Question for fitness people in Diary

So I was kind of co-erced into entering a team relay race at work. We were told the total distance is a half marathon and we each run about three miles each. They were desperate for people to take part as they need a certain amount of people per team so I said I would do it, just so the team didn’t have to drop out. I did warn them that I’ve had no time for training with still sorting out the house etc. but I would do my best. Fine, they said.

I haven’t done any exercise at all for at least a couple of months and I’ve never run more than 5k before.

I had a proper look at the website today and there’s no mention of a relay anywhere. What it says is, they take the best four times from each team and add them up to work out which team wins.

So…all of us have to run the entire half marathon. Errmm…

Everyone is crapping themselves now as no-one has been training for a half marathon. Everyone’s just been really chilled and doing their regular exercise of 5k, 10k etc. I’ve done NOTHING. The race is next weekend, 15th October. Everyone has said they will still enter, just for fun, to see how we get on. If any of us drop out, the whole team has to drop out as there won’t be enough people.

Guys, my exercisey type friends, what are the chances of me dying? I can walk and walk for hours and miles and climb mountains and never get tired. But running, I am exceptionally rubbish at. Should I still enter, and just do it really slowly? Or do you think we should pull out the whole team?

If I do do it, what sort of last minute preparation should I be doing, in the week before and then the day before and on the day itself? What exercise should I do and what should I eat etc? I don’t even know where my running shoes are, they’re lost somewhere in the mountain of boxes from the move. ARGH!