Jim Grindeland has been chosen for this week’s Team Ortho Foundation Ambassador award. He has contributed a lot of time and effort to Team Ortho and has been a loyal volunteer and participant in our events. We will be awarding Jim with a Team Ortho fleece as a thank you for all of his hard work and dedication.

TO: How did you first become active in Team Ortho Foundation events (participating and volunteering)?
JG: Last year my friend Amy wanted to run her first marathon so after looking around we picked the Minneapolis race. I then read about the Monster series on the web and signed up to do the remaining races as well. So my first race with Team Ortho was the Valentine's 5K in 2009.

TO: You are a very dedicated volunteer showing up before the sun rises and staying to help tear down after the event, what makes you so passionate about Team Ortho?
JG: Working with and being around great people. At each event I meet new people and get to re-connect with people I have met in the past. We are all working together to put on quality events. I hope that by me being there either at race setup or helping pacing people at the team runs, I'm helping someone achieve their goal. It's also knowing my time is benefiting organizations like the Shiner's Hospital. My dad is a Shiner so it's nice to know my efforts are helping something he's been devoted to his whole life as well.
OK - really it's all about gear - it's the best in town!!! :)

TO: Do you have any recommendations on how to recruit people to live a healthy and active life?
JG: Ultimately like any self-help program, people have to want to do it for themselves and take the first step. Hopefully getting our stories out there will show them that at any age it is possible to be active and healthy. The key is, once you take the first step, finding an activity you fully enjoy and want to do. There so many ways to be active - Running, walking, biking, swimming, roller blading, skiing (water or snow), golfing, Frisbee golf, you name it. But you need to look for creative ways too like trampoline, pole vaulting, horse back riding, gardening or maybe even parachuting. You have to try the things that you always wanted to try, but thought you never could. You will be amazed at what you can do.

TO: How long have you been running and participating in running events?
JG: I started running in Junior High with the track team but because of chronic back pain I could not run for any length of time or distance... [Years later], I was 36 and I was spending more time on my back rather than being active. I had to take it easy when I was able to move around and I could no longer play with my kids for fear of hurting my low back. In 1996 with a doctor's referral, I spent 2 years in physical therapy followed by 6 years of yoga. My back was strengthened and the pain gone for the most part but I was still not able to run. In 2004 I started taking a Trampoline class for something fun and different. After 9 months of bouncing, I had no idea the trampoline could be so beneficial in working the small core muscles in the hip and back. And it was fun too!

In early spring of 2005 feeling like a couch potato from a long winter, I needed to get out. The weather wasn't good for walking yet, so on a whim I hit the tread mill at work. I assumed the running pain would return after a half mile or so like before and would have to start walking. To my surprise I ran for 2 miles pain free. With my new found freedom, I did the South of River summer series starting with the Eagan 2 mile race as my first timed event. I then challenged myself run the TC10 that fall. Feeling good and in the best shape I have been in been since my teens, thoughts of tackling a marathon became more realistic. I had always wanted to run one but until this point in my life I knew it was very improbable. I completed my my first marathon at the 30th running of Grandmas in 2006. Since then I have completed 5 marathons, 1 half marathon, 4 TC10s, 4 TC1s, several 5Ks, the Team Ortho Duathlon and my last race was the Get Lucky 7K. And boy do I feel lucky to be doing what I can do today. I have logged over 2,000 running miles since that tread mill run. When I look back on 20s and 30s, I felt like I was over 50. Now that I'm almost 50, I feel like 25 (hey that matches my WII fit age too).