With Weekend One … Time For More Fun!

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Weekend one of Operation Jack is out of the way. Now it’s time for me to try to figure out how to get into a routine to make it happen. Make no mistake, it’ll happen. But there’s going to be growing pains I’m going to suffer through. If you keep coming back and reading my blog, you’ll get to laugh at me along the way.

I guess my biggest problem with the first trip was overpacking. I’m a chronic overpacker, but at least I got it down to two carry-ons. They’re two pretty big carry-ons, though, and as a result, I had to cram my duffel bag beneath my seat. Not so bad on the way out. Not so good on the way back, considering I flew the same day as the race. My left leg was killing me! I’m going to have a good 40+ same-day flights this year, so I’d better figure this out pretty quick. Like, this week. I’ve got Jackson, Miss. on Saturday and Mobile, Ala. on Sunday. I’ll be sore after the double, and I’m flying home Mobile to Atlanta to Los Angeles, so I’m gonna have a lot of time on the plane.

I’ll get this problem solved. I bought a new backpack on Saturday that will hold my laptop and everything else that was in the duffel bag. It’s much smaller with less wasted space. That was easy. Sort of.

Can’t wait to see what the next problem is!

First Time Here?
If this is your first time here, let me introduce myself: I’m a father of three and a marathon runner. My middle child, 6-year-old Jack, is severely autistic. I want to do something to make a difference in his honor, so this year, I’m going to try to run 60 marathons and raise awareness for a charity I’m a part of called Train 4 Autism. I really like Train 4 Autism’s model and I’m hoping that with my stupid-human trick, I can help develop new chapters and increase membership nationwide. Oh, and raise a lot of money, too!

1 Down, 59 To Go
Marathon No. 1 for Operation Jack was New Year’s Day in Kingwood, Texas. I didn’t send out a blast, but my recap on my race is here. I went 3:13:54, good for 7th overall out of 497 starters. It was a decent run. Still getting back into shape. I think I shook off some more rust.

I went out for 5.5 recovery miles the next day, including six hill sprints. Yesterday was a rest day because I donated blood on Saturday and had to take a day off (see below). This morning, 6 easy miles that felt pretty good. I kind of like this plan.

Thank You, Hill Family!
I stayed with a runner friend of mine, John Hill, and his family last Thursday night in Kingwood, Texas. I must say, if everybody the rest of the way is half as nice as John and his great family, I’m going to be a lucky guy this year. His wife, Susan, his daughter, Kaylee, and his son, Ryan, are three of the nicest people I’ve ever met and I really couldn’t have picked a better family to kick off Operation Jack with. They’re the types of people you keep in touch with, because someday down the road, they’ll be in town and you’ll want to catch up with them.

Thank you so much for your hospitality and enthusiasm, Team Hill! I really, really appreciated it!

Make A Difference … For Free!
I just started giving blood last summer. I figure it’s better to be on this side of a blood transfusion. I hate needles. But I just feel like it’s something I should do. I started doing it on July 27 in honor of my late uncle Bob, who died from leukemia on July 27, 2004. Well, now it’s a little trickier, because I need to be at full strength every weekend and it takes five weeks to regenerate a pint of blood.

It’s really not that big of a deal while you’re getting it all back. You wouldn’t really even notice. Unless, of course, you’re running 26.2 miles as fast as you can every Sunday. I wouldn’t necessarily feel different, but I wouldn’t get the same results. So, I did something called platelet donation. It’s a longer process (it takes about two hours), but I recover in two days. I learned that the platelets go to people with leukemia who are undergoing chemotherapy, because they can’t generate them and they need them. So, that made me feel pretty good. I really, really hate needles. But I really feel good about doing this and I’ll do it as often as I can.

Regardless of how much you don’t like needles, you should really consider it. It’s awesome to help, and it feels really good to do so.

That’s All For Today!
This blog is getting too long today. I’ll try to write something for tomorrow! Have a great Monday!

1 Down, 59 To Go!

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Like nobody knew that would be the headline! I can’t believe I finally kicked off Operation Jack today. You know how you always talk about ideas, but then you never get around to doing them? Well, I guess this is one thing that I’ve stuck with and at least got this started. I think it will be tougher to walk away from it mid-flight than to complete, so hopefully this is the first of 60 race reports.

For those of you who have never been here before, I’m a marathon runner and a father of 3 young children (8 1/2, 6, 4). My 6-year-old is severely autistic. His name is Jack. And I wanted to do something to make a difference in his honor. So, I came up with this crazy idea of running 60 marathons this year in cities all over the country to build awareness for a charity I’m part of called Train 4 Autism. I’d gladly sacrifice my knees to make a difference in a lot of lives and give him a legacy and a purpose.

