The air in New York City has definitely turned Fall like since the hurricane winds left.

The return of Fall also means that a few of my favorite things are back in season:

• All things Pumpkin (oats, beer, muffins, candles, etc)
• Tall boots, skinny jeans, and comfortable sweaters
• The return of our favorite television shows (Modern Family, Parent Hood, Grey’s Anatomy) and new ones who will get their shot
• Long runs every single Friday or Saturday morning, preceded by delicious pasta dinners

Last night, I welcomed my first 15 miler of marathon training with a delicious pasta dinner. Unlike last year, I tried to keep in mind that I’m carb loading for a long run, not 30 people’s long run. Therefore, I only enjoyed this bowl and not the multiple loaves of bread they sent with the delivery.

I woke up bright and early and made sure to prepare my fuel first so I could eat it before getting ready. I realized last week that I need to give my food time to digest before I start running in order to reap the benefits.

Three bathroom stops, one twitter post, and four work emails later I headed out the door around 6:45. One of the best perks of my new job is the fact that I’m allowed to work from home on Fridays. This means that if I so choose, I can do my long runs Friday morning. I promise that you will see Friday afternoon posts from me during marathon training where I’m responding to work emails from an ice bath or with my calves happily inside of Zensah sleeves. Two things that would never fly if I had to be in the office on Friday.

You’ll notice in the picture that I’m wearing an actual technical shirt versus a tank. When I checked The Weather Channel this morning it was 65 degrees and only supposed to reach 75 by 10am! You’ll also see that there is no Garmin on my wrist. I accidentally plugged my Garmin into the charger but forgot to plug the charger into the wall. Maybe this was just my mind’s way of telling me to focus on mileage not time today.

I ran with my phone in my hand for the first few miles since I was meeting up with people along the path. I wanted to let them know my approximate distance and pace so they would know when to expect me. The other benefit of having the phone in my hand was easy camera access. I couldn’t help but capture the beautiful morning views.

This morning’s picturesque route took me along the East River Path, down to the point of Manhattan and Battery Park City, and around to the West Side highway. I met Katherine and Melissa along West Side Highway about 7.5 miles into my run.

Running with these lovely ladies, and Theodora for a quick mile, was a complete treat!  We have very similar paces so I never felt like I was holding them back. We don’t know each other very well so there is always an easy topic to discuss which makes the miles fly by. I still haven’t mastered the art of talking while running but I did manage to talk for about 4 of our miles before we all chose to zone out to music.

This week was exactly what I needed to get my running mojo back. I had an awesome speed workout, a challenging hill workout, and a long run that was enjoyable and challenging.

Things to remember for next week:

• Do not send your Zensah sleeves to the wash and fold the night before a long run.
• Plug the Garmin into the charger AND the wall.
• Bring more fuel.
• End the run at Jamba Juice again!

I’m off to meet Bo for date night! It’s been a while since we went out for a date night and we have plenty to toast including our new jobs and a wonderful Summer!

What do you have to celebrate these days?