Early Long Run

Hi friends! Everyone gearing up for a fun weekend, I hope? We’re sticking around town and having a combination end of summer BBQ/birthday party for me (my birthday is on Monday) at our place tomorrow. Excited!

Matt and I have to do a bunch of errands tomorrow to get ready, and I didn’t want to be rushing/exhausted by the time the party rolled around, so I decided to knock my half marathon training long run out a day early! I was up at 6 a.m., had a quick snack (toast with nut butter), and out the door by 6:30. The sun awoke with me.

I had plans to meet up with my friend Sokphal for some miles at 7 a.m., so to turn our run into a long run, I decided to run to/from our meet up! This idea worked out quite nicely. By the time we met up I was already 2.5 miles in – perfect.

We ran along the Mt. Vernon Trail on the water, and this sunrise was one of the best I’ve seen in awhile! So worth the early wake up. September and October have the BEST running weather and sunrises in DC. Stay forever, fall!!

By the time we ran down the trail a few miles and over the bridge into the city, chatting away the whole time, the sun was fully up.

Here’s a sweaty selfie – because posting only attractive photos of myself on the internet would be boring:

I packed a couple Salty Maple Nut Energy Bites (<—recipe) in my hydration vest to fuel me on this run, and I’m happy to report they were delicious and sat well, too. I had a few bites of one around mile 5, and then ate the rest when I dropped Sokphal off at her place at mile 9. Apparently my camera really didn’t want to focus on it…

With the summer heat, I totally haven’t been feeling running (as I wrote in my Malta vacation recaps, I only ran once the whole 2 weeks we were there), but now that the weather is cooling down I’m remembering why I love it so much. I felt great this morning, which was a nice change!

Sokphal and I ran a little farther together than I thought we would, so I thought maybe I would just call it when I finished with her and get an Uber home, but by the time we finished I felt so good I decided to just continue on home. It was so beautiful out this morning and I was really enjoying my fresh air and sunshine! :)

11.11 miles – wow! Great confidence booster for me leading up to the half (I’m doing the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in San Francisco next month sponsored by ClassPass) since I haven’t been awesome about training lately. Three cheers for fall making running so much happier!

When I got home from the run, I was craving something cold and refreshing so I whipped up a smoothie that I enjoyed while showering/getting ready for the day. This was ice, some random leftover green juice + a little water, a banana, half an avocado (if you haven’t tried avocado in smoothies, do it – makes it so creamy and more filling, too!), and a scoop of Kura berry protein powder (left over from my partnership with them – see also: Lemon Ginger Berry Protein Smoothie).

Delicious! I also had a piece of unpictured toast with nut butter before heading out the door because an all-liquid meal = I’m hungry again in a minute.

Time to wrap up a few last things at the office before calling it a day. Have a good one, my friends!

Something to read/make this weekend:

• Here’s What Healthy People Actually Eat All the Time – via Buzzfeed
• 7 Tips for a Healthy Relationship with Food – via The Lean Green Bean
• Greek Quinoa Salad – via The Nutrition Twins
• Sweet Potato Fritter Breakfast Sandwiches – via Running to the Kitchen
• Life Changing Chocolate Chip Cookies (vegan, gf) – via Delicious Knowledge
• Easy Baked Chicken Parmesan – via Zen and Spice