My name is Brian Pienta and I am a new contributor to the AG site.  I am really excited to be a part of this.  Who am I and why am I writing on this site?  I am not the best in the world at a particular sport.  I play sports, but I am definitely far from professional in any of them.  I am a 22 year-old cancer survivor living in Chicago and am trying to run the Chicago Marathon while doing some fundraising for an organization call Imerman Angels.  Here is a quick background…
When I was 19, I noticed a little lump in my left thigh after a ski trip to Breckenridge, CO.  I had it checked out and was told I had nothing to worry about.  Six months later, in June 2006, I looked down and the bump on my thigh had gotten bigger…  a lot bigger.
On July 7, 2006, I got a biopsy and was told that I had cancer.  I was diagnosed with a liposarcoma.  Luckily, it was low-grade and my treatment consisted of surgery to remove half of my left thigh, followed up with 35 rounds of radiation.  I started my junior year of college walking with a cane.  My radiation was done in October and I was declared in remission.
I bought a bike and started fundraising for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and that became my recovery.  By August, I had completed my first LiveStrong Challenge and completed the 100-mile ride.  The next summer I trained and ran in the Chicago Marathon for Imerman Angels, an organization mentioned in earlier AG postings.
This year, I am training again for the Chicago Marathon in October with Imerman Angels, and wanted to share my story of training and fundraising as a survivor.  Last years marathon was a challenge, my left thigh locked up after mile 18 and the rest of the marathon was pretty slow.  This year, I am not going to slow down, and I will finish stronger than I start.  I am PUMPED to be writing here.

Brian