5 more days

Whew! When we started all this marathon planning 5 months ago it seemed like March 18 was ages away.....now it's 5 days away! Asia's life goes smoother if there is a certain amount of predictability. There aren't many things she can control, so we give her leeway wherever we can. For example, Asia thinks that lunch should be at noon and dinner at 6pm. We try to accomodate that as much as possible. With the exception of certain training schedules, Asia has run an average of 5 miles a day for 13 years. She goes out to run and her internal clock tells her when she's run 5 miles. Her Running Fit 501 Running Club meets on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Her preferred (tried and true) race day breakfast is Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage with scrambled eggs. When Asia ran an out-of-town race, I would fix the meal the day before and we took along our toaster oven to reheat it the morning of the race.

Training for the LA Marathon has changed all that....well most of that. For the most part, lunch is still at noon and dinner at 6pm, but the rest of the rules flew out the window. Many days her training called for her to run more than 5 miles. We used a timer to make that easier for her. In addition to her team practices on Tuesday and Saturday we added Wednesday 10 mile runs with Aaron and Michael and every other week a 10 mile run on Sunday. That all went well, although she mentioned frequently that "After LA we could go back to Wednesday nights at home and sleeping in on Sunday morning."

But when I found out that the host hotel we were staying in in Santa Monica didn't have a microwave to reheat sausage and scrambled eggs (which I was sure we could purchase from some local restaurant), my heart skipped a beat.............how would Asia deal with something else on race-day morning? I brought it up at dinner one night. We were discussing other LA plans and I *casually* mentioned the *no microwave* thing. Under his breath Jerry said, " Uh oh!" I quickly continued on to suggest that we ALL have oatmeal and banana that morning...and held my breath. "Ok", she said. Just like that..........OK mom! All my worries for nothing!

And now we are 5 days from the Marathon. Packing, printing off maps and directions and lists. Adding addresses to the GPS and phone numbers to the contact list. It's been quite an experience so far...........and the best is yet to come! Thank you to her Running Fit 501 Running Club for coming in early/staying late to help her get her miles in for the day. Thank you to other running friends (Aaron, Ashley, Eric, Katie, Gwen, Michael, and Elizabeth) who ran with her on Wednesdays and Sundays to make sure her weekly totals matched her training schedule. Thank you to all the friends and family who donated to her fundraising page on Crowdrise. The results there were phenominal! Asia is running this race because all of you got her to this point in her training. We all thank you.

I don't know if I will get to post again before the marathon, but for sure I'll post after we get home. As someone very near to us (Katie) said, "Watch out, LA, here come the Rennings!"

Almost ShowTime!

We are in the final countdown.....the last 2 weeks before the marathon. Asia has peaked at 60 miles per week for several weeks and is now in her taper. February 25 Aaron came to the Running Fit 501 practice to run Asia's 20 miler with her. Typical of most of her Saturday long runs, it had snowed the night before and again Saturday morning. But she wore her screw shoes and she was fine. Last Wednesday was her last mid-week long run with Aaron and Michael, and she's already trying to figure out a way to keep it going....even to talking about running another marathon, if that's what it takes. This past Saturday and Sunday were her last back-to-back 10 mile runs......Saturday with her team and Sunday with Katie, Gwen, and Elizabeth.


All of this extra training would have been nearly impossible without the help of the dedicated runners who ran with her. We will make an LA Marathon collage picture when we get back, and include the pictures of her with her running buddies. We want to do something as a *thank you* but haven't decided what yet.

The other huge thank-you goes out to the family and friends who donated to Asia's fundraising campaign on Crowdrise. She was invited to run the marathon by Train 4 Autism, an organization founded and populated by people whose lives are impacted by autism.....in a family member, friend, co-worker, neighbor. Their purpose is to train endurance athletes to compete and raise money for the autism-related charity of their choice. Their newest project is to pair young runners who are on the autism spectrum with high school and college runners......thereby creating the next generation of *Asias*. Asia (and we) chose both T4A and the University of Michigan chapter of Best Buddies as the recepients of any monies raised. Our initial goal was $1,000 when I sent out the first and only email at the end of January. I am pleased to report that we had to raise the goal to $2,000, and have surpassed even that! The total, as of today, March 6, is $3,036, from 40 donors! I work for Kaiser Optical Systems, whose parent company is Rockwell Collins. Rockwell donated $1,000! We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of our family and family of friends.

I have printed off the course map, as large as it would allow.....12 sheets taped together! (Even with a GPS, there's just something about a paper map!) Jim, a friend at work who used to live in LA went over the map with me after the street closure list was posted. We worked out the best way from the host hotel to the Start, and then in reverse, from the Start to the Finish. We found routes that will allow us to intersect the course and see the runners at Mile 6 and again Mile 17, before driving to the Finish Line. With luck we will see Asia and Sam (her running partner) at least once.

We are making mental packing lists......it's only 12 days now til the race.....

Long Overdue

It's been over a year since I've written on this Blog. Shortly before the last post there was a division in Asia's running team. It caused such a profound rift, and left many of us feeling like, as someone else said, the children of a bad divorce, that I couldn't write without writing about it. So..........I didn't write at all. But a year has passed, the Team is now an equally wonderful new Team, and we haven't lost touch with the old members who were so important in Asia's life. And so, life, and running goes on.

The long and the short of it is, Asia is still running every day. In 2011 she ran in 12 races, including 3 half-marathons, the Martian Half, the Dexter-Ann Arbor Half, and the Brooksie Way Half. She continued to say that she didn't want to run another full marathon, and was pretty adamant about it. She didn't enjoy her last marathon at all, and we supported her decision. Then on September 6 I received an email from Ben Fesasaiga, President of Train 4 Autism in California. He asked about Asia's running schedule for the coming year and casually mentioned that if Asia was interested, he would like to invite her to run on the T4A team in the Los Angeles Marathon on March 18, 2012. (Yeah, right, I thought. She'll never do it.) But I promised to mention it to her.

I was pleasantly surprised when the first words out of her mouth were NOT an emphatic NO! She asked excellent questions. Will Coach make me a schedule? Who will run the long runs with me? Who will run the race with me? (Marathons are the only races in which Asia has a dedicated running partner.) She said she’d think about it. The fact that she didn’t reply with an outright, emphatic NO is testament to how much she likes the Train 4 Autism people she’s met so far.

Several days later, more questions. Would she get to see Ben and Molly and meet Sam’s son? Where would we stay? Would we fly out there? She said she was still thinking about it.

