21 Questions from the Class who thought I looked like Shaggy!

Yesterday, was blessed with the opportunity to share with Elementary School students in Pella about the Awake My Sole journey.  

Got to speak 10 times. 

One of the classes thought I looked like Shaggy from Scooby Doo.  They put together 21-questions for me to answer.  Thought I would answer them, and then share them with others.


1. How many pairs of shoes do you go through in one year?  8-10 pairs of shoes.  I try and replace shoes after 300 miles.  

2. Do you ever get to celebrate your birthday?  Yes, my birthday is in July, and this year I will be celebrating it in Dubuque Iowa.


3. What do you do if you get caught in a storm or a tornado?  Seek shelter.  Safety is important to me.  

Running in a blizzard in January

4. How can you run so long?  By training, and by eating the right foods to fuel my body.  Also, mentally training to "endure the low points."

Some of my inspiration.  

5. How old are you?  In my 20's.


6. What happens if you break your alarm button on your GPS and you get hurt?  Use my phone to call 911.  

My GPS unit.  The "red-button" is located under the red "SOS" flap.

7. Do you like to do other things like draw pictures?  I love to hike, play soccer, take pictures, read books and throw a frisbee.  Here are some pics from my journey so far.

8. What if you get caught in an ice storm?  Find some ice skates.  :)


9. How many miles have you ran in your life?  I'm guessing around 13,000 miles.  But that is a approximate guess.   


10. Did you run on the track team in high school?  Nope.  I played soccer, hockey and wrestled.


11. Have you ever gotten in first place in a race?  Yes, when I ran the Lincoln Marathon my senior year of high school and I placed first place in my division.  


12. Did you ever run out of all your clothes cause they got too small?  Not yet, but I have WORN OUT clothes by using them too much.  

Pair of Jeans with a hole in them.

13. Why do you like running?  This is a tough question.  It's almost like asking me "Why do you like breathing?"  I like running, because I love the way I feel after a long run.  I like being able to finish and say, "Thank you God for allowing me to run."  I absolutely love to run.  I hope to run till I can't run anymore.  


14. What do you think about for 20 hours of running?  It's my most creative time, where I think about new ideas, and things to write about.  I think about my family, my friends and my faith.  


15. What happens if you get too hot?  Stop, find some shade, rest and drink some cold water.  If I'm still really hot, take an ice-bath.  


16. How long do you run in one day?  Between 25-68 miles & 9-18 hours.


17. What if no one lets you sleep at their house?  Rent a hotel.  Haven't had to do this yet.  People are very hospitable.  I enjoy staying with host families, cause I enjoy meeting new people.    

My host family in Orange City

My host in Spencer Iowa (He also wanted to push my cart to see how much it weighed)

My host family in Sac City Iowa.

18. What happens if you lose your GPS?  I will stop someone to ask for directions to the town where I need to go.  


19. How many trophies and medals do you have?  Seven.  Some medals from marathons I ran, and a trophy for the one I got first place in.  


20. What happens if you run out of money?  Hopefully this wont happen, but if it does, I will have to rely on the help of others.  


21. How do you make money?  Places where I speak, pay me.  Also, people who are inclined to financially support, do so.  Also, some companies sponsor me for using their products.   


If you have a question for Jim, e-mail them to AwakeMySole@gmail.com