Operation Jack

Fighting autism, one mile at a time.

Race Report: Pasadena Marathon

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The best part about running a forgettable race is that I can forget about it. That’s what I intend to do with today’s run in the Pasadena Marathon. I went 3:15:23, but it was far from a memorable experience and I’m looking forward to moving on from this one.

My Pasadena Marathon race day got off to an ominous start when I parked, as I realized I forgot to bring my PowerBar. My standard pre-race meal is a cinnamon raisin bagel and a full serving of UltraFuel (a sports drink) at least two hours before the race and a PowerBar within the final 15 minutes before the start. I was a little bit antsy, wondering how my energy levels would hold up. One unique thing about my year, though, is that if something goes wrong, I get another crack the following week. So I didn’t totally panic.

I got over to the start line with plenty of time to spare, but I just wasn’t feeling it. I was a little bit depressed, because I had a great day with the family on Saturday. Why did that make me depressed? Because it made me realize what I’m missing. But I have a job to do, it’s for a great cause, and Jack is already reaping the benefits with the treatments at Advanced Hyperbarics in the hyperbaric oxygen chamber. So the gun fired and I went.

As always, I ran by heart rate. I was moving pretty well early, averaging somewhere around 6:40 for the first couple of miles. I struggled later, but I firmly believe those miles didn’t cost me. I take what the course gives me, and it gave me some quick miles at a low heart rate.

Within about three miles, I was mentally checked out. I didn’t want to be out there, but I knew I had to run the race. My legs didn’t feel too hot and there was a long, gradual uphill between about 2.5 and 4. By the time I reached the top of that incline, I had mentally decided I wanted the run to be over. Normally, that happens at about 22 for me. So this was unusually early and I had bad vibes about the day.

The course itself was nice, running through all parts of Pasadena. It went through some incredibly nice neighborhoods, some OK neighborhoods, right down Colorado Blvd (I think that’s the Rose Parade route), alongside the Rose Bowl for quite a while and through some other various tree-lined areas. All-in-all, it was a pretty nice 26.2-mile foot tour of a beautiful city.

Anyways, I was plodding along and kind of going through the motions. Part of me was realizing I needed to keep moving, because my time sticks with me forever, but part of me really struggled to want to keep rolling. We did an out-and-back around the Rose Bowl area that accounted for about four miles of the race and on my way out at about mile 12, I got in a groove and my legs actually started moving fairly well.

We mixed back in with the half marathoners shortly thereafter and I always get a charge passing people (they were running about 4 minutes/mile slower that I was at that point). We hit a second uphill from 13 to 15 that was a 300-foot gain that was pretty tough. I moved so-so coming out of there, but not great. Still, better than I did in Austin last week when I struggled coming out of a big uphill at 18.

The weather had been mostly overcast, but the sun started peeking out about two hours into the race. I figured I was tracking for somewhere right around 3:10, but by about 18 or 19, I could tell that I was starting to grind a little bit. By about 20, I revised my estimate to about a 3:11 or 3:12.

There was a gradual uphill between 20 and 21, and by the time I hit the turnaround to come back down, I knew I was done. I wasn’t moving and I knew my time was going to slip. I started hoping for a 3:13 or 3:14. I got a pretty bad side stitch at 23.5 (for those of you non-runners, it’s a bad stabbing pain in your abdomen) and the shuffle was on. I was just trying to hang on my best for a Boston qualifier (sub-3:16). I don’t need a BQ for next year, but that’s always an indicator to me that at least my run wasn’t horrible.

My miles crept up towards that 8:00 pace, but I dropped down to a 7:32 for mile 26 and a 7:02 pace for the final whatever it was (.36?). I crossed the finish line 3:15:23 after I started, good for my 16th BQ. It was good for 27th overall out of 1,066 finishers. Not my greatest performance by any stretch of the imagination, but in a way, I guess it’s a nice that when nothing seems to click, I can still run a fairly decent race.

Next up, Tampa. Time to start trying to get fired up!


10 down, 50 to go!

Weekend Preview: OJ Race #10

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All this week, I’ve been working to establish a new weekly routine for my blogs. Continuing along with Thursdays, I’ll be using this as my final posting of the week (aside from race reports) to talk about my upcoming race(s) and any surrounding events. This weekend it’s pretty simple — I get to stay at home, run the Pasadena Marathon and visit my grandparents. What more could I possibly ask for?

