The Half Marathon and JJ Update
My resolutions are usually a little whimsical and quirky, but some events of 2016 leading into 2017 put me in a somber mood.
Specifically, one friend’s son, JJ, got into a horrific car accident around last Thanksgiving and was told he’d be a quadriplegic for the rest of his life. So my New Year’s Resolution was to run the Austin half-marathon with my husband in JJ’s honor and help raise money for his medical expenses.
JJ is a fighter. His dad told us that he was going to physical therapy to learn how to lift his neck, something most people in the same situation are too distraught and distressed to even try.
It put everything into perspective for us. My husband, Henri, and I hadn’t run a marathon in a decade, but we made up some t-shirts and decided that since we were blessed with legs and good health we should use them.
Some of my friends from American Grit, the John Cena reality TV show I was on last year, really stepped up to help. They made short videos with tips and training exercises in his honor and to help out new runners training for their first marathon. I’m forever grateful for their generosity. Here is a re-cap:
Dynamic Warm-Up by elite OCR runner Brooke Van Paris
Run Faster Workout by Olympic Gold medalist David Neville
Foot Care and Blisters by Season 1 America Grit winner Mark Bouquin
Uphill Downhill Technique by NFL star Touchdown Tony Simmons
Now, the funny (ironic?) thing is that all along I had been telling my husband to be careful while he was training…well guess who tripped over her own feet on an uneven sidewalk and got a Grade 2 muscle tear two weeks before the marathon? So this fitness blogger had to sit out (doctor’s orders) while my husband, Henri, ran the whole thing on his own! He did great, by the way.
On the plus side, I met some great women who were also training for the marathon and we did some fun trails together.
If you ever thought about running a half marathon (13.1 miles) or any other long distance race for that matter, here is a list of all the blog posts I wrote about running, which I hope you’ll find useful.
- Why I’m Running A Half Marathon
- How Do I Train for a Half Marathon?
- Will Training for a Marathon Help Me Lose Weight?
- 3 Power Words to Get You Through the Run
- Run Faster – Workout by Olympian David Neville
- Foam Rolling
- Winter Running Clothes
- Lisa’s Training Schedule & bonus Blister Care Video by Mark the Lumberjack, Winner of “American Grit”
- Potty Talk for Runners
- Dynamic Warm Up – Workout by Elite OCR Racer Brooke Van Paris
- Running with Children and Other Silly Ideas
- 5 Tips to Prevent Chaffing
- Uphill Downhill Technique – Video by NFL star Touchdown Tony Simmons
- 7 Ways to Deal With An Injury
- Still JJ
- The Half Marathon
The amount of goodwill that went to his YouCaring page was amazing. Family, friends and readers like you shared his story over 1.2k times and donated almost $33k towards his medical bills! (You can donate here: Johnny James Follis medical expenses).
My husband visited JJ earlier this fall. He now has some movement in his arm! He is receiving great care and hopes to get a computer to help him with mobility and to complete every day tasks. It’s going to be a long road to recovery, but with technology, medical research and prayers we truly believe that one day…
#JJWillWalk
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Lisa Traugott is a Mom’s Choice Award winning writer, published author, fitness blogger, wife and mom of two….and Original Cast Member of AMERICAN GRIT, starring John Cena, on FOX!
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