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"Why Not?" ... Wisdom from "Papa Wheely"

This is Lonn.

AKA "Papa Wheely"

His son and daughter-in-law hosted me during my weeklong stay in Davenport Iowa on the Awake My Sole journey.  

I met him last week at the Silvis parade.

fire trucks in the parade passing by

Lonn wheels around rolling on a motorized cart.  He actually looks pretty rad in it.  Going down hills, he can travel at a high speed.  He joked about how I should get one for the Awake My Sole journey.

Anywho, after the parade, I got to chat with Lonn, and I asked him "Why he was in the motorized cart?"

He said, "Several years ago, a drunk driver hit my vehicle at a high speed.  After the accident,  six different doctors told my wife I was going to die."

Wow!  What a story.

His life was dramatically altered after the accident.


During my short time with him, he was fun to be around: he cracked jokes, made people laugh and complimented me on "how tall I was."

I shared with him a little bit about the Awake My Sole journey, and I asked him, "What wisdom would you share with others about your story?"

He said, "You are only limited by your mind."

"I like to fish, and I've rigged up a way to go fishing. I didn't allow my disability to stop me from doing what I love to do.  If you love to run, and you are disabled, you are gonna find a way to run."

Lonn fishing

I was surprised by our conversation, he wasn't angry or bitter towards the drunk driver who hit him.  In fact, he was happy, hopeful and a very encouraging person to chat with.


Some more wisdom he shared: 

"When someone asks you 'WHY?' ask them 'WHY NOT?' "

This actually reminded me of the movie "We Bought A Zoo."  Everyone asks the guy why he bought a rundown zoo:

1. Kelly Foster: Why did you buy this place?
2. Benjamin Mee: Why not?

1. 
   

On the Awake My Sole journey, a lot of people ask, "Why are you running across the state of Iowa?"

My new response "Why not run across the state of Iowa?"

Thank you Lonn for the words of wisdom and wonderful fun-filled onversation.

A side NOTE:  Lonn is attempting to WIN a vehicle that will help him get around.  If you are able to VOTE for him, that would be much appreciated (CLICK HERE).

Description from the LONG LOVE CARS CONTEST
Navy veteran Lonn Cunningham survived political turmoil in the Philippines and the first Gulf War but he was no match for a drunk driver traveling 145 miles per hour. Despite being a quadriplegic bilateral amputee Lonn has a long list of places to go and people to see. He’d like to get back to volunteering in his local community and attending PVA events, usually a 2-3 hour drive from his home. He also wants to visit the WWII Memorial and other historic sites in Washington D.C. But more than anything; Lonn would like to be able to travel to the local high school to see his 17-year-old daughter graduate. “It would allow me to make as many memories as possible while my daughter is still home. That would make me truly happy.”

Running Saved His Life

I'm recovering well from yesterday's exhausting 54 mile run.  In fact, due to yesterday's heat I did a lot of sweating.  To replenish the sodium my body sweat out, I ate this whole jar of pickles.

Aside from eating a jar of pickles, I wanted to post about an incredible person I met in Davenport this last week.

Scott.

Today's blog post is about how "Running Saved His Life."

Allow me to explain:

Thanks to social media, Scott had been following the Awake My Sole journey on Facebook.  He came across AMS by clicking on it, you know, those little annoying adds on the side of Facebook.  Which is pretty cool, cause he messaged me saying, "I live in Davenport, I run often and would love to run with you, maybe share my story with you."

So, Saturday morning Scott and I met in the parking lot of Redband Coffee Company.  I conveniently scheduled our running to start and stop at Redband, I was going to treat myself to a cup of coffee afterwards.

We ran a little over 5-miles, a loop Scott runs often.  It crosses from Davenport over into Rock Island and back again.  Here is a pic of Scott and I on one of the bridges.




One of the first things I noticed about Scott was all of his tattoos.  In general, tattoos fascinate me, so very quickly I asked "What do your tattoos mean?"

He called them his "sobriety tats."

For a good portion of our run, he willingly shared his story of battling against drugs and alcohol.

He said, "I have a very addictive personality, and I was addicted to some of the wrong things."

He shared some stories of being in jail, how he lied and how he pursued things that weren't healthy for him.

He knew he needed to turn his life around, that his life was going nowhere fast.  So, he started working at a local gym.  It was at the gym where he discovered running.

