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!
ryan conrad says
Do Badwater!! If not, shoot for 100 miles instead of breaking it up. Go Pack, hope all is well!
Heather Gonzalez says
Badwater would be RAD!! So sorry about your friend :(.
Scott Yerbic says
AWESOME VIDEO!!!