Please tell me why I signed up for the half marathon...

So today I ran the furthest distance I've ever run, 5 miles.  I know, it's not that far in the grand scheme of things, but it was far for me, and it wasn't easy either.  It was 30 degrees and a little snowy and I ran around my neighborhood, which is full of hills.  I could have taken the easy way out, and gone to the local park to run a flatter course, but decided that was cheating. So off I went.

Here were my mile times:
Mile 1 - 9:55
Mile 2 -10:11
Mile 3 -10:10
Mile 4 -10:21
Mile 5 -10:05
TOTAL - 50:42

Miles 2-4 were the hardest miles for me.  I wanted to quit so many times. Instead, I kept repeating a message that my friend Sarah had sent me earlier in the day...
"Ben (from Ben Does Life) ran a 10k at 300+lbs. You got this."
She and I have recently become obsessed with exercise and weight loss blogs. There are some truly inspiring people out there and reading their stories is such a motivator. It's amazing how much the human body can handle and how much a person can accomplish if they just push themselves.  Do you have a favorite weight loss/fitness blog?  Share with me!
Anyways, back to the run.  During miles 2-4, all I could think about was "how am I ever going to run a half marathon? I can barely run 5 miles without dying" I wonder if the day will ever come that running gets any easier.  I never want it to be "easy".  If it was easy, everyone would do it.  I want it to be a challenge. I just wish I had more of those good run days.  You know, the days where you feel like you can just run forever.  It's a glorious thing, but also few and far between.  And the worst part about it is the fact that you never know on a given day just what kind of run day you're going to have.  Will you have the type of run where everything fits just right?  The weather is spot on, your breathing is under control and your muscles do not tire easily.  Or will you have the dreaded run where your legs feel like bricks and each step takes more energy than you can hardly stand and you think about walking every few minutes. It's one of the most frustrating parts of running, but I guess also one of the most rewarding.  Those tough workouts make you appreciate those glorious runs so much more (also wise words from Sarah).
So my legs are tired now, but I did it. I ran 5 miles! If you had told me that a year ago I probably would have laughed at you.  I'm not a runner, I've never been a runner.  I've always been athletic, but running a mile was enough for me. So, although it was a struggle and it wasn't very fast, I did it! Only 8 more miles to go... oy!