And so it begins

Tomorrow officially begins the 13-week countdown to the Chicago Marathon--my first 26.2 miles in a row. October 9, baby!

I'm kicking it off with a 10-mile run in the morning. It'll be the longest distance I've run since the half-marathon in San Francisco last October. But I think I'm ready.

I've been running about 30 miles a week for the past few months and I've been working out with a trainer twice a week since May. She is tough as nails and I love her. When I ask her to kick my ass, she never hesitates to oblige me.

I'm following Budd Coates's "Silver" marathon schedule. It starts out with a 28-mile week and progresses to 40 miles a week, including one endurance run, one pace workout, one stride workout and two easy 3-milers per week.

As for nutrition, I am roughly following a Zone/glycemic index/40-30-30 diet, eating 5 times a day. So far so good. When left to my own devices I tend to carbo-load and the result is anything but pleasant. This is working much better.

I'm training for the marathon for several reasons:

I love to run. I cannot believe I've gotten to a point where I can honestly put that in print, but it's true. I've reached a level of fitness where running is actually enjoyable. Check back with me after my 10 miles tomorrow, though.

I love a challenge. God help me. This has been the bane of my love life, but now I think I can make it work for me in a positive way.

I want to push myself as far as I can. The marathon will do that. And not just the marathon, but the process of preparing for the race over the course of three months. I'd like to take my BMI from 27 to 22, drop 20-30 pounds, and reduce my 30 percent body fat to a number much closer to 20.

Now is the time. On my 10-year anniversary of having kicked cancer, I'm ready to take it to the next level. This is a way to celebrate another day, another year of living in all its glory and all its pain. I'm in the process of reclaiming my childhood, my life, my artistry, my essence, my power, my body. The process has been a long one--perhaps a neverending one. But as I move deeper into survivordom, beyond a 5-year relationship that pulled me away from myself, and toward the end of my 20s, I want to mark the occasion with something big.

This is it.