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Weekend Preview: Races #17 and 18

April 8, 2010 by operationjack 7 Comments

Here we go again, and again. It’s time for my next marathons of Operation Jack, and I’m using the plural form of the word marathon, because I have my third double of the year this weekend. I’ll be running Olathe, Kan. on Saturday and Dallas on Sunday to bring me to within 42 marathons of completing Operation Jack.

Just in case this is your first time here, I’m a marathon runner and a father of three. My middle son, 6 1/2-year-old Jack, is severely autistic. I hatched up this crazy idea of trying to run 60 full marathons this year to try to raise awareness and money for a charity called Train 4 Autism. So far, things are going well. I’m raising money, building new Train 4 Autism chapters and doing a fine job running my body into the ground.

As I frequently mention, while I want to tackle the world this year, I know that it will be a lengthy process that takes more than just 2010. I’m planting seeds this year. I really hope to see growth down the road! But right now, it’s just one day at a time. And it’s already Thursday. Wow, these weeks fly by.

Weekly Pick-My-Time Contest
Every week, I have a contest where people guess my time in the form of a small donation. Basically, if you think I’m going to run a 3:15, you donate $3.15. To donate, you can click here or you can click on the “Donate Now!” link at the top of any page on this site.

It’s an easy way to support the cause and I really appreciate it because it tells me that you believe in what I’m doing. It’s the proverbial pat-on-the-back. Last week, Dina Williams was the winner. She also won her NCAA Tournament bracket and donated her winnings to Operation Jack!

Anyways, to help with this contest, I give you my insight on the course. One thing that’s different this week is that I’m running two races. So, we’re going to go with Sunday’s race as the one I use for the contest. I’ll get to details on that in just a minute.

Orange County Marathon Weekend
I’ve mentioned a couple of times that we’re going to have a Silpada party on Friday night, April 30. We’re waiting on one last confirmation and then we’ll post the evite next week.

Also, we finally nailed down a location for a pasta dinner on May 1. This one should a little less hectic than the one we had the night before Surf City. I don’t want to totally announce the exact details because we’re still confirming the time, but it looks like it’s going to be an all-you-can-eat thing for a reasonable price at an Italian restaurant in Irvine. If I have this confirmed today, which is very likely, I’ll update this blog. E-mail me if you’re interested and I’ll get back to you.

This Weekend’s Races
OK, I have the Olathe Marathon on Saturday and the Big-D Texas Marathon on Sunday.

Olathe is a suburb of Kansas City and starts just a few miles from the first apartment Tiff and I lived in after we got married in 1999. I’ll actually run within about 1/2 a mile of that apartment in Overland Park, Kan.! I’m so excited! The course is pretty flat. The elevation profile I saw shows some rollers, but there’s only about 40 or 50 separating the highest point from the lowest point. So, I’m mentally treating this as a flat course. I’m not expecting anything (other than having to run 26.2 miles) that’s going to cause much trouble.

One problem I really have right now is a lack of confidence. Catalina was a 3:48 and that was a decent run because it was a hilly trail course, but I followed that up with two 3:20s and a 3:23. I have no confidence in myself right now, and I haven’t really decided how I’m going to run. I’m thinking I’ll resist any kind of temptation to run anywhere significantly below 3:10 regardless of how I feel. I’ll try to keep the pace between 7:10 and 7:15 and if I get the feeling that’s conservative, maybe I’ll try to push a little bit starting at around 21. Otherwise, I’ll just hang on for dear life.

I’m thinking that if I run smart, which I’m going to try my best to do, I can go 3:13.

Sunday’s race in Dallas isn’t terribly hilly, but it’s not flat. There will be a few more challenges than I expect to see. In my five previous doubles, I’ve gone 3:17/3:16, 3:04/3:09, 3:24/3:19, 3:18/3:21, 3:28/3:29. For the first three, I’d say the course/elements were slightly easier on the second day. The fourth time it was a little tougher the second day. The fifth time, I ran in wind, mud and hail the first day, then had perfect weather and had an easy time leading the 3:30 pace group the second day.