Anyways, the schedule is here and it started today. I was grateful to stay in Kingwood with a runner friend of mine, John Hill, and his family. I really couldn’t have asked for nicer people to be with than John, his wife Susan, his daughter Kaylee and his son Ryan. But I had to ring in the new year away from my wife. I figured that was kind of appropriate because I’ll be gone almost every weekend. But as I realized earlier this week when I contemplated today, God was very good to me and really led me down some great paths in the past decade. I think it’s fitting that the very first thing I did this decade was to use the talent He gave me to try to help other people.

Actually, the first thing I did was send a note to my wife, but that’s a morning tradition I have. Can’t run without sending her the note!

I felt fairly good heading into this race. The legs felt pretty good yesterday (probably the last time I’ll say that for a year). I’ve been gradually getting back into shape since taking five weeks off over the summer with a severely sprained ankle. I’m basically a 3:05 or so runner (my fastest time in 2009 was 3:01), but in my first marathon back, I went 3:29, then followed that with a 3:17.

For this race, I had an A goal (3:09:59), a B goal (3:15:59, Boston Qualifier) and a C goal (3:17:01, one second faster than my last marathon). I actually had an A hope, a B hope and a C hope, because I knew I’d run as hard as I could and get what I could get.

When the race started, I could tell that I was probably somewhere between my A goal and B goal. I was moving well and feeling pretty good. The course was all sidewalk but it was beautiful. It wound through the woods and alongside lakes. It was a very, very nice run. It was a pretty serene environment, which I really loved. I had a million thoughts running through my head during the race. Normally, I block out everything and focus on my performance.

Today, though, I couldn’t help but think about Jack quite a bit. He’s so darn cute and he’s been coming along fairly well over the past six months. It really makes me happy to do something in his name. You all see his picture and his smile and a lot of you draw some sort of inspiration through him. I know I have a lot of you excited about what I’m doing and why I’m doing it, and as his dad, that makes me pretty happy. I went to Houston and didn’t have a team. It was just me running solo. But I knew that a lot of you were running vicariously through me today. I was alone out there on the course, but I wasn’t really alone.


Start of a marathon or end of a marathon? In a way, both!

And when I got back after the race, I saw flurry of Twitter activity in the messages coming to me and the new followers and I realized that yeah, people are excited and there’s reason to believe something good is going to come out of all of this. I was led down this path and I really have a ton of faith that it’s going to be wonderful to keep following it.

Anyways, the race … the course was a 6+ mile loop that we hit four times. Hit the half at 1:35 knowing I’d probably be a few minutes slower in the second half. I felt pretty confident, though. John volunteered at a drink station and Susan and Kaylee were also out there. I got to see them several times, which was nice. Their enthusiasm was great. I don’t remember what time I did completed the third loop, but I tailed off a tiny bit at the end. My 7:15 – 7:25 miles were turning into 7:45s on that fourth loop. I picked up over the final 1 1/2 miles, though. I really thought about Jack. I thought that he deserved no less than a full effort from me in the first race of the endeavor named after him.

I have no idea what those final miles were, but I finished in 3:13:54, 7th overall out of 497 starters. A Boston qualifier for 2011 (I’m already registered for 2010 and wasn’t really worried, but it’s good to have that out of the way) and another step in the right direction. I’m not in PR shape right now, but I feel like I’m really getting back closer to where I was.

Now, it’s time to fly home and take my wife out to dinner and a movie. Can’t wait to relax with her. It’s been a hectic couple of weeks closing out 2009.

Next up, Jackson, Miss. next Saturday (Jan. 9) and Mobile, Ala. the next day. Thanks for reading … happy new year!

It's Actually Time For Operation Jack!

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So, I’ve been talking and talking about Operation Jack for the past six months, and FINALLY it’s go time! January 1 is Friday, so after more than a year of brainstorming and planning, I’m starting on my 60-marathon adventure this week! I’m excited, nervous and overwhelmed all rolled up into one. But I’m pretty much locked in, so hopefully this all works out.

Physically, I’m ready to go. Not exactly sure how fast I’m going to be right off the bat, but I’m going to give it my all every time out. Everybody is different, but for me, I consider a good run to be 3:10 or quicker, so I’m hoping to average 3:09:59 or better for the year.

From a team-building perspective, I’m hoping to average 17 people per race, which would total 1,000 people. The early races will have lower totals, but I’m optimistic that as the year goes on, we’ll get more attention and more people will jump on the bandwagon.

As for fundraising, that’s not the be-all, end-all, because from my perspective, I’m trying to plant seeds for growth that Train 4 Autism will harvest a few years down the road. But money won’t hurt and my dream is to raise $100,000 overall from all sources. I don’t know exactly how (I’m sure I’ll get better at this as the year goes on), but I think it’s possible.