Two weeks later we were at the hotel the night before the Brooksie Way Half-Marathon. We were about to settle down for the night, when Asia asked, “ Mom, are there any Chinese restaurants in LA?” That’s when I knew she was hooked. “Yes, honey,” I replied. “There are many Chinese restaurants, and about any other kind you can think of, in LA.” “Any all-you-can-eat buffet restaurants, mom?” Me: “Oh, I’ll bet we could find a few.” “OK,” she said. “I’ll go.”

Asia’s coach, Kathleen Gina, developed a training schedule for her which started in October, to gradually increase her miles to 60 per week. In non-training periods Asia runs 5 miles a day, every day. She uses her internal clock to tell her when she’s run 5 miles. Her training schedule called for many days of more than 5 miles. Since she typically runs before we get home from work, we decided to set a timer based on the # of miles x her usual speed. She clips on the timer before going out to run and comes in when it goes off.

As soon as we had the training schedule in place I sent out an email to Asia's teams, both the new one and those from the old team that I thought would want to help. Starting in January there were 8 weeks of 10 mile runs in the middle of the week. And there were 5 weekends of *back-to-back* 10 mile runs on Saturday and Sunday. We immediately got responses from Ashley, Claudio, Aaron, Eric, Katie, Gwen and Erin. Aaron offered for Asia to run on Wednesdays with him and Michael and the others offered to pick up some of the Sunday 10 milers. We had a plan in place. I printed a calendar for Asia with her miles for each day and who she was running with.


Angie, Asia, and Ashley

Eric and Asia

We are now in the 60-mile per week period, which will last until the week before the marathon. If regular practice miles didn't match what Asia needed for the day Doug, Vanessa, Erin, Maureen and other members have come in an hour early on Saturdays. Rich has stayed late on Tuesdays to make sure Asia gets her miles in for those days. Most Wednesdays since the first of January Asia has run with Aaron and Michael. Kumi met us in Ann Arbor last Thursday for an evening 10 mile run with Asia. Ashley, Eric, and Katie have filled in all the Sunday slots. And one Sunday, Meg's sister-in-law Angie was in town and ran with Asia and Ashley. If it takes a village to raise a child, then it's taking the commitment of a dedicated Coach, a supportive team, and wonderful friends to get Asia to the Marathon.


Stay tuned.....now that I'm back into writing, there will be more news to follow as we all go thru this Marathon journey.

The Run Thru Hell on Halloween

I think it's safe to say that most Michigan runners are familiar with, or have raced, the Run Thru Hell, in Hell, Michigan. It's famous for its roller coaster dirt road hills, beautiful scenery, cool, collectable shirts, and the Porta-john Police. Harrison Hensley and his wife Delores have organized the Run Thru Hell for many years, and have supported the SE Michigan running community in countless ways, from Delores helping with registration and finish line schutes to Harrison hauling hundreds of race flyers to each race. And at the Run Thru Hell, Harrison was the Porta-John cop! He was legendary. His ability to move hundreds of runners quickly and effeciently thru the johns had to be seen to be appreciated. Harrison and Delores were important parts of the running community for many years.

Unfortunately, that came to an abrupt end 2 years ago when Delores suffered a stroke. She couldn't leave the house and Harrison wouldn't go without her. The Run Thru Hell stopped. We didn't see Delores' smiling face at the registration table. There were no flyers announcing upcoming races, spread across tables at the races.

A lot of folks talked about how they could help, and finally, the Running Foundation organized The Run Thru Hell on Halloween as a fundraising race. The goal was to raise enough money to buy a wheelchair accessable van for Delores and Harrison, so these once vital, active people could once again travel to the races they loved so much.

That race was today. There were over 3,000 runners who competed in the 5k and 10k races. Everything was donated...from the timing chips to the tech shirts, and even the Porta-johns! 100% of the entry fees are going to purchase that van!

You could feel the excitement from all the runners at being a part of such a unique event. Everyone sang *Happy Birthday* to Delores, whose 80th birthday is November 1, and then she spoke to the crowd, thanking everyone for coming and assuring them that she remembered all of them. (She probably did!)

The race start was delayed by about 15 minutes, while latecomers registered and the lines to the porta-johns cleared. And that's when Harrison stepped in to claim his rightful place as Porta-John Cop-in-Chief! No more delays! Way to go Harrison!

And Way to Go Michigan Runners. You pulled together for one of your own and had a good time doing it.

Oh yeah, and it was # 107 for Asia. I'll write more about her race later today. Right now, I'm tired, and need to watch for Trick or Treaters.

RF 501 Stats

I confess to *borrowing* all this from Randy of Running Fit, and his Mid-week Run Mail. It was just too good not to share!

Congratulations to our Summer 2010 Running Fit 501 Runners!

What a great season! We had 30 runners complete their first half or full marathon. In addition we had ninety five PRs (personal records) recorded from our runners this year and twelve Boston Qualifying times were recorded.

RF501 opens its doors to the 17th season in January 2011. We are proud to announce that in those 9 years, we have had over 1,000 members complete a half or full marathon. This year alone, 378 members trained with RF501 and ran 181 half marathons and 173 marathons.

Following are some testimonials from teammates:

I found myself in a regular state of awe at how much the coach extends herself with all the little extras she does! (200%!) Her heart and soul seems to go into everything she does!! Lisa M.

What a great season! I really enjoyed my first summer session with RF501. It will definitely not be my last! Jamie B.

I could not be more pleased with my experiences with 501. Thank you, for believing in me and helping me believe in myself! Linda D.

Can't thank you enough for all the help, encouragement and tough love this last year! Jane P

Coach Doug, Coach Suzi and Lee,Thank you very much for coaching me during the this session. I learned a lot from 501 group..Excellent coaches and team mates! Akane

RF501 is open for registration for our Winter 2011 season which starts January 8, 2011 but in the meantime you can join us in Ann Arbor every Saturday at Running Fit, 123 E. Liberty, Ann Arbor, for a group run. Get acclimated to winter running by running through the fall. Runs start at 8am and are FREE to all 2010 RF501 members and FREE to all NEW 2011 members. You can also "drop in" to "test" out the group for $5

# 106 Detroit Half-marathon

After the race

Asia and Amy, her new Best Buddie.

Asia and Heidi, coming out of the Windsor Tunnel. (Heidi is in the blue top.)

Carmen, Heidi, Elizabeth, and Christine, before the race.

Asia and and Heidi at the pre-race dinner.

