Some folks say running is like a drug, and I think that’s true. I’m addicted, and I’m going through withdrawals, and I’m miserable. I hate rehab!

Today’s Non-Workout
I think this might be the part where I start to get frustrated. I love to run. It’s a part of me. And I’ve been way out of routine for about three months. I haven’t run since last Saturday. I have physical therapy today for my ankle and I’m guessing I still won’t know when I’ll get to run again. The swelling feels like it’s going down, but it’s not there yet and I need to focus on next year, not next week. Plus, even if I could run, I have way too much work to do right now.

I feel like I’m in some kind of twilight zone, where I’m not myself. But I’ll get there. I know I will.

Talkin’ Jack
In case this is your first time here, or if you’ve never been to the rest of the site, I’m planning on running 60 marathons next year to raise awareness for a charity called Train 4 Autism. My son, Jack, is severely autistic and I want to do something to make a difference in his honor. In this spot in each blog, I’ll talk about Jack a little bit.

Yesterday, Jack continued to have fun at summer camp. Today is the last day. His therapy session was a little earlier in the day (usually, it’s from 4-6:30), so he got to play with his brother and sister last night. We all made a mess with play-doh, which is definitely better than therapy! He also had fun playing with a musical tiger that his siblings were dancing to. He’d stop the music, and they’d stop dancing. Then he’d start the music and they’d start dancing. He understood the cause and effect and had a blast, laughing up a storm.

Ice Cream Update
I upped the streak early yesterday. I went to Costco for lunch, grabbing a polish sausage and then a chocolate/vanilla frozen yogurt swirl. Yeah, I had my dirty work done before 2 p.m. I’m now at 37 consecutive days eating ice cream or frozen yogurt. Maybe I’ll wear a Red Sox cap if I make it 20 more days and surpass Joe DiMaggio.

Jogging For Jayden!
When I started thinking about using my running for charity, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I wanted to do something to help make a difference. I wasn’t staying focused enough on pushing myself and I felt like I needed to do something difference. I knew it would have something to do with autism, but I didn’t know what. I started thinking of various ideas, and then changing those ideas, and then finalizing those ideas. Operation Jack is what I came up with.

I ran numbers and scenarios in my head. I have a few targets and goals and I try to estimate participation and guess fundraising efforts. I follow the traffic and growth on the site and with the blog and try to figure out what to do to keep that rolling. And then, on days like yesterday, I get a bucket full of cold water splashed across my as I realize that behind the numbers, there are real people involved.

Now don’t get me wrong — I’ve talked with a lot of you this month and I really enjoy that. Washington, Nevada, Maryland, Ohio, Michigan, Texas … I’ll stop naming states because I could go on and on, and you know who you are and I really appreciate your support. Everything that’s happening is totally surreal and I truly, truly appreciate everybody who is excited about what I’m trying to do, regardless of whether or not we’ve met in person.

But yesterday, I saw Jogging 4 Jayden, and it totally blew my mind.

Jayden is the son of Dennis and Jacqui Barr, good friends of my brother. I’ve known Dennis for the better part of 15 years — we’re both Phi Delts (yeah, had to get a shout-out in there — he’s Nevada Beta, I’m Kansas Gamma). Anyways, little Jayden, his 3 1/2 year son who was born four days before my daughter Ava, is on the spectrum. For those of you who don’t know what “on the spectrum” means, be grateful. When you’re on the spectrum, like Jayden, you have autism, or at least display autistic tendencies. Jacqui was inspired by me when she saw my story about my unlikely path into marathoning and my passion to use it to make a difference.

Jacqui wants to do something in Jayden’s honor, so she started exercising. She signed on with Operation Jack (remember, there are no fundraising minimums and you can run a shorter race, not just a full marathon) and and has been getting advice from our coaches. She’s going to run a marathon for Jayden next December at Rock N Roll Las Vegas. I don’t know for certain that she’s made the commitment to go the full distance, but I’m using this space to tell her that she is!