So, I’m thinking that whatever I do on Saturday, I’m going to head out and try to run at the same pace to maybe two minutes slower per mile on Sunday. So, if I average 7:22s on Saturday, I’ll try to run between 7:22 and 7:27 per mile on Sunday. I’m thinking I’ll start to struggle no later than mile 20 on Sunday, but I’ll still push forward as hard as I can.

What does that all mean? I think I’m going to be about 2-4 minutes slower on Sunday and if I were betting, I’d probably go with a 3:22 just based on how I’ve been running lately. But don’t get me wrong — I’d be very disappointed if I went 3:22 either day.

April Campaign Plug
I’m making a push on an easy campaign in this month. Take a look at what I’m trying to do!

OK, That’s All For Today
Have a great weekend, everybody. And please enter the contest! Please, please, please!

What's Up With OJ Wednesday

April 7, 2010 by operationjack Leave a Comment

It’s Wednesday, so I’ll give you my weekly quick rundown of what’s going on with Operation Jack. It’s spring break for my kids and I’m kind of taking a tiny bit of a break mentally. This relaxing thing is nice, but I need to get back on track. On the bright side, though, I’m a world-record holder now, and I have a photo to prove it!

Real quick, just in case this is your first time here, I’m a marathon runner and a father of three. My middle child, Jack, is severely autistic, and I wanted to do something to use my running and make a difference in his honor. So, I’m running 60 marathons this year (well, trying to, at least) to help raise money and awareness for a charity I really like called Train 4 Autism. I named this endeavor Operation Jack in his honor.

Train 4 Autism helps people raise money for the autism-related charity of their choice while training for event, such as a race or a triathlon. I really believe in the model, because it’s very similar to Team In Training, which has raised about $1 billion over the past two decades. There’s room in the market for Train 4 Autism, because there isn’t a big autism-related organization like this. We’re at the grassroots level right now, but I’m hoping that Operation Jack can help provide some of the boost we need. So far, we’re doing well, with new chapters popping up all over the country!

Weekly Contest Winner!
I have a contest every week where you guess my time with a small donation (for instance, if you think I’m going to run a 3:15, you donate $3.15) and the winner is the person who comes the closest without bidding under. If I choke, and run slower than everybody’s guesses, then the person who came the closest wins. Oh, the prize is your choice of an Operation Jack t-shirt, tech shirt or sweatshirt.

For the second straight week, I choked and ran slower than all of the predictions. I thought I was going to be down in that 3:15 range and I ended up going 3:23. But, somebody has to win. And this week, it’s Dina Williams. She’s played every week, so I’m glad she won.

I’m not sure if I’m going to do the contest this week. I have two races, so I don’t know what I would do — pick one of them? Make folks make their guess for both times combined? That would be a little bit more expensive for everybody. So, I’m kind of thinking I’ll pass on the contest this week. I might change my mind by tomorrow.

April Donation Push
This is a long year and I’m quickly learning that fundraising is extremely difficult! My goal for the year is to raise $100,000. So far, I think we’re at somewhere around $15,000 or $16,000. We’re a touch behind, but still doing raising funds at a fairly decent rate.

This month, I’m running seven marathons in seven states, so I figured I’d start a campaign focusing on the number 7. I figure a $7 donation is pretty easy to obtain, so I’m pushing for those. Just like everything else with Operation Jack, a little bit of help from a lot of people can go a long ways! I spelled out details in my April update I sent to everybody. It’s pretty simple … just read that page, and if you’re on Facebook, post a link to it with a tiny explanation on your wall. Super simple stuff!

Cleveland Marathon
I just got an email from the Cleveland Marathon. If you’re planning on running that on May 16, they’re running out of space in a hurry in the half-marathon. There’s information on the event here, including a charity code to use to get a discounted entry.

I’m A World Record Holder!
About a month ago, I saw an article about how the Angels were giving a way Snuggie-type blankets on April 6 and were going to set a world record for the most people covering up with blankets in one place at one time. I posted a link to the article on my Facebook page, complaining that I thought was the cheesiest promotion I’d ever seen.