Operation Jack Race 10: Pasadena Marathon
I’m really looking forward to this weekend, because the logistics should be pretty easy. Pasadena is no more than an hour or so from my house, so I don’t have to pack a suitcase and I get to stay at home. On top of that, it’s looking like it will be the most low-key weekend I’ve had this year. It’ll be nice to exhale!

This is actually my third weekend staying at home, but it’s going to be the easiest, by far. The other two were filled with other obligations and time commitments and I ran myself into the ground before I even had a chance to truly run myself into the ground (in a marathon). This weekend, there’s not much planned before my race aside from going to Advanced Hyperbarics with Jack on Saturday morning, so I might actually be able to think about my race a little bit.

I took a quick look at the course profile and it doesn’t look too ridiculous aside from one decent climb. In a way, it reminds me of Carlsbad, which has one tough climb and rollers the rest of the way. I always feared Carlsbad, and Pasadena is something I’ve perceived to be difficult, but I just attacked Carlsbad and ran my fastest time of the year (so far). I’ll probably do the same thing with Pasadena on Sunday.

I feel like my fitness is improving, although I’m not 100 percent and I won’t be this entire year. But I’m not worried. I should be fairly well rested. I’m going in for a session in the hyperbaric chamber on Saturday. My diet has been fairly good this week. I’m feeling fairly fresh. And I only ran one marathon last weekend.

That “only one marathon” sounds kind of ridiculous, but I’m noticing that I’m a little less solid the weekend after a double. The weather has also been impacting me quite a bit. My four best runs have been in ideal running conditions. My four worst runs have been in poor weather. There was also Surf City, when I paced the 3:30 group. The weather was perfect that day and the run was very easy. Sunday should be in the 50s or low 60s during the race — good enough for a marathon in my book. Not perfect, but not bad.

So add it all up and I’m feeling pretty confident about this one. The mental aspect of a marathon is pretty big and I’ve made the mistake of heading into a marathon afraid.

I’m going to try a slightly different strategy, trying to keep my pace at 6:52 (3:00) as long as my heart rate doesn’t go above 174. I run a marathon between 170 and 172 and I feel like I blow up once I cross 177 or so. I’ve been feeling stronger lately, so I’m going to start pushing it again. And I guess one good thing about what I’m doing is that if I mess it all up, I can give it another crack next weekend.

If I had to put an over/under on this one, I’d go with about 3:08. I really think I have a good shot at going sub-3:10, which I really want to start doing on a weekly basis. But anything can happen during a marathon, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned through 37 of them, it’s that they’re ALWAYS difficult. So we’ll see!

Perfect Post-Race Meal
I’m having the perfect post-race meal on Sunday. Part of that is the company and part of it is actually the food.

If you’ve been following along, you know I beat my grandma in our 22nd-annual Super Bowl bet this year. So, she’s taking me, the wife and the kids out to Souplantation (in some parts of the country, they call it Sweet Tomatoes). They’re featuring sweet potatoes right now, which are not only one of my favorite things to eat, but they’re a great recovery food for me. And of course, they have ice cream there. Barring anything unforeseen, that will push my current streak up to 22 consecutive days with ice cream or frozen yogurt.

Beyond all that, though, it’s a treat to spend time with my grandparents. I absolutely adore them and with my schedule this year, it’s tough to find time to see them. So when I get the opportunity, I will, and I’ll have the opportunity on Sunday afternoon!

One side note: I earned a penguin stuffed animal at my first marathon of the year, the Texas Marathon in Kingwood, Texas, on January 1. They gave one to each finisher with the place we finished around the neck. My grandma LOVES penguins (you should see her house — penguins all over the place!) so I’m going to give it to her. I’ll post a picture in my blog on Monday.

Have A Great Weekend Everybody!
A weekend at home, a race I’m confident about and a visit with my grandparents … I think I’m going to have a great weekend. I hope yours goes well, too! Thanks for stopping by and supporting Operation Jack!

The Juice On OJ

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All this week, I’ve been laying groundwork for new standard weekly formats for my blogs. Mondays will be weekend recaps and on Tuesdays, I’ll be discussing something that really matters to me (or telling an anecdote from my past so you can get to know me a little bit better). On Wednesdays, I’ll give a weekly rundown on Operation Jack — upcoming deadlines, special announcements, good news, etc. And since today is Wednesday, I guess it’s time for an Operation Jack update.

