Greetings from the other side of this morning’s long run!  While I’m thrilled to have the run done, I’m also glad that I have four more long runs before my goal half marathon. There were a lot of great things about this morning’s run, I hope to feel a little bit stronger each week. I’m also hoping that fall weather arrives in Brooklyn and STAYS because I am done with the heat and humidity. I am glad that I finally took time, before the run, to make sure I was set up for success. I’ll share those changes with you in a few, but first, let’s chat about the workout.

The directions for today’s workout were to run 11 miles, keeping the first 9 miles between 9:50-10:30 and then aiming to run 9:00 minute pace for the final two miles. Thanks to the below steps, I was able to hit all of the paces except for the goal pace of 9:00 for the final two. I’m not sure if it was the humidity, hills or where my body is in training but I couldn’t seem to get the final two miles below 9:40. I’m not letting this put me in a panic for race day since I know that I still have five weeks of training ahead of me and that while I’d love to break 2:00 hours for the upcoming half, right now my body and mind are enjoying the training and that is the best gift!

Since these few changes helped me start the run in a good spot physically and mentally, I thought it would be helpful to share some of the changes I made for this week’s long run that helped me have a good run.

• Run on fresh legs. I stayed off my legs yesterday and enjoyed a complete rest day. While I did a bit of foam rolling and some stretches, I spent the rest of the day sitting at my desk working or relaxing on the couch. While some people prefer to take the day after a long run as a rest day, my body responds well to active recovery such as a spin class the day after a challenging run.
• Lay out my gear the day before. Since my closet is in Katie’s nursery, many mornings I’ve realized last minute that SOMETHING was in my closet. I laid out my shoes, socks, shorts, sports bra, tank top, fuel, water bottle, Garmin and Apple Airpods downstairs so this morning all I had to do was come downstairs and get ready. While this may sound like a no-brainer, I’d overlooked this important step for my previous runs.
• Give my pre-run breakfast and coffee time to digest. As soon as my alarm went off at 5:30 I dashed downstairs and drank a glass of water with NUUN and peanut butter toast. I spent the next forty-five minutes sipping coffee and reading the morning news before getting dressed. It felt so much better to head out for my run feeling fueled versus feeling like I head a heavy stomach. For the past few weeks I’ve been eating just 10 or 15 minutes before heading out for a run which doesn’t allow my food enough time to digest and hit my bloodstream. 
• Do my pre-run stretches and warm-up. I know I’m not the only person who often shirks pre-run stretches and warm-up in favor of starting my run. Since I had so much time this morning, I took 2-3 minutes and did the full circuit which includes arm swings, leg swings, lunges and more.
• Switch things up and listen to a mix of music and podcasts. I’ve been listening to podcasts for the past few long runs and while I enjoy them, I woke up this morning craving some of my pump up music. It was fun to start the run listening to my Spotify marathon playlist from 2015, filled with everything from Ludacris to Calvin Harris. When I refilled my water bottle at mile five I switched over to Lindsey Hein’s podcast. It was so fun to listen to my friend Charlie share her story and it felt like we were running together.
• Run without stopping for lights and traffic.  I pushed through eleven miles of rolling hills today in order to avoid traffic and stoplights. While the hills left me exhausted, it was such a nice change of pace to zone out and run in the park. I felt safe the entire time since it was packed with runners training for fall races and the light along the lake was gorgeous during my first loop. Since the Brooklyn Half Marathon includes a loop of the park, I think I’ll do the rest of my long runs here!
• Plan something fun. Last night Bo and I realized that the timing worked perfectly for he and Katie to meet me at the Prospect Park farmers market. For the last few miles I was dreaming of an iced coffee and pumpkin muffin that I knew I could buy there while perusing the stands.