It’s already Thursday, which means it’s time for a weekend preview. I’m heading to Tucson, Ariz. for my 59th marathon of the year and I’m excited. Really excited. I’m really looking forward to this race. I have been all year.

Real quick, just in case you’ve never been here, I’m a father of three and a marathon runner. Click here to see why I’m attempting to run 61 marathons this year for Train 4 Autism. Only three to go!

So, Tucson. I’m really fired up about this one. This will be the fifth consecutive year I’ve run this course and I’m very familiar with it. It’s where I ran my PR of 3:00:05 in 2007.

I thought I had a shot at a sub-3 (2:59:59 or faster) in 2008, but I wore the wrong shoes on the course, blew up at mile 2, then struggled the rest of the way to a 3:15. Last year, I was optimistic, but said going in I’d run anywhere between a 2:58 and a 3:28. I was coming off a five-week layoff from an ankle sprain and had only resumed running 10 weeks earlier. Plus, I had bronchitis. So, my 3:17 wasn’t a surprise.

This year, I have plenty of things working against me — 58 things, to be exact. You know, all those marathons I’ve run this year. I have dead legs and I’m slowing down. Last weekend, I ran two marathons. I’m never fast coming off of a double. And it was a slow double — I went 3:26 on Saturday in Memphis, then 3:32 in Las Vegas on Sunday. I’m about three pounds heavier than I’d like to be. I haven’t done much speedwork lately. But I’m still going all-out for a sub-3 and I don’t think it’s impossible. Longshot? Absolutely. But you can bet the ranch that I’m all in for this one. I’ll explain in a bit, but first, let me tell you about what I’m running.

The course starts out with a little up-and-down and a downhill net over the first 10 or so miles, then has a stretch of about four miles midway through that are fairly flat, then goes downhill again to about mile 23 before flattening out the rest of the way. I could look at the course profile, because I’m not 100 percent certain about all of that, but I’ve run it before and I’m very familiar. It’s a fast downhill course that will eat you up if you run it wrong and thrash your quads even if you run it right. I call it the golden goose. Treat it right and you’ll get something out of it. Try to kill it and you’re out of luck.

So anyways, I view this race as my final chance to put some punctuation on this year. I know everybody is pretty proud of what I’m doing and nobody really cares about my times. But I do. I expect a lot out of myself. I don’t care if I ran two terrible marathons last weekend and I’ve run 58 so far this year. I expect a lot out of myself.

This course is right up my alley. It gets off to a quick start to get the wheels rolling, then has a lot of gradual downhill that I can fly through in the second half. My basic strategy is to push hard and hold on early, then stay in a groove on the downhills. If I pull it off, I will make no apologies for anything I accomplish in my 59th race of the year.

I know going in that this race is going to hurt. It’s going to hurt bad. I’m going to have problems walking this week. But this is my one chance to pull this off, ever. I have all the confidence in the world that I’ll be able to go sub-3 in Boston in April. But this is my year and it always will be. I still have two races left after Tucson, but this is the fastest of the three remaining.

If I get the sub-3, that will be the exclamation point on an amazing year I’ll never forget. I don’t think I’d ever be able to top the experience in a marathon from an individual standpoint. If not, I’ll forever know I accomplished my 61 goal, but I never hit that sub-3. Sunday is my last chance, and in my mind, it’s a forever thing. I want it bad. I want it bad right now. I can’t even imagine how amped up I’ll be on Sunday morning.

In a way, this reminds me of Boston this year. I went into that one fired up and so mentally ready to run my legs off, I turned in the best (not the fastest, but the best) run of my life, going 3:03 two days after a 3:21. I will be mentally ready for the pain. Once I cross through that start line, I know it’s going to hurt, and I can’t stop, and I have three hours to get to the finish line.

It’s going to be a big test for me. I’m going to find out how much heart I have. Lately, I can tell that my speed at my target marathon heart rate is there. I can run 6:45s on flat land at 170 bpm. But over the past six weeks or so, I’ve only been able to stay strong for 16 or so miles per race. It just hurts so bad to run that hard. It feels like 5K pain in my legs, although aerobically, I’m fine. Last weekend, I only got about 10-12 miles in per race that didn’t hurt ridiculously.

I’m going to need to fight through a lot of pain to make it happen. It’s going to be three hours of hurt. But I’ll be able to keep what I earn forever. Can I do it? Based on my recent performances, there’s zero reason to expect that I can. I’m certainly going to give it my all like I never have before.

I can’t wait to see what I’m made of.

Well, here we go again. Another weekend, another marathon, another weekend preview. This weekend preview will be a little different than normal, though. We’re getting down to the wire so I have a little bit of a different approach right now.

