A lot of people ask how I picked my race schedule. Quite a few things went into selecting each of the 60 marathons on my schedule for this year, but being home with my family for Mother’s Day outweighed everything else for this weekend.
There are races on Sunday, but I didn’t even consider those. I originally scheduled a race for this Saturday in Wisconsin, but the flight schedule getting back was pretty tight. I was looking at running a race starting at 8 and the last flight of the day leaving the local airport (30 miles away) was at about 1 p.m. The schedule would have been possible, although extremely tight, but it wasn’t worth the risk.
Luckily, about three weeks ago, I found a race just outside Grand Junction, Colo. I only need to leave work about two hours early to catch my flight on Friday, and I’ll be back fairly early on Saturday night. On top of that, the race director was very friendly to deal with, which is always a treat.
So, I’m running the Grand Valley Marathon in Palisade, Colo. on Saturday, my 24th full marathon of the year. Every week, I have a contest where you guys make a small donation and guess my time (for example, if you think I’m going to run a 3:07, you donate $3.07). I analyze the course and give you my best guess as to what I think I’m going to run. And then you give me a pat on the back by clicking here or on the “Donate Now!” link at the top of any page on this site. $3 and a nickel or two (or three or four if you have no confidence in me) is all it takes. The winner gets their choice of an Operation Jack t-shirt, tech shirt or sweatshirt. I’ll get to that in just a bit.
First, since it’s Mother’s Day Weekend, I’m going to talk about mothers briefly. I have a bunch of mothers in my life. I talk about my wife a lot, but I never really talk about my mom or my stepmom. I’m not going to go into huge details, because I view their privacy in regards to Operation Jack a whole lot differently than I do Tiff’s.
Anyways, my parents split more than 30 years ago, but in my mind, it was for the best for everybody. My mom found her soulmate and has been happily married since 1993, and my dad found his soulmate, and they just celebrated their 18th anniversary on Monday.
My mom lives in Atlanta, but I keep in pretty close contact with her. She’s a huge supporter of Operation Jack and does crazy things like stopping random runners on the street to tell them what I’m doing. I’ve told her that’s bad etiquette with runners, but she’s proud and there’s not a lot I can do to stop her. She loves me unconditionally the way a mother should.
My dad met his wife when I was a sophomore in high school. That’s a difficult time to come into the picture, but she’s been a big part of the equation for the majority of my life. My world has been pure chaos for a good 12-15 years as I went through college and then got married and started a family, but she’s been there with me and for me the whole time. She, too, loves me unconditionally the way a mother should.
Anyways, the way I see it, God leads you down paths for a reason. I wouldn’t be who I am today if not for both of them. I’m not saying I’m anything special, but I am who I am, and there’s no question they have both shaped me. And since it’s Mother’s Day Weekend, I figured I’d give them a shout-out.
Me and my mom in Atlanta on April 16. I volunteered to get bumped off my connecting flight to Virginia and I was able to sneak out of the airport and go to lunch with her.
Me, my dad, my stepmom Nancy and my brother after the Orange County Marathon last weekend. She ran the half-marathon, the first time she’d ever covered that distance, to support Operation Jack.
I’m also pretty lucky to still have one of my grandmas. My Grandma Bea, still ticking at 85 (she’d kill me if she knew I put her age in here!) is a one-of-a-kind. I’m grateful for every opportunity I get to see her. She’s got her little quirks, but all-in-all, she’s a sweet grandma. If you’ve been following along this whole year, you know that we’ve had a Super Bowl bet for each of the past 22 years. This year, I won, so she took me and my family out to lunch. The way she sees it, she really won. For starters, my grandpa paid. Plus, she got to see all of us!
Me and my grandma on February 21. She loves penguins, and I got one from my first race of the year, so I gave it to her.
