Friday Night Run (& 100 mile marker)

These past 2 runs have been overall pretty fantastic. On Wednesday, I had worked from home so I really hadn’t gotten out of the house. I knew I needed to run after work but hadn’t really paid attention to, well, anything. As I got ready for my run, I didn’t look outside or look at my training schedule, I just knew I needed to get some steps in. Right before heading out, I realized it was raining out, so I grabbed a hat. I looked at my options and saw a 30 or 35-minute recovery run. I opted for the longer one because I had done the speed run earlier and was kind of planning on missing my long run this weekend. Plus, I realized if I did the longer option, I’d just barely be able to cross 100 miles run so far for training! Anyway, I headed out in the rain and was incredibly thankful I thought of the hat.

I don’t really know what made me want to run in the rain but it was a great idea. I think having been in the house all day and also the fact that I’ve kinda transitioned back to outdoor runs just made me not even consider a treadmill. It was just drizzling, but it felt great. I set off for the 35-minutes and switched up my normal route ever so slightly. I ran over this pier on the East Side, went over towards Statue of Liberty, and then back to the Pier 17. It was just a relaxing run. I loved how the rain felt and I loved that I chose to do it even with having another option available. It was just a nice change of scenery. I don’t have a lot of specifics about this run but I think it reminded me that you can do whatever you want. Just because it’s raining doesn’t mean you can’t run outside. Obviously you have to be smart about it, I’ve run in the cold and the snow and ice and wicked heat, but you have to be aware of it because it can sure be difficult. However, it’s nice to get yourself accustomed to the different weather. Plus, the city just seemed so calm and pretty in the rain. Overall 10/10 run.

I also changed up my long run completely. I had been in a huge debate about doing a spontaneous trip this weekend so I knew I would potentially be skipping my long run. Although most people would advise against doing this, I knew it’d be fine. The run was a 15k (9.32 miles). If you’ve followed along you know that last week I ran 10 miles and the week before I ran 9.5 on my 8 mile run. So, I knew I could do this distance and for me, if I was going to miss any long run, I knew this was a good one to miss. So, I booked my trip for after work Friday until Sunday. However, Friday morning I decided to switch my flight to Saturday. One, because I was stressed about getting to the airport in rush hour traffic. Two, I was getting in so late that I knew it was going to feel a little anticlimactic. As soon as I made this decision, I realized I could go on my long run after work.

I didn’t think about my run during the day. I worked and packed and ate and just did my normal day. When work ended, I just started getting ready for my run. At one point I even paused because I was so confused why I was so prepared to go run 9.3 miles as if it were any other run. If you know me, you know I’m an absolute spaz. I plan everything around my runs and think about them constantly. But, for some reason, this one just seemed to be happening. I was caught off guard by how calm and confident I was going into this run. It felt like I was getting ready for a little stroll. Anyway, I grabbed a water bottle and a gel and set out. I knew that I wanted to do an out-and-back instead of the route my brother and I have been taking. So, off I went.

During the first mile, I had many moments thinking “what am I doing???” I was so confused why I so nonchalantly clicked “Start” on this run. If there’s one thing about me, it’s that I’ll never not finish a run. So, as soon as I clicked that button I knew I was locked in and I had some immediate regrets. I tried to focus on pacing and my music and Coach Bennett to distract me from my own confusion. The first 2 miles were tough. I actually decided to eat my gel right around then, which was smart. Coach always says you don’t fuel for the current mile or the next one, you fuel for the one down the road.

So I continued up the West Side Highway. I did change this run up a bit. If you know New York, then you know that there are a ton of Piers on the West Side Highway. Usually, I just run past them. But, I always see other runners taking them so I decided to follow along. Overall, great choice. One, it makes me cover more distance without actually having to go as far up. Two, they’re so friggin cute. One of them had a salsa class going on at the end of it. One of them had a bunch of people working out in the middle of the grass. Some have bars, some just have seats facing the water. Most importantly, one of them has sprinklers. I ran through that one twice. It was a hot day and that sprinkler made me feel like a child again. It was fantastic.

Mentally, I locked in around 3 miles. Coach wanted this run to be like 3 5ks. The way he split it up made the run seem much more doable. As soon as I hit 3 miles I was just thinking that I needed to do that 2 more times. And 5ks? Very doable for me. It’s funny how sometimes when I run and I’m on 2 out of 8 miles I think “Jesus 6 more miles” and other times I’m on mile 3 of 9 and think “nice almost half way there.” When I hit 6 miles, it was so easy mentally. 3 more miles felt so short (don’t worry, I haven’t changed up and no longer value distance, it’s just today it was short). I was mostly having a good time. However, that gel was NOT sitting well. I think I learned you have to drink a lot of water after eating something so sugary. So, I technically felt like I was going to be sick most of the run but somehow because it wasn’t related to my breathing or my legs or my attitude, I felt like the run went great.

I also nailed this route. I turned around at the perfect time and ended up so so close to my house so I got to be home in no time. It was honestly a really cool experience for me. I don’t really ever consider after work long runs. I always make them such a big deal and make them take up my entire weekend. This was a quick lil 1.5hrs and I was home before the sun started setting. Might need to be implementing this into my schedule a little more (while the sun is still out long enough). Oh, and I crushed the pace. While I say don’t worry about it, it’s always nice when you run faster than expected. The key is, according to Coach Bennett, that pace can increase as long as effort doesn’t. I never felt like I increased my effort, I just was warming up and ever so slightly speeding up. Successful week of runs! I got home and basically went straight to sleep. Woke up to fly out to see my bestfriend. Now, headed back to NY just one day later, after the most perfect weekend, and I think I finally nailed the concept of balance and free will.

Run #26: Wednesday, August 13th - 35 Minute Recovery Run - 3.36 miles 10’25 Pace

Run #27: Friday, August 15th - 15K/9.32 miles 10’03 Pace