Really 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, so I decided to try to make a difference in the world by running 61 marathons in 2010 to raise money and awareness for a great charity I’m a part of called Train 4 Autism. I named my endeavor Operation Jack, after my son.

So far, I’m through 51 of the 61, plus I’ve run a couple of ultras. Only 10 more marathons to run and I can call this thing a wrap!

Marathon No. 52: Marine Corps Marathon
I’m running Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C. on Sunday morning. Flying out Saturday morning and I’ll be back in time to go trick-or-treating with the kids on Sunday. Ahhh, the joys of airplanes. I expect to be extremely tired Sunday night.

I don’t know much about the course profile, but I’m not worried about it. If it were extremely hilly, it would have a reputation. I’ll probably take a look at the course profile on Saturday and go out and run it on Sunday. I’m slightly encouraged about how I’ve felt in training lately, but really, I don’t have any good reason to think I can run any quicker than a 3:20. My strategy? I’m going to go out and run as hard as I can. The faster I run, the sooner I’m done. The sooner I’m done, the more likely I am to not miss my flight.

Need Your Help!
We’re getting down to the wire here. Only two months left in Operation Jack and I’m coming up on my last chances to make something out of all this effort I’ve put forth. I really, really appreciate everything you guys have done. We’ve raised a lot of money, we’ve grown the charity and we’ve had a lot of fun. It’s been a lot more exhausting for me than you, but it’s still been fun for me in its own way.

Anyways, I need your help. We need to make people aware while we still have time! I made it really easy for you. Click here if you’re on Twitter to send out a tweet that’s already written for you. Two simple clicks to spread the word!

If you’re on Facebook, here’s a simple link for you to click to help spread the word about Operation Jack.

A couple of simple clicks to help make new folks aware. Please? Please? That’s a lot easier than running a marathon … or 61 of them.

Weekly Contest
Normally I have a weekly contest, but right now, instead of raising money for Operation Jack, I’m working to raise money for the Hearts & Smiles Foundation. They were nice enough to give me a race entry into Philadelphia after the raise filled up, plus they help a great cause — siblings of special-needs children in low-income families. We’re not low-income, but we’re on a tight budget and I can’t even imagine what it would be like if my income was considerably lower.

Siblings of special-needs children grow up to be wonderful, loving people, but there’s no question they have challenging childhoods. This is really a great cause and I’m excited to be a part of this.

If you have $3 or $5 you can part with (maybe you’re willing to sacrifice one Starbucks this week), head over to my Hearts and Smiles page to make a difference.

Thank you!

Anybody Want To Run The L.A. Marathon For Free?
Train 4 Autism has what is probably the easiest fundraising program for next year’s Los Angeles Marathon, which will be on March 20. Raise just $300 and you’ll a coaching program and race registration. There’s no obligation to try — if you can’t reach your goal, we don’t charge you.

If you live in a different area of the country and are interested in us bringing this program to your local race, send me an email and let me know!

This Was Pretty Cool
Well, this was more cool to me than it probably will be to you. But last year as a result of Operation Jack, I came in contact a man named Shane Loper, who lives in Mississippi. I caught his eye because of my ambitions for this year. That led him to Train 4 Autism, which he used as a fundraising vehicle during his participation in the Heart O’ Dixie Triathlon.

He raised $4,010 for a pair of local autism-related charities — TEAAM (Together Enhancing Autism Awareness in Mississippi) and Kamp Kaleidoscope, a camp for children with autism spectrum disorders. Budget cuts limited the number of scholarships for the camp, but the money Shane raised helped provide more kids with an opportunity to attend.

He wrote, “After hearing (about funding cuts) and finding Train 4 Autism via Operation Jack, I decided to raise money for Kamp K and TEAAM … Thanks Train 4 Autism, we helped make a few families’ lives a little better!”

Like I said, I’m probably more excited about this than the rest of you. But I just had to share!

OK, That’s All For Today
Have a great Friday. I’ll post a race report at some point Sunday night.

I feel like I just got back from Chicago. And I did. But it’s time for another weekend on the road for Operation Jack. This weekend is going to be my best weekend of the year. It was almost going to be my worst weekend of the year, though.

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 decided I wanted to try to do something to take advantage of my ability to recover from marathons and make the world a better place for people like my son. So, I’m attempting to run 61 full marathons this year to raise money and awareness for a charity called Train 4 Autism.

So far, I’m through 48 of the 61 marathons, plus I’ve run a couple of ultramarathons. This weekend, I’m heading to Kansas City and Denver for marathons 49 and 50 of 2010.

