The Push!

Dear Friends,

Its finally here! After months of training, race day is only 3 weeks away. This Saturday I will run my farthest distance to date, 20 miles. It will mark the beginning of the end of my training for the Marine Corps Marathon. The past few days has been a big shift for me, my fears and trepidation have melted away to make room for excitement and anticipation. I started training 5 months ago with no experience in running - or any athletic activity. I didn't know much other then I wanted to see if I could run a marathon. Each week I learned so many new things about running but more importantly I learned so much more about myself. Never once did I quit or get distracted, I've fought back from both injury and illness and in a time when many would have gave up, I worked harder and the results are apparent. I've shaved off 3 full minutes to my pace time and often find myself saying things like " an easy 10 miles". Running is my true passion in life and the mission of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is my purpose. Team in training, all of my team mates and coaches have been there to guide me and help me grow into the runner that I am today. Because of them, I have been asked to be a Mentor for future runners with Team in Training. I want to thank you for your support, your understanding and your encouragement. I am proud to say that I have raised over $1300 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and am only $554 away from making my goal. Training for this marathon has taken dedication, there has been blood, sweat and yes, even a few tears... and thats just to make it through the week! It has taken time away from my friend and my family and it has been the most physically and emotionally challenging thing I have ever had to overcome in my life... but none of that even can come close to the daily challenges of someone who's fighting blood cancers. My coaches, team mates and even strangers who recognize the Team in Training logo on my running gear share their story of how cancer has impacted their life and you can't help but to both feel humbled to know my work impacts other's lives and to feel driven to seek out every opportunity and seize every moment in life because life can never be taken for granted. I chose to adopt a new lifestyle so that I can live a healthy life, not everyone gets that choice and I run in honor of them. Please help me now push to the end and reach my fundraising goal ( link below) so that everyone has a choice to live cancer free.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/nca/corps10/amundis

Thank you for your support and as always, please feel free to come cheer myself and all of my teammates on at the Marine Corps Marathon Oct. 31st! And if you can't make it to Marine Corps perhaps you'd like to come watch my next marathon in January at Walt Disney world ( yeah thats right, two marathons in two months)!


Sincerely,

Alexis Mundis