And then a friend of mine commented that he thought it was a great idea that his kids would love. And then I thought about my 8 1/2-year-old son Benjamin, who’s really into reading the Guinness Book of World Records right now. So I told him to tack a couple of tickets on to the order. I told Benjamin last week that we’d be going to a ballgame AND getting a free blanket AND setting a real world record and he just about jumped out of his chair.

So, last night, we went.

My little goofball.

Lots of red.

They even played a baseball game!

There, it’s official.

Maybe on Saturday, I’ll turn to the runner next to me at the start line, and say, “I hate to brag, but I’m a world-record holder.” Yeah, or maybe not?

OK, That’s All For Today
Enjoy your Wednesday, see you tomorrow!

Ten Random Things For Tuesday

April 6, 2010 by operationjack 2 Comments

I couldn’t think of anything to write about today, so I just came up with 10 random things to talk about, ranging from baseball to Chutes and Ladders.

1. I went for a run this morning and saw a dude driving a convertible with top down. It was 42 degrees outside and the sun was just starting to rise. In Minnesota in January, that might be top-down weather. But this is California. And it’s baseball season. I don’t know if he thought people would think he was cool, but he was wrong. I thought he was an idiot.

2. Speaking of baseball season, it’s baseball season! Albert Pujols’ two home runs were pretty sweet and Jason Heyward’s home run in his first major-league at bat was an amazing moment. Talk about living up to the hype with your first swing! I think we saw the play of the year, though. Every team still has 161 games to go, but I can’t imagine we’ll see anything more incredible than this:

3. I think I get the loser dad award for using the wrong words with my 4-year-old daughter. We played Chutes & Ladders last night. She’s pretty competitive, which is good, because you can’t teach that. But she was cheating, and I caught her several times. I don’t care if I win the game, but I do care if she cheats. I won’t put up with that. So, I told her I wasn’t going to play games with her any more if she cheated like that. Well, she’s 4, and she basically heard me say that her daddy wasn’t going to play with her any more. She was hysterically upset like I’ve never seen before. Nice job, Sam. Everything’s better, though.

4. I’m going to the Angels game tonight. They’re going to give everybody blankets and set a “world record” for the most people covering up with a blanket in one place at one time. That world record and $6.47 will get me lunch at In-N-Out. I think it might be the most ridiculous cheap attempt at a world record ever. But then I remembered Benjamin is really into world records. And he loves baseball. So we’re going. Should be a good time.

5. My father-in-law saw that I put my sister-in-law in my blog yesterday and jokingly asked when I was going to put him in. Well, I guess this covers one of my 10 random things. Random fact about my father-in-law: He’s 5 inches shorter than me!

6. That basketball game last night was amazing. I’m not a big basketball fan, but I loved that game. I was pulling for Butler, and if that last-second shot would have went, it would have been replayed for 100 years. Regardless, it was an amazing game. I can’t stand Duke, probably because they win so much. But Coach K is the kind of guy I want coaching my kids.

7. My ice cream streak is alive and well at 65 days now. I know my wife reads this blog, so Tiff, can you please pick up some more from the store? We’re just about out. We also need toothpaste and deodorant. Thanks! Love you!

8. One of my best friends, Kevin, turned 39 on Sunday. I told him that I keep thinking I’m catching up to him in age, but he keeps getting older! I can’t wait until next year, when I can give him a truckload of grief on his 40th birthday. But then I realized … one of my best friends is 40. Does that make me old just for associating with him? Yikes!

9. Jack likes spring break. There’s no rush in the morning and he gets to chill and eat breakfast at his own pace. He gets to sleep in and chill and have lazy mornings. Good for him — he deserves a little bit of a slowdown!

10. I guess I’ll use this 10th item to do a plug for something I’m trying to do this month. It’s a simple fundraising push, one that requires barely anything. I’m not using this 10th item to ask you to do anything other than take a look at the April Operation Jack update I sent out to everybody if you haven’t already seen it.