For those of you who have never been here, I’m a marathon runner and a father of three. My middle son, 6-year-old Jack, is severely autistic. So, I’m attempting to run 60 marathons this year to help raise money and awareness for a charity called Train 4 Autism. Train 4 Autism helps people train for races and raise money for autism-related charities. I’m trying to get people to jump on the bandwagon with my “stupid-human trick,” hopefully planting seeds for growth in the process.

Shoe Shopping?
I bought two new pairs of shoes yesterday (I’m at about 275 miles on both pairs I’m currently rotating) and I’m hoping some of you are willing to consider taking the same path on your next purchase. The shoes I buy normally cost about $90 plus tax. I got two pairs for about $130 total AND Operation Jack is going to earn $17 from that. Here’s how:

In the navigation at the top, click on “Store” and you’ll see a link to RoadRunner Sports. When you click through to the site from here, Operation Jack earns 13 percent from everything you buy. You get free shipping if you’re a VIP Member, and since VIP membership only costs $1.99 a year, it’s a no-brainer to add that to the cart. They have a sale for the next few days where if you spend $150 or more, you get $40 off your purchase (if you’re a VIP member) if you use the discount code CB10Y43E. Even if you don’t go over that amount, you get 10 percent off.

My shoes are on close-out (I wear Saucony Guide 2s, and they just came out with 3s, but I’m totally fine with the 2s). So my shoes, regularly $90 each, are discounted to $75. I bought two pairs, got my 10 percent and $40 off, which worked out to about $130 with tax. Shipping was free. So there you have it, two pairs of $90 shoes for $130, delivered to my doorstep, and Operation Jack nets $17 out of the deal.

If you know the shoes you’re going to buy and you’re like me and you shop for discounts, take a look and see if it makes sense for you!

Sweatshirts Are In!
If you saw the picture of me in Monday’s blog, you saw that sweatshirts are now in! We’re shipping them out this week to everybody who still needs to receive one, but we still have enough if you want one. Here’s the deal: Go to the Sponsors page and you can see the donation levels to get everything. The sweatshirts are pretty darn comfortable. I like mine and I know Tiff slept in hers last week. She’s a total princess, too, so that says a lot!

Last Call For Napa!
We have a really good arrangement ($45 off the entry fee) if you want to run the full marathon at Napa Valley on March 7. I need to send entries in on Saturday, so if you’re interested, go to the Contact Us page and drop me a line.

Thank You Ben Delaney
A few weeks ago, I wanted to start thanking people in each blog, but I think I’m going to save that for Wednesdays as part of my weekly Operation Jack update. Today, I’m thanking Ben Delaney, one of my best friends and a fellow runner. We’ve been friends for 17 years, so it’s not a surprise that he’s excited about what I’m trying to do.

But when I read his Facebook status updates (“Going to the expo to pick up my bib, wearing my Operation Jack shirt with pride!“), see him running a race in his Operation Jack tech shirt, hear that he took flyers to everybody he mixes with at his running shop and find out that he’s talking to everybody he knows around the country to help with the cause, I know I’ve got some pretty good support.

Sure, a good friend should be supportive if his buddy is doing something that needs support. But he’s really supportive, beyond what is necessary. It’s tough to do what I’m doing, and every little bit of support helps. This isn’t a little bit of support, though. It’s a lot of support — above-and-beyond support. And it’s awesome, because I know I’m not alone. So Ben, thank you. But it’s still your turn to buy lunch today, because Kevin bought last week and I bought the week before.

Questions, Anybody?
I don’t know what y’all want to know, so if I’m leaving anything unanswered, or if you have any questions, let me know! Post a comment, fill out the Contact Us form or drop me an email!

Get Over That Hump!
I’m heading to In-N-Out for lunch today and I get to start carb loading (again?!?!?) tomorrow. Ice cream streak is at 17 days. And that’s all for today. Have a great Wednesday everybody!

Using My Health To Make A Difference

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As I mentioned yesterday, I’m going to be writing about different things each day of the week to break it up a little bit and to help me come up with topics to help you waste your time at work with. Since today is Tuesday, I’m going to talk about either an issue that’s important to me, or I’m going to tell an anecdote about something from my past. Today, it’s an issue that’s important to me — donating blood. I’m writing about it today because that’s what I’ll be doing at 5 p.m.

