Operation Jack supporter Sarah Emerson told me the other day she misses my WUWOJ blogs. So I said … what? What is woo-wojj? And then I realized she’s going back about six months, when I used to write a “What’s Up With Operation Jack Wednesday” blog. I told her I’d write one for her on Thursday. But I ran out of time. So I’m posting it for her today. And really, this begs the question: If a boring blog gets posted on a Friday, when social media is dead, does it really get posted?

I guess I’ll find out if anybody other than Sarah comments.

Real quick, just in case you’ve never been here before, welcome — we’re approaching last call! I’m a father of three and a marathon runner and my middle child, 7-year-old Jack, is severely autistic. He’s probably always going to struggle, but I still want him to make a difference in the world. To try to make some good out of what he goes through, I’m attempting to run 61 full marathons this year to raise money and awareness for a charity I’m a part of called Train 4 Autism.

So far, I’m through 56 of them. There’s five to go in Operation Jack, the name I gave this endeavor as a tribute to my little guy. Sarah wants to know what’s up with Operation Jack. So here goes!

Operation Jack Marathon
I guess the first thing I should do is plug the Operation Jack Marathon, which will be the 61st and final marathon I run this year. Actually, it’s the Operation Jack Marathon presented by Apriori Beauty, a company I work for that generously kicked in a very healthy donation to Operation Jack.

Registrations are moving along pretty well and I’m excited about the turnout it looks like we’re going to have. I’m actually kind of nervous, because I’m putting this race on with the help of Operation Jack supporter Jake Rome and the good folks from Train 4 Autism, and I don’t want to let anybody down. We have things under control, though. It should be a nice day running along the beach, celebrating with everybody and continuing to promote Train 4 Autism.

Operation Jack Satellite Runs
A lot of people want to participate in the finale to support what I’ve tried to do this year, but it’s unrealistic considering it’s the morning after Christmas and it’s in the Los Angeles area. So, we have a satellite run option. Run 6.1 miles, wherever you are, and we’ll send you a race t-shirt and a finisher’s medal.

I want to get participants in all 50 states and we’re getting there. I want to do this for a couple of reasons. First, obviously, it’s one last fundraiser. But also, it’s one last attempt to spread the word about Train 4 Autism. So, check out the states that we have don’t have people in and if you know anybody there, would you be so kind as to drop them a line? That’s easier than running 61 marathons in a year, right?

The cost for this is $25, which, like I said, includes a race t-shirt and a finisher’s medal. Or, if you want, set up a fundraising page at operationjack.kintera.org/61 and raise just $30 and I’ll waive the entry fee for you.

Running On Empty
Sarah already knew about the Operation Jack Marathon and the Operation Jack Satellite Runs. She’s participating in Maine and is rounding up a pretty good-sized team. So now I need to come up with something about Operation Jack that’s going on that she doesn’t know. But I don’t really know that there is much going on.

Right now, I can sense the finish line for this long, long year. I visualize it when I run. I visualize it when I walk. I visualize it when I sleep. I visualize it when I wake up in a panic in the middle of the night. I’m trying hard to promote the marathon and satellite run. But beyond that, I’m pretty much cooked.

I try not to look back at what coulda/shoulda/woulda, because while I’m confident I’ve accomplished some good, it’s easy to look back at a ton of missed opportunities and things that didn’t work out as well as I would have hoped. I kept telling myself I’d pick it up here or there later, but later is now, and I’m 23 days from wrapping this thing up. I don’t want to say I’ve stopped trying, but really, aside from making sure we put on a good event on the 26th, there’s not a lot I can do.

I don’t foresee any new promotions or campaigns because there’s no time, and it’s time for the holiday season slowdown. I have my last double of the year this weekend, with Memphis Saturday and Las Vegas on Sunday. Then it’s Tucson, Jacksonville and the Operation Jack Marathon. I got a taste of freedom last weekend because my race was on Friday, so I got to spend Saturday and Sunday at home with the family. It was just a normal family weekend, but it’s been a year since I’ve had one of those and I really can’t wait to get back into that routine.

