Three things Thursday, here we go. 1, 2, 3 and then I can focus on item #3.
Best Age Group Awards Ever!
Run enough marathons and you’ll probably age group here and there. The first time I age grouped, I was so excited to earn a a painted tile that I displayed it on a bookshelf in my house. Then I age grouped again. And in a 5K. And a 10K. I’ve probably age grouped 30 or so times in marathons and maybe 10-15 times in other races. All but two of those awards are in a box in my garage. The two I have on a shelf in my office at home are one that I got from the first Operation Jack Marathon and the other is from the 2010 Banktrust First Light Marathon.
It’s a no-brainer displaying an award from my 61st marathon of 2010, a race with my son’s name on it. But why the Banktrust First Light Marathon? Well, the race is put on as a fundraiser for L’Arche of Mobile, a charity that helps provide a group home living environment for adults with intellectual disabilities. There’s a real chance that Jack could end up living with a similar organization. He won’t be in Mobile, but that doesn’t matter to me. It’s an organization I can get behind.
The award I received was a canvas that was hand-painted by a L’Arche resident. On the back, there was a bio of the woman who painted it. I absolutely loved winning it and it’s a reminder to me of what I do and why I do it. The first two years of the Operation Jack Marathon, we’ve gotten trophies from a trophy shop to give to our winners. But this year, I contacted L’Arche to check about making a reasonable donation for these same hand-painted canvases. And … they said yes! We went back and forth on the details and finally got it finalized yesterday. I’m so excited!
Why would I want to send money to a trophy shop when I can send it to L’Arche? I’m really, really excited about this. It’s what an award from the Operation Jack Marathon should be.
We’re giving them out for age group winners and top three overall for men and women in the marathon and half marathon. Whaddaya think? Would something similar be a good fundraising incentive?
Oh, and a quick final reminder: Operation Jack Marathon prices for the full marathon and half marathon go up on Tuesday! Right now, it’s only $45 for the half and $55 for the full, a ridiculously low price for a race. That’s jumping to $60/$70 on Sept. 4, so if you know you’re going to run it, CLICK HERE and get in!
Hey Tiff: Get A Job!
My wife Tiffany has a job interview today and I really, really hope she gets it. It’s for a part-time job, and I don’t want to say what or where, but happy thoughts at 2 p.m. Mountain time today, y’all. It’s not really about the money (although who doesn’t need more money nowadays?). For the last 11 years, she’s done nothing but take care of our babies, and she works incredibly hard taking care of them and me and being a supermom for Jack and she really wants to have the opportunity to talk to big people.
This would be fun for her and it would make her happy. We’ve been dealing with Jack’s autism 24-7-365 for more than seven years now. She needs fun and she needs happy.
Race this weekend
So anyways, I’m running a marathon this weekend. I don’t even know what the race is called, but it’s in Pocatello, Idaho on Saturday. It’s my last chance to qualify for the 2013 Boston Marathon. It’s absolutely now or never on Saturday. I’ve had big goal races before, but I’ve never had an all-or-nothing like this. I need to break 3:10. I think I could go better than my PR, which is 2:57:53. And really, knowing myself and my body and my fitness, I just can’t imagine not breaking 3:10 and getting back to Boston. But there’s nothing easy about running a 3:10. 26.2 consecutive 7:14 miles. I can do it, but I could fail.
I’m light, I’m trained, I’m physically ready. I just need to get my head in the game and get fired up. I have a 600-mile drive after work today. That’ll give me plenty of time to think about it. Can’t wait to report back. Sure hope I take care of business.
OK, that’s all for today. Have a great weekend!
Do you like the awards? How fast will I run on Saturday? Happy thoughts for Tiff!
Jeremy sale says
Sam your are going to kill it this Saturday! Positive thoughts buddy!
Yours in the Bond,
Jeremy Sale
Heather says
Um. I think it’s called the Pocatello Marathon. It’s a super tricky name.
Good luck to Tiff, and good luck to you this weekend!
Adair Renning says
Whew!!! I read this just in time! It’s 3:53 Eastern time, so if my math is correct, it’s 1:53 Mountain time. Picture me with fingers, toes, arms, legs, and eyeballs crossed for Tiff in her interview! It’s tough typing this way, but, hey, what are friends for? I remember my first interview after doing the mom-thing for years. It was awesome!!! She’ll ace it! And so will you on Saturday! No doubts at all. I told Asia last night that you were running a Marathon this weekend. I asked her how she thought you’d do and she said, *Oh, fine mom. Sam’s a Rock Star, like me!* So, there you have it! Go to Idaho and show ’em how it’s done! Safe travels and we can’t wait to hear how the interview AND the race go! Hugs from Michigan… Adair
Kate says
Good luck! To you for your marathon and qualifier, and to Tiff on the job. Those awards look fantastic, btw.