Wow! It's been nearly 3 weeks since I updated Asia's blog. There's been a lot happening, mostly good, some not so good, and that's made it hard for me to write. But here I am, and here goes.....

The week after we went to the Chicago Marathon Asia ran the Detroit Free Press half marathon. It was her 11th half marathon, her 4th time running the Detroit half, and her 106th race. We hesitated to sign her up, because we didn't have a pacer for her. This is the only race we are really concerned about, because of the International border crossing. But about mid August, Heidi (who sponsors the water cups at all of our runs, thru her Nationwide Insurance Agency) decided she would run, and that she'd like to run with Asia! Match made!! Our goals for Asia are always, first and foremost, a safe run, a fun run, and then, if the stars are aligned, a PR. Thanks to Heidi, Asia had the first 2 at Detroit, and an amazing time thru the tunnel, with an average pace of 8:04. Thanks so much Heidi!! You made it easier for us to relax and enjoy watching and cheering. Asia slowed after the tunnel and her finish time was 1:49:56. She was 1016 // 8809 over all, 242 // 5005 female, and 53 // 808 in her age group! WOW! And Heidi ended up with a great PR!

Chicago Marathon 10.10.10, or Asia, Jerry, and Adair's Big Adventure

Our perfect viewing spot at the 20.5 mile point.

We can look so fresh because we didn't just run 26.2 miles in 85* heat!!

Some of the team and support crew.

Gwen, Asia and Eduardo

We finally got to meet Sam! This was his 48th marathon this YEAR!

No, Asia didn't run it. But as soon as we saw how many of our team were going, we wanted to go cheer for them. And when we found out that Sam (http://www.operationjack.com/) was going to be there, it was a no-brainer. We had to go.

I started researching a month or so ago, and we tossed around the idea of taking the train, but Jerry had to work Saturday morning, so that was out. After quizzing my company's sales rep in Chicago, I decided that we'd drive over, stay near Midway airport, then take the *L* from Midway to downtown. The bonus was that we'd get to hop off and see part of the race....the 20.5 mile point....and hopefully see some of our guys running. ***Imagine trying to spot 61 familiar faces in a speeding blur of 45,000 people.***

The drive to Chicago was blessedly uneventful.....we stopped at Culver's in Stephensville for dinner, then arrived at the hotel about 7:30. Plenty of time to relax and plan our strategy for Sunday morning. I had maps of *Everything*....from how to get to Midway to the CTA route map to how to get to the Runners Reunite area, where we were all going to meet at the letter *R* for .....runner, or Running Fit, or (wait for it.........) RENNING!!!

We were up at 5am for breakfast at 6, then off to Midway. Part of my planning included preparing for unpredictable weather. I mean, after all, it's October 10....which could mean just about anything weather-wise. And we were going to the *Windy City*. So we took every combination of clothes from shorts and tanks to jeans and sweatshirts...........all team-oriented, of course, with rain jackets thrown in for good measure..........and this was for a 1 night trip. WHEW!!! It turned out to be wonderful spectator weather and not so great runner weather....55* at the start, warming quickly. I started out in jeans and a jacket but soon changed to the shorts I had in my backpack. The jacket was shed not long after.

We were the only ones at the corner of Halstead and Archer. We claimed our spot by the guard rail and draped our 10+ years old Red/Black/White Milan CC jackets over the fence to both save our spots and provide a visual sign for our runners. I had started my race watch at 7:30 sharp, and signed us up for runner tracking. We kept expecting text messages that didn't come until 8:40!!! The first 2 told us that John, Katie's husband and Sam had crossed the start at 8:06 and 8:07!!!! More than 30 minutes after the supposed start of the race!!! We tried to figure out, based on their previous races, when they might pass us. Higher math :>(

Gradually our little corner began to fill. A couple from San Francisco were there to cheer for their daughter. The support crew for a high school team parked behind us and began to wheel generators, coolers, flags, and camp chairs down the street closer to the water stop.

I have to hand it to the event organizers.......they gave us lots of notice that something was about to happen. 15 minutes before the wheelers arrived there was a *15 minute* van that came thru. Then the *10min.* van, then the *5 min* van, then..........there were the first wheelers! We could see them coming down the street under the train overpass. Such amazing athletes!

More down time. Chatting with the neighbors, waiting for the runners to appear.

And then in the distance we could hear sirens and bells and whistles. The flashing lights of police vehicles appeared under the overpass. The *5* minute van passed, but it wasn't 5 minutes until the police cars were there. Then a 20-motorcycle cavalcade passed, then the official pace car with the time of 1:38:38. And there were the elite runners. The first 7 were from Kenya and Ethiopia. They seemed absolutely effortless as they rounded the corner for the final 5.7 miles of their race. They would finish the marathon in just over 2 hours!

We waited for more text messages announcing the progress of our runners. Nothing!

Finally more runners appeared under the bridge. (I say *finally* but that's just because we were waiting...........these guys were crazy fast.)

We began watching in earnest. We were pretty sure John and Sam would be the first 2 from our *watch list* to pass by, but we had no real idea when. We had no common uniform to watch for, and in Sam's case, we had never even met him in person. We had only seen his picture online. With a lot of our team mates, we can spot them by their running style, but with Sam, we didn't even have that.

Yeah, we're going to pick 61 people out of 45, 000............rrrriiiiigggghhttt!!!!

But then.........wow! THERE'S JOHN!!! (cue the screaming.....Way to go John!!! WHOOO HOOO!!) We got a head turn and a wave from John! And a few minutes later..........(me: 'is that Sam? Jerry, that's Sam!) By this time we'd made friends with the neighbors and were cheering for their people too, so the group of us yelled, "GO SAM!!!" Sam was clearly watching for us as he rounded the corner, but he didn't know us either!!!

Whew..........that's exciting!! What's next? More waiting? Scanning faces? OK, bring 'em on!!

All this time we'd tried to behave......to stay behind the baracades.....while others, who had arrived 2 hours after we did, began to fill in the street in front of us. The police did nothing. We and our neighbors yelled, "Get off the street!" All to no avail. When my view of the street became completely blocked I caved in to peer pressure and ran to the street too! We didn't drive all this way to look at a wall of backs!!

I should mention that the temperature had been steadilly rising, and it was only 9am. It felt like a summer morning. I was in heaven, but I knew our runners would be suffering.

We scanned the faces watching for Eduardo and Gwen but never did see them. Erin and Christine arrived wearing their electric blue wigs, waiting to jump in with Gwen but left with Laurie instead. We waited, wanting to see Katie pass before we left for the finish but didn't see her.