I don’t want to say I’m just mailing it in, because I’m not. I still follow up every lead, I still train and I still do my absolute best in every race I run. But I think it’s fair to say I’m running on empty.

Please Accept My Apology!
I’ve gotten really good at dropping the ball this year. I’ve really struggled to keep up with responding to all the feedback that comes in and I know I’m not getting to a ton of things I need to do. I read every email and tweet that comes in, but I just run out of time to respond. If any of you are waiting on a response from me for something, just keep bugging me. I don’t ignore people. I just get overwhelmed and I don’t know what to attack first. If you follow up with me on something I’ve failed to respond to, you’re not bugging me. You’ll actually probably get an apology!

Along those lines, if we owe you any Operation Jack clothing, PLEASE let me know. We’re not the most well-oiled machine when it comes to getting those out and I really want to get you all everything you’re supposed to get.

If you’re not listed on the Satellite Runs page, I’m about a day behind right now. If it’s been longer than that and you need to be up there, let me know and I’ll get you listed.

One Simple Request
If I could ask for just one thing, it would be to help spread the word about Operation Jack. If you’re on Twitter, tell your followers. If you’re on Facebook, post a link to the site or the satellite run or the marathon on your wall. I know y’all come here because you believe in what I’m trying to accomplish. Getting people here doesn’t cost you anything and it’s what makes what I’m doing a success. You never know who that one extra person who will benefit from Train 4 Autism is. It might well be somebody one of your friends knows!

Do The Right Thing
On my flight from Atlanta to Memphis this morning, there was one seat available in first class and it went to … me! It was next to a teenager whose dad was back in coach. I gave the seat to the dad. I figure that someday, somebody will return the favor. And if not, I’ll still live happily ever after.

That’s Pretty Much It
I think I’ve rambled on enough. Plus, my layover here in Atlanta is just about over and I need to catch my flight. Have a great Friday, everybody (even you, Sarah). I’ll post a race report tomorrow after Memphis.

Another week is flying by and it’s Wednesday already. That means it’s time for my weekly “What’s Up With OJ Wednesday” blog, a rundown of what’s going on. Today, I’ve got an update on Jack, information about shirts and sweatshirts, plus a story about the father of an autistic boy named Jack (not me!) who’s running a marathon pretty soon. Oh, and there’s a bonus picture today of me from my, uh, bigger days.

Just in case this is your first time here, I’m a father of three and a marathon runner. My middle child, 6 1/2-year-old Jack, is severely autistic. I decided (well, my wife Tiffany and I decided) that we’d try to make a difference in the world this year. I’m attempting to run 60 marathons this year to raise money and awareness for a charity called Train 4 Autism.

So far, so good. I’m through 24 of the 60 marathons, with No. 25 coming up this Sunday in Cleveland.

Look At Jack’s Dad!
Thanks to Twitter, I came across a guy named Lonnie Butler up in Minnesota. Like me, Lonnie has a son named Jack. And like me, Lonnie’s son Jack has autism. We’ve chatted a fair amount since I first came into contact with him in January and I’ll get to meet him in a couple of weeks when I run the Med-City Marathon in Rochester, Minn. on May 30.

I had a different race scheduled for that day, but I switched it up so that I could go up there and meet him. It should be a good time — Med-City will be his first marathon and I always love seeing people finish their first marathon. I’m probably going to run it quicker than him, so If the course allows, I’ll probably run back out and run him in when I’m done.

After we’re done, we’re going to have a pancake-eating contest. He knows how I ate 11 at IHOP after I ran the Country Music Marathon in Nashville on April 24, and he thinks he can take me down. He might well be able to. Like me, he’s a recovering big boy. I’m at 202 pounds, down from a peak of 261 about 5 1/2 years ago. But Lonnie … Lonnie’s at about 212, down from … 300 pounds!

