LINDA MIHALEC
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WHAT WAS YOUR CAREER BEFORE FIGHTING? DO YOU STILL MAINTAIN THAT JOB?

I am a Senior Scientist with KD Analytical I have been with them for 10 years and I am still with them. I work with the National Guard CST/WMD Teams who have detection equipment for chemical, biological etc. attacks. We help them with maintenance of their equipment, training and anything else they may need. It’s a fun job and they are super supportive of my new second career.

WHEN AND WHY DID YOU START IN MMA?

I originally started as a marathon runner and triathlete and I was looking for a different type of cross training. My husband was interested in boxing so I figured I would join him, however a boxing gym in our area at the time was very hard to find so we came across an MMA gym. I immediately fell in love with Jiu Jitsu, and I was going to class regularly about 3 times a week my interest quickly grew, and I started a Muay Thai class as well. I really enjoy the way Jiu Jitsu not only physically pushes me but mentally as well. There is so much to learn and competing seemed like the logical next step, I started getting into Jiu Jitsu competitions and enjoying pushing myself mentally and physically in a much different way than running can. After a competition you have so much information to come back and work with. After about a year and a half of Jiu Jitsu competitions I took it to the next step again with an MMA fight. I have been absolutely loving the sport ever since. My biggest regret is only that I did not find this when I was a little younger.

DO YOU HAVE ANY HEROES?
I don’t have what I would call a hero, however being a runner at heart someone who really inspires me is Steve Prefontaine. I really love someone who leads from the front, who is willing to put everything out on the line and really grind down and push for success. I also really love and appreciate someone who puts everything out there and goes for it maybe they get caught but no one can deny that maximum effort was put into it from the very beginning. After I finished the 2013 Boston Marathon my husband and I found a picture of Pre in the window of the Nike store as we were walking up to Boylston St and we took just a couple of minutes to snap that picture that I still use as a facebook profile (I think it’s lucky). It distracted us just long enough to be off Boylston St when the bombs went off. My favorite Pre quote is “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift”.