Zombie-ville south central

I live about eight miles or so, depending on the location, from where the show The Walking Dead films.

If you're not familiar, real quick: zombie apocalypse set just south of Atlanta, fairly grim and gory, with characters that are characters. It's based on a series of even grimmer graphic novels, many of which have won awards.

The thing is this...people are coming to the area now to see Walking Dead stuff - the towns and landmarks, mostly - and some places, being in dire economic need, are catering to this zombie-tourism with tours and things. Actually, this is quite cool. My issue is this...I live here and my family five generations (no, really), so is it okay to do Walking Dead tours? I mean, go on them for fun? Or is that weird?

The weather is starting to get nice. It would be something entertaining to do...but then again, it's almost like rubbernecking an accident where you might know the victim. You know?

I just saw an article about the tours...

Zombie run!

Next month, a local school is sponsoring a zombie-vs-people fun-run event where participants can sign up to be one or the other. How far they're going with the theme, I cannot say...yet.

The run is 3K (1.86 miles) in duration. Or rather, farther than I have run at once in my adult life. Walking, I can do between a fourteen and fifteen minute mile. I can knock out six miles pretty handily. I'm not much on running, though. I'm out of shape. It makes my chest hurt.

But I really want to do this. I could always be a zombie - no pressure, right? - but I would much rather be a live runner.

I have exactly thirty-four days to prepare. Could I train myself to go from here to there in that time? I can run about an eighth of a mile without stopping to walk. Jogging is...harder. Like a lot things in life for me, this seems to be an all or nothing deal.

Even if I do badly, I would still get a T-shirt...which I almost certainly would photograph and post here to share.

I'm even off work that day. No schedule to wrangle.