I might paint my fingernails blue. This isn’t an April Fool’s joke. This is Autism Awareness Month, since it’s now April, and I’m going to do what I’ve been doing for close to two years — use myself to try to raise money for charity. [Read more…]
Something To Do On Autism Awareness Day!
There’s a great event coming up on April 2, Autism Awareness Day, and if you’re in the Southern California area, I’d LOVE to see you out there. If you’re not in the Southern California area, can you help me spread the word by sharing on your Facebook page or through Twitter? [Read more…]
This Time It's Easy, Just A 10K!
Hey! Long time no blog! I haven’t been around these parts in three weeks, but I’m back, with something I’m really excited about. I’m finally locked in to participate in a really great event and I’d love for you to participate or at least help spread the word! [Read more…]
Groundhog Day: A Blog And A Marathon This Weekend
Long time no blog! I haven’t posted in 13 days, but I have some things I want to post and my wife is watching some reality housewives brain-killing show, so this is as good a time as any to write an update.
Real quick, just in case you’ve never been here before, I’m a father of three and a marathoner. My middle child, 7-year-old Jack, is severely autistic. Last year, in his honor, I ran 61 full marathons to raise money and awareness for a charity I’m a part of called Train 4 Autism. I named the endeavor Operation Jack after my superstar. All told, we grossed more than $88,000 and brought a lot of people into the charity. So, I’d call it a success.
So anyways, moving along …
Heartbreaking …
I don’t really want to make other people’s business public. So I’ll just say that a friend of mine named Sue went to Heaven Sunday after a battle with cancer. I’m heartbroken for her husband and kids. I’m really impressed with how he seems to be doing. I’m inspired by him and I admire his strength. Praying for them is something I do every morning before I get out of bed, it’s something I do every night before I go to bed, and it’s something I do throughout the day.
I’m going to raise money for a cancer charity this fall. What I do will probably take the place of the fall marathon I was planning on racing. It’s a small sacrifice I have no problems making.
What To Do?
Last night, out of the blue, my wife Tiffany told me I should consider running a 100-miler as a charity endeavor. That’s not a bad idea, because really, I have to do something more than just a marathon now. I was thinking about the Tahoe Triple. That’s three days of running, a marathon on Friday morning, a marathon on Saturday morning and then a 72-mile ultramarathon starting at 10 p.m. on the Saturday night. All three of those races are on rolling hills at elevations varying between 6300 and 7100 feet.
I think I could raise money either way. What sounds tougher — 26.2, 26.2, 72, or 100? Or do you have any other ideas? Maybe a 24-hour race and I collect pledges based on miles completed, really forcing me to push on. Let me know what you think.
Jack Update
We’ve still been putting Jack through his supplement routine. He had been out of control for a a few weeks — bouncing off the walls, chewing everything in sight, waking up way too early — we were pulling our hair out. But my mother-in-law noticed Vitamin B levels in one of the new supplements and they were high. B gives you energy, and it was obvious that Jack had way too much. So, we took him off of that and he calmed down within a day.
It’s so nice to see him calm and happier as a result of not going stir-crazy, but it’s so sad to think that the restlessness was caused by that Vitamin B. We try our best with him. This is a very difficult, inexact science that’s challenging for the parents and the children. Autism sucks, which is why I did what I did last year.
I take Jack to school every morning. It’s fun — we have an arrangement with the teachers and I bring him about 20 minutes late so that I can walk him back to his classroom. I go through his routine with him when he gets to his room, I see him off to the playground, I update his teachers with whatever information they need to know and then I head off to work. It’s a nice little routine that I really enjoy.
I’m Running A Marathon This Weekend!
Nothing major, but I’m one of two 3:40 pacers at the Surf City Marathon this Sunday. It’s the sixth time I’ve been an official pacer, the third time at this race. It’s a lot of fun helping people run a good race. I really, really enjoy it.
Awesome Video
I don’t know what to say other than I loved this video. I got a fair amount of coverage last year and this is my favorite piece in any format, no question. My friend Billy Yang and his company High Gear Films put this together and I LOVED it. You have to watch it!
That’s All For Today
If I don’t write anything else this week, have a great weekend! Go Pack!
What To Do, What To Do?
A few days ago, somebody asked me if I was getting antsy trying to figure out what to do on the weekends. No, not at all. I have a ton of things to do around the house, I’m having fun with the kids, I’m catching up on some sleep, I’m hanging out with my wife — it’s pretty nice! But I am getting antsy trying to figure out what to do for Train 4 Autism. I knew the end of Operation Jack would come, but I don’t want to stop fighting. So, here’s what I’m thinking about for this year. If you have input or suggestions, please leave a comment!
