Hi Hawjohn,
Have you tried repairing Word (Help|Detect & Repair)?
I'd suggest running Task Manager's Process Monitor while starting Word to see if there is some other process that's taking up a lot of CPU time while Word starts.
Also, if you've installed/updated any addins lately, they might be contributing to the delay, as might your virus scanner.
If the problem persists, try the approaches suggested here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/921541
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/AppErrors/...artingWord.htm and
http://lounge.windowssecrets.com/ind...owtopic=197827
for various series of troubleshooting steps that will help you track down (and hopefully solve) the problem.