Why This Is Going To Be The Best Weekend Of The Year
My wife Tiffany and my oldest son Benjamin are coming along with me! I am SO excited about this! Ever since I created the schedule back in May of 2009, I had been looking at this weekend as one that Benjamin would come along for. As you know if you’ve been here before, I went to school at Kansas State University and lived in the Kansas City area after I graduated. My home and family are in California, but my heart is in Kansas.

Benjamin has never been outside of California, Arizona and Nevada. One time, he thought he was somewhere else, but he wasn’t. When he was 5, we took a family trip to visit friends in Tucson. Once we crossed out of California, we stopped and ate at an IHOP, and he asked me, “Daddy, are we still on Earth or are we in Arizona?” Sure enough, we were in Arizona.

This weekend though, he gets to go to my favorite state in the Union, Kansas! Since we’re flying Delta through Minneapolis to Kansas City, Mo., before driving 20 minutes to the Sunflower State, I’ve prepped him that he’s going to be in four states in one day! California, Minnesota, Missouri and Kansas! Talk about a super-sized serving of awesome!

He’s excited about getting on a plane, we’re going to the Kansas State-Kansas football game Thursday night, visiting Kansas State University on Friday, heading back to the Kansas City area later in the day, then I have the marathon on Saturday, we fly to Denver a little later in the day and I have another marathon on Sunday.

Along the way, we’ll be seeing quite a few friends and having a lot of fun. It’s the first and only time Benjamin and Tiffany will be joining me on an Operation Jack weekend this year, and it’s going to be a fun one. Plus, I’m excited for them to see what I’ve been doing all year. I’m like a kid at open house in grade school where the parents come in and you get to show off your desk. This is what my year has been, and I’m so proud to show them. I have to think it’s going to be a weekend we’re all going to remember 40 years from now and it’s going to be awesome.

But, …

Why This Was Almost The Worst Weekend Of The Year
Jack is on a very complex routine from his DAN doctor. He has 27 different supplements he’s on and Tiff has been doing an amazing job keeping him on his schedule. It’s a lot of work but we’ve seen a lot of progress, so it’s a critical element of what we do with him daily. When I say “we” I mean “Tiff,” because she’s the one who does this. I do small things to help here and there, but since she’s with him so much, she leads the charge. This created a problem on Tuesday and Wednesday. In going through this new effort over the past few months, she has formed an incredibly tight bond with Jack. Don’t be mistaken — she was extremely close with him before, as any mother with a special-needs child would be. But this has taken it to a whole new level.

So, she’s extremely nervous about anybody taking responsibility for the routine. It’s going to be her mom, whom she probably trusts with this even more than me. But it’s not easy. And I’m sure her mom is on edge about this a little bit. It’s a huge undertaking. Plus, with that super-tight bond, she’s going to miss him like she’d miss oxygen.

On Tuesday night, she decided she just couldn’t bring herself to go on the trip. I was pretty upset about that with how it impacted me. I was so excited about her and Benjamin coming along, and if she didn’t go, Ben wouldn’t go. I normally get homesick when I’m gone. It’s worse on longer trips. And it would have been absolutely miserable going four days knowing that every step of the way, they should have been there with me. I love going to Kansas, but it would have been a terribly depressing weekend for me.

I didn’t tell her any of that, though. I didn’t give her an opinion. I didn’t want to try to sway her one way or the other. I wanted her to make the decision she felt most comfortable with. If she didn’t want to go, that was her decision and I’d live with that. I would never pressure her into leaving Jack for four days if she couldn’t handle it.

I told her that I supported whatever choice she made, and she got a little mad at me when I didn’t have an opinion, because she had to try to guess what I was thinking. I had no gut feeling as to which way she’d decide, so I let it go.

I texted her Wednesday morning at 9:34 with the following message:
Let me know a) if you want to go to Chipotle and b) if you make a final decision on KS.

Chipotle was obviously the most important issue on my mind, because who doesn’t want to have a pretty girl as a lunch date? But I also needed to know if I needed to make some alternate arrangements. She’s normally pretty good at getting back to my texts, but I didn’t hear from her for an hour. At 10:45, I bugged her again.

Hellloooooooooo?

I think I might have had a key on my phone stuck or something. 45 seconds later, I got a response.

Oops! No lunch too busy getting ready for trip. 🙂

And so, as I write this on the plane from seat 15A, she’s in 16E, next to Benjamin in 16F. Yeah, this is gonna be the best weekend ever!

Still Have To Take Care Of Business, Though
I do have a couple of marathons to run this weekend. Operation Jack is the purpose of the trip. I have Kansas City on Saturday and Denver on Sunday. I always take things one race at a time, and in this case, I’m really focusing on Kansas City.

