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!

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

Four years ago today, my wife gave birth to our only daughter, Ava, completing our family. I know birthdays are about the kids, but to me, it’s about Tiff. She put her body through a lot growing our babies. A marathon — heck, 60 marathons — doesn’t come close to comparing on the difficulty scale to growing a human being!

So, I bought these for Tiff last night and surprised her with them this morning.

I always do that for the kids’ birthdays. It’s the least I can do!

I never really talk about Ava in here, but she totally owns me. Tiff says she looks like me, which is kind of a bummer. Who wants to look like me? But I guess it’s appropriate, because she’s a total daddy’s girl. She knows how to play me, and I think it’s going to get worse and worse as she gets older. She says the cutest little things and I just dig her.

Poor little thing is sick today. If she gets a little better, we’re going to go out to Red Robin for dinner so she can have fun and have the waiters and waitresses sing Happy Birthday to her. At the end of the day, I’ll sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star to her at bedtime. That’s our song. Maybe I should try to find a song called “Daddy I Promise I’ll Be 4 Forever And Never Grow Up And Date Anybody” to sing to her.

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.

Operation Jack: Next Month!
On Sunday, I started realizing it’s November, and I can actually say that I’m flying out to my first Operation Jack race NEXT MONTH! It’s still about eight weeks away, because I head to Houston on December 31, but oh my goodness! I remember talking to Tiff about it in April and May, asking if she thought this whole Operation Jack thing was really going to happen. This was before I launched the site on July 1. It almost sounded too crazy to be true. I mean, who really does this?

But now, it looks like we really are. And when I say “we”, I mean me and Tiff. I was telling her over the weekend that our lives have been beyond what we can control since July, and that’s because we added Operation Jack into the equation. I feel completely overwhelmed and she does, too, and as I told her, the reason she feels that way is because this is a team effort and I can’t do any of this without her complete support. She’s picking up a lot of slack because I’m buried alive right now. I hear from a lot of you saying things like, “Wow Sam, it’s really cool what you’re trying to do.” But it’s something that Tiff is doing, too. It’s a team effort and I have a great teammate.

Chick-Fil-A Night!
If you live anywhere near me, come out to the Chick-Fil-A in Foothill Ranch on November 12 (next Thursday) between 5-8 p.m. for dinner! A percentage of the proceeds will be donated to Operation Jack. They’ve been really nice to deal with, so I hope this works out well. I’ll mention this again. And again …

Great Marathon In Utah In June
I noticed some of the details about one of the races on my schedule in June that looks like it might really be a great race. It’s the Utah Valley Marathon in Provo, Utah, and it looks like it’s a combination of great scenery and a blazing course at a great price.

The race is in one of the most scenic areas in Utah, and look at the course profile. Run it smart, and you’ll be through the course in a hurry. Or, take your time and soak in the sights. The trees will be in full bloom and the waterfalls will be running full bore. No matter how much time you spend on the course, it’s an amazing bargain at only $60 for the full, $40 for the half and $19 (yeah, cheaper than lunch for two at Chili’s) for the 5K.

If you register, indicate that you heard about it from Operation Jack and we’ll beneft. And, it’s going to be a 2-for-1. Not only will you be helping Operation Jack and Train 4 Autism, you’ll be helping Children With Cancer Christmas Foundation, a Utah non-profit that helps children with cancer. If you’re an out-of-towner, you’d fly in and out of Salt Lake City. If you’re in town, help me build a team! Put this one in the back of your mind — it should be a really nice race! Now let’s get a big crew out there to start the summer!

Video Of The Day
Yeah, it’s my birthday princess, playing the Wii at my in-laws’ house about a year ago. Poor quality on the video, but it’s the only one of her I have on YouTube.

OK, That’s All For Today
I’ll be back either tomorrow or Friday. I’m running a race on Saturday that I really want to talk about. Have a great day!