So we’re going to make a bet and that’s probably what the contest of the week will revolve around. I’m not worrying about that yet — I still need to find a hotel room for this weekend in Cleveland. But I just wanted to talk real briefly about Lonnie. And while I’m talking about him, I need to point out that he’s in Quebec now, representin’ OJ internationally! This picture was taken yesterday:

Speaking Of Shirts, …
We have them and I’d love to put you in them. I keep directing y’all to the Sponsors page, but Laura Sullivan, a good friend of Operation Jack, told me this past week that the page is crazy confusing to comprehend. So, I’ll just spell it out here.

We give out Operation Jack t-shirts, tech shirts and sweatshirts at certain donation levels. We’ll also list you on the site at those donation levels. So, for $26.20 ($1 per mile in a marathon) we list you and send you a t-shirt, for $60 ($1 per Operation Jack race), we list you and send you a t-shirt and tech shirt, and for $100 (Jack gives 100 percent every day, so $100), we list you as a sponsor and send you a t-shirt, tech shirt and sweatshirt.

But for a little bit less, we’ll sell you the gear. We won’t list you as a sponsor, but we’ll get you the stuff. T-shirts are $15, tech shirts are $25, sweatshirts are $30. If you want the combo platter, a t-shirt and a tech shirt runs $35, and one of each is $60. If you’re buying without hitting the donation level, you need to tack on $5 for shipping. Now, if you’re wanting clothing but can’t afford the prices, send me an e-mail and we’ll work something out. If you want to wear it, I want to get it to you.

So that being said, the t-shirts are gender specific. The men’s t-shirts are a tan color, kind of like the background of this site. The women’s shirts are women’s fitted tees. Everybody seems to really like them. We’re kind of slipping out of sweatshirt weather, but fall is still coming, and everybody who has a sweatshirt loves it. If you’re reading this and you have one, post a comment and tell people what you think.

To order something, click here or click on the “Donate Now!” link at the top of any page on this site. Let me know if you have any questions!

Quick Jack Update
We’ve been struggling with Jack a little bit lately. We’re having to deal with some things that you would never figure to be a major problem, but when your child struggles mightily to communicate, you face unexpected challenges.

Case in point, Jack is just four months away from turning 7. At this age, your baby teeth start to fall out and your adult teeth come in. Well, he’s getting his first grown-up tooth and it’s causing pain. When Benjamin started losing teeth, we explained what was going on and he got excited about it. No such luck for Jack.

For the past month or so, he’s been waking up screaming in pain in the middle of the night, struggling to go back to sleep. It’s like having a newborn all over again. He hates the pain, but doesn’t know how to express himself and out of frustration, he’ll hit himself in the head. That leads to a vicious cycle of headaches. It’s a really sad thing to see.

He’s starting to make some nice strides with his communication, though. Last night at dinner, he was able to verbalize things such as “corn”, “popcorn” and “I want chicken.” Yesterday, Tiff and Ava showed up at his school to surprise him with a hot meal from Rubio’s, complete with his favorite Spanish rice and chicken taquitos. He was starry-eyed to see them and really enjoyed it.

After about 10 minutes, Tiff and Ava were going to leave. Tiff told Jack, “OK Jackie, we’re going to go now.” We think he understands us when we say that. Well, he grabbed her arm and said, “stop!” So Tiff told him again, and he gave her a headlock/hug and said “stop!” again. Jack had to ask twice, but not three times!

They stayed a little while longer and Jack was a happy little guy.

We have our struggles right now with him, primarily with this up-all-night thing. But he’s definitely showing signs of progress. Thank you all for your prayers. He’s really come a long ways since you all found out about him last year.

Bonus Picture
A friend of mine sent this to me last night. I LOVE my fat pictures. It makes me realize how far I’ve come. For the record, this picture was taken in 2003 when I probably weighed around 250. I didn’t even start jogging for close to two years from this point and I qualified for Boston fewer than five years later. So don’t tell me you can’t do it. Because if this guy in the white shirt can, you can, too.

That’s All For Today
I didn’t even know what I was going to write about for this blog, but it got pretty long in a hurry. Thanks for reading, see you tomorrow!