Beyond that, I’m just looking forward to meeting all sorts of great people all over the place. There are so many of you already that I can’t wait to meet, and I know there’s going to be a lot more that I come across in the upcoming months. I know I’m getting some people off the couch, which is awesome, plus I’m really hopeful Jack and I will be able to have a positive impact on lots of people affected by autism.

See That Roadrunner Ad On The Left?
Operation Jack will get a contribution equaling 13 percent of your order from Roadrunner Sports if you click the ad at the left and proceed to shop. The ad is on every page of this site. If you shop somewhere else, that’s cool, but if you’re going to shop Roadrunner, PLEASE click from here! They actually have pretty good deals, although I highly recommend that you don’t buy running gear online if you don’t know what you should be buying.

Don’t buy a certain pair of asics because you like the colors or Nikes because you like their commercials. Make sure you’re in the right shoe, otherwise you’ll injure yourself. Get fitted at a running shop and make sure you’re wearing something appropriate for the way you run. More expensive isn’t necessarily better, but don’t skimp and save money just to spend 10 times as much at the doctor!

If you’re like me, though, and you know what you wear (for me, it’s Saucony Guides), check the prices at Roadrunner. Worst case, you waste 30 seconds of your life checking. Best case, you get a deal and Operation Jack benefits!

10×10
Last week, I mentioned a 10×10 program I’m trying out. A lot of you have asked me what you can do to help. So, I figured this would be a good way to raise money and spread the word with targets that are truly reasonable and nowhere near outrageous. Oh, and I’ll send you gear if you do it!

Spread The Word!
If you’re not a member of the Operation Jack Facebook Group, click on the Facebook button on this page and join! If you are a member, can you spread the word to any of your Facebook friends who might be interested? As you know, I’m trying to spread the word, and Facebook is a huge help!

That’s All For Today!
Have a great Monday!

60 Seems To Work … What About 10 x 10?

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You all seem to be pretty enthusiastic about my attempt to run 60 marathons in 2010 to raise money and awareness for Train 4 Autism. You’re signing up for races. You’re reading my blog. You’re telling your friends and having bake sales and blogging about it. But I still get the same questions all the time. I’m on a team … what do I do now? What can I do to help? I’d never really thought about that. I just figured I’d run 60 marathons and everything would take care of itself. But I learned that I need a better plan than that, so I came up with 10×10. Let me know what you think about it.

I’m pretty shy about asking for help. But I know that we’re all in this together, all excited about a great cause. Whether you’re impacted by somebody with autism, you know me and support what I’m doing, or you don’t know me but you think what I’m doing is worthy of support, you’ve decided you’re on the bandwagon. And I appreciate that. I came up with a simple, realistic way to help that’s reasonable and sets a good target. If we all hit this, Operation Jack is going to be a HUGE success and Train 4 Autism will be way better off for it.

10×10: Get 10 people to contribute $10. That will make a difference. I’m not going to get into goals I have for a grand total for Operation Jack quite yet, but I know that if everybody strives for a 10×10, we’re going to make a big difference. Hit that goal and I’ll send you an Operation Jack t-shirt and an Operation jack dri-fit shirt to work out in and run your race in. Simple enough, right? You don’t need to raise $500 or $1,000 or $2,000 (although go right ahead!) … just 10 people, $10 each. Host a pancake breakfast as a fundraiser or something simple like that and you’ll be set.

To make it easy, you can go to operationjac.kintera.org and set up a page in about two minutes. People can make their $10 contribution online with a credit card in a snap. It’s simple. I know I’ve done this for various fundraisers. It’s quick and it’s painless. So, I guess that answers those questions I’ve been asked. I get shy about asking for help, but I think this is what I’ll ask y’all to try and do. One 10×10 will go a long ways.

Jen Morgan was the first to complete a 10×10, and she did it before I even created this. She’s a trooper and I’m really looking forward to meeting her when we run the Tampa Gasparilla Marathon on February 28. I created a 10×10 club on the Sponsors page. She’s the charter member … join her!

Oh, I lied … one more thing you can do to help: Send your friends here and to the Facebook Group (click the Facebook button on this page). OK, that’s all.

Rest In Peace, Grandpa Don
This is where I get to ramble on since it’s my blog. My dad’s second wife was a woman named Mary Ann and she was around at a critical point in my life, between my fourth grade and eighth grade years. I had troubles dealing with my parents’ divorce and was terrible to her. She took way more from me than she deserved, but she stood by and loved me unconditionally and did a great job doing everything she could to raise me well. That’s not to infer anything about my mom, who’s in the picture, or my stepmom, who’s wonderful and been in my life for the past 20 years. That’s just to make mention of Mary Ann for this part of my blog since it’s about her dad.

