Yes, You Can.

But in this case, you probably shouldn't.  (Unless you are a little bit more ready than I was.)  You can do nearly anything you set your mind to, and this past weekend, despite not having run probably even one time all winter, and also despite never having run longer than about 3.5 miles ever, I ran in a 5 mile race.  And hardly walked at all.  And finished.  And didn't die.  And liked it.  A lot.

But I paid like hell for it later.  Running 5 miles is no joke.  It's longer than I've ever run before, a distance that's longer enough than 5K (which is 3.2 miles) to sound more daunting.  But I had to do it, for a number of reasons.  One, I intended to run in a marathon this spring, which I decided on and registered for before well before we decided to sell our house and move, which caused me to basically abandon doing anything healthy for myself all winter.  Even when I knew I didn't have enough time left to train for the marathon, I cut it down to the 10 mile option, but then we were in the midst of the move and I still didn't run.  This would at least give me a chance to kick my own ass into gear and recapture the fitness bug.  The second reason I couldn't help myself?  It was right in our neighborhood!  The start/finish was a short, easy walk from my house, and the #3 mile marker was practically in front of my house.  Luckily I didn't choose to bail at that point and stop, but it certainly was an option.

Repercussions of my quasi-success?  One, I could barely walk for the next two days.  Two, I finally got sick of being in the "back of the pack".  This is by no means the first time I've entered a fitness event from a position of being undertrained, and I have a history of BOP finishes.  It finally got to me this time, I'm finally over it.  I'm desperate now to find a way to return to some kind of a regular workout regime, and to be much better prepared for my next events.  Because since I sure do love 'em, I might as well do better!