The following is a weekly series on my quest to complete the Standard Chartered Marathon in October 2009.

WEEK 1: July 30, 2009: 87 Days to go

Resolution number 3: “To run and finish the Standard Chartered Marathon this year. That statement is an entry I made into my journal on January 2nd this year, when I was compiling my New Years’ resolutions. I know it sound lame that I still put down resolutions at the start of every year, but I am proud to say that this time I hope I will keep resolution number 3…”

It’s July 30th, 2009 and I have exactly 87 days to the marathon on Sunday October 25th. Between now and then I am faced with the following hurdles:

1.      A very unfit body that has not seen anything close to a gym in the last 6 months

2.      My sister’s wedding where I am sure I will over indulge in pilau, nyama choma and wine – August 8th

3.      My grandmother’s 100th birthday party- see number 2 above- October 17the

4.      An upcoming shopping trip to the Johannesburg Shopping Festival with my DIVAs from Standard Chartered – September 18-23rd.

In light of this, I make my way to the Stanley Health Club where I have been a member since January, but have only ventured into once or twice! I meet Nina at the reception and she welcomes me warmly, despite my look of shame. I explain to Nina my goal to run and finish the marathon and she recommends a fitness assessment. An assessment of what I ask? I am overweight and unfit, no need to assess me! She stands firm and insists on the assessment, after I complete a questionnaire about my health. “Do you have high blood pressure, ever been hospitalised, do you smoke…?” Turns out I am OK, health-wise!
 
We then go off for my assessment which involves Nina taking my weight (My God! Where did those extra kilos come from?), and my measurements- bust, waist, hips, arms. She then uses a device to measure my body fat, by basically pinching me in the areas where fat is normally stored, like my stomach tyres, my back, and my thighs. Next comes the fitness test, where she counts how many press ups and sit ups I can do in 60 seconds (not very many) and then she tests my flexibility by having me sit down with my legs straight in front of me and measuring how far I can reach forward with my arms, without bending my knees.
 
We are all done, and Nina asks me to come back the next day, wnhen she will have compiled my results, so that she can recommend a training program for me.

Next week: My fitness assessment results, and my training program revealed.

The writer is a 30-something year old Kenyan, who is passionate about most things online… but not Facebook! She is currently employed by the Capital Group Ltd and resides in Nairobi with her two children aged 10 and 2 yrs.

Editor’s Note: Are you training for a big event, marathon or race? Share your experience on what it takes to run a 10K, 21K or a full marathon. Post your comments below.