I finally got the courage to take the plunge and sign up for my first marathon.  It will be the Albany/Snickers Marathon in Albany, Georgia.  I chose this one because I heard it was nice and flat, not too far away, and far enough in the future to ensure adequate training time.

So, I now have 12 weeks to get myself ready.  All the sudden that doesn't seem like very much time.  The longest I have run is 20 miles.  This should make me feel more confident.  However, I recently suffered a set-back with my knee.  Specifically, I have developed what is commonly known as "runners' knee."  The week of Thanksgiving it got so bad that I decided to have it looked at by an orthopedist the next week just to make sure it wasn't something more serious.

Now I am going to physical therapy and trying to run/walk through the freezing mornings to keep up my mileage.  I feel sure the therapy will help a lot, but it's hard to face the fact that it's going to take time and patience, both of which are in short supply.

I figure that blogging about my runs will help me stay encouraged, focused, and honest with myself as to what I think I can accomplish.  So far this week I have logged 29 miles, but 40% of them have been walking miles.  I wish each day to be pain-free in my knee and am working to get there.

The only other thing that concerns me is how I will handle the extreme cold.  I'm just not much of a treadmill runner, especially when there are many miles to run in one session.  I also have no choice but to run in the early morning in the dark because I am a homeschooling mom.  Hopefully, as my walking miles turn into running miles, the cold will not be as problematic.  I do think I have the determination not to let this stop me from training.

Time will tell the full story though!