BIKING HILLS.
LOL, nothing but hills around here. The good news is that what I trained for all this year was a climbing century, so I do love hills. Now I want to get faster at them.

For strength training, do all the research you can and focus your regime on targeting muscles that are weak or inflexible FOR YOU.
This is a really good reminder. I'm assuming goal #1 is knee support, but are there some books/materials out there for what to strength train for running? I do have access to a really good weight lifting consult guy...if I can tell him what I want to strengthen, he will find me the most efficient way.

the key is to start running really often, 3-4 times per week at least, for several months prior to the race....An advantage of running is that it is ridiculously time-efficient compared to the other sports....I tend to lose weight the best when I'm running.
I used to LOVE running in college. Only quit because of the knee. I also want the gravity-based exercise for my bones over the long haul, and yes, I do want to run a triathlon someday, but I know that I might have to wait on that. I also love the simplicity of running. No machine, no wet swimsuits, etc.

Thank you so much for your reply. All the different perspectives and advice really help me.