Anyways, the goal of Operation Jack is participation and raising awareness of Train 4 Autism.
Apparently, my goal is working, because thanks to Jacqui’s efforts (and subsequently, the efforts of her sisters Denise and Aimee, who I have decided will also be running Las Vegas in December 2010), there are a whole lot of people out there all over the country who weren’t aware of Train 4 Autism who are now. Aimee raised $250 last night in Kentucky!

Realistically, it’s going to be easier to get people to jump on the bandwagon once I start running marathons next year. But this is the first indicator that I’m reaching people, that Jack is going to make a difference in the world. I dropped Jacqui a line and told her I was amazed. I was pretty speechless, a rarity for me.

In part, she told me, “You and Jack have inspired our entire family. … We are in this together my friend. … Let’s keep the ideas flowing n raise as much money as possible!”

I wish I could write a few sentences to explain how cool that was to read. I’m just a guy who gets up super-early every day and goes out for a run (or works when he has a sprained ankle!), goes through the daily routine, tries to take care of his kids and hangs out with his wife. I exist in my nice, quiet little world, going through my daily routine, as does Jack. To see something like that email, or the enthusiasm Jayden’s mom and aunts have, gives me hope that Operation Jack will accomplish what I hope it will.

Jacqui’s sister Denise told me the following yesterday: “Dude, you have inspired my whole family! My little sister saw what Jacqui was doing and said – I GOTTA DO THIS TOO! … THANK YOU so much for what you are doing… the fact that you have made a commitment to better yourself and in doing so you help your son, it’s huge. I KNOW you will succeed in achieving your goal and I know plenty of people will be supporting you along the way.”

I need a Jacqui, Denise and Aimee in every city I’m going to, and even those I’m not. Thank you so much, ladies, for stepping up and working to make a difference. And selfishly, thanks for helping Jack make an impact on this world. He’s thrashing the playroom right now and getting people to raise money for charity. How awesome is that?

Video of the Day
I eat ice cream every day. And I eat In-N-Out every week. If you don’t know what In-N-Out is, you’ve never been anywhere near California. And for the record, In-N-Out makes the best cheeseburger in the world. Today for lunch, I’ll have a double-double animal style, add mustard, add regular onions.

Here’s a classic In-N-Out commercial from 1981. It all looks the same today. The quality hasn’t changed!

TGIF!
That means that tomorrow I get to work! But hopefully the rest of you will get some time off to enjoy yourself. Have a great day and a great weekend. If you want to give Operation Jack a gift, let it be the gift of a referral! PLEASE send one new person here between now and Monday, and if you’re not following on Twitter or Facebook, please do so!

I guess honesty is the best policy. I explained yesterday that I’m honest with my wife, and that I’d tell her if I don’t like her hair. And in the past, I have. Well, Tiff returns the favor and throws the truth my way. Apparently, reading my blog has been like my running — it takes an average of about two hours a day. But it needs to be like Tiff — short and sweet. So here goes nothing!

The end.

Just kidding. But I’ll try to keep it short.

Today’s Workout
My ankle has been bothering me ever since I rolled it last Tuesday walking through a parking lot. I think it’s sprained. It’s swollen and sore, but I’ve been able to run on it. I did a 16.1-miler, a 16.6-miler and a 26.5-miler since I hurt it. I want to run and stay in shape, but I don’t want to go too far and cause damage I’d regret. I took Sunday, Monday and yesterday off. I iced it in a bucket of freezing ice water Monday night and last night. I also bought an ankle brace to keep it sturdy.

When I went to bed last night, I wasn’t sure if I’d get up and go for a run or just get up and work. I planned on running and got dressed and ready to roll. But I didn’t like my ankle brace when I put my shoe on and I’m stressed about how much work I have to do. Plus, I have physical therapy today for tendinitis in my right knee, and I figure I’ll try to sneak some free ankle advice in while I’m there. So, I get a DNS for my workout today, a big, fat zero. This month continues to be about the toughest month I’ve ever had since I started running. I need a 30-hour day, and I haven’t even gotten to the heavy lifting of Operation Jack yet.

