If I could run the marathon next Sunday I’d be a really happy girl. After today’s 20 miler I have the confidence and training that makes me so excited for November 4th. The past 24 hours have been pretty perfect!
Yesterday I had my first client meeting in my new role and it just reaffirmed how excited I am for the challenge. Sure it’s not going to be all roses but it’s going to be challenging and e-commerce amazes me. It is so interesting and changing so quickly! I had the chance to rock my new JCrew School Boy blazer which I bought during their 25% off sale!
After work I headed to Eataly to pick up the ingredients for our pre-long run dinner, linguini with clams. An evening cooking and relaxing together is the perfect way for Bo and I to finish a long week.
We were both in bed by 10pm in preparation for this morning’s long run. I had 20 miles on the schedule while Bo was striving for 22 to give him the confidence he wanted for his first marathon. Earlier in the week I sent an email to a few of my favorite runners who share my pace to see if anyone would want to join me for 20 miles bright and early Saturday morning. Luckily, Leticia, Kristin, Meghan, and Marcial (my co-worker) were all game!
I mapped out a 20 mile course which would start near Union Square for those people coming from Queens and Brooklyn while also including hills in the last 6 miles in order to best replicate the actual marathon. You can see the actual course by clicking here.
We met at 7am and left from Union Square ready for a great run. From the very first mile everything just felt right. The weather was nice and brisk, the conversation was steady, our legs felt light and strong, everyone had fuel, and the scenery was beautiful.
We only stopped a twice before reaching the park, once for a quick 30 second stretch and next to refill our water bottles. The entire time we were keeping around a 10:55-11:10 pace, just clicking away the miles. Crossing town was a pain but by the time we reached the park we had another friendly face join the group as Tracy, a blog reader visiting from out of town, ran with us for the last 9 miles!
We enjoyed one loop of the resevoir before conquering the west rolling hills in the park and then Harlem Hill. This was a perfect way to push our legs and body, just like we’ll be challenged in the marathon during the second half. It wasn’t easy and I actually took Harlem Hill too fast, hitting a 10:20 pace which left me on empty for the last mile. But, overall this 20 miler which was blessed with negative splits for the second half, was pretty amazing. I learned that I have to carry more fuel, especially for the last 8 miles and that with a positive outlook and inspirational friends, 20 miles can feel like a piece of cake. I think you can tell from our faces that this run rocked!
Kristin and I toasted our successful 20 miler with our first Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season! I had mine made with skim milk and just 2 pumps of syrup. Kristin was right! This was a delicious way to celebrate taper time!
Did you run this weekend? Are you preparing for a Fall marathon? How’s it going?
