Operation Jack

Fighting autism, one mile at a time.

Operation Jack and Jogging 4 Jayden … A Winning Team!

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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!

Donuts and Ice Cream

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Another donut — zero miles today. And of course, a bowl of ice cream last night. Yep, that’s exactly what you’d expect out of a guy training to run 60 marathons for charity next year.

Today’s Non-Workout
This is as good a time as any to (hopefully) get injuries out of my system. Better now than next year, right? I went to physical therapy for my knee yesterday just to be safe, and since I rolled my ankle after I saw my doctor for my knee last week, I figured I’d try to sneak in some ankle advice. Well, the knee is no big deal and it’ll be fine.

I’m crazy tight, so they’re going to work with me on breaking through that and stretching better. She told me the tightness is impacting my stride length, so maybe with any luck I’ll find some new speed as I get through this. But whatever, not a major concern. The concern is the ankle, which I don’t have a PT prescription for, and I’m afraid that I’m one bad step from something really bad.

She took a look at my ankle, and that was the immediate problem. It reminds me of when I went to the doctor when I was 16 and wanted to get the cut on my head looked at but the concern immediately became my, uh, broken neck. The ankle isn’t serious like that, but it’s more of an issue than my knee.

It’s definitely sprained, but it’ll get better. I’m on the shelf for the rest of the week with specific icing and home-care instructions. Here’s what I’ve done the past three nights:

Frustrating not running right now, because I’ve been off and on for a couple of months now, but it will be nice to get to 100%. I go back tomorrow and I’m three times a week starting next week.

So yeah, I didn’t run this morning. I worked, though. Fun stuff.

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 had the fun day most typical kids normally get in the summer. Summer camp, swimming in the kiddie pool in the backyard for an hour, gymnastics (at Us Too Gymnastics, a special-needs gym) and NO THERAPY! Yeah, yesterday, it was good to be Jack!

Ice Cream Update
Another day, another dish of ice cream. Peanut butter fudge swirl last night during the Cardinals-Dodgers game. Bonus ball in that one.

The streak is up to 36 consecutive days now eating ice cream or frozen yogurt. Baskin-Robbins corporate headquarters, if you’re reading this, you’re more than welcome to sponsor me and become the official ice cream of Operation Jack!

Here’s the ice cream bowl I got for Father’s Day. Who else has one of these?

Happy Birthday Rachel!
OK, so I don’t know if my friend Rachel is going to read this today. But typically, she does. So Rachel, if you read this, happy birthday! And if you don’t read this, I’ll never talk to you again.

Am I Allowed To Make Fun Of My Father-In-Law In My Blog?
My father-in-law retired in March and decided to teach traffic school to have something to do. He knows California’s traffic laws. In fact, he lectured my wife last week for holding the phone while she was driving. That’s illegal in California.

So we were surprised to hear that he was pulled over by the Highway Patrol yesterday … for holding the phone while driving. Maybe he’ll be a student in his own class.

Video of the Day
Well, since I can’t run right now and I need to ice my ankle back down to size, I figured I’d take the old-school route. MC Hammer tomorrow?

Yeah! It’s Thursday!
For me, that means only one more day until I can work all weekend! Hopefully, tomorrow is the last day of your work week. Thank you so much for coming by and reading the blog. I know that you come by because you believe in the cause and support what I’m doing. It’s certainly not to read my bad jokes. For now, if you’d like to help, the biggest favor I can ask is for you to bring somebody new to the site. One person at a time, we’ll grow our base to help us make something big happen!

If you’d like to get an email notification when I have new blog posts, simply register or leave a comment down below. DON’T WORRY — you can unsubscribe at any time with a single click! OK, that’s all I’ve got for today. Have a good day and come back around tomorrow!

Operation Jack Marathon Series … Maybe?

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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!

Blood and Ice Cream!

