Jack has been showing good signs of improvement lately, but what I heard last Wednesday night really blew my mind.
First, though, I’ll talk briefly about my running.
Standard introduction: If this is your first visit here, I’m a marathoner and a father of three โ but not in that order. My middle child, 6-year-old Jack, is severely autistic and next year I’m planning on running 60 marathons in his honor to try to raise money and nationwide awareness for Train 4 Autism, a wonderful charity.
Running Update
I had a pretty solid week last week, with a training run on Tuesday that was the best training run I’ve had in seven months. I went 16.3 at 158 bpm (I run with a heart rate monitor) on my hills at 7:48/mile. That’s pretty darn close to the output I was getting right before I went 3:01 in Boston this year, so it felt nice to have a good run for once.
On Saturday, I had a nice 30-miler to cap off a week that was a few football fields shy of 86 miles. The 30 was about 20 seconds a mile quicker than my 30 a couple of weeks ago and I’m probably only about 10-15 seconds/mile slower that where I was at my peak. This morning, I decided to actually “run” again, and I went for 20.2 at 7:51/mile.
So, while I struggled with that five-week layoff this summer, it’s nice to start feeling like my old self again. I think I’m going to run a marathon this weekend. It’s a small, low-key affair in Huntington Beach, but it’s going to be a big deal to me. I’ll explain all of that on Thursday.
Hyperbaric Chamber Update
Jack and I went in for our third session in the hyperbaric chamber on Saturday. He’s getting better at it every time. He had no fear at all on Saturday, and he was willing to hold his mask up to his face for a portion of the time. It’s working pretty well for me with my recovery from my running and we’ve seen some pretty exciting improvements from Jack lately. Wow, what a perfect transition into the next item!
Jack Knows His Phone Number!
I got in last Wednesday night and Tiff told me I had to see something amazing with Jack. And wow, was she right! She asked him, “Jack, what’s your phone number?” And he recited my cell phone number! Now, don’t get me wrong โ he’s not quite in the same class as Barack Obama as an orator. It’s a little difficult to understand. But this is an incredible step.
To remember 10 digits correctly and recite them is something we’ve never seen from him. Also, as a safety precaution, this is wonderful. He’s an eloper, which means he darts off and tries to run away for no reason sometimes. We never let go of him and he’s never been lost, but you never know. It’s good to know that if somebody asked him his phone number, he’ll answer.
He’s been showing little signs of progress here and there. I’m really hopeful that as I look back at these blogs in a year, I’ll be able to see how he progressed.
Thank You Surf City Runners!
As of last night, we were up to 28 people on our Surf City team! We crossed the magical 25 threshold and the marathon will donate a portion of our entry fees back to the charity! As you know, I’m nickel-and-diming my way to a (hopefully) big 2010, and this is really going to help. Just because we’ve hit 28 doesn’t mean we need to stop, though. We’ll still benefit from every new registrant. So, if you know anybody who wants to run the full marathon, half marathon or 5K, send them here and tell them to pick Operation Jack/Train 4 Autism as their team.
That’s All For Today
Have a great day. I think I’m going to try to post a blog tomorrow. I have a really cool race in Utah I want to talk about.
Jen Morgan says
So awesome to hear about Jack’s improvement! Congrats!!!!
adair renning says
Each of these milestones are priceless. Congratulations on this latest one. It’s a biggie!!
Melissa G says
Wow, wow, wow, Jack! It is awesome that he knows your number. I too worry about my son running away. It must be a relief to know that he might be able to tell someone how to get ahold of you if he runs off. Oh, and you’re cool too. ๐
Cindy Kamps says
That is wonderful! I look forward to Jacks future milestones! Thanks for sharing. Blessings-Cindy
Jenn Fellrath says
That is great!
Ally Phillips says
That is so wonderful and exciting about Jack!! That’s just, such a great thing and a big step. And that’s so great about the Surf City team too. Wow, all kinds of exciting things going on it seems ๐
Melissa Hose says
WOW! That is fantastic!! Keep the hope, Sam! Jack will continue to shock and amaze you.
Rona Reeves says
Just caught up on emails – this is fantastic news. I’m so thrilled. Both you and Tiffany must be so proud of the progress Jack is making.