This morning we were going to be running our first race in Vermont, the Maple Leaf Half Marathon.
Unfortunately due to adult priorities like work, we had to change our plans last minute and stay in town this weekend.
Instead of running a half marathon through the lush mountains of Vermont, we ran 11 miles yesterday morning in honor of 9/11. We used bridges to simulate hills and ran through both Brooklyn and Manhattan to switch things up a bit.
Our morning started at the way too early hour of 4:15 when our alarms went off, signaling that it was time to get dressed and chug some coffee before heading out the door. Luckily we both bounced right out of bed thanks to the previous night’s 9:45 bed time.
You know what makes delicious long run fuel? Homemade banana bread muffins with a smear of almond butter.
By 4:45 we were out the door, keeping a 9:45 pace as we headed towards our first bridge of the morning: the Brooklyn Bridge. We carried a handheld water bottle and one pack of Honey Stinger chews with us to fuel our run. Our goal for the run was to maintain a steady pace, include some hills and test fueling methods.
Running over the Brooklyn Bridge while New York City was still engulfed in darkness and a dense haze was very ominous until we hit the midway point on the bridge and saw the American flag waving in the darkness. Tears came to our eyes as took a moment to appreciate all the city has provided to us and gave quiet thanks to those people who lost their lives on September 11th.
After exiting the Brooklyn Bridge we headed north on the East River Path towards the Williamsburg Bridge. The path was empty except for a few people heading home from bars and a few cyclists. We headed back over towards Brooklyn via the Williamsburg Bridge which is one of the longest suspension bridges in the world at 1.4 miles. I forgot how wide the path is on this bridge versus the other ones in NYC – what a treat!
Once we arrived back in Brooklyn we ran through Williamsburg, BedStuy, Crown Heights, Park Slope, Gowanus and back to Carroll Gardens. The gentle incline never seemed to end and as each mile passed my legs screamed just a bit louder.
We were able to talk during the entire run while maintaining a pace around the 9:40 range until the final two miles which were downhill, allowing us to flush out the legs and keep a sub 9 minute pace!
This was a weekday personal distance record for Bo, as historically he would have rolled over and gone back to sleep, saying he’d do the longer distance on the weekend. Instead, he was able to experience the Friday morning runner’s high as he walked through the office at 8am, explaining to people that he’d already finished his long run.
Some people think we’re crazy to wake up this early but at the end of the day, it allows us to train for a half marathon without impacting our social plans. We both love being able to squeeze in social workout dates on the weekend without worrying about our run. This morning I’m taking a Bar Method class with a girlfriend while he can go on a long ride.
Hope you all have a great weekend!