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It’s Taco Tuesday and I have chicken burritos for lunch. They’re nowhere near authentic, but they’re ridiculously good, and I’m not just saying that because my wife cooked them. I’m honest with her — if I don’t like how she cuts her hair, I’ll tell her. I’ve told her. But these burritos are good. I can’t wait until lunch time. The rest of this blog has nothing to do with that, though. Think more along the lines of Jack, blood, ice cream and a swollen ankle. Sounds like a bad night at Ozzy Osbourne’s house.

Today’s Workout
Well, if you’ve been here before, you know I’m battling a couple of injuries — tendinitis in my right knee and then i rolled my ankle pretty badly last week. I’ve been going back and forth about running on the ankle. I hate not running and I want to stay in shape. But I need to be ready for next year. The day after I rolled it, I ran 16.1 miles. But the day after that, I ran 1.1 after doing a turnaround.

I followed with a 16.6-miler, and a 26.5-miler, but the swelling isn’t going down. I took yesterday off, then solicited advice from a bunch of runners. The advice I received revolves around ice, advil, physical therapy/strengthening exercises and maybe time off, but maybe staying active to keep the blood flowing.

I soaked my foot in a bucket of ice water last night for 30 minutes, I did some balancing exercises, I popped ibuprofen and I’ve got physical therapy tomorrow (well, on my knee, but I’ll sneak some advice while I’m there). So to run today, or not to run today? Well, as you’ll read about in just a bit, I donated blood yesterday and they told me no strenuous exercise for 24 hours. I asked about running. The man told me I could take a brisk walk around the block. No way — that would be more frustrating that not running, because I’d see people jogging past me. So, I stayed in and worked.

I’m sure that for the next 4-6 days, I’m going to be playing everything by ear (well, by ankle). I have no idea if I’m going to want to run or take the day off. Today, the decision was easy. Tomorrow, maybe not. I need to be ready to go on Friday. But not this Friday — I need to be ready on Friday, January 1, 2010.

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.

Jack has certain movies he likes to watch over and over again. Right now, he has a Caillou video he’s watching way too much. I wish he was into SportsCenter. But he’s starting to recite parts of some of the sentences, and that’s better than hearing the good news about the Cardinals beating the Dodgers last night. His speech definitely isn’t 100% clear, but it’s enough that it’s exciting for us. He gets good chunks of sentences and kind of mumbles through words that he knows he can’t pronounce. I have no idea if he understands what he’s saying, but the almost-speaking is a great step. We’re working on getting video of this to upload to YouTube, but our timing isn’t the greatest.

I used to get discouraged by how far behind Jack was, and his progress wasn’t enough to make me happy, because with my mathematical thinking, if he was making three months worth of progress in a year, then he was falling behind another nine months. But I’ve learned that I can’t compare him to others. I just need to be happy about the gains he makes. And it’s really starting to get to the point where I’m noticing something new almost every day. I’m really looking forward to truly interacting with him, and it sure seems like we’re getting a lot closer!

Blood Drive!
For the first time in a dozen years, I donated blood yesterday. I hate needles. I get queasy just thinking about them. I can’t look at them, think about them … I hate them. A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine named Peggy sent me two certificates she had, “Pint for a Pint,” that she got for donating blood. Peggy is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met and I look up to her and respect her quite a bit. When she told me she had those coupons she received from donating blood, it got the wheels spinning in my head.

Maybe now it was finally time to just suck it up and do it. Needles are miserable, but it’s a good thing to do and I ought to just do it. My body will make the blood back, and maybe it will save somebody’s life down the road, so why not? Because I don’t like needles? No, I decided that I wanted to be like Peggy.

So a couple of weeks ago, I got to thinking about when to do this. My Uncle Bob died of leukemia five years ago yesterday. My readership is growing here. It’s not huge, but it’s getting better. I know the primary cause here is autism, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do other things, too. I have 17 months left and then nobody (not even my kids) will listen to a word I sy. So I might as well make the most of it now.

