How it all started......

Six months back, I was kind of bored with my life and wanted to try out something different. Had been reading about blogs lately, about how people use blogs to put across their ideas, some make money and how some people have made a business out of it. So one fine evening, mentioned this to NB with the proposal that I'll create a blog and she can write something on it, idea in my mind being that since she wrote journals, maybe she liked writing and maybe she could write daily on my blog which would make me some money or plainly keep me occupied as I was venturing in the world of blogs.

The next day she stops by my house with the idea of how both of us would run a marathon and we could create a blog about it just to log our progress. ?? run?? a marathon?? Stopp! I was talking 'blog' the night before, not 'marathon'. I was twice reluctant - not a great idea for a blog and no way I wanted to run a marathon. NB thought it was a wonderful idea and she always wanted to run a marathon - it was her dream. Me, being the nice woman I am, told her that I'll create the blog for her and maintain it while she can run and log HER progress and ofcourse I didnt want to have anything to do with the marathon. Well, she insisted that it would be so much easier and fun if we could do it together. I began secretly thinking that maybe I could lose some of my pounds along the way if nothing else and so, being the nice woman I am....

I didnt know what I was getting myself into. One month into it I realised that its the other way around 'you dont lose weight while preparing for a marathon, but if you want to run a marathon, you have to lose weight'. So there I was with no incentive at all, my blog money making idea down the drain, and every part of my body hating me.

I am 5 feet 3 inches tall, recently (around 9 months back, 3 months before the start of the marathon preparation) gaining around 15 pounds to be around 180 pounds. This is the weightiest I have been in my life and I do not like it :(. I have never been skinny but overweight (yes, I know, I am obese now) all my life. I have never run in my whole life (I am 35) till 6 months ago

So there I was, running this half marathon yesterday, wondering what I was doing on those lonely roads, what I was going to get out of this, but mainly and surprisingly thinking about how I had to lose weight if I wanted to run the marathon in October. I announced this to NB too, I really want to lose weight before I run the marathon in October else it would be foolhardy. Now, the only reason I want to run the marathon is that if some years later I am depressed at any time, this will count against me (Oh! and you couldnt even run a marathon) - I wont remember at that time that I didnt WANT to run a marathon. Another small reason, atleast IMHO, is that it is much easier to run with somebody, so NB may need me at marathon time ;). Yesterday, during the half marathon, in the last couple of miles, I saw many single ppl just falling behind with nobody to push them on, and I was thinking - had NB not been with me, I would have taken my own sweet time...

In the ideal case, it would be wonderful if NB's husband volunteered to run the marathon with her and start training with her, so that I can back out with some excuse and not feel guilty for not running the marathon. But that is not to be, her husband says no - I have been proactive and discussed this with him today, but he is not interested :(
So, I dont know, I'll focus on losing weight, if running becomes easier, I'll continue else will quit with some excuse ;).