It’s Friday night.

While many people are out sipping cocktails and toasting to the end of a stressful week I am in my normal spot. July through October I am home on the couch most Friday nights in preparation for Saturday morning.

Some people can do it all and go out the night before and still rock out a long run but I am not one of those people. In all honesty I think I’ve come to enjoy the relaxation. I look forward to walking through the door, lighting a few scented candles, changing into pajamas and compression sleeves, and relax on the couch for a few hours reading or watching television. Sometimes Bo is with me and other nights, like tonight, he’s finishing up at the office until closer to 9pm.

Now that the marathon is officially 7 weeks away, this is the perfect time to do any last minute experimenting. There are five long runs between me and the taper.

18 miles

16 miles (in Vermont)

22 miles (part of NY Flyers 3 Bridges Training Run)

12 miles

10 miles

There is definitely a bit of flexibility left in the schedule for Gia to alter as she feels needed depending on how these next 3 runs go. I love that I have the option to squeeze in one last 16-20 miler in case I want it or feel I need it before the marathon.

After last week’s reflection I decided to give a few things a try during this week’s long run:

• Breakfast: I really need to eat breakfast 45 minutes to an hour before I start. I did this in Vermont and in Seattle and felt a significant difference. Since the weather has cooled a bit I’ll just start a bit later than normal.
• Fuel: After reading through a few old blog posts I realize that some of my most successful long runs have been fueled by GU. While I’m not a huge fan, I’m going to give it a try tomorrow. In addition, after doing some reading and talking to a few folks this week I’m going to try taking 1/2 a Gu ever 45 minutes to keep my body fueled.
• Compression: I’ve had my eye on a pair of CW-X shorts or pants for a while and finally bit the bullet today on a pair of long shorts. These are long enough that they’ll massage my muscles and keep the blood flowing but short enough that I won’t be too warm and I can still wear my calf sleeves. I wore CW-X for my first marathon and really loved them.

In honor of tomorrow’s run, I thought I’d reach out to a few of my Twitter friends to see what their tips and tricks are for solo long runs. Here are their tips and tricks:

-Audiobooks @runningbun

-Podcasts @rskamel

-Daydreaming @abby_nyc

-Taking time to snap a unique picture to remember @mburton0214

-Good music @yurteaga @Rxbethontherun @kas459

-New route @healthyhappier (ME!)

What are your favorite ways to pass the time and stay sane during a long solo run?