I was thinking about getting a blood drive going in his honor, but I didn’t think it would be very effective without huge numbers, so I put the idea on the back burner. But it came back to the front during a run last week, so I figured I’d give it a shot. I could try, and if I get no participants, at least I tried. If I get just one, then that’s one person who wasn’t going to give blood who did, and I could let my aunt Rebecca (his widow) know, and that would make her day.

I have one person who’s going to make an appointment, and that made my day. I found that out in the car on the way to my appointment yesterday.

Anyways, it was a little nerve-wracking. After answering the questions and having my blood pressure, pulse and iron level checked, it was time for the needle. I was apprehensive, but I looked around and thought about how fortunate I was to be on the giving side of a blood donation. I thought about my uncle and my aunt. I thought about my dad, who used to donate platelets as frequently as the Red Cross lets you, but then had to stop once they found cancer in his bladder in 2004. They found it the same week I found out my Uncle Bob had leukemia. My dad’s name is Bob, too. He was more fortunate, though. He had surgery to remove the cancer, then had a recurrence a few years later, but he’s doing fine now. I sent him an email and told I was at the Red Cross donating blood.

Wish I was there.

I was at my Dr this morning and needed some additional blood work. The lab took 4 test tubes – I should have gotten a Red Cross cookie for that.

It took longer than normal for my donation. I don’t know exactly what was going on, but there was some problem with my vein. The dripping was slow and they had to keep adjusting it. They must have adjusted it five times and I probably had the needle in my arm for about an hour. I think it should have only been 15 minutes, but oh well. Finally, something happened and they had to stop. I could tell they didn’t have the full collection, so I asked if they’d be able to use what they collected.

They told me they wouldn’t be able to use it as a donation for a transfusion, but they’d be able to use it for research. So, I tried. And the way I see it (or what I’m telling myself) is that since they’re using my blood for research, they’ll be able to use somebody else’s for a transfusion that would have been used for research instead. I did my part for today. I tried. And I’ll be back on Sept. 21. I’m actually going to try to see if i can do it on Sept. 16, Jack’s birthday. We’ll see.

And so again, I’ll beg: If any of you have ever thought about donating, but needed a push to get up and do it, set up an appointment this week! Just do it! Believe me, if I can do it, you can do it. You have no idea how much I hate needles. Oh, and if you do it, let me know!

Ice Cream Update
I was sitting on the couch last night, writing up an email to the good folks at Train 4 Autism to let them know about some progress I’m having with Operation Jack (Remember how I was talking about good things cooking yesterday? Yeah, that stuff … I’m REALLY excited!!!) and Tiff asked me I had any of the butter pecan left, because the kids finished off the cookies and cream earlier in the day and there was nothing left.

I told her no, and I thought about the streak. And then I looked and hoped she was joking. But she wasn’t. I kept hoping she was, but she still wasn’t. I was soaking my ankle in a bucket of ice water, so I was in no position to get up and call her bluff. I just had to sit there and wonder. The more time went on, the more I realized she wasn’t kidding. I started debating whether or not I should head out for ice cream or not. She offered to go, but I’m chivalrous and I’m not going to let her go out and fetch ice cream at night. She should be comfortable in our home.

It was closing in on 9:30, and I didn’t know if I really wanted to make the effort. So I tweeted and updated my status on Facebook to get some feedback. It was overwhelming in a hurry. I had no choice but to go get ice cream. I can’t let my followers down. So I hopped in the car, drove through McDonald’s and picked myself up a soft-serve vanilla cone. That was $1.08 well spent. Absolutely delicious, plus only 150 calories and 4 grams of fat. That might become a staple in my diet.

So the streak stands at 34 days. I’m thinking about going to McDonald’s today.

Video Of The Day
When I hopped into the car to go get my ice cream, the following song was playing. Ironic, appropriate … whatever you want to call it:

Have a Greate Tuesday!
Have a great day! Thank you for your support of Operation Jack and for believing in the cause. Please tell a friend who hasn’t seen the site to come check it out!

Who Wants To Donate Blood?

