Starting Hal Higdon's Novice Marathon Training plan to run Las Vegas Half Marathon in November

Started the program I listed above yesterday with a 10.38 miles bike ride with Lowry Hill once.  Felt good to ride again.  In the schedule you have one cross training day and yesterday was mine.  You have 4 day of mileage build up and one long run during the week with one rest day.  I need to use some flexibility in how I get the weeks training done, but I will get in all of the workouts on the schedule.  I am thinking very seriously about signing up for the Las Vegas Half.  The registration fee is $180.00 which is ridicules for a running event.  If I spend that much money I will need to make a major commitment with my eating, weight loss, getting in the training and keeping my asthma and arthritis under control.  So am I capable of this amount of training because if I sign up and don't do the run I will never hear the end of it from Carolyn and rightfully so.  Will making this commitment be the answer I have been looking for or am I setting myself up for failure.  I don't think Brandon has signed up yet so I might have a few weeks to see how my body will tolerate the training load need to complete a half.  My main goal for the year was to lose 4 pounds a month in 2013.  Up until a month ago I was right on track and down to 215.  One month of slacking and eating everything in sight I went right back to 227.8.  Yesterday I was 225.2 which makes a 18.0 pound loss for the year.  I should have lost 24 pounds so for this year.  I will be close to being back on track by the end of the month.   Another adventure, I hope this one sticks

Start of the year:  243.2
Weight as of 7/15/13:  225.2
Lost so far this year:  18.0
Goal weight loss should be:  24.0
Cycled yesterday for 10.38 miles for a years total of:  21.9
Ran so far this year:  98.21