So I've been bitten by the prop bet bug. A good friend of mine and I made a bet to see whether I could train to run a 4:45 mile on or before December 31st this year.
A little background: I'm 21, 5 ft 6, and about 115 pounds. I've been mostly sedentary for the last year or so, except for a small amount (15-20 minutes) of running 2-3 times a week. Prior to that, I played pickup basketball once or twice a week and played soccer for fun every other day or so. I have no formal background in running (not part of a running club or team, don't have a coach, don't do much running outside of soccer, etc).
Some encouraging signs: I ran a 400 last week just to see what I'd been in for. I ran out of steam after about 325 m (went out too fast), but I still managed to barely dip under the 1 minute mark. A few days later, I ran the mile to see whether I could even run a 5:45 mile right now, and the answer turned out to be yes (got a 5:42).
I'm putting $100 on the line, because I think I may have a chance at this. It's obviously gonna take a lot of training, but I see this as win/win (win money/win at life).
Crazy? Encouragement and bulletin-board-style-hate motivation appreciated.