My Name is De'Anna Nunez. I began running six months before I turned 40 years old. I was inspired by a family member that I considered a mentor at the time. She had taken up running to help her through a difficult period in her life and when I saw how happy and focused it seemed to make her, and well, I wanted to drink the kool aid.
I ran my first full 26.2 marathon three months after my 40th Birthday. I gave it to myself for a fabulous ‘I can rock it at 40’ birthday gift, and I’ve just kept going. Running soon became my favorite hobby and I started to see how following a training plan mirrored a plan for personal development. It felt amazing to break through mental limitations and adopt new beliefs about myself, as well as learning the art of following thru on a goal. Like Forest Gump, people started joining in and following the inspiration. So, I began training others on how to run their first Marathon too. I have now completed twenty eight full marathons and countless halves as well as a few UltraMarathons too.
Running marathons is much more than a physical feat. It is an opportunity to expand yourself and reach beyond any limitations that you might put on yourself. When I run marathons, I do it in a style that works for me. I don’t go for PR’s, I go for fun and achievement. I’ve learned there is more than one way to run a marathon and I prefer bouts of skipping, dancing and high fiving along the way. There is something pretty fantastic about all these people showing up to their lives with health and a yearning to thrive. Those are my kind of folks!
This go-round, I am really looking forward to running each step knowing I am supporting Esteban, my little four year old boy I have been paired with through Corazon de Vida. He will most likely spend his entire childhood in his orphanage home and it warms my heart to know I am helping to make it a safe and supportive place for him to grow up. He’ll be fed good meals, clothed and educated so that he can have a fighting chance at building a life for himself. I hope that he will have in his heart the same burning desire that I have to be a contributor in the world and give of his developed talents and abilities for the greater good.