get your motor RUNNING.....

One of the things on my "bucket list" is to run a half marathon. But I really never knew how to start or which one to do etc... I had two friends who ran one in November and so I started talking to them about my desire to want to run one and after a few conversations I got an email that said... here is the one we are doing, here is your training program, get busy running, you can do it, we are excited! So I have done all those things! We are running The Talladega Half Marathon on April 3rd. They picked this one because the course is fairly flat! :) I am good with that! We are using the Hal Higdon training program... which thankfully it is very easy to follow. He tells you what to run and I just go by his schedule and run what he says each day! I am about to start week 3 tomorrow. I missed week 1 but week 1 and week 2 are the same thing so I just started running on week 2. I started last Sunday and ran 3 miles... i was actually shocked I could run the majority of it. I will say I have not really ran since I ran the Race for the Cure 5K in Oct 2009... so I am basically starting over and a 5K and a half marathon are two totally different things! :) I had a sweet friend let me borrow her "running watch" so I can track my mileage, time, etc so I can just go out and run and I don't have to do all my running on a treadmill or a track. That has been really helpful! I "enjoy" running and really it is my preferred choice of exercise... if there is such a thing and I ran cross country in school and was actually running when Richard and I met so I am not brand new to it but it sure has been a LONG while since I ran on a daily basis for a considerable amount of time. It has not been a cake walk and I will say I am ready for my shins to stop feeling bruised, my calves to not feel like someone is sticking hot pokers in them, and breathing would be nice too. I look forward to easy run and rest days! :) Today I was suppose to run 4 miles but some reason about mile 3 my right leg went to sleep from the knee down and I could not get it to wake up... i really wanted to push through it but I keep feeling like I was going to fall because I could not feel my foot so I decided it wasn't worth it. Today was also the first day I ran with my "running watch"... so I ran 3.2 miles in 45 minutes i know that is not great considering a 10 minutes mile is the overall goal but i am making progress. I really can't wrap my mind around THIRTEEN. POINT. ONE MILES!!!!!! but I have decided I am just not going to think about that... one mile at a time... and if I am the last one to finish and if i am crawling on my hands and knees so be it... at least I finished! :) I will keep you updated on my progress and if you are a runner and have any advice or suggestions please share them with me... i am all ears! :) (Even if it is your favorite song to run too)