Should I Be Worried About My Health?

Practically every website I've visited about training for a half-marathon has made some mention of consulting a doctor before beginning any training program.  Good advice right? Will I be consulting a doctor? No way.  I recognize the risk of serious injury in attempting to go from couch potato to half-marathon runner.  The truth is I'm afraid of doctors.  I always expect them to give me bad news.  Maybe it's because of my family history, maybe it's paranoia, maybe it's my Charlie Brown style attitude, or maybe I shouldn't have watched ER for all those years.  Regardless, I'm not prepared for the doctor to tell me that my years of smoking have led to Emphysema or COPD.  I don't want the anxiety of waiting for a doctor to give me the results of a test or x-ray.  Maybe you are starting to see more of my motivation for trying to run this half-marathon.  My fears about my health and my reluctance to consult doctors has left me with a dilema and questions nobody is asking. Can I prove to myself that I'm healthy without going to a doctor? How many miles do I have to run to prove to my paranoid brain that I don't have Emphysema? Hopefully, the answer is 13.1 miles! 

I've tried to include a picture of my current training setup.  I hope you can see it (notice the wood paneling? I find it oddly comforting as I run).  Currently, I enjoy running on the treadmill because it's cold outside and I'm not quite prepared to look like Forrest Gump to the whole world.   Due to oddly shaped rooms in this house my treadmill is on the second floor, with the end lined right up with the wall and a window.  I want you to take a moment, take a look at the picture, and imagine me running on the treadmill, getting a cramp, and being launched into the wall or possibly out the window! Or, picture me running my heart out, when suddenly the floor collapses and I end up falling through the floor.  Very real possibilities for someone who is prone to have unexpected things happen to him!

I'd like to thank all of you that took the time to comment, email, call, etc. voicing your support (or doubts!).  I will need that sort of encouragement to get to my goal!  Soon, I'll post my progress to this point and the challenges I'm already facing!