You know those runs that go exactly as planned? Everything clicks and you feel as if you could run forever? Luckily, that is what Bo and I enjoyed yesterday morning.
I don’t think it was a coincidence that we enjoyed a strong, fast run yesterday. Unlike week’s past, we set ourselves up for success.
Friday night we cooked together, whipping up a delicious Frutti di Mare and spent a few hours watching Orange is the New Black and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. We both foam rolled and stretched before going to bed at 10pm. Yes, we went to bed on a Friday night at 10pm and it was glorious.
Even though our alarm clock went off at 6am, far earlier than either of us would like on a Saturday, we felt rested and refreshed. We sipped on some NUUN, coffee and had a few bites of bread and peanut butter before heading out the door 30 minutes later.
We chose to run early on Saturday for three reasons: avoid crowds, avoid heat and get it done before we headed out of town for the day.
We created a great path which allowed us to enjoy both the water views and breeze off the Hudson River as well as NYC’s Summer Streets. On three consecutive Saturdays, August 1st, 8th and 15th, NYC shuts down seven miles of streets so the public and tourists alike may bike, run, walk and play in the streets from 7am until 1pm.
It is AWESOME and includes five rest stops, outdoor yoga, bike tune-ups, a Vita Coco sponsored slip and slide, as well as music and lots of other great activities.
Yesterday morning’s run was such a blast. Since we were rested, the miles came far easier than last week’s long run. Our goal was to keep a 9:45-9:50 for the first seven miles and then drop the pace for the final mile. Due to rested legs, proper fueling and perfect weather we were able to finish the 8 miles at an 9:26 pace including the final mile at an 8:02 pace!
Hope you guys had a great weekend and remember, if your run doesn’t go well take a few minutes to think about how you can make it better next time! Our goal for the next few weeks is to make sure we are well rested for long runs!
Frutti di mare is my absolute FAVORITE food to eat the night before a race! I’m very impressed that you made it yourselves 🙂
It was a lot easier to make than expected and SO SO delicious. We used calamari, mussels, clams and shrimp! When you come back for a NYC race, we’ll make it!
Great run! Houston has the same thing called City Streets; however, haven’t had any in july and August. I’m sure it will pick back up at the end of September when it’s cooler. But it’s such a great idea. Just hard to ride around the people, but worth it.
that’s such a perfect route. i played in summer streets too! I rode my bike. such a special nyc summer treat.
Great run! I was in Montauk this past weekend but am already SO excited for 2 weeks of city streets! Makes long running that much better 🙂
I love Summer Streets as well – I live on the UES so tend to mostly run in Central Park, but being able to go up and down Park Ave is also enjoyable 🙂
Awesome job!! I tried to follow a similar schedule to prep for my Saturday early morning run but yours seemed better executed than mine. Using this as a reminder of what I should do this coming weekend (and the next 10 weekends leading up to the Chicago marathon, ah!).
Hah that happens to the best of us Amanda! Bo and I had a horrible East River experience a few weekends ago because we forgot that it ends and re-starts! Good luck with training!