Why I’m Running a Half Marathon
If you’ve read my blog posts, or watched my final episode on American Grit, then you know that I hate running. My favorite saying used to be, “The only way you will see me run is if you put a lion behind me.” So why then, you may ask, have I decided to run a HALF MARATHON!?! (A half marathon, by the way is 13.1 miles. To put this in perspective, if running around your high school track four times equals one mile then running a half marathon means you would have to run around that same track like a billion zillion times.)
But I’m doing it anyway and here’s why.
Our friend’s son, JJ, got into a horrible car accident just before Thanksgiving. He broke his neck and severed his spine. He is paralyzed from the neck down and has no medical insurance through his job. He’s in his 20’s. His whole life changed in an instant. His dad, our friend John, said that when JJ woke up he was still himself, cracked a joke with the nurse but he just can’t move. He’s hoping that JJ will eventually qualify for a stem cell clinical trial; even if he doesn’t the medical bills are already piling up. To see his story, go to YouCaring.com and type in Johnny James Follis.
I’m helping out in the best way that I can, and that’s through fitness. For the next 10 weeks I will be training for the Austin Marathon and posting about it across my social media as a way to raise awareness for JJ. Every post about it list his website YouCaring.com will be tagged #JJwillWalk and #JohnnyJames.
This will be a win-win situation. Lots of people want to do something big, like run a marathon, but they think it will be too hard or just don’t know where to start. I’ll be posting fitness tips, nutrition info, motivation techniques and anything else that will be useful to encourage people to get out there and achieve a huge fitness goal. I hope that you will share JJ’s story and donate whatever you can.
Thanks!
Lisa 🙂
Lisa Traugott is a Mom’s Choice Award winning writer, fitness blogger, wife and mom of two….and Original Cast Member of AMERICAN GRIT, starring John Cena, on FOX!!!
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