172.8

That is the number my scale said this morning. I'm not too disturbed by the fact that this is almost eight pounds more than when we left Tucson for several reasons: 1) this is a new scale; 2) I have been more mobile over the past month and am starting to gain back muscle that I lost on bed rest; and 3) my clothes are fitting better so I'm clearly getting smaller. Even so, this number is bigger than I would like it to be. 


I was inspired by my friend Erik who just competed in the Chicago Marathon. I have always wanted to run a marathon, but have never really had the time to train for one. I feel like now is that time. To be honest with myself, the chances of me actually completing 26.2 miles are very low because of my wacky hips. But I am going to operate under the assumption that they will hold up if I take care of them and don't push too hard too fast. 


I am pretty good at making grandiose plans and then not following through with them. I also find public shame a very strong motivator. Therefore, I am publicly announcing my intentions to train for the 2011 Chicago Marathon and to lose 20 pounds in the process. On Mondays I will post about the previous weeks workouts as well as my average weight for the week. This is mostly for my own record keeping, but also motivation to keep going. 


From now until it is too cold to run outside (or the snow is too deep) I am going to work on rebuilding my endurance. Over the winter I will focus on speed and strength. Then spring training! I have been a big fan of Hal Higdon's training programs in the past, so I think I'll go with him again starting in April. 


So it's official now. Let the sweating begin!