He quickly fell in love with running.  Almost like his new healthy addiction.

Now, he's sober, and he gets tats to help remind him of his vow of sobriety.  

He mentioned, "Before I heard about your Awake My Sole journey, I was considering running from New York to Iowa."

Maybe he could be the next Awake My Sole runner.

I was hugely inspired by Scott's story, by his determination to stay sober and by his overall love for life.

I asked him, "Can I share your story with others?"

He said "of course."

I also asked him, "Would it be appropriate to say 'Running saved your life?' "

He said, "Along with my faith, Yes, running saved my life."

Treating myself to coffee, reflecting over my run with Scott

It was great meeting Scott, and to see how running has impacted his life in such a good way.  Part of the AMS journey is meeting people, and it was a blessing to meet Scott.

Running with purpose in every step...

Jim

Davenport Wrap Up & Iowa City Running Recap

Davenport Wrap Up

I had a most excellent time in Davenport.  Was hosted by Rachel & LJ (and their cute puppy "Megatron).

This is "Megatron"

Got to speak 7 time throughout the week.  

Friday morning, got to run with a Davenport local, Scott, and am looking forward to sharing his story in my next blog post.  The gist of my post will be "Running saved his life."  

Was blessed by the great coffee over at Redband Coffee Company.  Really nice people.  In fact they hooked LJ and I up with their specialty "New Orleans Style Iced Coffee."  They gave us a tour of their coffee roasting business.  Really cool place.  Make sure to check it out if you are ever in Davenport (side note: i love their coffee).  

Several of my lunches consisted of cucumbers and tomatoes sprinkled with Udo's Oil.  My new favorite meal.  

Saw my first stick bug. 

Cool quote on the board at the high school I spoke at

I love a good cup of coffee after a long run.  

Went to the Silvis Parade in Illinois

Iowa City Running Recap

• Start Time: 5:00a 
• Finish Time: 9:30p (16.5 hours of running, I was exhausted)
• Total Mileage: 54 miles.
• Weather: Started running before the sun came out.  It was really humid, felt like I was drenched for the first 3 hours.  It was a really hot day, hovering in the upper 80's, mix that in with the humidity, and it was a tough day.
• Had to stop several times under trees to cool down my body temp.  
• With about 10 miles to go, I was determined to quit.  I was laying down in some grass on the side of the road, called my fiance, and she said, "Just try one more mile."  That one mile, turned into two, and then 10.  So thankful for her support.

Update on my left tendon:  It felt really good the first 15 miles, but there was a couple mile stretch of busy roads with no shoulder, and it was super soft due to the rain from the day before, so running in that started to aggravate my tendon.  However, after mile 40, my tendon felt great.  I also switched out shoes, which helped my tendon feel better too.  

Sun rising 

Charley sporting our head light

breathtaking sunrise

I stopped in Moscow Iowa.  Yes, there is a Moscow Iowa.  

Some buffalo on the side of the road

My phone battery was about to die, thanks to my brothers charger on my cart, I can charge my phone while running

the sun setting.  Ran from sunrise to sunset.  

It was a long day.  Was very happy to arrive in Iowa City, now to let my body recover.  Get to speak all day tomorrow at a local elementary school, and all day friday at a high school.  Next Monday will be my biggest test, 68 miles to Grinnell Iowa.  

The Red Letter Festival ---This Saturday in Sioux Center Iowa

This Saturday is the 6th-annual Red Letter Festival in Sioux Center Iowa.

I would highly encourage all who are in the Northwest Iowa area to attend.  It is a community initiated festival to raise money and awareness against domestic violence, poverty and homelessness.  All the proceeds go to The Bridge, a transitional house for women and kids going through tough life circumstances.

Honestly, I'm a bit bummed, because this year's festival will be the first time I haven't been able to help out (Due to running across the state of Iowa with Awake My Sole).  However, it is good to see new people step up to take on new roles.

It was in May of 2007 when the first Red Letter Festival happened.  It was originally scheduled to be outdoors, but it rained all day so it was moved indoors.  I know this first hand, cause I got to run 32-miles in the rain.

I'm blogging about this, because this day played a huge role in my life.  It was the first time I connected my love for "running long distance" with something more than exercise or self gratification, but with something that mattered.

It was where I connected my passion of running with meaningful-life-changing-work.  

Here is a video about the RLF run in 2007:

  

What makes the Red Letter Festival a wonderful event, is people using their "time, energy & talents" to impact the world for better.

