Operation Jack

Fighting autism, one mile at a time.

I'll Admit It … I'm Getting Old

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I’ve always felt young. But for the first time in my life I’m actually feeling old. My birthday is on Sunday and I don’t like the number I’m staring at.

I’ll be 35. I don’t know why, but looking at the 3 and the 5 sitting next to each other looks terrible. Birthdays have never bothered me. They haven’t been exciting ever since I turned 21, but I’ve always looked forward to them. A lot of people don’t like their birthdays and don’t like to celebrate them. I’ve never really understood that feeling … until now.

I’m not dreading it, and I’m looking forward to whatever Tiff has planned (she has something planned, but I have no idea what). November 22 will always be the one day out of the year that I own. But I’m really bothered by this 35 thing. I’ll admit it. I’m not young any more. But this should be a good year. I think I’ve probably got about 55 or so marathons to run before my 36th birthday (OUCH, 36 … for real?) and hopefully lots of good things to accomplish. But I’ll be accomplishing them as a semi-old man.

Standard introduction: If this is your first visit here, I’m a marathoner and a father of three — but not in that order. My middle child, 6-year-old Jack, is severely autistic and next year I’m planning on running 60 marathons in his honor to try to raise money and nationwide awareness for Train 4 Autism, a wonderful charity.

Running Update
This morning, I woke up, was super-tired, got out the door, stood on my porch and went back inside and went to sleep. I was just too tired. Sometimes I’m sleepy and sometimes I’m also physically tired. That was today. Somehow, I think I’ll be OK tomorrow.

Yesterday, I ran 14.15 or something like that at 8:00/mile. I had some fairly quick sections, I took some sections easy, and all-in-all, I’m starting to feel better about how the wheels are turning. My heart rate has been fairly high in the chilly weather this week (low 40s, chilly for here), but I don’t care about that. I just care about the speed I’m getting up and down my hills. There’s a portion of my run that reminds me a lot of some of the downhills in Tucson. On those portions in 2007, when I ran my 3:00:05, I was running in the 6:35-6:45 range, and yesteray I was right around 6:30 or so at a good, solid (but less than marathon HR) effort. I need 6:52s. So, I’m getting some confidence. Part of that is also because of …

Weight Loss Update
About a month ago, I was feeling heavy, typically weighing in the 203-206 range. I’ve never really been below about 195 or so since I’ve been running marathons and my average weight has probably been in the 198-200 range. I decided I want to weight 190 when I start Operation Jack next year, and even though I haven’t gotten down that far since I started running, I don’t think that’s an unrealistic goal. It’s been about a month since I’ve been working at it and yesterday when I weighed in, I was 197.5. They say it’s two seconds per mile in a marathon per pound of weight loss. So, I like the direction that’s going. But I’m still enjoying myself. Which brings me to …

Ice Cream Update
I ran the streak to 29 days in a row with ice cream or frozen yogurt yesterday, leaving me 80 days behind my personal best. Yesterday’s was a pretty sweet serving.

I was at Costco, getting my hot dog lunch, when I noticed the woman in the line next to me fixing a tall cup of vanilla yogurt for the man in her line. She packed it in — not a lot of space wasted on air — plus she swirled it tall. It had to be the best serving I’ve ever seen at Costco, and I’ve seen plenty. So when I went back after finishing my hot dog, I made certain to get in her line. I normally get a vanilla/chocolate swirl, but she poured that man a vanilla, and I didn’t want to mess with something that was working. I ordered a vanilla, and she came through in the clutch for me. My serving was easily 20 percent larger than normal. $1.47 well spent.

Go Orange Strikers!
My 8-year-old son Bejamin’s soccer team is playing in the Region 85 U9 playoffs on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. And if when then win, they’ll advance to the championship game later that afternoon. His team has been a blast to watch this year. They have great coaches, some great players and they’re a lot of fun to watch. They’re just a bunch of young kids, but they sure do play hard and have a lot of fun together as a team. I’ve watched all the games and practices this year, and it sure has been a treat.

Sunday is going to be the year-end party for the team. There’s going to be a parents vs. kids soccer game and I think those 8-year-olds are going to make us look bad!

That’s All For Today!
I highly doubt I’ll blog tomorrow, so have a great weekend everybody! Good luck Ally!

Does Anybody Have Jokes For 8-Year-Olds?

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I was the sports editor of the daily student newspaper when I was in college, and once, the radio station scheduled me for a 30-minute segment to talk about football recruiting. I was excited, but once I got in and saw the red “On Air” light, I froze. I stumbled and bumbled my way to the first commercial break and the hosts were kind enough to let me off the hook after a mere seven minutes. I’m going to have an audience on December 14, and I’m cautiously optimistic that things will go better this time.

