In seventh grade I joined the cross-country running team and was determined to RUN AGAIN. My recovery from the disease was nearly complete. X-rays showed my hip nearly normal and with the doctors green light, I had the okay to run twenty miles a week.

My first year of running races put me in last place most of the time. Within a couple years, I was running twice as fast. By my senior year, I had increased my mileage beyond the doctor's okay and felt great. My cross-country team captured the state championship. Come track season, I won many of the mile races and made it to the state championships and placed eighth by running a time of 4:30.

I joined my college's cross-country team and ran as fast as a 26:43 for an 8k race. My weekly mileage was over 70 miles per week. After one season, my hip began to ache with this high mileage and my collegiate career was over. Once I finished college, a career on the road led to weight gain and this combined with my hip really got me discouraged about being active. In fact, I believed for the second time, I'd never run again.

Several years ago as I approached turning 30, I decided enough was enough. In six months time, I lost 60 pounds and got back to my "racing weight". At about the same time, I discovered the Glucosamine/Chondrotin supplement. I began with walks of two miles a day. After a couple months, I couldn't resist the urge to run. My love affair with running began all over again. After six months of training, I completed a 25k race and in October of 2000 after nearly three years into my comeback, I completed the Twin Cities Marathon in 3:37.

I supplement my running with bicycling and rowing to ease the load on my hip. My weekly running mileage varies between 20 and 40 miles. That Twin Cities Marathon was my 181st running race. My lifetime goal is to participate in 500 races.

In the spring of 2007 on a sunny afternoon motorcycle ride, in nearly the blink of an eye, I found myself under a Subaru. Without divulging details, my helmet saved my life, my armored jacket saved my torso and steel toed boots saved my feet, but my cordouroys didn't save my legs, both were injured extensively and surgical steel holds one of the together now, top to bottom. For 2008, my goal is to run several 5km races. I spent last year going from wheelchair to crutches to canes to limping to finally taking some running strides again early in '08. The endurance is coming back slowly and I sometimes feel like Rocky Balboa in Rocky-IV where he trains like a madman in Russia as I've fought my way back to become an athlete again this past year. So now my 'bad' hip is my good hip. Finish-lines will become my goal. Age-group top performances are a thing of the past.

I'm a glucosamine/chondrotin believer. I'm also a believer in the studies that show impact exercise can actually increase bone density. Mostly though, I'm a believer in the power of prayer. I can hardly imagine more prayers than my parents and church family have sent upwards for me. For all the parents out there reading the horror stories of LCP, hold on to hope for your children. I thank God daily for my gift of running. If I could be blessed this way, there is a chance many other LCP sufferers will be too.

Feel free to contact me by email (jrjorunner@gmail.com). This is the first place I've shared my story anywhere and would like to find more ways to provide hope.