Ready. Set. Go!

Law school? Done it.

Bar Exam? Check.

Marriage? Own it.

Husband overcoming life threatening brain injury? So 2009.

Employment? We'll get back to that one.

Finally losing the baby fat (o.k. the adult fat)? Ancient history.

Move across the country? Did it in my sleep.

So what's a girl who has tried everything supposed to do next? My answer to that question was to sign up and train for the 2010 NYC Triathlon. This olympic distance event will have me swimming in the Hudson, biking up the Riverside Parkway, and running through Central Park July 18.

I've always had a competitive spirit (when fellow yogis are chanting "om" in class, I am quietly muttering "I win"), but was nervous about entering an endurance event having spent the better part of three decades watching the Golden Girls and eating Mexi-Melts. However, after spending the last two years working out with the best trainers any Grace looking for a Will could ask for, I knew that I was physically up for the challenge. I could run just as fast and just as hard as those long legged gazelles. And even if I couldn't, I was smart enough to put a leg out and trip them . . .

This recognition of my newfound (and hard earned) strength and athleticism made me incredibly grateful for what my body could do for me. Along with this appreciation came the realization that there were many people out there whose bodies were incapable of such feats due to disability and illness. This hit home in the Spring of 2008 when I lost my aunt to cancer. I remember thinking as I ran on the treadmill one afternoon, "What wouldn't she give to be able to move like this? To be healthy like this?" And I ran faster. Seven months ago as my husband remained confined in the ICU fighting a ruptured brain aneurysm, I took a break to run laps around the park across from the hospital to clear my head. I began to think how unfair it was that my legs could carry me anywhere, and he could not even sit up in a chair. And I ran harder. This is why I chose to compete in the triathlon for the American Cancer Society. I would be strong for all those others who could not. I would be their legs and arms (as long as they don't mind short arms).

This blog will be a chronicle of my experiences as I train for the event. It will be a venue for me to share everything from incredible workouts to bike shorts that make me look like a member of the Lollipop Guild. You can also use this site to donate to the American Cancer Society in support of my endeavor (just click the link to the below).

Welcome to my world of lunges, dolphin kicks, and the occasional middle finger salute!

CLICK HERE TO DONATE