A Successful Long Run

11 mile long run

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.

pumpkin muffin

 

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Workout Recap and Running Gear I’m Loving

Happy Wednesday!

Another week of half marathon training is in the bank! Last week was a week of highs and lows, as is often the case during a training cycle. Thunderstorms wreaked havoc on my outdoor runs and the heat and humidity definitely had an impact on my body during the workouts. But, a tough week only makes us stronger, right? I also made a few changes to this week’s workout schedule based on what I learned from last week.  This week I’ve realized that depending on the safety of the YMCA treadmill is smarter than trying to find time to run between storms. I also realized that getting a deep tissue massage the day before a tough workout is not a good idea. Instead, moving forward, I’ll try to plan a rest or pilates day after massages. 

So, with that said, here’s what last week’s workouts looked like.

  • SundayLong Run (8.5 miles at 9:56 pace) felt absolutely amazing the entire time including lots of heat, humidity and hills! I couldn’t stop smiling after this run as everything just CLICKED!
  • Monday- Tower Pilates class at A-Line Pilates
  • Tuesday- Early morning (4:45 AM) tempo run including a 15 minute warm-up, 6×2:00 fast followed by 2 minute recovery, cool-down (4.6 miles at 9:30 average pace)
  • Wednesday- Rest Day
  • Thursday- Four Mile evening run through Brooklyn (4 miles @ 9:29 pace)
  • Friday- Tower Pilates class at A-Line Pilates
  • Saturday- Long Run (6.7 miles at 9:55 pace) felt horrible the entire time. It was one big struggle fest and completely opposite from the previous long run. The heat and humidity was brutal but the reason I stopped short of the 9 mile goal was because my glute was killing me and there was thunder and lightening. I realized afterwards that my glute soreness was due to Friday afternoon’s deep tissue sports massage as well as some of the Pilates moves during Friday’s class. Moving forward, I’m going to avoid massages and Pilates the day before a long run.
  • Sunday- 30 minute Flywheel at home ride to shake out my legs

As I’ve been running and working out more regularly, I wanted to share a few items that I’ve been loving and using or wearing on repeat.

Brooks Bedlam

  • Apple Airpods – I’ve been using these non-stop for the past few months and am still surprised that they work so well during even the sweatiest of tempo runs. Yes, they stay in place. No, they don’t fall out. My only annoyance is that if I touch them during a run they signal Siri to start helping me and pause my music. But, I bet there is a way to correct this if I take the time to research it. If you haven’t tried Airpods yet, I highly recommend them!
  • Brooks Bedlam Running Shoes – So these new Brooks shoes do not officially launch until September 1st but as part of my Brooks Ambassador partnership, I was able to get a sneak peak. I’ve used these shoes for my tempo runs the past three weeks and love how responsive they are! It doesn’t hurt that they are the best looking Brooks I’ve seen to date – bright and colorful knit that keeps my foot feeling snug and secure. Since I prefer a more cushioned ride for my longer runs I will be using these for my shorter runs and tempo workouts each week.
  • Ali On the Run Show Podcast – Running is fun but sometimes it can get lonely. I’ve been spending my miles with Ali and her guests over the past few weeks, finding inspiration from Allie Kieffer, Michele Gonzalez, Kara Goucher, and Kayla Itsines to name a few! It has been such a joy to watch Ali bring this dream to life over the past year and I’m proud to say “I knew her way back” before the podcast when she was blogging daily about her training and balancing running and working at a large dance publication.
  • Brooks Greenlight Short Tight – I can’t remember the last time I ran in something other than these shorts after discovering them three months ago. Actually, I do remember. It was yesterday and I regretted every minute of the decision as the shorts moved around, hung lower due to sweat and left me with an unfortunate chafe mark. I am the proud owner of three pair of Greenlight short tights and have been telling everyone I know about them. They stay in place, support me, have pockets, are breathable and, believe it or not, are flattering too
  • Spotify – Once upon a time I dedicated time to putting together playlists for half marathon and marathon training. These days, I take advantage of others playlists that I discover on Spotify by typing in the type workout I’m doing in the search bar. For example, for yesterday’s tempo run I listened to a special tempo playlist that I discovered and a few weeks ago, my long run was powered by a “marathon playlist” that I found using the search function.  If that’s too much, then feel free to follow my playlists or check out the Speedy Workout, Tempo Run – 175 bps, or Elder Millenial Tour Official Playlist (thanks Theodora!).
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Highlights from the Weekend – September 26th, 2016

highlights-from-weekend-9-26-16

Happy Monday! How was your weekend? Even though our weekend was busy, I woke up this morning feeling rested and refreshed.  I thought it’d be fun to share some highlights from our weekend with you guys to start off the week.

Celebrating – On Saturday I made the 2-hour drive to West Chester, Pennsylvania to celebrate my friend Colleen’s upcoming nuptials.  One of my college sorority sisters, Colleen and her fiance live and work in Atlanta but his West Chester based family hosted a lovely backyard wedding shower for her. Since I can’t make it down to Atlanta for the wedding weekend,  the time we spent together on Saturday was very special.  We were able to spend some quality time together, laughing and catching up in between enjoying a lovely lunch spread with her friends and family.

Smoothies – Since Bo and I are both loving smoothies these days, I whipped up large batches of smoothies Friday, Saturday and Sunday. While I love our Magic Bullet for making individual smoothies, it was so much easier to make the larger batch in our VitaMix. This weekend’s flavors were pumpkin spice, strawberry peach and cherry vanilla.

Fall Flavors – The Farmer’s Market was overflowing with produce yesterday as the tables featured both the final bits of Summer tomatoes, squash and corn along with the first Fall flavors of the season. Inspired by the tables of local apples, we decided to make a Fall themed dinner last night. We started things off with a small cheese plate, including my favorite Cowgirl cheese followed by a dinner of smashed sweet potatoes served alongside pan-roasted pork chops topped with caramelized onions and apples.

Running – Sunday morning I laced up my shoes for ten miles, my longest run since the NYC Half Marathon in March.  As you guys know, I’ve been increasing my long run mileage by two miles each week in preparation for the RNR Brooklyn Half Marathon. Luckily I had friends to motivate and keep me company along the way, making yesterday’s 10 miles fly by! Zoe, Nicole and I ran the entire ten miles together while Katie joined us at the halfway point.  If you ever have a hard time finding the motivation to log your miles, call a friend for company as I swear logging miles with friends, especially those who are faster than you, is the best way to crush your training!

Decorating – Even though we’ve lived in our apartment for over a year, we still have decorating and final touches that we want to do. This month’s project is our master bedroom. In addition to painting the crown and bay window moldings bright white, we also moved one of our rugs into the bedroom and are going to mount the television on the wall next weekend. This morning we ordered the finishing touches from One King’s Lane  (<– Save $15 with that link) – a chair for the bay window as well as flowers and coasters for the bedside tables.

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