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I’ve done a lot of unorthodox things running, from running a marathon on one hour of sleep to running three in three states in 8 days to running one in rain and 40 mph winds with bronchitis. But I’m thinking my long run this weekend might have been one of the dumber things I’ve done. Yeah, 26.5 miles on a bad ankle.

Today’s Workout
On Saturday morning, I went out for my first long run since running the Rock ‘N Roll Marathon in San Diego in May 31. I’ve felt slow since early May and I just haven’t been myself. I was aiming for 28-30 miles, but I didn’t know how it would go, so I took a route that would have allowed me to cut it short if necessary. I started off not moving tremendously quick, and I could tell it was humid by how much I was sweating. I felt a little fatigued as I got into it, and I’m sure doing 16.6 on Friday didn’t have me too fresh, but I figured I’d just push through. So, I headed out to get far enough out to make sure I’d get at least 26.2 in. I figure that’s the best way — if you’re out and the only way to get back is straight in, you’ll hit your miles. Well, about 2 1/2 hours in, it started getting hot and I started falling apart.

I could tell that I was on track for about 26.6 and I knew I would forego any of the turns I would have taken to get it up to about 28. I really wanted to quit, but there’s not a lot to do. Walk home for three miles? I was coming up the hill I finish on and my wife drove by — she was coming home from McDonald’s playground with the kids. I wanted to get in the car, but she asked me how far along I was. I told her 25.5 and she told me no, to keep rolling, because I’d regret not going the distance. She’s not a slave-driver or a drill sergeant. She just knows me well. She knows that if I was in serious trouble, I’d demand a ride, or if I struggled over that last mile I’d shut it down and walk. And she knew that I’d kick myself all weekend if I didn’t go at least 26.2. She was right and I ended up going 26.5. I walked up my street at the end as a cool down because I felt like I was going to throw up. I was a minute per mile slow. I’ve run at least 26.2 in training a good 30+ times, and this was by far my slowest. Oh well … better luck next weekend.

I took yesterday off. I caught up on my sleep, and there’s no need to overdo it while building the miles back up. I ended up with 76.4 last week with essentially three days off, so I figured that was enough.

Last night, I had Tiff look at my ankle. It still hurts from when I rolled it last Tuesday. I’ve never had an ankle problem before, so this is new territory. It feels swollen when I touch it, but that could be deceptive based on the pain I’m feeling. Well, she touched it and took a look and I got a big “Oh my goodness!” Yeah, it’s still swollen. I got up to run this morning, got dressed and ready to go, and it hurt a tiny bit and I figured I’d just shut it down and get some work done. I don’t know if I’ll run tomorrow, if I’ll take some time off again, if I’ll run the 5K I’m looking into this Saturday … I have no idea what I’m going to do. I do know that I’m going to be very frustrated for a little while. If I had to run a marathon today for Operation Jack, it would be no problem and I’d do it. But I don’t and I want to be as close to 100% to start it off next year. I need to be ready to go on Decemeber 31, not July 31.

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.

Jack had a pretty fun weekend and didn’t have any significant issues. He was very well behaved at Red Robin for lunch on Saturday and rode on Ava’s scooter later in the afternoon. I can’t recall him having any meltdowns all weekend. He did a pretty good job sitting at the kitchen table with the rest of us for breakfast yesterday morning and seemed fairly calm all weekend.

Actually, one funny story: He thought it would he funny to take a cup, go to the fridge to get some water out of the dispenser on the door and then fling it up on the ceiling. He was right — it was kind of funny. But it probably wasn’t very good for the ceiling or the floor. Tiff pushed the lock button on the fridge, so when we went back to get more water, nothing came out, so he tried to throw water from an empty cup up to the ceiling. Obviously, nothing happened, but he did it two more times after that with an empty cup and found it pretty funny. I tried not to laugh because I didn’t want to encourage. I failed.

Anyways, he starts a special summer camp today (just a day camp), so hopefully that goes well. You’ll find out here tomorrow, of course.

