Yesterday at work, somebody was talking about how it didn’t seem like Wednesday. Well, if you’re like me, and you were out Monday running the Boston Marathon, it was like Tuesday. Or, if you’re like me and you have to take Friday off to travel to run a marathon in Nashville on Saturday, it might have seemed like Thursday. So now, I don’t even know what today seems like to me. Certainly not a Thursday. But that’s what the calendar says it is, which means it’s time for my weekend preview.

Just in case this is your first time here, I’m a father of three and a marathon runner and my middle child, 6 1/2-year-old Jack, is severely autistic. I decided I wanted to use my running to make a difference in the autism world and I came up with the idea to run 60 marathons in 2010 to help raise money and awareness for a great charity I’m a part of named Train 4 Autism.

Train 4 Autism helps people like me or you train for races and raise money for the autism-related charity of their choice. So far, everything is cruising along pretty well. I’ve completed 20 marathons this year and next week I’ll let everybody know how much we’ve raised so far. I’m working on figuring out what the total is.

Anyways, every Thursday, I give an analysis of my race(s) for the weekend and I have a contest. You guess my time by making a small donation (for instance, if you think I’m going to run a 3:12, you donate $3.12 by clicking on the DONATE NOW! link at the top of any page on this site. The winner is the person who comes the closest without going under. The prize is your choice of an Operation Jack t-shirt, tech shirt or sweatshirt.

Last week’s winner was Julie Dural, who had faith I’d go sub-3:10 in Boston! Yeah Julie! I was fortunate enough to meet her in Boston on Sunday. She’s super-nice and I think it’s cool that she won.

Oh, one thing to clarify: I have two races this weekend, so you’re going to be betting on the second race, Oklahoma City on Sunday.

Fundraising Plug #1
OK, so I haven’t plugged these in a while, but we have Operation Jack clothing we want to put you. If you haven’t seen our stuff, check it out on the Sponsors page. We have t-shirts, tech shirts and sweatshirts, and everybody seems to love them, especially the sweatshirts.

If you can’t afford to make a donation, I totally understand — it’s a terrible economy. But we’ll still send you some gear if you’re willing to hit people up for easy little $10 donations. Check out the 10×10 page.

Fundraising Plug #2
I’ll keep pushing this, but I’m running seven marathons in seven states this month, so since 7 is the number of the month, I’m trying to collect as many $7 donations as possible. If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the April update I sent out at the beginning of the month.

Finally, The Course Preview For The Contest
I’m running another double this weekend — Nashville on Saturday and Oklahoma City on Sunday. I finally took a look at the course profiles last night, and wow do I wish they were reversed!

Nashville’s looked extremely reasonable, possibly even a very slight downhill net. It looks essentially flat with some small rollers. On paper, it looks like a pretty manageable course, although through 48 lifetime marathons, I have yet to run one that was easy. The only downside is the weather. I saw yesterday that there will like be a storm during the race. But the weather forecast can always change.

Since I ran well in Boston on Monday, I’ll be entering this one pretty confident about going all-out. I’m going to be disappointed if I don’t go sub-3:10, because right now, I don’t feel like I have any excuse not to. It should be a fun race. It’s a Rock ‘N Roll race, which means it there will be a ton of people, and since it’s Nashville, I know I’ll get a kick out of all the country bands.

Sunday in Oklahoma City looks a little more challenging. There’s a fairly quick start, with a fairly long, gradual downhill in the first six miles. Hopefully, that will get my wheels turning, because I’ll certainly be tired. The middle section of the race doesn’t look too bad, but there’s a long, gradual uphill from about 21 to 24. I’m expecting this to be a fairly challenging run.

The race in Oklahoma City commemorates the 15-year anniversary of the bombing, and the race is a tribute to the victims. They have a 168-second moment of silence before the start of the race, which should be chilling. It should be a very memorable experience.

Anyways, if I had to bet, just based on my recent results, I’d probably go with a 3:17 Sunday. It’s really tough to say. Am I the guy who showed up in Boston? Or the guy who was 21 minutes slower than that in Dallas? I’m really anxious to see how much heart I have.

Let me know what you think by entering the contest. This Operation Jack thing is a grind, physically and mentally. Your little, tiny $3 donation gives me a huge boost! Thank you!

