Operation Jack

Fighting autism, one mile at a time.

Three Things For Thursday

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Last year I used to go with 10 random things for Tuesday as a blog topic after seeing a lot of people go with three things for Thursday. The alliteration thing made it easy for a topic. But I’ve come to realize that other people are a lot smarter than me. Three is SO much easier than 10! So, it’s Thursday. I’ll go with three random things.

1. 67 days until Boston. Not that I’m counting. My training is pretty much on target so far. Just need to drop a little weight (see item No. 3). I go back and forth between worrying about my weight and not worrying about my weight. If the speed is there, that’s all that really matters, I guess. But it would be a lot easier for the speed to be there without me carrying extra weight.

2. If any of you think I’m crazy for running 61 marathons last year to raise money for Train 4 Autism, you should see what my friend Steve Walters is doing. I think he’s crazy. Coming from me, that should say something. Take a look!

3. I’m doing something called The Daniel Plan through my church. It’s designed to help people at all different levels take better care of themselves in various areas of their lives. Health is a big focus. I have the ability to run a lot of miles, but that certainly doesn’t make me perfect. I’m trying to get back down to about 195 pounds (right now I’m up to 208) and take better care of my insides. Just because I have strong legs and good cardiovascular endurance doesn’t mean I don’t harm myself with the garbage I eat sometimes.

One of the things it has us doing is eliminating caffeine and processed food for the next six weeks. This no coffee thing is killing me — I used to have a large mug in the morning and a travel mug for the drive to the office. I’m also cutting out pop, which I had a lot of. If I go out for fast food, I’ll usually get a large cup (32 oz.) and drink four cups. Yeah, 128 oz. of Diet Coke at lunch. My body won’t miss that.

OK, that’s three things. Have a great weekend!

Providing An Answer To A Burning Question

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Late last year, I started doing Q&A sessions. I figured that with the experiences I was having, there were things you might want to know that I hadn’t covered in my blogs. Well, there’s one question I never got to answering. And my two followers who are dying to know the answer keep asking. So Dave and Carlos, today you’re getting your answer. The question? Which race has the best-looking women?

For those of you who have never been here, I’m a father of three and a marathon runner. My middle child, 7-year-old Jack, is severely autistic. Last year, to raise money and awareness for a charity I’m a part of called Train 4 Autism, I ran 61 full marathons all over the country. There were a couple of ultramarathons in the mix, too.

So, I took questions and answers and a couple of my followers wanted to know which race has the best-looking women. There are a lot of ways to answer that question.

I could take the easy way out and say the Orange County Marathon. My wife ran the 5K (well, pushed Jack in a stroller for the 5K), so that’s an easy, safe answer. But I won’t go that route. I’ll answer the question.

I could plug my race and say the Operation Jack Marathon and mention that we’re going to have it again this year. That’s an easy, safe answer. But I won’t go that route. I’ll answer the question.

I could say New York City or Nike Women’s Marathon, because those two probably have the most female entrants. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so mathematically speaking, if somebody things 1 in every X women is attractive, those two races will very likely have the highest number of attractive women. That’s an easy, safe answer. But I won’t go that route. I’ll answer the question.

I could say Boston, because with the toughest qualifying standards, it’s very possible that race has the highest number of physically fit women that meet the “attractive” criteria set forth by the media. That’s an easy, safe answer. But I won’t go that route. I’ll answer the question.

I’m going to eliminate anybody I actually know or met from this question, because I’m not going to put anybody on the spot one way or the other. So, my answer:

I’ve thought about this question for two months. I tried to think back over all the races. I didn’t focus on checking out the women. Don’t get me wrong — I see attractive women and they’re attractive. I’m married, but I’m not dead. But when I’m racing, I’m thinking about taking care of my body and getting it from the start line to the finish line as fast as possible. That’s it.