Standard introduction: If this is your first visit here, I’m a marathoner and a father of three — but not in that order. My middle child, 6-year-old Jack, is severely autistic and next year I’m planning on running 60 marathons in his honor to try to raise money and nationwide awareness for Train 4 Autism, a wonderful charity.

Running Update
I didn’t do a long run over the weekend. Heck, I didn’t even do a short run over the weekend. I’ve been beyond stressed over a lot of things going on in my world and I just couldn’t run this weekend.

I had a nice run yesterday, though. 15.1 miles at a 7:50/mile pace. This morning, I ran 8.15 miles of nothing, but I’m extremely stressed out about some things that have nothing to do with anything I’ve ever discussed here, so I cut my run short because I couldn’t focus. But I’m kind of getting back to where I was, and I’m still optimistic at this point that I’ll be ready to make a legitimate run at sub-3 in Tucson on December 13. Speaking of Tucson, …

I’m More Nervous About This Than I Am About Running 60 Marathons
I’m going to be speaking at an elementary school in Tucson the day after the race. There’s going to be an assembly for kids from 3rd grade through 6th grade and I’m going to talk to them for about 30 minutes. I think I’m going to be talking to them about helping others, believing in yourself and challenging yourself, health and physical fitness.

That speech will be right after I throw up. The last time I spoke in front of anybody was in my college speech class in the summer of 1997. There were about 15 people in the class. I might as well get used to this, but still! Yikes! Do you think they’ll get my jokes?

If You Don’t Know What An IEP Is, Be Grateful
We had an IEP for Jack yesterday, and I guess it’s one of those things that parents of special-needs children get to deal with. Basically, it’s a once-a-year thing where parents meet with the school district to set educational goals for the child.

The school is evaluated on how well the student does meeting the goals, so the goals can’t be unrealistic. But at the same time, parents want to see progress, so the goals can’t be too simple. Finding that middle ground is a challenge that’s a way of life for anybody involved in special ed. It can be a decent experience, or it can be a bitter battle. We’ve had both.

I’m not going to get into specific details about yesterday’s meeting. That’s not saying anything one way or the other — that’s just saying that some things shouldn’t be written about in a public blog. Despite 2 1/2 hours, though, we didn’t finish and we’ll be continuing the process in a couple of weeks.

I will say that it’s pretty depressing sitting through an IEP, looking at the numbers about how Jack tested out. He’s definitely behind. I don’t think I even want to say how far behind in various areas. But I know that I’m still optimistic that he’s going to get better. He’s got a lot going inside that head of his and he’s going to break through this shell that’s currently limiting him. I like what I’ve seen from him lately and I’m cautiously optimistic.

But like I said, if you don’t know what an IEP is, be grateful.

Good Luck To A Good Friend Of Operation Jack!
This Sunday, Ally Phillips is running her first marathon in Tulsa. I love running vicariously through other people, so I get to run a first marathon this weekend! The experience of your first marathon is awesome, one you’ll never forget. I always say that the most important part of running a first marathon is running a second marathon, because that’s how you know you’re making a lifestyle change and a fitness commitment beyond crossing the marathon off the proverbial list of things to do in life.

So Ally, good luck, and have fun!

Have A Great Day Everybody!
That’s all I have for today. I could probably come up with more, but this thing is already long enough. Plus, I wrote this last night and I was getting tired.

Winner, Winner, Chick-Fil-A Dinner

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OK, so I don’t have any deep issues to talk about today — just a quick little Operation Jack update. In-N-Out, Chick-Fil-A, oxygen, ice cream and shirts. I might throw in a bad joke or two if I can think of something clever, but that never happens.

Standard introduction: If this is your first visit here, I’m a marathoner and a father of three — but not in that order. My middle child, 6-year-old Jack, is severely autistic and next year I’m planning on running 60 marathons in his honor to try to raise money and nationwide awareness for Train 4 Autism, a wonderful charity.

Running Update
Despite my slow marathon on Saturday, I’ve had a couple of decent runs this week. I took Sunday off as a scheduled rest day, but couldn’t go out on Monday or Tuesday because we’ve got a house full of sick people and I needed to stay back just in case.

Wednesday, I felt sluggish, but I went 16.1 at a decent pace for my heart rate. I threw in 10 hill sprints at the end. Today, I went 15 miles and was pleased with my run. I started off taking it easy, but I felt like stepping it up and ended up with a decent run for me at this point — I covered the distance in 1:59:33 (7:58/mile) at 152 bpm. For where I am, where I’m trying to get and where I need to be, I’m content with that.

Chick-Fil-A Night!
I’m having In-N-Out for lunch today. And in other shocking news, the sky is blue. But for dinner, I’m going to Chick-Fil-A. As I’ve mentioned in here a few times, the Chick-Fil-A in Foothill Ranch is doing a fundraiser for us tonight.