The *L* took us within a few blocks of the finish but we were still several blocks from the Runners Reunite area. I really wish I had not been in such a hurry to get there, because Grant Park looked really gorgeous!!. Someday I'll go back. On the way I got a call that some of our runners were suffering and were walking. It was that hot!!

We made our way thru the park, past runners proudly sporting their finishers medals, with bags of ice on their heads, on their necks, under their arms....courtesy of the support crew. NICE!!

Finally, at the letter *R* we found John (3:09:09), Gwen (3:20:16), Mandi (3:29:06), and Ryan. For all their protestations about how hard it was, they all looked fantastic!! We all knew that it would be a while before the walkers arrived, so we talked, took pictures and waited while the sun beat down. Eduardo (3:21:46) arrived, then Jean (4:05:22), and Melissa (4:12:23) and Laurie, with Karen, Zoe, and Christine (Team Melaurie).

I IM'd Sam (3:29:27) to direct him from the Charity Village to the Reunite area.

Mimi arrived, and Zak (4:43:42, first marathon!!) and Ge (4:33:36 PR!!). Katie and Jon arrived and everyone's camera came out. We tried to *will* the helicopters closer to provide some breeze.

And then it was time to leave. We walked Sam back to the Charity Village to meet his host for the weekend and then made our way to the *L* to take us back to Midway Airport. She kept reminding me how *flexible* she was being by waiting until after 12 to eat lunch. But, truth be told, we were ravenous too, and after we found the car, shed some clothes and put on sandals, we made our way to the nearest White Castle for sliders for Jerry and I and chicken rings for Asia.

It was a wonderful weekend. We had a night away, cheered for our team, and met Sam.

In less than 24 hours after we'd left, we were on our way back home. It was so fast that Jerry had jet lag Monday!

(If you're not too tired of reading, go to http://www.operationjack.com/ and read Sam's blog. You will be amazed at what he's accomplished this year...........the year of 48 (so far), 50, after this weekend, and soon to be 61 marathons.

Next report, the Detroit Half-Marathon!!!

CRIM 2010

Post-CRIM party

In August of 1977, Michigan House Speaker, Bobby Crim and his assistant Lois Craig launched the first Bobby Crim Road Race. Little did they know that they were embarking on a journey that would change the City of Flint forever! Yesterday was the 34th running of the CRIM Festival of Races, which probably doesn't bear a whole lot of resemblance to the first race.........except for some of the original runners, who reassemble each year to recreate that first race. Asia and 80 of her teammates were part of the nearly 10,000 runners who braved the Bradley Hills to pound down the bricks on Saginaw Street yesterday for the 10 mile run. It was Asia's 105th race and her 5th time running the CRIM. She finished in 1:20:00, an 8 min. pace, and her 3rd best time for a 10 mile race. She was 42 in her AG out of 517, 227 female, out of 4,338, and 1,365 over all, out of 8,967.

I'll have more pix to post later.............right now my camera battery is complaining of overuse. This one of the 3 of us is courtesy of Zoe!

And here are the results for the rest of the team:

1.03.53 6.23 Doug Goodhue (M6569)
1.06.32 6.39 Craig Frankland (M2529)
1.06.35 6.39 Eduardo Matsuo (M5559)
1.06.44 6.40 Shaun Palmer (M3034)
1.06.49 6.40 Rob Morgan (M4549)
1.09.06 6.54 Bob Trustman (M3539)
1.09.09 6.54 Erin LaRusso (F4044)
1.09.20 6.56 Gwen Frederickson (F3539)
1.09.26 6.56 Jon Cioffi (M4044)
1.09.59 6.59 Aaron Pratt (M5559)
1.10.22 7.02 Mike Tamilia (M4549)
1.11.25 7.08Jessica Shehab (F3034)
1.11.57 7.11 Chris Brandly (M4044)
1.12.12 7.13 Marie Wolfgram (F3034)
1.13.13 7.19 Lee Mamola (M5559)
1.15.03 7.30 Joy Racowski (F2529)
1.15.46 7.34Curt Steenbeke (M4549)
1.15.58 7.35 Duane Culp (M4549)
1.16.12 7.37 Ian Parker (M2024)
1.16.29 7.38 Alex Breuning (M3539)
1.16.37 7.39Katie Sytniak (F3034)
1.16.51 7.41 Ron Smerigan (M3034)
1.17.01 7.42 Michael Mester (M5054)
1.17.18 7.43 John Gossiaux (M5054)
1.18.40 7.52 en Fike (F4044)
1.18.52 7.53 Carmen Green-Lee (F4549)
1.19.10 7.55 Irwan Salim (M3034)
1.19.22 7.56 Zoe Thompson (F3539)
1.20.00 8.00 Asia Renning (F2529)
1.20.29 8.02 Ted Stilber (M4044)
1.20.31 8.02 Axel Demuth (M4549)
1.20.48 8.04 Laurie Hartman (F4044)
1.21.23 8.08 Julie Beall (F2024)
1.21.26 8.08 Rick Neubert (M5054)
1.22.00 8.12 Christine Comer (F3539)
1.25.45 8.34 Karen Phelps (F4044)
1.25.49 8.34 Brad Carlson (M3539)
1.27.44 8.46 Patrick Lauer (M3539)
1.27.50 8.47Suzi Stock (F5054)
1.28.05 8.48 Diane Kast (F2529)
1.28.36 8.51 Robin Linfield (F4044)
1.28.36 8.51Heather Hengesbach (F2529)
1.29.40 8.58 Karin Demuth (F4549)
1.29.51 8.59 Mimi Cox (F5054)
1.31.26 9.08 Doug Bateson (M5054)
1.32.13 9.13 Paul Reason (M5559)
1.33.03 9.18 Becky Zak (F2529)
1.33.09 9.18 Marianne Carter (F2529)
1.33.45 9.22 Toni LeMaster (F4549)
1.33.53 9.23 Kate Huffman (F2529)
1.34.18 9.25 Amy Lawson (F3539)
1.34.27 9.26James Kibbie (M6064)
1.34.29 9.26 Laura Locke (F3539)
1.35.05 9.30 Emily Witt (F2529)
1.35.07 9.30 John Wilkes (M6064)
1.35.13 9.32Liz Wright (F3034)
1.35.15 9.32 Kris Welko (F3539)
1.35.51 9.35 Akane Hodge (M3539)
1.36.49 9.40 Linda Doll (F5054)
1.38.05 9.48 Jane Peters Arnold (F5559)
1.38.15 9.49 Brandon Buyaki (M3539)
1.38.06 9.48 Bob Riesterer (M5054)
1.39.03 9.54 Matt Kowalski (M4044)
1.42.25 10.14 Liz Marshall (F3539)
1.44.10 10.25 Cindy Goodhue (F6064)
1.45.22 10.32 Kellie LaBarr (F3539)
1.45.39 10.33 David Pfiester (M5054)
1.45.42 10.33 Peggy Campbell (F6064)
1.47.38 10.47 Jill Kowalski (F4044)
1.50.02 11.00 Lois Davidson (F4549)
1.52.40 11.16 Maryann Chupa (F5559)
1.54.10 11.25 Ken Gray (M4549)
1.55.00 11.30 Raelene Miller-Hagan (F4044)
1.56.37 11.39 Eron Mitchell (M3539)
1.58.37 11.51 Karen Sanders (F4549)
2.00.14 12.01 Andrea Schultz (F4549)
2.00.23 12.01 Tracy Featherston (F3539)
2.01.13 12.07 Julie Kluka (F2529)
2.03.03 12.18 Nickie Bateson (F4549)
2.17.25 13.44 Kristen Lesondak (F3539)
2.40.42 16.04 Katie Darling (F3034)
2.48.24 16.50 Gene Gaunt (M5054)

