Traci - Do or Die

3 miles? You've got to be kidding me! That's how my running "career" started. I signed up for a sprint triathlon. Then I realized I really do have to run 3 miles. So, I forced myself to run 1 mile on the treadmill. It was one of the hardest things I've done. That first mile killed me, and still does. I don't normally start warming up until about mile 3. Needless to say, I ran the 3 miles, and CAUGHT THE BUG! I didn't know what people meant when they said they had the "Runner's Bug". I honestly didn't believe them either. Who would run on purpose?

That brings me to where I am today. I have since ran several 5K's and a 1/2 Marathon. Now my crazy friends have peer pressured me (pretty easily) into running the Chicago Marathon. 2010. This year. In 16 short weeks. Tomorrow marks our first day of official training. And, I'm going to be out of town all weekend. Go figure! So, hopefully we can coordinate the rest of our long runs to be able to do it together. Because that is the main reason I can run. Sure, I can run 3 miles by myself. But that's about it. Why? Because it's boring and I have no motivation. But when I run with my girls we chat it up and before you know it, we're done. Running has become a great way for me to release stress and vent. I am forever grateful for that.

Now, I've heard that true runners don't run to lose weight. I guess I'm still not a true runner because by changing my diet, drinking a ton of water, running 3 days a week and cross training 2 days a week, by God, I better lose some weight. So, my starting weight is 139. Yesterday I was 138 but I'd like to thank the ice cream cone I had at lunch yesterday and the blizzard I had after dinner for the extra pound I start this adventure with.

Good luck girls, we can do this! It doesn't matter where we finish, as long as at the end we can honestly say we trained hard and did our best.