12 weeks to go.

Last week I started my half marathon training. Yikes. If you remember, back in May I signed up for the Rock n Roll Half in Las Vegas, which is the first weekend of December. I have had some setbacks since I signed up but last week on Monday I started my training plan. And for the most part, I've stuck to it.

With just 12 weeks (or maybe 11 and 6 days) to go until my half (my very first half, since I ended up being unable to run the one I signed up for in July), there are a few things I need to remember. If you have advice for me that I might not have thought of, leave me a note - I am a bit nervous and would appreciate hearing your experiences.

Remember:

• Sleeping is just as important as training. When you can't get enough sleep (especially on a regular basis), you aren't going to do yourself any good on the treadmill, on a trail, in your job or just in a normal day. Don't feel bad about sleeping when you need to.
• Your training plan will work if you follow a particular schedule. I actually coach on a youth swim team, and am at the pool every Tuesday and Thursday night after I leave my day job. This means I either run in the morning, or I run at 8:30 at night. Which do you think I prefer? (This is a trick question: the answer is really neither. But running the morning is easier than at night in this case!)
• Not to eat everything in sight. This is particularly important on swim days. How can swimming possibly make anyone so hungry?!
• Running fast is not always the most important thing. If I wanted to run fast, I would stick to 5ks. I have never run a half before, like I said, and right now I need to remember that I am running for endurance, not for speed. It is OK to run "slow" - really it just means you're slower than other people.
• The altitude around my neighborhood is 6,500 feet. The altitude in Las Vegas is 2,000 feet. That's a noticeable difference. It's gonna be fine. 
• No matter what happens, it's gonna be fine. Have fun!

Remember that one time I ran a 10k?

I was reading the notes on Hal Higdon's half marathon training plan (which is what mine is based off of, although not exactly) and I like that he says you don't have to run exactly the distance on the plan. Even though most of my running is done on a treadmill right now - hey, it's real dark and scary at 5 a.m. - it's nice to know if I can't do the last .1 mile or want to run .5 more, I could. I know, I don't have to run exactly 3.5 miles just because my training plan says, but I'm still kind of trying to figure this out.

I'm still a work in progress with this running thing, but that's OK. Maybe someday I'll progress to a marathon, since it's something I still would really like to do. Maybe someday I'll bust out my bike and do a triathlon. Maybe someday I'll stop worrying about what other people think when they see me running, and just run because I like it.

And for once in my life, I can actually do it.