That’s all for today … have a great Tuesday everybody!

Weekend Recap: Quality Time

April 5, 2010 by operationjack 3 Comments

Wow, what a great weekend. I didn’t step foot in an airport or a hotel room, and by 11 a.m. Saturday, I had zero obligations until work this morning! I know, that’s the story of most of your lives, but for me, this was a rare weekend, and a breath of fresh air.

A couple of things first. I ran my 16th marathon of the year on Saturday, winning the Train 4 Autism Marathon Series, Race 1. My 3:23:56 was probably the slowest winning time in the history of marathons, but the race was a wonderful experience. If you read the report, you’ll see why sometimes a finishing time is really inconsequential. It was an awesome day.

Also, just a quick plug to something I’m pushing for (and I guess that’s my privilege, since it’s my blog!) … this month, I’m running seven marathons in seven states, so I’m trying to get as many $7 donations for Operation Jack as possible. Check out what I wrote … please!

OK, Tiff. You Were Right.
I had planned on going to the Red Cross on Saturday afternoon to donate platelets. It’s tough to schedule time to do that, and I thought I had a great opportunity to get my way down there without impacting much that afternoon. Tiff thought it would cut into time I could be spending with Benjamin, but I thought I’d still have plenty of time left over.

We got into a little bit of an argument, but I pushed off the appointment to have a crazy fun day with Benjamin. The result? A crazy fun day with Benjamin. And I guess it helps my recovery to not deplete myself of platelets.

On Saturday morning, Ben had his first day with a track and field program put on by the city we live in. He was starving afterwards, so we went for a recovery meal.

He just snuck in that milkshake without even asking. He knew it was a fun day with Dad, so he had some courage when ordering and I let it slide.

We were both totally full after that meal. I don’t know how that happened. I’m always satisfied, but never full, after I eat at In-N-Out. But from there, we went to RoadRunner Sports to get him fitted for some running shoes. He spent some time with the Shoe Dog.

They examined his arch.

They evaluated his stride.

We ordered a pair of shoes for him and they should be in soon. I was such a proud papa at the running store. I felt like a dad giving his son his first Playboy. Of course, I didn’t get in any trouble with Tiff for this.

After RoadRunner, we went and picked out a Mother’s Day present for mama, then went and saw a movie called How To Train Your Dragon … in 3D! We continued to overeat on popcorn and we enjoyed the movie. I don’t know how an 8-year-old views that movie. But there’s a part of it geared towards adults that focuses on the dad eventually accepting his son for his son’s strengths and interests, not just on whether or not the son chose the path the dad had hoped for. It was nice seeing that with Benjamin.

Later on Saturday, after I spent a little bit of time watching Butler beat Michigan State, I went to Home Depot and got 250 pounds of new play sand for Jack’s sandbox. I worked with Ava (she wanted to help, so I let her think she was helping) way past dark and I messed up my back shoveling all the old sand out and putting the new sand in. After getting another 250 pounds Sunday morning (I underestimated how much I needed), Jack was excited when we finally let him play in the sandbox again.

So in other words, for a good chunk of time, I got to be the dad I haven’t really been able to be too often on the weekends this year. It was pretty nice.

You were right, Tiff. Thank you.

Jack Loves The Arches
This is pretty much a cheap excuse to put a picture of Jack in here. But I took him to McDonald’s yesterday afternoon. He had a blast on the playground for about an hour, which gave Tiff some freedom to get the house ready for our family Easter dinner.

Nothing beats chicken nuggets, fries and a slide.

These Were Incredible
My sister-in-law brought cupcakes to the Easter dinner yesterday. They were amazing. Normally, the frosting is what I’ll remember from a cupcake. This time, though, it was the cake. It was a lemon-flavored cake with a vanilla pudding filling. The filling soaked in to the cake, so it was moist and INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS. I was raving about them for a few minutes, and I don’t think she could tell if I was serious or not, but she joked about me blogging about it. Just ask Lisa Hernandez what happens if you jokingly dare me to do something.