Video Of The Day
When you go to Fenway Park in Boston, they play Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond in the middle of the 8th. It’s totally awesome. I took a video on Sunday when I had tickets on top of the Green Monster. If you’re a baseball fan, you need to experience this at least once!

OK, That’s All For Today
Sleepy time for me (yeah, I write these the night before). Have a great day/weekeend, everybody! I’ll have race reports posted on Saturday and Sunday!

I can’t believe it’s already Thursday. I just got back from Dallas and it’s already time to go to Virginia. This is a tough stretch right now, because I have to be away from my family so much, but it will make next month (and next year) seem so easy. Anyways, another weekend is on the horizon and a pair of marathons are on the schedule. I guess that means it’s time for my weekend preview.

Weekly Pick Sam’s Time Contest
Each week, I have a contest where you guys try to guess what my time will be by making a super-easy donation. Basically, if you think my time is going to be a 3:04, you donate $3.04 by clicking the “Donate Now!” link at the top. If you guess 3:04, I thank you for your confidence. But anyways, that’s the contest. Winner is the person who comes the closest without under-bidding.

The prize is your choice of an Operation Jack t-shirt, tech shirt or sweatshirt. Two weeks ago, the winner was Katey Williamson. I think she chose a sweatshirt. Maybe it was a tech shirt. Not sure. Anyways, she said she was going to keep playing until she won one of each. Sure enough, she won again this past week. She apparently knew I was going to struggle miserably in Dallas. Thanks Katey! I need a lot of you to compete against her so that she doesn’t win again. If she does, that’ll be $3 and change less coming to Operation Jack!

To help you play the game, I give you my insight on the course. In weeks like this one where I have two marathons, we go with the second race for the contest. This week, that’s Boston. I’ll be honest, though. I have no idea how that one’s going to go. No clue. I’ll get to that in a minute, though.

The Glamorous Life Of A Traveling Marathon Runner
So, I know I blog about some of the fun and interesting things involving Operation Jack, but this weekend is going to be pretty exhausting. Here’s what I’m looking at:
– Red-eye flight to Virginia.
– Working on my laptop in the airport in Virginia for two hours after I arrive, then for at least three hours before my flight before I leave to avoid an extra day on the rental-car charge (29-hour stay … bummer!)
– Friday night, there’s a pasta dinner with a group of students at the University of Virginia who are members of the same fraternity I was in at Kansas State (Phi Delta Theta). A lot of them are participating in a 5K Saturday morning that benefits the Virginia Institute for Autism. Awesome!
– Renting a car in Boston Saturday night and driving to the outskirts of town. Hotel rooms are ridiculously overpriced in the city for the race, and I’m not there for vacation.
– Driving to the T (subway station) Sunday morning to take that into town. I have a breakfast, lunch and dinner scheduled with different groups of people at each meal. Plus a stop to get my stuff and visit some people at the expo. In between those meals, I’ll find a Starbucks to plug in my laptop and get some work done.
– Monday morning, I’ll have to check out of my hotel before the race because it doesn’t start until 10:30 a.m. I’m also flying home that night, probably getting not much more than six hours of sleep before work on Tuesday.
– Oh, and I’m getting my car serviced today, and since that includes warranty work (2007 Camry!), they’re giving me a rental car from Enterprise at the dealer. So yeah, I’m picking up three rental cars in three different states in three days. Fun.

I’m getting tired just thinking about it. I always say the running is the easiest part of this. If you notice, in that list I didn’t include running a pair of marathons. But that’s definitely on the agenda, Nos. 19 and 20 of the year.

Race Previews
I haven’t looked at the Charlottesville course yet. I know that I’ve gone 3:20, 3:20, 3:23, 3:19 and 3:24 in my last five races, but I still truly believe that on a good day, even right now with my fatigue, there’s no reason I can’t go 3:10. Period. And that’s what I’m going to aim for. I’ll head out, trying to get into a 7:15/mile rhythm and I’ll see what I can do.

I’ve been back on some anti-inflammatory supplements this week that I hadn’t taken in three weeks, plus I had a visit to the hyperbaric chamber last night, plus I’m planning on taking at least one ice bath before Saturday’s race and hopefully three before the race in Boston. The optimist in me is running sub-3:10 on Saturday. The realist is going sub-3:20.