#104 "run like mike" Rutka 5K

Lining up at the start

Carmen and Asia after the race.

The winner of Jason's Walk for Cerebral Palsy!

James, Carmen, Jumanne, Jerry and Asia. Carmen, Jumanne, and Asia were all 1st place in their age groups.

Age group awards. The caricatures represent different facets of Michael Rutka's life, and each one has adorned a race t-shirt.

Today was the 10th running of the Rutka 5k, and Asia has run 9 of them, only missing 2003. The "run like mike" Rutka 5k remembers and honors Michael J. Rutka, husband, father, and local runner, who was killed by a passing car on August 6, 1999, while training for the Twin Cities Marathon as a qualifier for Boston. The "run like mike" Rutka 5k continues Michael's practive of giving generously to charity, and raises funds for Cerebral Palsy of Metro Detroit. In addition to the 5k run, there is a 2 mile walk, a 100 yard Kid's dash and a 50 yard Jason's Walk for Cerebral Palsy.

Asia woke up saying she was "thinking positive about getting a PR today." I didn't want to discourage her, but her last PR was a big one....1 min 9 sec., on pavement, early in the day. Today's race started at 9am, it was hot and 94% humidity at the start. Plus it rained yesterday, so the bridges and wood chipped trails would be slippery. AND she ran 10 fast miles on her long run with Katie on Saturday. But who am I to discourage positive thinking???

Feet taped? Check. Race day breakfast? Check. Operation Jack literature for the flyer table: Check. Race watch on and zeroed out? Check. All mom's gear in the race bag? Check. Time to go!

Asia's Coach Gina is the race director, and a number of her team were course marshalls and water station volunteers. Lots of familiar, friendly faces.

Bib pinned, shoes tied by dad, all pre-race rituals completed. Time to head to the start.

We had already met up with Carmen and her husband James and son Jumanne....the family that runs together....and at the start line Asia got in front of them all. But that was ok, because she knows the course, and I knew Jumanne would pass her like he was shot out of a cannon.

Race director's announcements, National Anthem, horn sounds and they are O F F and running across the first wooden bridge.

The course is two loops around Gallup Park and is very spectator friendly. Jerry was already out at the 1 mile and I went back to the mile-and-a-half spot. When Asia passed Jerry the first time she was 5th female. When she got to me she was 4th, and at 1.5 miles her time was 9:22!!!! Next lap around, when she passed Jerry she was 6th female but passed one when Jerry cheered her on. I was waiting near the finish, where I could see her coming from a distance but still see the finish line clock. Jumanne blew past 2 walkers on the right and looked like he was floating. (Some people just make it look so easy!). Asia came around the corner with a nice sprint to the finish, encouraged by her teammates who were working the finish line detail. Her time was 22:28, her second best 5k time ever. She finished 1st in her age group, 6th female, and 20th overall! Not a bad way to start her Sunday.

While we waited for the results to be posted, I had the opportunity to talk about Operation Jack (http://www.operationjack.com/) with some folks who had picked up the flyers. Hopefully some more support will come Sam's way from the Ann Arbor running community.

We watched the Kids dash and then the always inspiring Jason's Walk. There were 3 participants this year, 3 children with Cerebral Palsy in their walkers, making their way around the course to the cheers and applause of all the runners and staff. It is always so emotional, after watching the 5k race and people like Asia and Carmen, Jumanne and James, who make running look so easy, and then to watch these children who struggle just to get the walker to move. Hopefully someday there will be more effective treatments to help them.

It always makes me realize that, for all her challenges, Asia is pretty darned lucky. And so are we.

# 103, The Gallup Gallop

Operation Jack Flyers, strategically left around the park.

Lining up at the start.

First lap around the park, she was 9th female.

3oth Anniversary of Huron River day, commemorative oar given to age group winners.

This is a fun 5k that celebrates Huron River Day in Ann Arbor. Asia has run it 5 or 6 times. The course is a combination of asphalt and wood chip covered trails. There are wooden bridges that can be slippery after a rain or in high humidity. The race starts a little late......9am....so it can be kinda warm out there! The course is twice around the park, so there are several places for Jerry and I to watch and cheer. Asia had a great run, with a time of 23:12. She was 2nd in her age group and 6th female overall. Instead of a medal, this year the age group winners got a small, hand-crafted wooden oar, in celebration of the 30th Anniversary of Huron River Day. Kinda cool, huh!!!