If you’re in the area, stop in between 5 and 8 this evening and mention Operation Jack and we’ll get a portion of the proceeds. If you know anybody in the area, please spread the word! Dinner at Chick-Fil-A … super simple, and it’s going to a great cause!

Hyperbaric Chamber Update
Another item that I’ve mentioned here in the past is the hyperbaric chamber sessions donated to me and Jack by Advanced Hyperbarics. We went for our fourth session last Saturday and Jack is getting better and better every time.

The first time, he bolted for the door and was hysterical. On Saturday, we had a brief wait and he bolted for … the hyperbaric chamber! We’ve noticed some signs of improvement from him, so we’ll keep going and hope for the best. But he’s doing a better job sitting in there and holding the oxygen mask to his face. For me, it’s really helped me recover from my long runs.

Saturday was the toughest run I’ve had the day of a session, as I raced (albeit slowly) a marathon that morning. On Saturday night, I felt much better physically than I typically do the night of a marathon. Thank you, Mark Westaway of Advanced Hyperbarics, for so generously offering this to us!

Shirts Are On The Way
It’s taken a little time, but they’re finally shipping to me next Monday. To those of you who have them coming, they’re coming! And to those of you who want them, I have all the details here! If you have any questions, let me know! Get your OJ gear on!

Ice Cream Update
I had a lot of fun running up a streak of 109 consecutive days eating ice cream over the summer, but I accidentally forgot to have any on October 11, bringing the ride to an end. Well, I just wanted to take this opportunity to let you know that all is well in my freezer again. I had Peanut Butter Fudge Swirl last night while watching the CMAs and I’m at 22 consecutive days now. If my calculations are correct, I’ll set a new personal record on February 7 — Super Bowl Sunday and the day of the Surf City Marathon, race No. 8 on the Operation Jack schedule.

That’s All For Today!
See you at Chick-Fil-A tonight! Spread the word!

Happy Veteran's Day … Thank You Vets!

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I got this in my email this morning. I get it every year on Veteran’s Day from a football list I’m on and I love it. I figured I’d post it here for today.

WHAT IS A VET

Some veterans bear visible signs of their service: a missing limb, a jagged scar, a certain look in the eye. Others may carry the evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the leg – or perhaps another sort of inner steel: the soul’s ally forged in the refinery of adversity. Except in parades, however, the men and women who have kept America safe wear no badge or emblem. You can’t tell a vet just by looking.

What is a vet?

He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carriers didn’t run out of fuel.

He is the barroom loudmouth, dumber than five wooden planks, whose overgrown frat-boy behavior is outweighed a hundred times in the cosmic scales by four hours of exquisite bravery near the 38th parallel.

She or he—is the nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep sobbing every night for two solid years in Da Nang.

He is the POW who went away one person and came back another—or didn’t come back AT ALL.

He is the Quantico drill instructor who has never seen combat—but has saved countless lives by turning slouchy, no-account rednecks and gang members into Marines, and teaching them to watch each other’s backs.

He is the parade—riding Legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand.

He is the career quartermaster who watches the ribbons and medals pass him by.

He is the three anonymous heroes in The Tomb Of The Unknowns, whose presence at the Arlington National Cemetery must forever preserve the memory of all the anonymous heroes whose valor dies unrecognized with them on the battlefield or in the ocean’s sunless deep.

He is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket—palsied now and aggravatingly slow—who helped liberate a Nazi death camp and who wishes all day long that his wife were still alive to hold him when the nightmares come.

He is an ordinary and yet an extraordinary human being—a person who offered some of his life’s most vital years in the service of his country, and who sacrificed his ambitions so others would not have to sacrifice theirs.

He is a soldier and a savior and a sword against the darkness, and he is nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest, greatest nation ever known.

So remember, each time you see someone who has served our country, just lean over and say Thank You. That’s all most people need, and in most cases it will mean more than any medals they could have been awarded or were awarded.

Two little words that mean a lot, “THANK YOU.”

Remember November 11th is Veterans Day.

“It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It
is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the
soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose
coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.”

Father Dennis Edward O’Brien, USMC

Veterans Day Marathon Race Report

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So, I ran a marathon last Saturday. It was a completely unmemorable run. A slow run. But the fact that I was able to participate made it a great run.

The race was the Veterans Day Marathon in Huntington Beach, a very small marathon put on by Charlie Alewine Racing. When I say very small, I mean there were five participants. The size of the race didn’t matter to me, though. As I mentioned last week, the race was on November 7, which was 18 years to the day after I broke my neck in a swimming-pool accident.

I consider November 7 to be a birthday for my legs and I really wanted to celebrate my “legs birthday” by running a marathon. My neck hurts every day, and I’ve spent a fair amount of time over the past 18 years dwelling about that. But I also am fully aware that I am very blessed that I escaped paralysis. So it was nice to run a marathon.