So on Monday, I have Boston. This will be my third time running this course. I went 3:03:29 the first time and 3:01:31 last year — two of my fastest three times ever. I’ve trained and tapered both times. The course has a little bit of a downhill net and you can start out and get into a pretty quick groove early based on the layout of the course. I knew my mistakes in 2008 and I ran it stronger last year.

I’m very confident that I know how to get the most out of myself in Boston. I feel very strong on that course. I’ll be taking ice baths on Saturday night and Sunday night and I suspect I’ll get at least 15 hours of sleep between those two nights. But I have no idea what to expect out of myself. I go all-out every time, but there’s almost a different gear in Boston. I love that race — I always call it my reward for all the training I do.

Nothing will surprise me on Monday, not a time starting with a 2 or a time with a 3:2X. If I had to bet, I’d probably go with a 3:12. But that could swing 13 minutes either way. I have no idea what to expect, other than four big hills in Newton.

But make a guess anyways. Show Operation Jack some support! It only costs about $3 and it’ll give me a boost when I see your donation come across! Either click here or click on the “Donate Now!” link on the top of any page on this site!

One Last Thing
My daughter Ava, who’s 4, told me Tuesday night that she knows she’s a troublemaker. She’s not a bad kid, but she can get into a little bit of mischief and she knows it. Nothing out of the ordinary for a kid her age. Last night, when I tucked her into bed, she told me, “Daddy, I was a goodmaker today!” And that is why she owns me.

I Lied — One More Last Thing
I’m running seven marathons in seven states this month. So, I’m running a campaign to try to collect $7 donations to help Operation Jack. If you haven’t seen the update I sent to the Facebook group, please check it out!

OK, That’s All For Today
Have a great weekend, everybody! Hope it’s less exhausting than mine! I’ll be posting race reports on Saturday and Monday.

Here we go again, and again. It’s time for my next marathons of Operation Jack, and I’m using the plural form of the word marathon, because I have my third double of the year this weekend. I’ll be running Olathe, Kan. on Saturday and Dallas on Sunday to bring me to within 42 marathons of completing Operation Jack.

Just in case this is your first time here, I’m a marathon runner and a father of three. My middle son, 6 1/2-year-old Jack, is severely autistic. I hatched up this crazy idea of trying to run 60 full marathons this year to try to raise awareness and money for a charity called Train 4 Autism. So far, things are going well. I’m raising money, building new Train 4 Autism chapters and doing a fine job running my body into the ground.

As I frequently mention, while I want to tackle the world this year, I know that it will be a lengthy process that takes more than just 2010. I’m planting seeds this year. I really hope to see growth down the road! But right now, it’s just one day at a time. And it’s already Thursday. Wow, these weeks fly by.

Weekly Pick-My-Time Contest
Every week, I have a contest where people guess my time in the form of a small donation. Basically, if you think I’m going to run a 3:15, you donate $3.15. To donate, you can click here or you can click on the “Donate Now!” link at the top of any page on this site.

It’s an easy way to support the cause and I really appreciate it because it tells me that you believe in what I’m doing. It’s the proverbial pat-on-the-back. Last week, Dina Williams was the winner. She also won her NCAA Tournament bracket and donated her winnings to Operation Jack!

Anyways, to help with this contest, I give you my insight on the course. One thing that’s different this week is that I’m running two races. So, we’re going to go with Sunday’s race as the one I use for the contest. I’ll get to details on that in just a minute.

Orange County Marathon Weekend
I’ve mentioned a couple of times that we’re going to have a Silpada party on Friday night, April 30. We’re waiting on one last confirmation and then we’ll post the evite next week.

Also, we finally nailed down a location for a pasta dinner on May 1. This one should a little less hectic than the one we had the night before Surf City. I don’t want to totally announce the exact details because we’re still confirming the time, but it looks like it’s going to be an all-you-can-eat thing for a reasonable price at an Italian restaurant in Irvine. If I have this confirmed today, which is very likely, I’ll update this blog. E-mail me if you’re interested and I’ll get back to you.

This Weekend’s Races
OK, I have the Olathe Marathon on Saturday and the Big-D Texas Marathon on Sunday.