Firecracker 5k.....#102

Asia found a new gear today......But as usual, I'm going to do things backwards. ***ANNOUNCEMENT*** This is going to be one huge, run-on paragraph, because for some reason I can't enter line spaces tonight. So ya'll put in the paragraphs where you think they belong, because I can't. Maybe I can change font colors to indicate paragraphs........we'll see how that works. Last week was the Solstice Run. It was the first time Asia had run that race, and she did really well........just 10 sec. shy of a PR for a 10 mile run. Lotsa fun, and all that, and hopefully I can write more about that race later, but right now I really want to write about the Firecracker 5k. Yesterday was the 2nd Saturday long run of Running Fit 501's Summer 2010 session. Katie and Asia had planned to run together, even though they are not officially training together this summer. Katie is working on her speed since qualifying for Boston and is training with a faster pace group. Asia struggled some over the winter to keep up with that group, so Coach felt Asia would benefit from running with a different group. (I really hesitate to call it a *slower* group, because they are still danged fast!). Asia's schedule called for her to run 10 miles yesterday....Katie planned to run 14, so she went out for a 4 mile run before practice started.The group was scheduled to start at 7am in order to finish before the heat of the day. I left Asia with Katie and the group and headed out to the first water stop. At each of the first 3 water stops Asia was easily keeping pace with the rest of the group, running between an 8:15 and an 8:30 pace. As usual, Katie had to reel her in on several occasions when Asia would get out in front. At the 4th water stop, Asia was slightly behind, and by the the time they arrived back at the meeting spot, Katie and Jen both said Asia had tired between mile 7 and 8. Still they finished not that far behind the rest of the group. After the run, Asia asked Katie if they were running together at the race on Sunday. Katie replied, "No, I'm racing, and so are you. I'm gonna try to beat you tomorrow." We left practice, ran some errands and went home to get ready for a birthday party yesterday afternoon. This morning I fixed Asia's tried and true race day breakfast of Jimmy Dean's Hot Sausage and scrambled eggs, plus a little canteloupe on the side. She had selected her American Flag shorts for the race, in honor of Independence Day. We arrived in Ann Arbor about 7:30 for an 8:00 AM race start, plenty of time to get her bib and timing chip. While Jerry was supervising as Asia did some warm-up laps I went to get her checked in. (I have been dealing with a badly sprained foot for about two weeks now, so my walk up to the registration table was not at my normal speed. My slower-than-normal pace allowed me to look around more than usual). I found myself seeing so many people that I/we knew and it really made me conscious of just how many people we have come to know through Asia's running career. So many wonderful people...... I claimed her bib #, timing chip and race t-shirt and made my way back through the crowd to where Jerry and Asia were waiting. The lines for the porta-johns was ridiculous, so we made our way to the start. Jerry gave Asia a kiss for luck and headed out for his viewing/cheering spot along the course. Most of Asia's best running buddies were already there, right up front....Katie, Jen, Gwen, Jon, Michael, Aaron, Rick, Carmen, then Gianna arrived and Ted and Claudio, who were not racing today, stopped by to wish everyone well. And then it was National Anthem, *Runners take your mark! Get Set.!* And at the sound of the horn, they were off and running. I waited for Asia to cross the timing mat and set my watch. This was a spectator-friendly course, in that the runners passed by us once before the finish. With Jerry out on the course, that gave us at least 4 opportunities to cheer for Asia and her team before the finish. At races like this Jerry and I stay connected by cell phone to report the results as we see them. I am always at the finish with the watch, and Jerry alerts me who's coming down the course to the finish next. When the group passed by the first time, Asia was well out in front of Asia and Carmen.........but that's happened before, and it almost always changes by the finish. When the first finishers had rounded the last corner and were on their way down Liberty Street, I crossed to the other side to have a better view. Jerry called them out as they passed him, and one by one, they streaked past me to the finish: John, 13, Jumanne (Carmen's son) 43, Aaron, 51, Rick, 52, Jon, 54, Gwen 65, Eric, 80, Gianna, 99.....and then he started yelling for Asia..........she was on the home stretch and the clock read 20 minutes and some seconds! (In order to get a PR in this event, Asia had to run it faster than 22 minutes and 49 seconds.) I could see far enough down Liberty street, and Asia's American Flag shorts were distinctive enough, that I could spot her from quite a distance away. I'm sure the poor folks around me are functionally deaf now from my screaming. Asia crossed the finish line in 21 minutes, 40 seconds! A 1 minute, 9 second PR! Her pace was 6:58, the fastest she has ever run a race! I limped/hobbled to the finish line and met her at the water station just as Katie came running up, eyes big as saucers, "That was like, a minute PR for her, wasn't it? I couldn't catch her! I'd just catch up to her, and I'd say, ' Great job Asia, you're doing awesome' and she'd take off like she was shot from a cannon! She helped ME get a PR today too, just trying to keep up with her!" And one-by-one her teammates came up to congratulate her on a fantastic race. Carmen, Gwen, Jen, Jon, John, Aaron, Rick, Ted, Michael, Claudio, Gianna. Their joy for her, and their pride in her accomplishment was almost overwhelming. Even though she beat Carmen, Katie and Jen, I don't think they could have been any happier if she were their own sister. Katie said, " I wanna race with you in another 5k and get a sub-21:30!" And, of course Asia immediately wanted to know when that race would happen! We all hung around the Running Fit Store, eating giant muffins and Rice Crispie treats waiting for results to be posted and for the Award Ceremony to begin. The award medals were given 5 deep in each age group and the Running Fit 501 team cleaned up! John (Katie's husband) was 1st in his age group, Aaron, 1st, Rick, 3rd, Gwen, 1st, Gianna, 1st, Asia, 3rd, Katie, 5th, Carmen, 1st and Jen, 4th, Linda 4th, and Beth 5th!! (And remember, most of these folks ran at least 10 miles yesterday as part of their regular training runs!) Jerry took pictures of each with their medals. We almost didn't go to this race. We were talking about sleeping in, something we rarely get to do during the summer race season. But so many of Asia's team mates were running it, and encouraging her to run it too.........that I decided to take her if she wanted to go. Well, duh! Of course she wanted to go if the rest of her buds were going to be there. Jerry almost didn't go. He was feeling stressed and over extended and thought the day would start off better if he didn't get up before the crack 'o' dawn and didn't rush out the door at 7am. In the end, he decided that if he stayed home, he still wouldn't get outside til 9am or after.........about the time we'd get home after the race.........so he decided to go. And, as it turned out, it was a race neither of us would have wanted to miss.

Once again I'm doing it backwards

The giant collage poster of 100 race pictures.

Asia and Linda Doll at our table.

Asia and Coach Gina at the Stampede.

It's self-explanatory!

Once again I'm doing it backwards but I'm too tired to care.

Here are some pictures of the giant Rice Crispie treat, the Stampede, and the Expo.

# 100!!!

Jerry and Asia before the start. Notice the Bib # 100!!!

Part of our fabulous team!!

Asia and Jenny, a friend she ran with in high school.

The last shreds of pulled pork! The Buffalo Wild Wings were long gone!!