I keep in touch with Mary Ann still, even though she’s been out of the family for more than 21 years. She lives in Minnesota now, but I managed to see her in 2006 and 2008 while in town or stopping through for work. We chat a few times a year. Unfortunately, I hadn’t talked to her in the past several months until yesterday, when I found out her dad passed away in September. I hadn’t seen him or talked to him since 1991, but in my heart, he was still my Grandpa Don.

He was a great guy, the type of fun, loving man you want as a grandpa. He treated me like his own while my dad was married to Mary Ann, and he was glad to see me when I last saw him at Mary Ann’s second wedding. I had a blast staying at his house every year for Thanksgiving, visiting with him when he came to town and staying at his house in the summer. He was a good grandpa and a good father (from some of the things I remember Mary Ann telling me). I haven’t seen him since 1991, but I’m looking forward to catching up with him somewhere down the road.

I’m glad you came into my life, Grandpa Don. And I’m glad you’re not pain any more. Rest in peace. I’ll see you on the other side.

Hmmm … How To Transition From That?
I guess I don’t have a whole lot more to elaborate on. Operation Jack starts next week. Is that right? Yeah, next Thursday, I’m flying to Houston. My ice cream streak is at 63 days. My bronchitis is just about gone. My mom is coming to town. So is my friend Tony. And I guess that’s it.

I’m not blogging again this week, so Merry Christmas everybody!

My Indecisiveness Was A Bad Decision

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Last Thursday, I was at a company holiday breakfast and there was an extra plate of pancakes on the table. Some of my co-workers were daring me to eat them even though I’d already finished a big omelette and a couple of pancakes. So, I did what you would expect me to do: I texted my wife and asked her if I could run a marathon that Saturday. She gave me the green light and I began my carb load. Hello pancakes! Actually, goodbye pancakes!

The race on Saturday was a small race and the main reason I wanted to run it was to run it with a friend of mine who was running it to celebrate her birthday. I also wanted to check out the course, because the race was being put on my a man named Charlie Alewine, a really nice guy I’m working with to put on three races as part of Operation Jack next year. I wanted to check out the course because it’s a possibility for one of my races.

There was no race-day registration, and it was already Thursday, so I dropped Charlie a line and asked him if I could run the race. He told me I could and that he was looking forward to seeing me. He also told me some of the entrants, and they included a running friend of mine named Sally, who I haven’t seen in a while, plus another running friend named Joe, who’s a real treat to talk to.

Unfortunately, I was still batting bronchitis, but I wasn’t too worried about that. On Friday, though, my friend who was running the race to celebrate her birthday told me she might be a no-go. She had some things going on and there were very legitimate reasons for her decision. I was in contact with her Friday evening and it really sounded like she wasn’t going to run the race. I told her to email or text me if she was going to run it, and I’d make my decision when I got up on Saturday morning.

Well, when I woke up, there was no email or text. I figured she wasn’t running the race. I still had a pretty sweet cough. But I told Charlie I’d be there. I didn’t tell my wife about the Charlie factor in the equation, but she knew my friend wasn’t going to run the race. Unable to make a decision, I asked Tiff at 4:20 in the morning what I should do. She suggested I shouldn’t run the race, and I thought she was probably right. I was just bummed about being a no-show. Of course, Charlie has so much to worry about on race day, I figured he wouldn’t think twice.

So, I caught up on my sleep and crawled out of bed at about the point I would have been 20 miles into the race. I sent a note to my friend to wish her a happy birthday and carried on with my day. Later on, though, I found out she actually ran the race. BUMMER! All those pancakes for nothing and they should have been for something!

I planned to go out on Sunday morning for a run to at least get some exercise for the weekend. I had a nice bowl of spaghetti or dinner on Saturday night. Unfortunately, Benjamin (my 8-year-old) was up for three hours in the middle of the night with an ear infection. He felt terrible. No way was I going to go out for 20ish miles on three hours of sleep. I’ve run a marathon on one hour of sleep, but I had to. I didn’t have to do that run and ruin my day by being fall-asleep tired afterwards. So, I skipped it. Two big carb meals wasted!

When I woke up on Sunday, I checked my email and found BUMMER #2 from my friend Sally. Charlie was waiting for me on Saturday morning. He held the race for 20 minutes thinking I’d show. I just wanted to crawl under a rock. I need to contact Charlie and apologize. I feel terrible. But there’s no going back to Saturday, I guess.

This morning, I guess third time was the charm. I went out for 20.1 miles. Kind of a blah run. I couldn’t make up my mind about going slow or fast, and by the time it was done, it was just kind of a lousy run. But it’s done. At least I got some exercise.

That’s all I have for today … hope your weekend went a little more according to plans than mine did!