How It Started/I Can Run 2 Miles? Take a Hike!

So last week, I'm talking to my lovely boyfriend (heretofore referred to as Bf), who is himself a marathon runner, and somehow, I also decide to run a marathon. I'm not sure how it happened, but all of a sudden I was googling training programs, and entrance fees, and shoes, and there I was, down the running rabbit hole. One small problem:

I'M AN ASTHMATIC SOCIAL SMOKER WHO HAD BARELY RUN A DAY IN MY LIFE.
(And that counts high school gym, which I usually used my asthma to avoid)

Now that's out of the way...

I decided to take it down a notch. Maybe just the half marathon for now, see how that goes, and try for the big kahuna later on. Before I could change my mind, I registered for the Staten Island Half Marathon in October, and signed up with a virtual training plan through NYRR.

But the training plan starts with a 3 mile run! I can't run 3 miles! I can't run 3 meters! Can I?

There was only one way to find out. On Saturday, I laced up my pathetic excuse for athletic shoes, put on some 5 dollar Sofee shorts, and hopped the train to Central Park. I downloaded the Nike+Running app (highly recommended), put on some jams, and started running...slowly. Just as I was getting tired, the little Nike voice told me I had completed one mile. One mile! I decided I could survive running back the way I came. It was rough, but when the voice said 2 miles, I almost died of happiness. If I could run 2, I could run 3. And if I could run 3, I could run 4, and so on until 13.1 (and eventually 26.2)!  It's not gonna be easy, but here we go! I'm hitting the ground running (there's the pun)!