We have a new development on the I’m running a half marathon idea: I’m going to run a 5k to prepare for the half marathon.

The Reindeer Run is exactly eight weeks away (December 5th). That’s the perfect amount of time to train for it… and the perfect start to my running adventure. And, because I’m going to Florida the first week of December, I will get to do my final (and longest runs) in the warm sunshine! Then I fly back on Friday… and run the 5k on Saturday. :o)

I did some research and discovered that there’s a handy little chart to make running a  5k easy. The chart was easy to find through a Google search.  It seems easy enough, run, cross train, run, rest, run, easy workout, rest, repeat. Heather says it’s realistic. She copied the schedule and will check in with me, so now I have to follow it!!

I was curious how runners knew how far certain trails were. Turns out there’s a website, MapMyRun.com that helps you track it out. I know exactly how far I have to run now. Nifty, eh? You’ll have to sort through some pop up ads, but hey, it’s free.

My first run is tomorrow morning. I’m going to have to bundle up, because it’s going to be chilly. I’ve plotted my route, I’m sort of excited. Now all I have to do is charge my iPod and find my headphones…

ps - you should check out Heather’s blog. She wrote a really sweet article about my decision to run.