Talkin’ Jack
In case this is your first time here, or if you’ve never been to the rest of the site, I’m planning on running 60 marathons next year to raise awareness for a charity called Train 4 Autism. My son, Jack, is severely autistic and I want to do something to make a difference in his honor. In this spot in each blog, I’ll talk about Jack a little bit.

Today, there was a bowl of chips on the kitchen table and he specifically asked for chips. Being able to verbally say the word is good, but putting 2 and 2 together to express his thought is great. He later grabbed his therapist’s hand and moved it toward the chips. It sounded like he said “ball,” but she realized he said “bowl”. Yeah Jack! Also, Ava has a little pink toy laptop. He wanted it and used the word “computer”! Woo-hoo! He had fun in summer camp earlier in the day and he went to sleep happy and calm. All-in-all, a good day for the little dude this whole Operation Jack thing is named after.

Ice Cream Update
I had a close call Monday night, heading out to McDonald’s to get a cone at 9:30 p.m. (that’s past my bedtime!), but there was no such issue last night. Tiff texted me yesterday from the grocery store, asking what flavor I wanted. I liked the generic peanut butter fudge swirl I had a couple of weeks ago. She didn’t just pick up a half-gallon. She picked up two half-gallons! I guess that’s a gallon?

So, I had some of that last night. Good stuff. My streak is up to 35 days in a row now eating ice cream or frozen yogurt. I’m going to start thinking about ways I can use ice cream to help Operation Jack. Maybe I’ll snap the streak for the benefit of Operation Jack. Or maybe I’ll shoot for a ridiculous goal instead. No idea. I’ll think about it. For now, though, I’ll keep on eating ice cream.

I’m Horrible At Keeping Secrets
I’m just too excited to keep this as a secret. I’m not done with details yet, and nothing is official, but I’m planning on a series of Operation Jack marathons for next year. It would be a series of three marathons, with points awarded for finishing and for the top 3-5 positions in the race. At the end of the series, prize money would be awarded to the top three finishers in the overall points standings for the series. $1,000, $500 and $250 will be the prize money. The races will be in Southern California on certified courses. I haven’t completely finalized the dates of the races (although I’m pretty sure I have it set) and I haven’t finalized the title sponsor of the race, but I have a good possibility in the works. I’m close, though, and I think I might be able to give more information next week.

The way I’m crafting up the points would reward the winners, but it would also encourage participation. The championship would not be mathematically possible to clinch until the final race. And finishing dead last in all three races would be better than winning the first two and not showing for the third. Just like Operation Jack, participation is key. Entry fees will be reasonable, probably between $50 and $70. I’m almost positive we’ll have medals and tech shirts.

That’s all for now on that. But I’m really excited about this and hoping to pull it off.

Video of the Day
I’m going with the ice cream theme on this one. This is kind of cool.

See You Thursday
Thanks for reading. I appreciate you taking the time to read this. If you’d like to receive e-mail notifications automatically when I post new blogs, all you have to do is post a comment or register with the site. Don’t worry, though, there’s a link in those emails that allows you to unsubscribe at any time. Have a great Wednesday!

Week one post-launch is in the books, and wow — what a week! The days fly by so fast, and at the same time, they’re so long and busy. I knew what I was getting myself into … well, to be exact, I knew that I would have no idea what I would be getting myself into. And I was right.

There’s work, more work, and then a little bit of work on top of that. Oh, and there’s the regular work that pays the bills, the training (I should probably stay in shape) and when there’s nothing else to do, it’s nice to spend time with the kids. Yeah, so I’m still trying to figure out what I got myself into! I love a challenge, though, and it’s for a great cause. It’s for an opportunity to help countless people afflicted with Autism, and, selfishly, it’s an opportunity for my superstar Jack to have a big impact and purpose.

Operation Jack is starting to remind me of my first marathon. It started with some talk, it turned into action, and the next thing I knew, I was right in the middle of it. When I crossed the start line in San Diego on June 4, 2006, I thought to myself, “I can’t believe I’m in the middle of a marathon!” But I was, and a little more than four hours later, I crossed the finish line. Somehow, I pulled off the unthinkable. I pray that God will get me to the finish line of Operation Jack and I don’t end up with a DNF (for those of you non-runners, that’s “Did Not Finish”, the official result for entrants who start a race and have to drop out midway through).