I don’t remember people I see during the race. I had to think back over all my races. Do I remember crossing any finish line thinking, “Wow, there were a lot of attractive women running this race!” No, sure don’t. Do I remember crossing any finish line thinking, “Wow, people look a different here than they do at most other races!” No, sure don’t.

This was tough. I wanted to answer the question, but nothing came to mind. So, I thought to myself, do I remember any random, pretty faces from any of the races last year? And then it came to me. I do. I remember someone from about mile 22 up at Grandma’s Marathon. If I only remember one random person from the 61 marathons I ran last year, does that mean that race has the best-looking women? I think it does.

So there’s your answer. Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota — the marathon with the best-looking women in the country.

Weekend Recap: Highs And Lows

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Well, I figured I’d check in with a new blog to start the week. My blog is like my journal, I guess, and I had a draining weekend. There was good and there was bad, there was happy and there was sad. But wow, was it draining.

My weekend more-or-less started on Friday. On Thursday night, we got a phone call that Tiff’s grandma took a turn for the worse and we needed to get up and see her while we can. She’s been struggling for a while, but she’s being moved into hospice care. Tiff hadn’t seen her in six months and I hadn’t seen her in eight and she looked like she had aged 10 years. She looked very tired and barely coherent.

It was tough to see her at this end-of-life stage. I’ve known her for 16 years and it’s so hard to see her the way she is now. I couldn’t tell if she recognized us or not, but I think she did. She’s lived a full life, but it’s still tough to watch the end of life on earth for somebody. I just hope any pain she’s feeling is alleviated.

On Saturday, I went to a memorial service for a friend of mine who died from cancer at age 45 a week ago. It was an amazing service, but it was a tough one to sit through. It was hard to see her son go up there, as well has her father and her grandfather. I saw friends at the reception afterwards, but for about 20 minutes, I was to drained to even talk. I just stood next to them silently, apologizing for not having anything to say. Eventually when we drove home, the first song we heard when we turned on the radio was Live Like You’re Dying by Tim McGraw. It was pretty chilling.

I was in a funk the rest of the day, but I eventually made my way down to the Surf City expo with my oldest son, Benjamin, to pick up my stuff for the marathon. He had fun carrying around my 3:40 pacing stick and I was teasing him, telling people he was going to be the marathon pacer. “But daddy, I’m only 9!”

I really don’t remember much about Saturday night, other than I know I was pretty sad reading what my friends were writing about the memorial service on Facebook. I ran a couple of errands and heard this song and I liked it:

Sunday morning, I got up and paced the 3:40 group at the Surf City Marathon. That was fun, a nice release. It’s always fun to help people reach their goals. I felt pretty good with how I ran, going 3:39:49 and catching a lot of praise from the folks in my group. They were happy with the consistent race I ran. In my perfectionist way of thinking, I’m kind of bummed with how I ran the last 2/10 of a mile. I think mile marker 26 was off a bit and even though I knew I was about four seconds ahead of pace for the race, I thought I might have been eight seconds back. So I surged a bit just to make sure I didn’t finish slow.

The race I ran for the first 26 miles would have netted me about a 3:39:57 if I would have held pace, but I ended up 11 seconds fast instead. Really, it was a good job pacing. But in my perfectionist ways of approaching pacing, I blew it late.

Anyways, we had a few friends over to watch the Super Bowl, the kids had a blast and even though I burned 4,222 calories running the marathon, I ate way too much the rest of the day. I was pulling for the Packers because my friend who died was a Packers fan. I’ve never really liked them, but I’ve been pulling for them this season and I was glad to see them come through. Oh, and I won my 23rd annual Super Bowl bet with my grandma. I took the Packers and gave her 2.5 points. My prize? She’s going to treat my wife to a manicure. Somehow, I’m not so sure I won anything.

So that was it, I guess. Quite a contrast to my weekends from last year. I ran a marathon, my first of the year, but I got to spend a lot of time with the family and live my own life. It was kind of nice — is that what everybody normally does?

Groundhog Day: A Blog And A Marathon This Weekend

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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?

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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.