Months and months ago, I got an email from PW's general manager asking if anyone would like to participate in the Dash for Democracy sponsored by Philadelphia's Committee of Seventy. The Dash is 5K, or 3 miles, which for most people would be a breeze. But with my asthma, long history of smoking and constitutional allergy to exercise, I've never been able to run for more than a block without getting winded. The idea of doing three miles was as foreign to me as running the Boston Marathon.

Still, I decided to sign up. The Dash is an opmportunity to highlight the issue that means the most to you politically. People will wear costumes signifying their agenda. I'm going to try to find a nurse's hat to reflect my commitment to healthcare.

I bought running shoes, and I've been training using the Couch-to-5K Running Plan from CoolRunning.com, and the other day, for the first time, I ran three miles. I was so excited, I said "Yes!" and threw my hands into the air. The people at the gym on the other treadmills were somewhat disconcerted. I had to walk for about three minutes in between running, and that's not going to cut it for this race. You have to run a 15-minute mile, which again, I know seems like no big deal, but would be a huge accomplishment for me.

I just realized the race is this weekend, and I'm horrified. I'm not ready! I know I'm going to come in last, and I have to be okay with that. I know I might not finish in time, and I have to be okay with that too. Vince will be on the sidelines with my inhaler just in case.

For a person struggling with chronic illness, this kind of challenge is much more overwhelming than for the normals out there. I've been kind of intermittently depressed these days, but I don't want to increase the Effexor. I guess I just have to be okay with not doing well at the race. That's going to be hard.

My inspiration has come, in large part, from journalist Sarah Watson, ex-PW intern who just finished a triathlon despite some physical challenges that triathletes don't usually grapple with. Read her amazing story at Fat Girl on a Bike. If she can do it, I can too. Mine's only a 5K, after all.

I wonder if I'll sleep at all between now and Saturday.

[This photo (copyright Liz Spikol) is of the kind of footwear I tend to favor. Not exactly the shoe choice of 5K champions.)