I’m actually donating platelets, and I can’t really give you a good scientific explanation of what that means. I know that it takes a little longer than whole blood (90 minutes instead of 20 minutes) and it grabs a different part of the blood. Whole blood is just straight-up blood. Platelets are something else, and I’m not exactly sure what, but I know they go to help leukemia patients undergoing chemotherapy.

I’m going to back up a little bit and explain how I got started doing this. I hate needles and I hate blood. I get queasy talking about either. My dad donated platelets for years, but I never did, because I couldn’t imagine the thought of the needles.

Last year, though, I decided I would change that. I have an uncle who died of leukemia on July 27, 2004, and I figured I’d donate blood on July 27 last year in his honor. So I did. I was a big ol’ baby about the needles, but it was mission accomplished. I went back agin in September (you can only go every eight weeks or so) and donated again.

I had to switch over to platelets this year, though. It takes your body about five weeks to be fully recovered from whole blood, which would be fine if I was training. But not when I’m racing. Platelets only take about 48 hours until you’re back to full strength. Either way, you have to take 24 hours off from exercising, so I’ll take a rest day tomorrow. But I’ll be 100 percent for Pasadena on Sunday. And my donation will go to somebody like my Uncle Bob, who inspired me to do this. I figure that’s appropriate.

My dad doesn’t get to donate any more because he’s had cancer twice since 2004, so they won’t take him in. I’m sure he’s probably glad I’ve picked up the torch from him. I think it’s pretty obvious with what I’m doing with Operation Jack, that I have a body that works fairly well and I’m really starting to like making small, temporary sacrifices to use it to help others.

I guess the point I’m making is that if any of you don’t donate blood and have ever thought of it, or even if you haven’t thought of it, please give it one try! It’s not as bad as you think (believe me, nobody could possibly hate needles any more than me) and it’s really a wonderful feeling to selflessly help somebody else. Plus, there’s the free cookies when you’re done!

If you’ve been meaning to schedule an appointment, please do so! If you’re going to try this for the first time, please let me know.

Take care and have a great Tuesday, everybody!

Weekend Recap: Sam Delivers!

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OK, so I was thinking (which is how I always get myself into trouble) that I’m going to take a new weekly approach to my blogs. I’m always grasping for ideas, and I think this will help. Mondays will be a weekend recap, because that’s always going to involve a race trip and my accompanying antics. I’ll let you know about Tuesdays tomorrow. I guess that means I’d better write a weekend recap. But it’ll be easy. It was certainly a memorable weekend.

First real quick, I ran the Austin Marathon yesterday. I’m fairly pleased, but you know me — I’m never satisified.

I Deliver!
On Twitter, folks do something called “Follow Friday,” where they suggest somebody new for you to follow and they tell you why. Well, San Antonio resident Lisa Hernandez suggested me, because I’m running 60 marathons this year, because I love ice cream (15 days in row now, by the way) and because I was bringing her In-N-Out. She threw in a little 😉, as if I’d respond. Oh wait, I did.

I had never met Lisa, and I had never talked about bringing her In-N-Out. So, when I confirmed with her that she was going to be in Austin, she was pretty surprised when I asked her for her order. On Friday night on my way home from work, I picked up a cheeseburger with mustard and pickles, then went home, wrapped it in foil and put it in Jack’s insulated lunch pail. I carried it with me, heated it up at my hotel and met her with it at the expo. Not only did she get the cheeseburger, it was delivered in Jack’s lunch pail!


Check out that SWEET sweatshirt I’m wearing!

While she was eating her cheeseburger (and loving it), a woman came up to her and asked her where she got the In-N-Out. Was there a new In-N-Out in town? Nope, Lisa had it personally flown in. She’s big-time like that. And I’m just a guy who hand-delivers cheeseburgers to people across the country.

Anyways, there’s a cool Operation Jack ending to this story. On Friday, I asked Lisa if she’d try a 10×10 for Operation Jack. I told her that I’d bring her the cheeseburger regardless, because I said I would and I’d keep my word. But if she was willing to try, I’d be even more grateful than she was for the food. And … she said yes!

So, let that be a lesson to you, everybody else. Do a 10×10, ask me to bring you a cheeseburger, and you might get lucky!

