An Ambitious Idea

I'm 41 years old. Female. Not an athlete.

Not an athlete, but certainly no stranger to exercise.  I work out daily and have done so for years.  I'm also an incredibly determined person.  If I commit to an idea, I rarely come short of executing it.

At 7:30 pm CST I get an email from an old friend from high school titled, "An Ambitious Idea for the 3 of Us."  It's addressed to me and another friend of ours from high school. 

She's proposing we do a marathon.  She's done a couple of 1/2 Ms and 10ks but never a marathon.  Our other friend has more running experience and did a few marathons in her younger years.  The sender lives in California.  I'm in Louisiana.  Our other friend is in North Carolina.  We could all train from afar and come together for the marathon. Wouldn't this be fun?

Absolutely!  Fun.  I envision the three of us smiling and laughing together at the finish line. Fit.  Trim.  Happy. 

I reply, "I'm in," knowing I probably couldn't run one mile right now without having to stop to breathe.

The event is February 2, 2014.  26 weeks from now.  Gulp.  I'm an idiot!

I immediate begin googling "marathon training schedule for absolute beginners."