In the beginning...

Most of my friends know me as a geek. All my life, I've been the chubby short kid wearing the thick plastic glasses who always did well in school. I've changed a lot since then, but one thing that remained constant was my lack of discipline to exercise. Fast forward a few decades and only now, as I approach my 40s, do I even begin to understand the importance of exercising on a regular basis. Back in October of last year, I just decided that I was going to start running. I wasn't completely out of shape, but at the same time, my body had experienced a lot of ups and downs after giving birth to three beautiful kids. I did all of my running on a treadmill since the weather in New York is horrible in the winter. I gradually got to the point where I could run 3 miles without feeling too much pain, but still I had some trouble staying focused and running a minimum of 3 times a week. So, I enlisted the help of running partners who would offer me words of encouragement or mockery, whichever one would motivate me. I also decided to sign up for a mini-duathlon, a race that involved running 3 miles, biking 12 and running another 3 miles. If I didn't train for it, I would never be able to finish, and I would never allow for that to happen.