I ran this course in 2008 and turned in a 3:04:59, my fifth-fastest of 76 lifetime marathons, and one of the better efforts I’ve ever turned in. Six days earlier, I ran a 3:06 in Long Beach and struggled with a tight hamstring. My hamstring wasn’t any better for Kansas City, which is a tougher course with a few good hills. I was short on sleep because my airline lost my luggage and I had to wait for my bag, so I only had about four hours.

I was running Wichita the next day, and while I’ve gotten pretty good at running doubles, that was only the second time I had done that. Mentally, it takes a lot to really wreck yourself when you know you’re facing a 200-mile drive and a marathon the next day. But I gave it all I had and kicked hard at the end to come in sub-3:05, getting there by one second. I was pretty happy with that one, although pretty spent. Somehow, I was able to turn in a 3:09 the next day.

Well, I have incentive to run pretty hard on Saturday. Like, money! A friend of mine from college, Dan Merker, is running his first full marathon in that race. He’s expecting to run somewhere around 3:55 – 4:00 and he’s donating 10 cents for every second I beat him by. The difference between a 3:09 and a 3:29 is going to be $120. I have another Operation Jack supporter named Jeff Goodman who is running Long Beach on Sunday and pledging $2 for every minute I beat him by.

So, I don’t know what I have in me right now, but I’m going to find out, because I’m going to empty the tank as well as I can. I always go all out, but I’m going to do everything I can to locate gears I haven’t found since the spring. I’m feeling good, although who knows how I’ll be at mile 16?

Oh, and of course, Sunday. 26.2 miles at elevation. I’ll look at the course profile on Saturday night. I’ve heard it’s fairly flat. Whatever it is, I’ll give it my best and post a report.

And That’s Pretty Much It
Have a great weekend, y’all! I’ll get a race report from Kansas City posted at some point on Saturday.

Well, it’s Thursday, time for a weekend forecast. I don’t have a ton to talk about, but I am running a marathon (I know, shocker, huh?) so I might as well write a preview. This time, it’s a big race — the Chicago Marathon.

Just in case this is your first time here, I’m a father of three and a marathon runner. My middle child, 7-year-old Jack, is severely autistic. To try to make a difference in his honor, I’m attempting to run 61 marathons this year to raise money for a charity I’m a part of called Train 4 Autism. So far, I’m through 47 and a couple of ultras. No. 48 is coming on Sunday.

Chicago Marathon Preview
Well, this preview is for my running at the Chicago Marathon. They have world-class elites who run sub-2:10 there. I have no idea about the competition or the field. I just know what to expect out of myself. Or, should I say, what not to expect out of myself.

Chicago has a reputation for being fast and flat and I doubt I’ll even look at a course profile. It’s Chicago. From what I’ve seen, the wearer is going to be decent. You never know about the wind in Chicago, but I’m expecting good running conditions on a PR-friendly course with tons of spectators, great support, and plenty of fast runners to help keep me moving.

That being said, though. I have zero confidence in myself. I haven’t been running much in training over the past five weeks, opting for the bike at the gym instead. I beat the heck out of myself in September with five marathons at considerable elevation (including three in three days two weeks ago) and two timed ultras.

Last weekend, I realized how much I’ve wrecked myself when all I could muster was a 3:28. I’m also in a mental funk right now and not very motivated.

When I saw this race on the schedule, I originally eyed it as a sub-3 possibility. A month from now, I think maybe I could. But I have two chances at pulling it off on Sunday. Slim and none! I’ll still go my hardest, though. I’ll try to run smart and get back on the right track. I’m going to start off trying to run between 7:10 and 7:15 miles, roughly a 3:10 pace, and adjust from there. If I slip, I slip. If I hang on consistently, I might try to step it up in the second half.

If I was betting, I’d suspect I’m going 3:18 this weekend. But I wouldn’t be surprised to range eight minutes in either direction. I really don’t know where I stand right now.

Weekly Contest
I’m not doing my weekly contest until I meet my goal for the St. Jude’s Marathon in Memphis. Click here to see my page for that event. It’s for a great cause, pediatric cancer treatment and research. If you like what I’m doing, head over there and drop a buck or three or five. I’m running my body into the ground to try to help make things better for kids in need. Sunday is going to be my 48th marathon of the year. It’s a whole lot easier to click that link and donate the cost of a cup of coffee!

That’s All For Today
I’m tired and done writing for now. I’m mentally and physically beat and just need to sign off for the week. Have a great Thursday, Friday and Saturday, y’all. I’ll see you back here Sunday with a race recap.