It was a crazy week! There was something going on every night. Monday was the holiday, Tuesday night was RF501 practice, Wednesday the Fair opened with a parade and rides; Thursday, organizing stuff to take to the Expo. Friday morning I arrived at work to find not 1 but 2 giant Rice Crispie treats, one with 100 in M&Ms and the other with 100 in Hershey Kisses that my friend Mary had made for Asia. Later Friday we had Asia's Person Centered Planning meeting, then the Stampede (the celebration dinner before the Dexter-Ann Arbor (DxA2 from here on) race, then back to Milan for the Fair week fireworks. Whew!!

Saturday was the DxA2 Expo, and Coach Gina was kind enough to arrange a table for us to celebrate Asia's 100th race. We really wanted to use the opportunity of the race to show the abilities of persons with autism. There was a wonderful article in AnnArbor.com on Tuesday that brought a lot of attention to our table. http://www.annarbor.com/news/milan-woman-overcomes/ We used the time at the Expo to talk about Asia's running career as well as raise some $$$ for Operation Jack/Train4Autism. Linda Doll helped me set up the booth and man it until early afternoon. We had a blast!

Last night was exciting! After hearing all day that storms were in the forecast, when none had materialized by bedtime we went to bed without a care in the world! At 2:30 a dear friend called from many miles away to tell us there was a tornado virtually in our backyard! And then the power went out!! Fortunately, we have a whole-house generator, so we were back in the juice and could monitor the storm movement on TV...........well, I did..........Jerry went back to sleep! I guess he figured if we were carried off to OZ he would know it soon enough.

At dawn the power was still off, and one of the things we didn't connect to the generator was the stove.....figuring that we could microwave or use the grill. Well, Asia's preferred and proven *race day breakfast* of Jimmy Dean Hot sausage and scrambled eggs required the grill, so at first light I was in the back yard frying up sausage!

The power was back on by the time we left, but the whole night/morning had thrown my timing and organization off, so we left without Asia's fuel belt and *chocolate water*. Operator error!!

We met up with and took pictures with as many of the team as we could before time to line up at the start. Katie, Gwen, Jen, John, Joy, and the rest of *Team Ted* took Asia with them to get a good place at the start. Asia doesn't pass people well, so the closer we can get her to the front, the better overall race she will have. It was scheduled for an 8:30 Start time, right? NOT! The storm last night had taken a tree down across the course and would cause a 30 minute delay while crews with chainsaws cut it apart and hauled it off the road!

OK, cue the mad dash to the port-a-johns!

At 8:50 we found Asia's starting group again and sent her off with them. Jerry and I made our way to the front timing mat to try to get an accurate start time for her.

National anthem, wheelers off and gone, and ...........*Runners take your mark!.........GO!!!!*

We watched as Asia and her group crossed the start and dashed off to the car to beat them to the 2 mile point.

John, Katie's husband, was the first of our team at the 2 mile. We ticked them off........John, Claudio, Farsad, and more, and then .......whoa!! There was Asia at a better-than-8:30 pace!! Fast forward to mile 5, she had slipped back a bit but was still doing amazing. On to mile 8.5, snapping pictures of the team as they passed, little did I know that somewhere along the line my camera got switched to video mode. So what I thought were snaps of the runners turned out to be a flash of them going by, followed by pavement, shoes, grass, and the inside of my race bag :>( ........sigh.......Hopefully Jerry's turned out better!

From Mile 8.5 we headed for the finish. Parking in A2 is always a challenge, but we found a space in the structure at 4th and Liberty, only a few blocks from the finish line. We arrived too late to see John cross, but Claudio and Eduardo had just finished. I slipped inside the gate and made my way to the finish line on the runners side while Jerry headed up the block to alert me to all of our finishers and to get that last minute sprint out of Asia. One by one they crossed the line, some looking better than others. Jerry met up with our friend Maryann, who had driven down from Pinckney to witness the historic 100th race.....Asia had guilted her for weeks into coming so even the storms of last night couldn't keep her away! We knew from previous runners the time lapse from when Jerry saw them to when I saw them cross the finish line. When Jerry spotted Asia and I added the seconds to when she could cross, I realized that she could have a PR and started cheering for her even tho I couldn't see her yet. Her actual time was 8 seconds over her PR time, but still an incredible race! She finished in 1:47:56...totally on her own. 8:15 pace. It was her best race of the year so far, and a fantastic time. We finished the morning off at the Taste of Ann Arbor, where Asia ate her fill of Buffalo Wild Wings and pulled pork. What a great day! Thanks to everyone who sent good wishes in advance and those who were there today to cheer in person!

#99

This is the one race that Asia doesn't eat *race day* breakfast (Jimmy Dean Hot sausage and scrambled eggs) before. It's the Milan 5k, at the beginning of Discover Milan Day, and there is a pancake breakfast after the race. I make Asia's soy pancakes to take with us and the cooks are kind enough to fry them up for her.

Yesterday couldn't have been much nastier (in my opinion). May 8, 45* temps and winds of 45 mph driving the cold, soaking rain. BUT, Running Fit runners train in everything, so Asia took it in stride.

This was the first race I hadn't pre-registered her for in a while, and it worked in our favor. There were only 2 ahead of us in the late registration line and about 30 in the pre-reg line. We got her number, took a picture of her in her Operation Jack shirt, and went to visit with some old friends we hadn't seen in a long while.

When it was time for the race to start, Coach Porter said he was going to do a false start for the newspaper. He meant for the runners to pose as if taking off, but I took him literally.....a false START, not just pose.....so when the gun sounded, I held Asia back, thinking she would be confused. But wait.........why weren't the other runners coming back to the start? OH NO, that was the real start........take off Asia!! By then the walkers had started (small race) so she had to navigate around them, which is not her strong suit. ...sigh....plus, I didn't start my watch. Operator error x 2!

I went inside the Senior Center for a while to warm up, then went back to the finish line to wait. This isn't a race where we get to see the runners once they leave. I started my watch off of Coach Porter's at 16 minutes and spent some time talking to his oldest daughter Kyle, who ran with Asia in high school. What a treat! She's grown into a wonderful young woman.

At 18 minutes and some change the first runners came thru. Jerry was in town and could see them turn one of the last corners. He said the wind was so bad that the walkers were having trouble just moving forward.

Finally at 25 minutes and some seconds Asia appeared on the bridge. We knew it would be some time before the results were posted, so we headed up to meet Jerry for breakfast.

The results still aren't posted on the website, but Jerry saw Coach Porter later and Asia was 2nd in her age group! Good for her! Number 99 is now history. On to 100, the Dexter-Ann Arbor Half Marathon on June 6!

Burns Park 10K 2010

Asia, Inez, Eric, Eric S. Michael and Carmen, at the start.

