Weekend Preview: Race #14, Shamrock Marathon (Virginia Beach)

I’d like to give a good assessment of how I think I’ll run in the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach, Va. this Sunday, but truth be told, I have absolutely no clue. The course looks great, but I don’t have much of an idea where I stand physically, and I’m taking exhaustion to a new level this weekend.

Standard Intro
Just in case you’re new to the site, my name is Sam and I’m a marathon runner and a father of three young children. My middle child, 6 1/2-year-old Jack, is severely autistic. To take advantage of some physical gifts I’ve been given, and to try to make a purpose out the struggles Jack goes through, I’m attempting to run 60 marathons in 2010 to raise money and awareness for a charity I’m a part of called Train 4 Autism. So far, I’m on target. I’ve completed 13 marathons. Only 47 to go!

The Contest
Before I get into details on the race, I want y’all to know about a new weekly contest I started this month based on a great suggestion from loyal Operation Jack supporter Jen Morgan. Guess my time in my race and you win your choice of an Operation Jack t-shirt, tech shirt or sweatshirt.

Now, you know I’m trying to raise money, so there’s a catch to it (a small, painless catch). To guess my time, you have to make a donation. But it’s a really small donation, because I run these marathons at a fairly good pace. If you think I’m going to run a 3:10, donate $3.10. If you think I’m going to run a 3:12, donate $3.12. I don’t think you can even buy a large coffee at Starbucks. So, it’s cheap, it’s easy and if you believe in what I’m trying to do, you’d enter just because it gives me a nice psychological boost when I see the donations come across. It’s how I know I’m not alone!

Anyways, last week’s winner was Jamie Fellrath. He guessed I’d run a 3:48, and that’s exactly what I did. So, an Operation Jack tech shirt is heading his direction. Please, play along this week! Oh, for the record, the winner is the person who comes the closest without going under (this isn’t The Price Is Right — underbidding is the disqualifier!). In the case of a tie, I’ll draw a winner at random. To help, though, I’ll give you some analysis of the race. With that being said, …

Analysis Of The Race
Looking at the course map, it’s a dream. It’s absolutely a PR course. The elevation varies between 20 feet above sea level and 40 feet above sea level. That’s about as flat as it gets. There are three little bumps on the course, which I’m guessing are overpasses. That’s as perfect as you can get.

The weather forecast, as of last night, was a high of 67, low of 52, which means it will probably be in the mid- to high-50s during the race. That’s not perfect, but it’s pretty darn close to perfect. BUT, there’s a 40 percent chance of scattered thunderstorms. The math says that’s a 60 percent chance of no thunderstorms, but that’s something I’ll certainly be keeping my eye on over the next few days.

I’ve run in the rain, and that doesn’t bother me. Wind is a hassle, and it’s possible since the course is right there along the coast. All-in-all, I have a lot of favorable factors going into this race.

But there are some potential pitfalls. First, I haven’t run much this week. Last Saturday’s Catalina Marathon really tore up my quads and I’ve been in pain ever since. My only run since then was 6.5 miles on hills with six hill sprints this morning. It was OK, but I’m still a tiny bit sore. I think I’ll feel pretty good by Sunday, but I’m not where I’ve normally been five days after a marathon this year. Also, I’m taking my first red-eye flight of Operation Jack, so I’m sure I’ll be a little tired. Aside from not getting any sleep other than on the plane Friday night, my West Coast body will be running on East Coast time.

I’m going to head out trying to run miles in the 7:05 range, targeting a 3:05 or so. If I’m feeling great, I’ll push it a bit. If I struggle, I’ll do what I can to hold on for dear life. I’m not trying to win anything, but if it was (and I hope you are), I’d make a donation of $3.11. That’s my guess. Now you make yours!

Video Of The Day Week Month!
Jack does little things here and there and he likes to draw on his Magna Doodle toy. But last night, while I was hanging out in the playroom, he drew a little picture on a whiteboard toy and then erased it before I could get a picture. But I got the video camera on my phone ready just in case he did it again. And he did! Afterwards, I tried to get his attention so he would say hi, and he kind of did that, too!

Now, I have to warn you. This video is deceiving. He almost looks normal, but that’s far from the case. He struggles with tasks all day and he doesn’t spontaneously use language. You’ll notice that I had to call his name three times, then nudge his chin to get him to look at me before saying “haaaaaaa”. But his drawing shows us that he’s observant and there’s some thought going on inside that head of his.

We’re really excited about this. This is huge, huge progress for Jack!

That’s All For Today, Everybody!
Have a great weekend! And don’t forget to enter the contest! I’ll have a race report up at some point on Sunday.