I’m still coming down off of my high that was last weekend’s Tahoe Triple, but because of what Operation Jack is, I have to get over that now, because it’s about time to head out of town to run a marathon. Marathon No. 47 of the year is in St. Charles, Mo., and as difficult as running a marathon is, this is just the break I needed.

Real quick in case you’ve never been here before, I’m a father of three and marathon runner. Click here to see why I’m running 61 marathons this year for Train 4 Autism.

Lewis & Clark Marathon: Just What I Need!
Here’s what I did in September:
– September 4, Pocatello Marathon, starting at 6,400 feet and ending at 4,500 feet. The elevation made it tough and the downhill did a number on my quads.
– September 5, Operation Jack 7-Hour Challenge. Yes, that was the next day, and it was in Portland. After a long drive to the airport from Idaho, I got in, had a dinner function, then woke up early the next morning and ran 45 miles on a 0.94-mile loop.
– September 11, Patriots Run. This was a 9:11 timed run and I won it with 54 miles. For me, it’s pretty challenging to run ultras five days apart. What made this one even tougher was it started at noon, we were completely exposed to the sun for the first 7.5 hours, and the weather at the start was 80 degrees with 70 percent humidity. It gradually warmed up from there.
– September 19, Mountain Air Marathon. This race, in Gunnison, Colo., started at 8,950 feet and ended at 7,850 feet. This was extremely difficult for me since I don’t train at altitude. The 150-foot climb at mile 23 was pretty brutal, too. After flying to Denver, I had to drive 225 miles through winding mountain roads to get to and from this race. That didn’t make my weekend any easier.
– September 24, Emerald Bay Marathon. The first leg of the Tahoe Triple, after just four days off following my previous marathon. Elevation started at 6,830 feet, ended about 200 feet higher than that, but dipped down to 6,200 feet and had a brutal climb from miles 23 – 25.5. This was the toughest marathon I’ve ever run.
– September 25, Cal-Neva Marathon. The second leg of the Tahoe Triple. I was anything but fresh. This was the easiest leg of the Tahoe Triple, but was still among the top 5 or 6 most difficult marathon courses I’e ever run.
– September 26, Lake Tahoe Marathon. The third and final leg of the Tahoe Triple. Tougher than the second day, but a tiny bit less tough than the first day. This capped a brutal month, although I was pleased to finish third overall in the Tahoe Triple.

So that brings me to Sunday’s race, the Lewis & Clark Marathon in St. Charles, Mo. I couldn’t have asked for anything better than what I’m facing on Sunday. It’s at about 400 feet above sea level, which is sea level as far as I’m concerned since I train at about 1,000 feet.

There are some very gradual rolling hills early that don’t faze me at all. In fact, I think I’ll like them because they look like they’re slight enough that they’ll give me the opportunity to use different muscles and mix it up. There’s a climb between 15.5 and 18, but when you’re looking at a climb of 75 feet over 2 1/2 miles, you know it’s nothing major. I had two climbs last weekend that were about 750 feet over 2 1/2 miles — yes, 10 times as steep.

And the weather? High of 58, low of 37, no precipitation.

Really, I couldn’t have asked for anything more. I’ll be feeling it in my legs when I get going, but the course won’t set me back at all. For the first time since August, I should be able to just go out and run hard and get a time my body is capable of. In that race in August, I went 3:12. I don’t know that I have enough in my legs to run a 3:12 right now, but I’ll be disappointed if I don’t run a 3:15.

Weekly Contest
Normally, I have a weekly contest where y’all make a donation equivalent to the amount you think I’m going to run, so for instance, if you think I’m going to run a 3:15, you donate $3.15, and whoever gets closest wins their choice of an Operation Jack t-shirt, tech shirt or sweatshirt.

Well, I’m trying to raise money for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Center for the St. Jude’s Marathon in Memphis on December 4. It will be my 58th marathon of the year. I’m more than halfway to my goal for that, so once I hit that, I’ll get back to having my weekly contest.

Function With St. Louis Cardinals
If you’re in the St. Louis area, or if you know anybody who is, we’re having a really cool function on Saturday with two players on the St. Louis Cardinals. Starting pitcher Adam Wainwright, who won 20 games this year and finished second in the National League Cy Young voting last year, and second baseman Skip Schumaker, who finished 10th in the National League in batting in 2008 and hit better than .300 each of the previous three seasons, will both be at Hot Shots in Fenton, Mo. about two hours after the game signing autographs.

For details about the event, head to operationjack.org/cardinals.

OK, that’s all I have for today. I actually had something more, but I’m out of time. Have a great weekend, y’all! I’ll have a race recap up on Sunday!