[greeteachday]

Excellent! Good for you!

I was never a runner either, but got into it pretty heavily this year. I never thought I would - I'm working on part 2 of my life, lol. I have run 5 races since June and placed each time - it blows my mind. For me it's been all about realistic training - I had to build up aerobic fitness first then work on speed. I started out like you did with the walk run combo to build up endurance - run a lap, walk a lap and gradually built up the amount of time I was running consistantly until I could easily run 45 minutes at a time. I then started adding one long run day per week (on weekends usually), each week adding a half mile to a mile to my long run until I got at least to the furtheest distance I want to be able to compete at. I am primarily a 5K and 10 K racer - 13 miles is still a bit daunting to me and I still combine running and walking once I go beyond about 8-10 miles. (Lots of folks do this during marathon races too)

In order to build up speed, I work on neuromuscular training. I start with 10-15 minutes of warm up - gentle run, then do fartlek intervals - really fast for short spurts, then recovery at a slow jog, doing this at least 6-8 times in my short work out, then a gentle cool down run. Hill sprints are also excellent training and help add speed (start light and build up as your muscles develop, otherwise you can hurt yourself)

Most training programs recommend 4 or 6 days a week running with full rest at least one day and cross training on others (weight training, biking, pilates, etc.) if you prefer running just every other day. I run 6 days a week mostly because I have grown to love it and it makes me feel really good.

Some of the things I do that help me that do not involve running itself are:

1.) Challenge myself - to me it's all about trying to beat my personal best.
2.) Keep a running journal - I include the time I run, distance, speed and any observations (how hot out, how I felt mentally and physically, etc) I have one of those things that go in my shoe and connect with my MP3 (don't want to mention brands here, but you have probably seen them) and I'm hooked on having it track everything for me.
3.) Always do a brief gentle warm up then at least 5 minutes of stretching before a run, followed by cool down and 5-10 minutes of stretching after.
4.) Get out and try races - I set a goal for myself in each race, whether it is simply to complete the race or to beat my personal best time, whatever - just something to motivate myself.
5.) Make sure I have the right running shoes and replace every 300 miles or so. If you haven't had yourself professionally fitted at least once at a good running store, it's really worth it. There's nothing more painful than the effects of the wrong type of shoe.

Let us know how you are doing - I think that's really great that you have signed up. You may want to try some shorter distance races once you feel comfortable running for a bit, just to get a feel for how it feels to race and so you won't be super nervous come race day.