The Streak Is Over
No, not the ice cream streak. The dinner streak. I wasn’t very hungry and I snacked enough, so I didn’t eat dinner. I don’t know how many nights in a row I’d had dinner, but if I have dinner tonight, my new streak will be at one. I’m still rolling with the ice cream, though.

I went with cookies and cream on Friday night, a waffle cone of Orange 50/50 at Golden Spoon on Saturday and cookies and cream again last night. I’m 33 days in a row with ice cream or frozen yogurt now. I’m thinking I should stop, because the longer it goes, the tougher it’s going to be for me to snap my streak. But it’s so darn hot right now and I really like ice cream. So I guess I’ll just keep rolling.

Blood Drive Anyone?
I know that between now and the end of 2010, we’re going to a lot of great things for autism-related charities all over the country. But why not try to do other nice things while we’re at it?

I mentioned this on Friday and I’ll mention it again today. Today is the five-year anniversary of the death of my Uncle Bob. He died of leukemia. So, I’m going to give blood. I hate needles. I’ve given blood once, back when I was in college, and I HATED the experience. Just talking about needles makes me kind of queasy.

But I was talking with a friend of mine named Peggy, who has one of the biggest hearts of anybody I’ve ever met, and she gives blood regularly. That sparked the idea a couple of weeks ago, but I let it go, figuring I’d wait until next year on this date. But for whatever reason, it came back to me on my run on Friday.

I had a physical therapy appointment for my knee today, but I shifted it until Wednesday and I’m going in to give blood today at 1:30. I know I’m just a stranger blogging on the internet to most of you, but if you’ve ever thought about giving blood but needed a kick in the pants, please do it this week! I know it might be a little late to do it today, but if you can do it sometime this week, post here and let me know, or contact me through the Contact Us form (I should probably just call it “Contact Me”). You’d be doing a good thing, you’ll get free cookies, and (selfishly) I’ll let my Aunt Rebecca (his widow) know and it will hopefully bring a smile to her face. I know not all of you will, but if I can get just one person to, I think that would be awesome.

Operation Jack Update
There are a ton of good things cooking in the Operation Jack kitchen right now. I can’t mention what any of them are, but any time one of these dishes turns out, I’ll be eager to let everybody know. I can’t believe how much work this takes on a daily basis. But little things here and there are (or might be) coming together and it’s amazing. I’m just a normal guy going through my daily routine trying to make something happen, and more and more people are jumping on the bandwagon. It blows my mind and I truly appreciate everything more than I can really convey in just a few sentences. For all the things you all are doing, and that definitely includes spreading the word and getting excited, THANK YOU!

Ice, Ice Baby
I was asked on Twitter if I soak my legs in ice after every run, and I figured I’d answer the question here. No, I don’t. I wish I had the time to. I love what ice baths do to my legs — they bring them about 95% back to life. The ice decreases the swelling and helps with the tiny little tears you get in your muscles when your exercise. A hot bath is obviously more relaxing, but the ice is what will make you heal. You don’t want to go with the hot bath before you ice. Last October, I ran a 3:04:59 in Kansas City on a Saturday (my 4th-fastest, a good time for me), then drove three hours to Wichita, soaked in ice for an hour and ran a 3:09:13 the next day, also a decent time for me. That wouldn’t have happened without the ice.

One tip, because it can be extremely difficult to get into a freezing-cold tub: Get in on your knees and it will be easier. Also, if you’re ever staying in a hotel, take advantage of that ice machine! Even if you’re not that beat up, it’s always good to get back to 100 percent.

Video Of The Day
I’m sticking with my blood drive, even if I’m the only person to donate!

Happy Monday!
This is the spot where I wrap it all up and ask you to send the site to somebody new today. I know you all are here because you believe in the cause. The goal is to increase nationwide awareness for Train 4 Autism (and eventually funds, but the awareness will take care of that). It’s pretty simple — increased awareness comes from more people being involved. So tell one person today. Little actions like that by a lot of people will make a big difference.