Olathe is a suburb of Kansas City and starts just a few miles from the first apartment Tiff and I lived in after we got married in 1999. I’ll actually run within about 1/2 a mile of that apartment in Overland Park, Kan.! I’m so excited! The course is pretty flat. The elevation profile I saw shows some rollers, but there’s only about 40 or 50 separating the highest point from the lowest point. So, I’m mentally treating this as a flat course. I’m not expecting anything (other than having to run 26.2 miles) that’s going to cause much trouble.

One problem I really have right now is a lack of confidence. Catalina was a 3:48 and that was a decent run because it was a hilly trail course, but I followed that up with two 3:20s and a 3:23. I have no confidence in myself right now, and I haven’t really decided how I’m going to run. I’m thinking I’ll resist any kind of temptation to run anywhere significantly below 3:10 regardless of how I feel. I’ll try to keep the pace between 7:10 and 7:15 and if I get the feeling that’s conservative, maybe I’ll try to push a little bit starting at around 21. Otherwise, I’ll just hang on for dear life.

I’m thinking that if I run smart, which I’m going to try my best to do, I can go 3:13.

Sunday’s race in Dallas isn’t terribly hilly, but it’s not flat. There will be a few more challenges than I expect to see. In my five previous doubles, I’ve gone 3:17/3:16, 3:04/3:09, 3:24/3:19, 3:18/3:21, 3:28/3:29. For the first three, I’d say the course/elements were slightly easier on the second day. The fourth time it was a little tougher the second day. The fifth time, I ran in wind, mud and hail the first day, then had perfect weather and had an easy time leading the 3:30 pace group the second day.

So, I’m thinking that whatever I do on Saturday, I’m going to head out and try to run at the same pace to maybe two minutes slower per mile on Sunday. So, if I average 7:22s on Saturday, I’ll try to run between 7:22 and 7:27 per mile on Sunday. I’m thinking I’ll start to struggle no later than mile 20 on Sunday, but I’ll still push forward as hard as I can.

What does that all mean? I think I’m going to be about 2-4 minutes slower on Sunday and if I were betting, I’d probably go with a 3:22 just based on how I’ve been running lately. But don’t get me wrong — I’d be very disappointed if I went 3:22 either day.

April Campaign Plug
I’m making a push on an easy campaign in this month. Take a look at what I’m trying to do!

OK, That’s All For Today
Have a great weekend, everybody. And please enter the contest! Please, please, please!

These weeks are flying by way too fast. I feel like I just got back from Virginia and it’s already time to carb load. That means it’s time for another weekend forecast, plus a few new things about Operation Jack I have for you.

Weekly “Guess Sam’s Time” Contest
I’m having a weekly contest now where you can guess my time in my race and win your choice of a free Operation Jack t-shirt, tech shirt or sweatshirt. Here’s how you do it: Try to guess my time (a little lower in this blog, I’ll give my analysis of the course and make my own prediction) and to enter, make a donation corresponding to your guess. So for instance, if you think I’m going to run a 3:15, donate $3.15. The winner is the person who guesses the closest without going under. In the case of a tie, I’ll draw a random winner.

It’s an easy contest, and costs about the same as an ice cream cone, which is fitting, because I’m now up to 52 consecutive days eating ice cream or frozen yogurt. And of course, this helps us nickel-and-dime our way to our goals!

To enter, click here or click the “Donate Now!” link at the top of any page on this site.

Quick Announcement About A Race Add
I’m about 98 percent sure I’m going to add the Olathe Marathon to my schedule on April 10. I’ll actually probably have that finalized by the time you read this, but I’m posting that here because the race is coming up in two weeks. I’m not expecting a lot of you to add the marathon with just two weeks’ notice (that’s something I would do, but I’m not exactly normal), but for the record, there’s also a 5K and a half-marathon. I know I have a chunk of you in the Kansas City area and I’d love to see you at the race or at least while I’m out there.

This race will actually make my April pretty challenging. I already have Dallas on the 11th, Charlottesville, Va. on the 17th, Boston on the 19th, Nashville on the 24th and Oklahoma City on the 25th (plus my Train 4 Autism race here on the 3rd). That’s seven for the month, but six in six states over a 16-day span. Forget the running … that’s a lot of race reports to write!