First, real quick, just in case you’ve never been here before, I’m a father of three and a marathon runner. My middle son, 7-year-old Jack, is severely autistic. I decided I wanted to something to try to make a difference. So, I ran 61 marathons last year to raise money and awareness for a charity I’m a part of called Train 4 Autism. I named the endeavor Operation Jack, after my son, and as a result of me doing what I did, more than $87,000 was grossed for multiple charities across the country.
That’s great, but it would be foolish to just throw away the base I’ve built and not continue to try to do good, right? A lot of people have asked what I’m going to do this year. Here’s what I’m thinking — let me know your thoughts!
ACT Today For Military Families 5K
If you followed along last year, you know I’m really big on the military. They’re my heroes. There’s a 5K in San Diego on April 2 that benefits military families who have children with autism. From what I know, and from the statistics I’ve seen, military families struggle compared to the civilian population when it comes to treating their children with autism. So, I’ll certainly be glad to help (and I’ll be looking for people in the San Diego area).
Utah Valley Marathon
I’m about 98 percent heading off to this one. I want to try to help build a couple of solid Train 4 Autism chapters this year, so I have to turn to where I have solid leaders. Alicia Verburg, who’s up in this area, fits that bill. Plus, the race did a good job working with Operation Jack and Train 4 Autism last year and it looks like they’ll do the same again this year. So, that’s June 11 up in Provo, Utah. It’s a great race and I’m looking forward to working with Alicia to build a strong team.
Mount Desert Island Marathon
Mount Desert Island is in Maine. I’m not sure where — I just know it’s in Maine. For a Southern California guy, that’s about as far away from home as you can get in the lower 48. But there’s a very strong chapter out there, led by Sarah Emerson and Danielle Sterling, that formed as a result of Operation Jack. They’ve been begging me to go since last April, so I’ll be there. It’s October 16, and I know they’re working on recruiting runners from all over the country. This one should be a lot of fun — I’ll be personally pacing Sarah through her first marathon and it should be a great weekend for Train 4 Autism.
Other Train 4 Autism Support
I had hoped to build an Orange County team for the Los Angeles Marathon, but I couldn’t get that going. I’ll still head up and work the booth, support Train 4 Autism, run the race with somebody if necessary, etc. In October, I’m sure I’ll run the Long Beach Marathon. That’s our biggest race and we always have a lot of people there. I’ll work hard to build a big Orange County contingency for that one.
TBD: Something To Fight Cancer
Autism is my cause. But that doesn’t mean there are other things in this world that suck. Cancer is one of those, and in the past week, it’s really hit home to me that I need to do something this year to fight cancer.
Last Friday, my dad had surgery because doctors found cancer in his bladder. This is the third time they’ve found it and removed it since 2004. He also had something called a chemo flush on Friday. I have no idea what that means, but hopefully it helps him in the long term. On one hand, there’s no joy in knowing your dad has had cancer three times in seven years. But I’m grateful for the doctors and technology that found it and took care of him. He would have died a long time ago if not for that.
On the flip side of this, though, is a friend of mine from my church group named Sue. I really want to respect her privacy, and the privacy of her family and not discuss too much here. But if you’re the type who prays, please pray for her, her husband Jeff and their kids right now. They need strength and God’s healing touch. I’m pretty upset about this right now, and I’m going to do something in the fall — I’m not sure what — but I’m going to raise money to fight cancer. I have some things I’m thinking about, but I’m not sure exactly what I’m going to do. If you have any ideas, let me know. I want to make something happen.
Individual Running: Boston Marathon
I’m going to train to run my best for the Boston Marathon. It’s been about two years since I’ve really been able to train for a race to run it well, so I’m looking forward to this. At some point, I need to take some “me” time to regain some focus, right? I start my training cycle on Monday. We’ll see how it goes.
Individual Running: Lake Forest 5K
After Boston, I’ll train for the local July 4 5K. I’ve never trained for a 5K. I might as well see how that goes, right?
That’s All For 2011
A lot of you have asked what I’m doing this year and I think that sums it up. That should be enough to make myself useful, right? If you have any feedback, suggestions, ideas, etc., please let me know. And please, if you pray, please pray for Sue, Jeff and their kids. They need it right now.
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- Next Page »