But really, I’m biased. I have a favorite mom … my wife! I know everybody thinks their wife is the best mom, so I guess I’m just like everybody. She sometimes gets upset that she doesn’t have a “job” or a career, but she does an amazing job with our three kids. It’s really tough to raise a special-needs child, and it’s even tougher to raise a special-needs child and two more children. But she does, and she takes care of me, and she takes care of herself. The older my oldest son Benjamin gets, the more I can tell that we have a very sweet, loving son who’s going to grow up to be a good man.
And I should clarify. Her taking care of them goes way beyond taking care of them. She has grown into her role so naturally since I met her back when she was 18. She’s the type that knows every little detail about each one of them in order to take care of them perfectly. She’s their biggest defender and their first source of comfort.
We all have our talents. I run marathons, I’m good with numbers and computers and I can write pretty well. She was born to be a mother and her impact will live on for generations through our children and their children. I tell her all the time that I’m glad our kids are so fortunate as to have a mother like her. She likes it when I’m around, and in my book, Sunday is HER day. That’s why I’m running on Saturday. I picked out this song for her today:
Ben!
Jack!
Ava!
OK, The Race …
The race doesn’t look tremendously easy or difficult. There’s a pretty steep climb of mabye 150-200 feet in mile 4, but there’s an equal drop in about mile 21 or so. It looks like an out-and-back with some rollers, nothing tremendously significant. The biggest problem is that it’s going to be at elevation, varying between 4,700 and 4,900 feet. I have strengths and weaknesses in my fitness and I’ll find out how oxygen deprivation impacts me.
Lately, I’ve been hit-and-miss with my races, but I have pretty good confidence right now. I feel strong, although not particularly quick, and I know what’s slowed me down lately. I really think I can go sub-3:10, although if I was betting, I’d go with a 3:12 to be conservative.
So go ahead, make your guess. Winner gets some Operation Jack gear. I didn’t have a contest last week, but two weeks ago, Dina Williams, a loyal Operation Jack supporter who used to work with my father-in-law, guessed I’d run a 3:19 in Oklahoma City and I went 3:17:42. I hope you play this week!
That’s All For Today
I’ll post a race report at some point on Saturday. Have a great weekend everybody!
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Why do you have to make me cry before I go the my lift class! Thanks babe, that was sweet of you to say those things. For the record, I got over missing having a job maybe after the first week Benjamin was born. Sometimes the thought of dressing nice, wearing heels and going out to lunch with work people sounds like “fun”, but I think that would get old for me after the first day of work. I love being a stay at home mom, even though at times they drive me crazy! Like I always say to Jack, “You drive me absolutely crazy, but I love you just the same!” Happy Mother’s day to all the mom’s out there who sacrifice everything for their kids and put themselves last on the list on a daily basis. You couldn’t have a more important job. 🙂
Happy Mother’s Day Tiffany! And just to embarass you a little, I have to tell you that I’ve nicknamed you “Polly Pocket.” You are just the cutest, little thing ever and from Sam’s testimony, the most amazing mother too! Enjoy your day, Polly! 🙂
I loved reading this – you are one lucky man. I love how well you spoke of all the special women in your life, they are just as lucky to have you 😉 Enjoy your day with Tiffany, time spent together is worth more than any gift you could buy 😉
I think you should be fine with the elevation of the race. They say either get there and just run or go quite a few days earlier. The effects will be less that way. And since you arrive the night before and run right away, your should be fine. Just remember to take in a bit more fluid, as you dehydrate a bit more in elevation – this will be key also in Tahoe.
Have a blast and enjoy your Sunday! Happy Travels!
Best. Post. Ever. I loved reading your blog today, Sam 🙂 Tiff sounds beyond amazing and um, you should tell her I think she’s gorgeous! Are Tiff and the kids coming out to Cleveland next weekend?? I’d love to meet them!
Secondly, Yay for your first marathon in CO! As for the altitude? You’ll be fine. I’m not even worried. I’m placing a bet for this race, ’cause it’s close to home (for me. well, kind of). Happy Mothers Day to your lovely moms and wife!
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