Coach Gina, finishing the 5k!

Asia rounding the corner at about 1 mile.

Carmen at the finish, and her husband James, who ran the 5k then went out to finish with Carmen.

Down the hill to the finish!

Well, this was Asia's 4th race of the year, and I think it was her best so far. After a very *uncomfortable* (her term) long run last Saturday, I took her to Arbor Wellness for a massage and some serious stretching. Asia's right hip was bothering her, but getting her to admit it, and agree to stop running that day was the hard part. She was ok at 2 miles, slowing down at 5, really behind her group at 7, at which point she finally admitted that she was *uncomfortable* but still wanted to run. At the 10 mile water stop, she was quite far behind the rest of her group, and finally, reluctantly, agreed that she should be done for the day. We ran some errands and then went home so I could schedule some appointments.

Asia doesn't stretch. Her coach and team tried during high school and she would go through the motions, half-heartedly, but not really doing it. Since then, I've tried to duplicate her coach's stretching routine with Asia before races but it was more for me than for her. Coach Gina works on stretching with each group before the long runs on Saturday. Watching Asia do it is almost comical. So it's no surprise when, about this time before a major race, that she has some issues.

This time, as before, the fine folks at Arbor Wellness worked their magic, and after a couple of visits, Asia felt fine. She even did the stretches they showed her at home in the evenings. And when prompted, she did them before the race today. Maybe we're entering a new era............nah!!!

After a brief thunderstorm, and some heavy downpours early this morning, the skies settled themselves into a gloomy overcast, with 63 degree temps and high humidity. Not an ideal race day, but not the worst they've run in. Asia got a spot near the front with Michael, Carmen, Inez and her Eric and Eric Straka, all Running Fit 501 team members and at the sound of the horn, they took off. The concept of negative splits is foreign to Asia. She goes out hard and runs that way until she can't anymore. Her coach has tried, Lord knows she's tried, to get Asia to go out slower and gradually increase her pace but it's like fighting gravity.

Near the 1 mile spot Asia was the 3rd female. Near the 2 mile she was still the 3rd female and still ahead of Carmen but we suspected it couldn't last. At the halfway point she had dropped back and was a little behind Carmen. I was at that corner, urging her to catch Carmen. Asia gets juice from people cheering for her, so strategically placed cheerleaders can change the outcome of her race. By about mile 4 she and Carmen were within an arms length of each other. (Cue Adair to dash across the park to the 5 mile viewing spot.) At 5 miles I shouted, "Asia, you need to push Carmen, she wants a PR today too!" And Asia took off like a bullet, passing Carmen! Carmen said later that when Asia passed her she said, "Are you tired?" When Carmen replied, "Yes, I am!" Asia said, "Good!"

Jerry was on the hill at about the 3 mile spot and I was at the finish. Carmen beat her, but Asia ran a great race, finishing in 48:54 and 2nd in her age group! Carmen was 1st in her age group. Way to go both of you! That was fun to watch. And a big shout out to the folks at Arbor Wellness for getting Asia back up to speed!!!

Oh, and this was Asia's 98th race since finishing high school, and not including Special Olypmics 5k races, which are not recognized by Athlinks.

Next Saturday is Number 99!

Sam Felsenfeld @ Boston 2010

Sam at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, 2010

I can't imagine running even 1 Marathon.........ever. Beyond that, running more than one a year, seeing how my team trains for that, is remarkable.

Having said that, what Sam Felsenfeld is doing is, quite simply, mind boggling. Sam is attempting to run 6o marathons (no typo there folks......that's S I X T Y full marathons, in 2010.

Today he completed his 20th this year.......2 days after completing his 19th, and one week after completing # 17 and #18 in the same weekend.

All marathons are equal.........in distance, that is. They are all 26.2 miles. But there are marathons, and there are MARATHONS, and today's was a MARATHON....the Boston Marathon. The Granddaddy of Marathons. The 114th Boston Marathon. The world's oldest marathon. The Holy Graile of Marathons. You don't just get to go to the website, sign up, pay the entry fee, and run Boston. No. You have to qualify....run a certain pace according to your age....to be able to go. And then you have to register in time, because it has become so popular that the registration closes in record time these days. Tens of thousands of runners strive every year to qualify. Most don't make it. Sam did.....along with 25,000 other amazing runners (some from *my* team.)

Most of the other runners had done their 20 miler, their taper, their carb-loading, and tried to rest the night before Boston. There the similarities end. Sam ran a marathon last Saturday, one last Sunday, and one on the 17th....2 days before Boston. For Sam, there is no taper. Sam runs at least one marathon a weekend, sometimes 2, in honor of his son Jack, who had autism. Sam is trying to raise awareness of autism around the country, and to raise funds thru Operation Jack and Train4Autism, a group which allows athletes to raise funds for the autism-related charity of their choice. Members of Train4Autism have all been touched, in some way, by autism.....a child, the child of a friend, a cousin, aunt, neighbor....who has/had autism. Someone who meant enough to them to want to help make a difference, to help make their lives better.

Sam got up this morning and boarded the bus, just like the other runners. But there again all similarities ended. Sam had already raced in 19 full marathons THIS YEAR before today. 19!!! Plus a couple of 5k and 10k runs ......... just ......well, just because they were there, and so was he. And, in case you're curious, he has a job, and a family that he adores, and misses like oxygen when he's on the marathon trail. But his job has some flexibility built in, and his family totally supports what he is trying to accomplish. His wife, Tiffany, holds down the family fort, and counts the hours until Sam is home again.

I had the privilege of tracking Sam at the Boston Marathon today. With today's modern technology, I could enter his bib # at the Boston Marathon website and get updates at the 5k, 10k, 15k, and so on, through the finish. I was tracking members of *my* own team as well. Sam popped up first, and the race was on. 3 hours and 3 minutes and 48 seconds later Sam crossed the finish line, with his best time of the year, AND qualifying to run Boston again next year!!!

I just don't think I have superlatives adequate to discribe that.

I've never met Sam, tho I hope to one day. But I'm proud to write about him and to support what he's trying to accomplish. Asia will run her 100th race in his honor on June 6th.

Next weekend Sam will be racing in the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in Nashville on April 24th. If you're around, go cheer him on. If you're running that race, look for the guy in the Operation Jack shirt and give him a shout out. If not, check out his results at http://www.operationjack.com/ . If autism has impacted your life or the life of someone you know and love, and you're so inclined, make a donation.......or simply pass on the site to your friends.