I just happened to like running.

People who like music should use music to impact the world for good.
People who like to bake should use baking to impact the world for good.
People who like to sing should use singing to impact the world for good.
People who like ______________ should use _________________ to impact the world for good.

For me, this first Red Letter Festival changed my life.  It made me begin using my gifts & passions for something more meaningful.  As a follower of Christ, I call it "kingdom building work," some may also know it as "making the world a better place."

In 2008, instead of running 32 miles, I got to run 62 miles.  The furthest I had ever run in my entire life.  Here are some pics of running that day.  Its fun to look back on it: I remember the day well, I was about 15 miles from finishing, wanting to quit, and all my friends showed up in goofy outfits.  Talk about motivation.  In fact, the sun had set, we were running into Orange City, we got pulled over by cops, and they said "We had to stop running."

After running 62 miles, I was exhausted.  Never again did I want to run such a long distance.

I went in to work the following Monday, I was walking like a penguin, cause I was so sore, and a lady named Kris asked me, "Why are you walking so goofy?"

I said, "I ran 62 miles this Saturday for a transitional house for women and kids in Orange City."

She asked, "How many days did it take you?"

I said, "One day."

She said, "Oh really?  Well, how many people were in your relay?"

I said, "Well, I ran the whole thing, but several people joined me for different legs during the day."

She said, "That's impossible!"

I said, "No its not, that why I'm walking like a penguin."

She said, "Jim, it's obvious you like to run long distance, and you care about people.  I could see you using these gifts, like maybe you could run across the United States speaking to students."

I remember telling her, "That's a great idea!"  but in my brain I remember thinking, "That's the dumbest idea I've ever heard."

Anywho, thanks to the 2nd Red Letter Festival, a dream and journey for my life was established.  Kind of fun to look back on it, especially since I'm actually running across the state of Iowa for the year.

In 2009, here is the RLF promo video created by Steve and Betsy using their sweet video-making abilities.  

Here is a video from the last couple miles of the 2009 RLF with everyone running.

In 2010, here is a pic of Brock and I getting pulled over early in the morning:

We got pulled over by this guy.  We were pulled over by him the two previous years.

In 2011, we changed the location of the RLF to The Fruited Plain Cafe in Sioux Center.  So, instead of a 62-mile run, we had a 55-mile run.

New location of the RLF

We started the run in Sioux City at 5 in the morning.  

One of the groups from the RLF run

Finishing in Sioux Center

The Red Letter Festival is happening again this Saturday in Sioux Center Iowa.  I would encourage all to check it out.  Maybe think of a way you can use "Your talents, your energy & your time" towards something that impacts your community for good.

If there is something like the RLF in your own community, awesome!!!  Join it, share your talents, energy & time.

If there is not something like the RLF in your own community... Start one!!!  Get some people, pick who you want to help, and just go for it.  Never in a million years did the original RLF crew think the RLF would still be happening, they just saw a "need to be met" in their own community, and they decided to try and "meet that need."

HERE is some additional Info about the upcoming 6th-annual Red Letter Festival

Clinton Wrap Up & Davenport Running Recap

Clinton Wrap Up

Stayed in the Clinton Iowa community for the last two weeks.  First week was filled with rest and the second week was filled with speaking opportunities.  

Wasn't able to speak in any of the schools due to school just starting, but was blessed with several speaking opportunities to the churches in the area.

Also, Natalie over at the Clinton Herald covered a story on the Awake My Sole journey. 

Got my tendon checked out by the wonderful people over at Advanced Physical Therapy.  A big thanks to Brad.  

Spent a lot of time at the 392 Caffe.  Great coffee & great people.

celebrating after running 92 miles

icing my sore tendon.  so very cold

Rocky and his youth group. Awesome students.

John and his youth group. 

Americano at 392 caffe.  

What Iowa is known for,,,,

Davenport Running Recap

• Start Time: 6:45a 
• Finish Time: 1:58p
• Total Mileage: 33.6 miles.
• Weather: The Weather was perfect.  Not too hot.  Actually saw my breathe in the early morn. 

Bag of baby potatoes to eat while running.

Leaves are already turning colors

Charley

after run snack

Really looking forward to being in Davenport this week.  Currently have 5 speaking engagements, and welcoming more.  

Running with purpose in every step...

Jim