I’ve been overwhelmed by the support so far. Good folks all over the place are coming out of the woodwork and offering to help. It’s totally surreal. I’m not big on attention or asking for help, but several people have reminded me that I’d better get used to it. I can do without the attention and I’ll do my best to deflect that to Operation Jack and Train 4 Autism, but yeah, I’ll take the help!

WHAT YOU CAN DO
Well, the goal of Operation Jack is to raise funds and awareness for Train 4 Autism. So, I’m trying to boost participation and raise money.

There’s an easy way to participate: Register on this site! If you’re reading this, and you’re not registered on the site, please do! I’m never going to give your information to anybody, and when I get the time to start sending the occasional email, you’ll have the opportunity to very easily opt-out from any message I send. I promise, a great way to make friends is to not make enemies! So sign up!

Once you register, you should join a team. If I can plan on running 60 marathons, you can sign up for at least one race, right? There’s a pretty good chance I’ll be in your area! I have to run 26.2 miles, but most races also have a 5K or a 1/2 marathon. If I can do it, you can do it!

Also, one big help would be if you could refer just one person to Operation Jack this week. Just one — that’s all I ask! You get one, I’ll find two!

Now, with the fundraising. We’re working fast and furiously to improve our pledge site at Kintera.com. It’s going to be easy for you to use and it’s going to have the Operation Jack look-and-feel. It’ll be one of many tools we give you to help make a difference! I’m working on a project (real-life work!) that’s going to keep me busy through July, but in August, I’ll be developing tools on operationjack.com that will make it easier for you to get people to the site and get to your fundraising pages. Patience for now, though, please — I still have to get some work done and pay the bills!

The other fundraising option we have is a unique approach through Apriori Beauty™, a new beauty company. Apriori Beauty™ is a multi-level marketing company, and my goal is to build a downline for Train 4 Autism to benefit from for years to come. In a nutshell, if you try the products, not only will you like them, but Operation Jack and Train 4 Autism will directly benefit. If you like them so much that you recommend them to your friends, you’ll make a little money for yourself while making money for Operation Jack and Train 4 Autism. When they recommend them to their friends, … well, you understand. Every dollar raised this way is going directly to Train 4 Autism, aside from funds used to offset the costs of the endeavor. Don’t worry — I’m flying coach, renting compacts and sleeping on couches when possible, Motel 6s when I have to pay. It’s not a first-class/limousine/Hyatt kind of journey.

Of course, if you’d like to make a tax-deductible donation to Operation Jack, our Sponsors page has information and we’ll certainly list you there! If you know of any company that would be interested in supporting Operation Jack, don’t hesitate to send them in this direction!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
I can’t believe how supportive everybody has been. I’ll start with my wife, Tiffany. I’ve been so busy with everything this week, and she hasn’t complained. I’m up early in the morning working or training, up late at night working, and in between I’m working. No complaints from her. I think she knows it’s for a good cause. And I’ve already promised that we’re going on a trip on January 2, 2011!

Tara Larivee, Deirdre Edwards, Danica Kooiman and Kathy Ting-Ting Yu, thank you for your efforts and for truly wanting to help. Same thing to all the good folks from Train 4 Autism — Molly, Ben, Shelly, Chris and others I’m probably not mentioning!

I’ve also received great responses from several marathons. Jackson (Mississippi), Mobile, Carlsbad, Virginia Beach, Catalina, Pasadena, Portland, Lakefront, Oklahoma City, Grandma’s, Kansas City, Pocatello … there’s a lot that are helping me out and I’m sure I’m forgetting some. But I’m getting positive feedback by the hour. No turning back now!

RUN OF THE WEEK
Without a question, my run of the week was early in the morning on July 4. A good friend of mine lost her father last year on July 4. He was only 65. As a tribute to him, she planned a 65-mile run. She mapped the course, she trained for it, she fought through injuries.

