Running Is Hard!

I ran on Monday night and let me tell you, running is hard! As I've stated before, I am NOT a runner. I took 2 weeks off from running due to my schedule and some other distractions, but I tried to get back into the grove and had a hard time. I did run 2 miles as planned, and even my time was decent at an 11'32 pace, considering that I included a hill in my route (I read that an 11 - 12 min / mile pace is good for a first time marathoner). Here's my Nike+ tracker:

I live near some hills so I sloooooooooowed way down when I tried to hit one. I ran the first mile on a flat, but as you can see by the chart, I struggled once I hit the hill. I had to walk a bit and that's what killed me. But I again sped up once I hit the down slope and flat, so I guess it wasn't that bad. If I don't run hills, I can keep a 10'30 pace.

I've read so much conflicting info, but one training tip that I liked is to walk 1 minute for every mile run. So you run a mile, walk a minute, until you don't have to walk. I've tried not to walk and have run 4 miles straight before slowing down. However, the hills are a different animal and I need more work.

Hey, I have until March to establish a good base so I'm not worried. I should be in good enough shape to tackle the 18-week schedule presented in the latest issue of Runner's World. If all goes according to plan, I'll start that in November. I should be able to run comfortably for 4 miles straight by then. I can run 4 miles now, but NOT comfortably! Last time I ran 4 straight and walked 1 at the beach, but I was hurting once I started to walk.