Welcome to my Team In Training home page for my first Boston Marathon!

Run to live life. Run to kill cancer.

Dear Friends and Family:

As most of you know, running has become a passion of mine. Initially it was something I did in addition to sitting at a desk all day but three years ago, I began training seriously with a goal of entering a few races. I started small with a few 5k’s and 5-milers, then I graduated to a 10K (that’s 6.25 miles for those of you who, like me, can’t really imagine kilometers). I am also proud to say that last spring I completed my first half marathon (13.1 miles). It has taken me a long time to build up the stamina and endurance to complete a half marathon but I cannot even begin to tell you how great it felt to cross the finish line in under two hours. To know that all the years of hard work, the early morning runs, the rainy day runs, the “one extra lap today” runs all paid off. It was a very special moment for me.

So while I have the momentum with me, I have decided to set my sights on an even bigger goal. I want to run the Boston marathon. You heard me right. The granddaddy race of them all. The super bowl of all running events. 26.2 long, grueling miles. The same distance the Olympic marathoners run. It just doesn’t get any bigger than this.

My first task was to gain an entry spot which is no easy task, however, I am proud to say I have succeeded. I have earned a spot on the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team in Training. I am now an official Boston marathoner and I am running in memory of my grandmother, Arlene Bushell, and with a very special purpose:

“Run to LIVE life…Run to KILL cancer!”

I am raising funds for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) as a participant in their Team In Training program and I need your help. Don’t worry, you don’t have to run any miles or even go to the gym. I will take care of all the physical work. All you need to do is make a donation to my fundraising campaign by January 31, 2012.

Our team training effort starts December 3, 2011 and we train together right up to race day which is April 16, 2012. This is 4 1/2 months of non stop, life altering training. I have worked hard to get to this point and I will continue to train hard with my team to make race day a success. You can be a part of this team as well by making a donation.

Each donation helps accelerate finding a cure for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Nearly 958,000 Americans are battling these blood cancers. I am hoping that my participation in Team In Training will help bring them hope and support.

I will also be keeping a blog to track the ups and the downs of my training experience. Please do follow me at runjburun@blogpsot.com. Feel free to leave comments as well!

On behalf of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, thank you very much for your support. I greatly appreciate your generosity.

Thank you,

Jamie Bushell

P.S. I would appreciate it if you would post and share this link with as many people as you can to encourage them to donate as well. Feel free to post the link above on your Facebook wall, Twitter account, or whatever other social media site you participate in!

"The essential thing in life is not so much conquering as fighting as well."

--Baron de Coubertin