The Training Crucible

This weekend I'll be heading home to Franklin, TN for a family reunion and the opportunity to see my grandfather after his recent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from outside of his colon. I should be a great time to see a few cousins, visit with my aunt, but most importantly, to see him.
To get the point, my grandfather is my hero, the reason that I do so much of what I do. He embodies gentle strength.  Prior to college he served in Army, stationed in South Carolina.  After getting out he became a coach (for baseball and football, although he also served as a track coach when needed and started the wrestling program at Franklin High School, for which is was honored with induction into their sports Hall of Fame earlier this year). Coaches and drill sergeants tend to give full vent to their anger, but I have NEVER seen my grandfather yell at anyone. He has always seemed to lead by example.
I lived at my grandparents' house for about 2 years when I was 13-14. During that time I learned a lot, simply by watching him live.  Through middle school and high school my grandparents attended almost every sporting event I was ever involved in.  In middle school I ran track, and he came out to teach me and a friend how to do the high jump and run hurdles. I came to almost every school soccer game I ever played (from middle school-high school) even though he probably still can't explain offsides or many of the other rules.  He even traveled to cross-country meets, some that were a couple of hours from home. Why, to watch the number 5 or 6 runner from BGA make his way through the 3.1 mile course.
It's dedication, its love, its pride. It's what makes me a runner. I hope I have what it takes to chase after him.

Last night I saw the movie Inception (quite a treat for me since the last movie I saw in a theater was Star Trek- the one from last year, not the ones from the 80's). Great movie! Since I was trained as a therapist and had class dealing with creative choice (ie. hypnosis) I really loved the concept of this movie, but the part I what to focus on today is a quote from Mal to her husband Cobb.  She says, 

This week I have regained some focus with blogging thanks to a 31 Days to Building a Better Blog tour sponsored here.  With the new found focus, I have decided that one of the things that I want to do with the blog is highlight various charities or causes that are trying to raise money through running.

The first cause to be selected for this is Operation Jack.  Operation Jack as an attempt by Sam Felsenfeld to run 60 marathons in 2010 to raise money/awareness about autism, a disorder that his 6 year old son, Jack has been diagnosed with in 2006.  While most people would be happy to run one marathon in a lifetime, and many would think it a major accomplishment to run 60, Sam is pushing his body to the limits (running 2 marathons in different states on the same weekend) in order to get his done.
Having previously worked as a therapist with families whose children I have been diagnosed with autism, I can tell you how frustrating this disorder can be.  For more information on autism you can check here.
So here is how Operation Jack works: (taken from the Operation Jack website)