Life got in the way last week and she almost canceled the run. But I told her she’d never get July 4, 2009 back, and dropping the run was not an option. I’m sure other friends told her the same thing. Wisely, she gave it a go, starting at 7 p.m. on July 3.

I told her I’d help her wherever she needed me to. She asked me to pace her through the last 25 miles and meet her at about 1:30 a.m. Without hesitation, and with 100% support from Tiff, I accepted her invitation to join her. I was up at 12:30 a.m., starting my Saturday on two hours of sleep when most folks were still up celebrating Friday. I was fortunate enough to catch up with her and spend about four hours with her in the middle of the night.

She was 40 miles into the run when I caught up with her, so she was a little fatigued. But she kept on fighting, and it was great to get to know her better than I ever had before. I had to leave a little early, because Tiff had a 5K in Ladera Ranch and I needed to watch the kids while she ran. But she was fine, and she finished the 65 to meet her goal!

Tiff ran a PR and earned a 2nd-place finish in her age group. After her race, I ran the 10K. I can truly say that this was the first time I’d ever had a 20.5-mile warmup run before a 10K! I was only 14 seconds slower in the race than I was on the same course last year, so I was fine with how I ran. And I viewed it as a perfect first race during my Operation Jack Era: I ran more before the race than I typically would have to help somebody else, and when all was said and done, everything worked out fine and everybody had a great day. If I can say the same thing about my weekends next year, I’ll be thrilled.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!
OK, that’s all I have for now! Thank you for your support and participation!

Wow. I can’t believe that this is all happening! This started with brainstorming about a year ago, started to move along before ending up on the shelf, and then revived itself again in early February. Several months of planning later, and nearly a year after I first thought about using my running to help fight autism, we’re here on day one of Operation Jack!

I was so nervous this morning when I launched the site and updated my status on Facebook — nervous to the point of nausea. I was throwing around ideas when this all started, and the good folks from Train 4 Autism started to work to make this happen. Once I went public with it, there would be no turning back. The minute I pushed that index file up to the web server, I locked in to 18 months of obligations. I have to stretch myself thin now (more than I already do!). I have to wake up early and stay in shape. There are no rest weeks. There is no weekend off. There certainly is no vacation. I don’t know what’s going to wear me down more — the travel or the running? I’m literally going to run myself into the ground. But it will be the experience of a lifetime and it will be for a cause that’s very dear to my heart.

I have an opportunity to do something huge in my son Jack’s honor. It’s incredibly sad to watch him and wonder what’s going on in his mind. He’s nearly 6 years old, but does he know who I am? Will he know I’m gone when I’m off running these races? I have faith that he’ll get better, but I am concerned about how much he’ll ever be able to mainstream. It’s very likely that he’s always going to have his problems. But I pray that this endeavor is successful, and maybe someday down the road, other kids won’t struggle as a result of Operation Jack. I’d love for him to have an impact beyond what he’d ever know or understand. I’ll always be sad that he won’t have a typical childhood, but it would be comforting to know that he has a purpose and that there’s a reason for it all.

I’ll give it my best shot and hope my knees hold out! I have the support of an amazing wife, and she’s going to be going through as challenging of an adventure as me in 2010. None of this would be possible without her. You’ll see me get sappy about her over the next 18 months, but I’m a sucker and she’s an incredible woman.

So, I’m very excited about this, and gracious for the initial support I’ve received. From all the hard-working people at Train 4 Autism, to friends and acquaintances who have volunteered, to people I’ve never met just wishing me well and jumping on the bandwagon — it’s been an amazing first day and I can’t believe I still have about 540 more days until this is done!

If you’ve read this far through the blog, you obviously have some interest in Operation Jack. So I beg you — PLEASE join a team! Please take part! I’m counting on strength in numbers to make this an incredible endeavor. You don’t have to run a marathon. Run a 5K or 1/2 marathon that’s associated with the full marathon I’m doing. If you want to participate but don’t want to run, fill out the Contact Us form to get in touch with me and we’ll figure something out.

That’s all I’ve got for today. Thanks for reading and thanks for caring!