So here you go, Kelly. You made the blog. That and $1 will get you a small cup of coffee at McDonald’s.

We had Sprinkles cupcakes at work last week. I think these were better.

I Love Spring Break!
I’m not on spring break, because I have one of those “job” things, but Benjamin and Ava are out of class this week, so they stayed at my in-laws last night for a sleepover with their cousin. Peace … and … quiet! (For us, not them!)

Here are a few miscellaneous pics from yesterday. I asked her if she had anything she wanted me to post and this is what she gave me. So here goes.

Tiff and Jack, I think after the Easter egg hunt.

Me and Ava, definitely after the Easter egg hunt. You can see how close together the houses are in California. You can also see how bad my allergies were yesterday by looking at my eyes.

Ava, definitely during the Easter egg hunt.

Ava sorting through her basket in the morning. She traded those Whoppers to Benjamin for 10 marshmallows. Bad deal on her part.

That’s All For Today
I’ll be back tomorrow, same bat time, same bat channel. I’m pulling for Butler tonight. What can I say — I have a mad crush on Cinderella!

Race Report:Train 4 Autism Marathon Series, Race 1

April 3, 2010 by operationjack 1 Comment

Sometimes, a marathon finishing time isn’t particularly significant in the grand scheme of things. My result in Saturday’s Train 4 Autism Marathon Series Race No. 1 was one of those instances. I ran miserably, finishing in 3:23:56, but I had a great time at the race.

When I mapped out the schedule for 2010, Easter Weekend looked like a challenge. There were very few races on the schedule, mostly trail races and mostly far away. My wife puts on a big family dinner every year for Easter and I don’t want to leave her all alone, nor do I want to miss the dinner! So, I worked with local race promoter Charlie Alewine to put on the first of a series of three races.

The races are small and low-key and we called them the Train 4 Autism Marathon Series. It was awesome to see the T4A name on a race! The race wouldn’t have happened if not for Operation Jack,, I had a fair amount of running friends turn out just to run the race to support us. It was an absolutely incredible feeling.

I get shy about compliments — I always feel undeserving because I know I’m a flawed person just like everybody else. But it’s nice to get positive feedback, because I know it’s an indicator that people believe in what I’m trying to accomplish. And I have to say, it’s pretty strong feedback when somebody drives out to run in your race!

Anyways, the race. It was 10 loops around a 2.62-mile course. I started off a tiny bit too fast by pace, but my heart rate was OK. I think I was holding a fairly decent pace early on, although there a couple of spots where my heart rate jumped. I was a little concerned that I would bomb late, but I wasn’t tremendously worried. I ran a fair amount of the first half with four runner friends of mine — Jeff Cate, Zach Earl, Tracy Bowling and Peggy Kern. They all ran the half marathon, so I was on my own for quite a while.

I hit the half somewhere a touch quicker than 1:38 and felt OK. I didn’t feel like I was on the verge of falling apart. But I was! At about mile 18, I dropped off pretty badly. I slowed down about 30 seconds to a minute per mile. I kept repeating one thing to myself over those final eight miles or so: “My body HATES me!” I think I’m going to go through various phases this year. Right now, I’m struggling. Fatigue is setting in pretty nicely. I don’t think my body is very happy with what I’m doing to it!

From about 21 on, I really wanted the race to end. I felt like a truck had run me over. I never really had the energy to step it up at the end and kick. I slowed down until the end and finished up with a 3:23:56. The bright side of the small race is that I came in first overall. But it was a tough run. Still, it was pretty cool to earn a trophy and a medal that said “Train 4 Autism” and it was great to see so many people hanging out at the finish. Am I a jerk for winning my own race?

I didn’t have an amazing run. But I had an amazing day. I’m totally content with how this one turned out. I’m a lucky, lucky guy.

Me and Jack at the finish. I’m so glad he was there!

Me, James Hong and Ben Delaney sporting sweet-looking shirts. Ben, one of my best friends, finally got the sub-4 monkey off his back, finishing in 3:58.