I Knew This Was Going In The Blog The Minute It Happened
It’s tough to fall asleep sometimes when I’m on the road, because it’s pretty early for my body time. Saturday night, I needed to get to sleep early, because I had to get up at 4:30 a.m. Texas time, which was 2:30 a.m. according to my body. I’m getting used to this, but that doesn’t make it very enjoyable.

I sat in bed trying to fall asleep at about 9:30 p.m. local time (7:30 p.m. back home) and I think I was finally out at about 9:50. Five minutes later, my grandma called. She’s 85 and my grandpa is 86, so I always have a little bit of a worry when the phone rings.

She called to remind me to wish my dad a happy birthday yesterday. She must not have read my blog on Friday, but good to hear her voice! She then wanted to know if this Sunday (February 21) when we met for lunch if we would be meeting first at her house or at the restaurant. No good answer on that one yet, either, but I’ll let her know when I can.

So she asked me what the kids were doing. Well, I didn’t know, because I was asleep in Texas and they were back home, probably getting ready for bed.

Sam: “I don’t know Grandma, I’m in Texas.”
Grandma Bea: “What?”
S: “I’m in Texas.”
G: “I couldn’t hear you. What did you say?”
S: “I’M IN TEXAS.” (I’m sure the people in the room next to me were thrilled to know that)
G: “You’re eating custard?”
S: “No Grandma, I’m not eating custard. I’m in Texas.”
G: “It sounded like you said you’re eating custard. I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
S: “I’m … in … Texas.”
G: “It still sounds like you’re saying you’re eating custard.”
I paused. It was like trying to convey something to somebody who doesn’t speak the language.
G: “Are you OK? You’re not talking. Is everything OK?”
S: “Everything is OK. I’m … not … home.”
G: “Oh! You’re not home! You’re off somewhere running a race! Where are you?”
S: “I’m in Texas.”
G: “Oh! You’re in Texas! That’s wonderful! Let me get your grandpa so he can say hi.”
S: “Uh, OK.”
G: “Milt! (pause) … I think he just walked over to the bathroom. I bet he’ll be in there for two hours. I’ll let you go. Good night, I love you!”
S: “I love you too, Grandma.”

That. Was. Amazing.

Worst $25 Picture Ever
I was in Austin, so I figured I’d go find the football stadium at the University of Texas and take a picture. I found it, and circled and circled for about 15 minutes trying to find the right spot to park. It was Saturday afternoon, about 5:30 p.m. Nothing doing on campus, that’s for sure.

There were a bunch of cars parked in spots about 50 yards away and the sign I saw said that you needed one type of permit at one time of the day from Monday through Friday and another type of permit a little later in the day from Monday through Friday. Well, it was Saturday, so I parked. I walked over, took a lousy picture because I couldn’t get anywhere to get a good view and I was back to the car in less than 5 minutes. And sure enough, there was a parking ticket for $25. How funny … I thought it was Saturday! That worked out to about $375/hour to park there. I wasn’t very happy, because the sign said Monday – Friday, but realistically, what am I going to do to fight this?

Well, yesterday, the last mile of the race ran right by where I parked. There were no cars there this time because they blocked off the road. And beneath the signs about the permits, there was a sign that said “UT Permit Required All Other Times”. Great, I guess I was in the wrong. I still think it’s a joke that they have three different signs to tell you the parking policy, and they were a good 25 spots or so from where I parked. And I also think it’s a joke that they have nothing better to do there than nab me within five minutes of the time I parked. Really? That slow?


Would you pay $25 for this picture? Yeah, well, I did.

I Made It Home In Time For Dinner!
Sure, I woke up and ran a marathon in Austin, and had a late lunch in Austin, but I was still home in time to take my beautiful wife out for a Valentine’s dinner! She’s gonna hate this picture, because she looks a whole lot better than she does in this, but it’s all we have. I wanted to take a picture at the restaurant, but it was Outback, and she thought we’d look like idiots. Yeah, um, I wore an In-N-Out hat at a marathon expo in Texas. I’m not really concerned with looking like an idiot.


On the way out the door to dinner last night. What is she doing with him?

That’s All For Today
I’ll be back tomorrow with my Tuesday blog approach. On a weekly basis, it’s going to be either an issue I have a strong opinion about, or it’s going to be an anecdote about something from my past. I already know what it’s going to be this time — something I feel pretty strongly about.

Have a great Monday! See you tomorrow!