Oh, by the way, this isn’t going to boost the total to 61. I have another race that’s part of a double I’m planning on dropping.

Hyperbaric Chamber Update
Jenn Fellrath, a loyal supporter of Operation Jack, has asked me a few times recently about how Jack is doing at the hyperbaric chamber, so I figured I’d give an update in here for everybody. Last night, we went to Advanced Hyperbarics for another session and he did pretty well. When we first started going, it was a chore to handle him in there. He squirmed, he resisted holding the oxygen mask up to his face and it was really challenging to spend an hour in there with him.

He’s gotten a lot better with it, though. He knows the routine and hops right in. Last night, he held the mask to his face by himself for a good 80 percent of the session. For the majority of the remaining 20 percent, he didn’t resist me holding it. There’s a hood you can wear instead of holding the mask, which makes it easier and more effective, but he’s refusing that right now. We’re working on it, though, and I’m really looking forward to the day when he wears that. Part of it is a plastic collar that holds on the clear, plastic hood, and last night he was willing to at least try the collar on. That’s progress in my book.

All of that isn’t what Jenn is really asking about, though. She wants to know how he’s improving as a result of the treatment. Well, it’s really tough to say. We’ve been going for about five months now, and he’s shown incredible progress in that time. This isn’t a controlled scientific experiment, so numerous factors could be contributing to his improvements. But I really believe that the oxygen is helping. The speech is really starting to come out better in bits in pieces. He’s much more attentive and alert. It’s kind of like we’re buffing out a car and we’re seeing some shiny parts now.

He’s a different child than he was when I first launched this site and I suspect he’ll be vastly improved by the time the year is over. Exactly what is causing that, I can’t say. But we like the routine we’re in right now.

Jenn, let me know if that’s sufficient.

Race Forecast
OK, this is not a PR course. I’m sure it’s a beautiful course, since it runs through Knoxville, Tenn. But it looks incredibly hilly on the course profile. The first nice climb starts at about mile 2, there are about five solid climbs total, including a long, gradual uphill from 22 to 25 and what looks like a hill at about 25.5. This contest is going to cost you an extra dime, because I just don’t see it being a fast day.

One cool thing about the course is that it ends up on the 50-yard line in Neyland Stadium, the 107,000-seat facility where the University of Tennessee plays football. I like to kick for the last mile in a marathon, but a good friend of mine suggested I kick at the 10-yard line so I can get a 40 time in there. I’ll probably go with the last mile, but not if I’m out of gas, which I suspect is possible.

Physically, I feel a lot better than I did at this point last week. I’ve been running a little bit harder this week to mix it up and I’ve been enjoying that. I think I’ll feel fine on race day. I have a personal score to settle with the 26.2-mile distance, because it kicked my butt last week in Virginia Beach. I expect to be fired up and ready to go. But I’ll be limited by the course and my body.

I want to set a personal best for the year, which would be 3:07:20. I wouldn’t call that likely, but that’s what I want to do. If I was making a donation for the contest, I’d probably go with about $3.13 in this one. I’m not making a donation, though. I already have my t-shirt, tech shirt and sweatshirt. Plus, how wrong would that be if I won my own contest?

Catch Me At Dailymile.com
OK, so I’ve seen dailymile, and I think I had an account, but I never really did anything with it because I was using runningahead.com. But for what I’m doing, which is tracking my running and trying to meet runners, it’s become pretty obvious to me that I needed to get on dailymile. So, I did. I think some folks told me that word for there is “stalk” as opposed to “follow” (Twitter) or “friend” (Facebook), so come stalk me! How weird to say that! But you can find me here.

For my next step in social media correctness, I’m going to integrate WordPress into here, but not yet. I’m getting there and there are only 24 hours in a day.

That’s All For This Week!
Please, please, please — participate in the contest! It makes my day when I see your entries come across! It lets me know that I’m not alone and running myself into the ground for nothing. Beyond that, be well, eat your ice cream and pull for my Kansas State Wildcats against Xavier tonight!

I’d like to give a good assessment of how I think I’ll run in the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach, Va. this Sunday, but truth be told, I have absolutely no clue. The course looks great, but I don’t have much of an idea where I stand physically, and I’m taking exhaustion to a new level this weekend.

