A Goal for the Month of February

Every year at the sports centre--during the week leading up to Valentine's Day--they host the "Sweatheart Challenge." It's basically this: run, walk, bike, swim, row, or whatever the verb is for the elliptical trainer*, a marathon (26.2 miles) in a week and win a prize. I'm pretty sure it's just a t-shirt, but still, this year I really want to try it. My first and second year of college I wasn't all that into the whole "physical fitness" thing, but for the past 9 months or so I've been working really hard at getting into better shape.

*but no more than 5 miles per machine

So from the 8th to the 14th of February I have to rack up 26.2 miles, which is nearly double the amount I usually go in a week. And the more I think about it the more I lose faith in my ability to do it. Twenty-six-point-two miles. Am I kidding myself?

In a way, I feel like I need to prove to myself that I can do this. I was never an athlete in high school or anything, and think most of the time I psyched myself into thinking I couldn't run as fast or jump as high (whatever the hell athletes do) as the other kids so I didn't even push myself to try.

Last night I mapped out my daily distance goals for this week, so that 26.2 doesn't seem as daunting:

5 miles on Monday
4 miles on Tuesday
5 miles on Wednesday
4 miles on Thursday
(Friday is my birthday and I will be at home)
5 miles on Saturday
3.2 miles on Sunday (which will seem like nothing after the past few days!)


I think if I do this, I'll be winning more than a t-shirt. But it's already after 10:00, and I'm wasting time. Wish me luck!