Operation 5 to 10

My "training" for the half marathon has begun in earnest. I have my long runs scheduled out, taking into account a few weekends I will be out of town. The plan is to do a couple of short runs during the week and a long run on the weekend from now until March 7th, slowing building up the long run to 12 miles. I figure if I can do 12, I can do 13.1!

And what is my "worry" for this race? My concern is all about the 16 minutes per mile requirement. If you can't meet the requirement, my understanding is you can be swept from the course which means no finisher medal!! My first half I came in at over 17 minutes per mile, but that was walking only and 5 years ago (the beginning stages of my racing career). Lately I've been fairly consistent at around a 14 minute per mile pace (14.22 for the Tower of Terror 13K and 13.45 for the 12Ks of Christmas). The question is, can I keep up the 14 minutes per mile for the whole race and not get swept?

I was reading an article about running and one way to shave time is to lose 5 lbs. Okay then, it is (almost) the beginning of the year, perfect time to try and lose 5 lbs. But we'll say 5 to 10 lbs to add some leeway for the Christmas cookies and other goodies that I have consumed over the past week. So, starting January 1st (because what better time to try and lose weight?) I will be attempting to lose 5 to 10 lbs by March 7th.

Why am I posting this for the world to read? Well, mainly to keep me honest. And to, nope that is it - to keep me honest. Watch this space for updates.