Standard Intro
Just in case you’re new to the site, my name is Sam and I’m a marathon runner and a father of three young children. My middle child, 6 1/2-year-old Jack, is severely autistic. To take advantage of some physical gifts I’ve been given, and to try to make a purpose out the struggles Jack goes through, I’m attempting to run 60 marathons in 2010 to raise money and awareness for a charity I’m a part of called Train 4 Autism. So far, I’m on target. I’ve completed 13 marathons. Only 47 to go!

The Contest
Before I get into details on the race, I want y’all to know about a new weekly contest I started this month based on a great suggestion from loyal Operation Jack supporter Jen Morgan. Guess my time in my race and you win your choice of an Operation Jack t-shirt, tech shirt or sweatshirt.

Now, you know I’m trying to raise money, so there’s a catch to it (a small, painless catch). To guess my time, you have to make a donation. But it’s a really small donation, because I run these marathons at a fairly good pace. If you think I’m going to run a 3:10, donate $3.10. If you think I’m going to run a 3:12, donate $3.12. I don’t think you can even buy a large coffee at Starbucks. So, it’s cheap, it’s easy and if you believe in what I’m trying to do, you’d enter just because it gives me a nice psychological boost when I see the donations come across. It’s how I know I’m not alone!

Anyways, last week’s winner was Jamie Fellrath. He guessed I’d run a 3:48, and that’s exactly what I did. So, an Operation Jack tech shirt is heading his direction. Please, play along this week! Oh, for the record, the winner is the person who comes the closest without going under (this isn’t The Price Is Right — underbidding is the disqualifier!). In the case of a tie, I’ll draw a winner at random. To help, though, I’ll give you some analysis of the race. With that being said, …

Analysis Of The Race
Looking at the course map, it’s a dream. It’s absolutely a PR course. The elevation varies between 20 feet above sea level and 40 feet above sea level. That’s about as flat as it gets. There are three little bumps on the course, which I’m guessing are overpasses. That’s as perfect as you can get.

The weather forecast, as of last night, was a high of 67, low of 52, which means it will probably be in the mid- to high-50s during the race. That’s not perfect, but it’s pretty darn close to perfect. BUT, there’s a 40 percent chance of scattered thunderstorms. The math says that’s a 60 percent chance of no thunderstorms, but that’s something I’ll certainly be keeping my eye on over the next few days.

I’ve run in the rain, and that doesn’t bother me. Wind is a hassle, and it’s possible since the course is right there along the coast. All-in-all, I have a lot of favorable factors going into this race.

But there are some potential pitfalls. First, I haven’t run much this week. Last Saturday’s Catalina Marathon really tore up my quads and I’ve been in pain ever since. My only run since then was 6.5 miles on hills with six hill sprints this morning. It was OK, but I’m still a tiny bit sore. I think I’ll feel pretty good by Sunday, but I’m not where I’ve normally been five days after a marathon this year. Also, I’m taking my first red-eye flight of Operation Jack, so I’m sure I’ll be a little tired. Aside from not getting any sleep other than on the plane Friday night, my West Coast body will be running on East Coast time.

I’m going to head out trying to run miles in the 7:05 range, targeting a 3:05 or so. If I’m feeling great, I’ll push it a bit. If I struggle, I’ll do what I can to hold on for dear life. I’m not trying to win anything, but if it was (and I hope you are), I’d make a donation of $3.11. That’s my guess. Now you make yours!

Video Of The Day Week Month!
Jack does little things here and there and he likes to draw on his Magna Doodle toy. But last night, while I was hanging out in the playroom, he drew a little picture on a whiteboard toy and then erased it before I could get a picture. But I got the video camera on my phone ready just in case he did it again. And he did! Afterwards, I tried to get his attention so he would say hi, and he kind of did that, too!

Now, I have to warn you. This video is deceiving. He almost looks normal, but that’s far from the case. He struggles with tasks all day and he doesn’t spontaneously use language. You’ll notice that I had to call his name three times, then nudge his chin to get him to look at me before saying “haaaaaaa”. But his drawing shows us that he’s observant and there’s some thought going on inside that head of his.

We’re really excited about this. This is huge, huge progress for Jack!

That’s All For Today, Everybody!
Have a great weekend! And don’t forget to enter the contest! I’ll have a race report up at some point on Sunday.