Excuses, Excuses

I am great at making excuses for myself. I have all manner of ways to get around studying as much as I could/should -- sleep, community, lack of relevance, etc. I make excuses for waiting until the last minute on major papers, resulting in writing 20+ pages in 72- hours more than a few times. I think I'm afraid that if I really do the best I possibly could, push myself harder than I ever have, I might find out what I'm really made of and not be pleased with the result.
The excuses are even more prevalent and preventative when it comes to what my body can do. I've had asthma since I was about 7 and that has been my excuse for all kinds of things from running, to skiing, to hiking. You name it, I've used asthma as an excuse for not doing it. I've also used lack of interest as an excuse. I don't particularly like sports or exercise, so why should I make myself do it? Of course not having the time or being too tired after work/school has also been a go-to excuse. And there was always that lurking suspicion that no matter what I tried it might not change anything about my body, my endurance, my appearance. Besides which, I'm a relatively confident person and am comfortable with my identity, so why does it matter what my BMI says.
It occurred to me a few months ago that I am 27, and the odds of me getting in better shape later in life are pretty slim. It's sort of now or never. So I stopped using time, motivation, enjoyment, even asthma as an excuse. Sure, there was still some fear that nothing would change, but if I didn't at least try that fear would become a guarantee.
Well friends, today I ran a 5K. That's 3.1 miles, which is .1 miles farther than I've ever run in my life, 3 miles more than I could have run less than a year ago, and at a pace of which I did not think myself capable. And did I mention it was pouring rain and only about 48 degrees? At the end I was cold and soaked and breathing a little heavy, but not wheezing or passing out. My body didn't give out on me, and if I'd needed to I probably could have gone farther (well, maybe not in the rain).
So no more excuses. I am stronger than I think I am, and healthier than I've ever been. It doesn't change how little stock I place in externals, but it still feels damn good.