Leading up to Saturday’s race, I’ve had a pretty difficult year with my running. I had one good race, running the Boston Marathon in 3:01. But everything else has been pretty poor. I haven’t run any other marathon quicker than 3:10 after doing that five times in a row last year, including three times in three states in eight days. I ran a 50-miler in May, got pretty beat up and struggled miserably in a marathon in San Diego three weeks later, then took some time to mentally unwind for about six weeks. Low mileage, no long runs — I needed a break, and that’s what I took.

Then, I sprained my ankle walking through a parking lot and went five weeks without running. It got frustrating, but finally my physical therapist let be build back up. I could tell that my endurance was down and my speed had vanished. No big deal — I’m only running 60 marathons next year, right?

I had a pity party for myself during September, but in October, I finally started feeling a little more competitive and decided that I was ready to work at it again. I mixed in some tougher workouts and started to gradually show signs of improvement. One staple of my training is a long run of at least 26.2 on the weekends, and I think I’ve done that about eight or so weeks in a row. Maybe seven, I don’t know.

I had a couple of encouraging workouts over the two weeks leading up to Saturday’s race, so I thought that maybe I’d be somewhere close to the 3:10 range I wanted to be in at this point. I was looking at the race as a good test run and wanted to see where I stood. And of course, I was running a November 7 marathon. It was going to be super cool for me.

All five of us got rolling and there were two triathletes who could move pretty well, a man named Rob who ran a 100-miler the week before and completed the Western States 100 this year (in short, Rob can flat-out run forever … and pretty fast), and a woman named Sally who I run part of my runs with every morning who has a PR of 3:15. I might well have been the slowest guy in the field! Well, the half marathoners were all slower than us.

I run by heart rate and gradually worked it up to my marathon rate of 170 bpm. I wasn’t feeling particularly good or bad — I just made sure I kept it under control. I was right around 7:10/mile or so for 6 or 8 miles. The two triathletes looked to be about 6 seconds/mile faster than me, but that was enough to keep them in range. But by about 8, I just wasn’t feeling it. Not sure if it was physical, mental, or both, but I think the wheels came off. I gradually started to slow down, and I mentally folded, knowing it wasn’t going to be my day.

It was extremely difficult because I was running in open space, not totally feeling it and knowing it wasn’t my day. How do you stay motivated for that? My pace slipped and slipped and I really stopped worrying about how I would do. I tried to keep my heart rate up in the 170-172 range, but I didn’t stress if it dropped into the low 160s. It was totally a training-run mentality by about 12, and I was beating myself up mentally for my slow time.

On the Monday before the race, I ran a 20-miler on hills at a better pace with lower effort than I was doing during this race. As I kept plodding along, by the final two miles I told myself that I really wanted to keep the time under 3:30 and the pace under 8:00/mile. We ran 10 laps on a course and after the ninth lap, according to my Garmin, I was going to come up .32 of a mile short. So, I tacked that on during the final lap, turning back with about 1/2 mile left, running .16 miles back up the course and then doubling back to the finish.

I was solidly in third, but Rob saw me and caught me. I had some kick over the final 2/10 and got my pace down to 5:51/mile, but I was no match for him. He eased up (we were both on the verge of puking) and we crossed the finish line together, tied for third in 3:29:05 (7:59/mile). Just a slow, slow day for both of us. 3:16 won the race. Sally, who ran 18 the day before, finished in 3:38. So, I guess in my marketing spin, I’ll just say that I took third place in a race where the last finisher ran a 3:38. That’s tough competition!

For a lot of people, 3:29 would be a great race. For me, though, it was a horribly slow day, not at all the confidence builder I’d hoped for. In all fairness to myself, I ran a 30-miler seven days before and a hard 20-miler five days before. It’s not like I was tapered and fresh and primed. Oh, and my lunch the day before the race was In-N-Out, which I love, but isn’t the ideal fuel for a race.

So, I didn’t get the time I hoped for, but I’m not concerned, and I’m still going to make another attempt at sub-3 in Tucson on December 13. I’m not ruling it out, and really, if I learned anything about my current fitness on Saturday, it’s that I can run a 3:29 26.2-mile training run right now.

But more important than my time on Saturday was that I got to run the race. As I mentioned, I could very easily be in a wheelchair right now. After the race, I went to my son Benjamin’s soccer game. After the game, my daughter Ava celebrated her 4th birthday with a cupcake decorating birthday party with her friends from preschool. I went to the hyperbaric chamber with Jack. Then I went with Benajmin for dinner at In-N-Out and a soccer game at UCI with his AYSO team. Each of my kids had some cool things going on Saturday and none of them would have existed if I hadn’t been so blessed on November 7, 1991.

So Saturday, I ran a slow marathon. And I had a great day!