Preparing for a Long Run

Well good morning!  Today is the day - the 20-miler.  This is the longest run of my training program and once this is over, it's time for the taper!  I've taken the day off of work to get this last really long run in and over with for the weekend, since tomorrow is this guy's birthday:

Those pills on the counter were for our dogs, I promise you.

I'm up early and I've got a little extra time today, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to explain how I prepare for a long run - because, believe me, preparation is involved.

Some people can hop out of bed right into their running shoes and head on out - if you are one of those people, I envy you.  On a perfect day, my long run prep time nears the 2 hour mark.  What takes so long?!  Well ...

First things first: food and drink:

Thirsty much?

Water is obvious - lots of water.  Coffee is and forever will be my drug of choice - I'm fairly certain that this body has not functioned without caffeine a single day in the past 15 years.  That last glass there may not look appetizing, but trust me when I tell you that is full of delicious nutrition - the green monster.  I've been drinking one of these blended creations nearly every day since December.  In today's mix:
-about 3 cups fresh spinach
-1 banana
-a small handful of fresh raspberries
-a tablespoon of Justin's classic peanut butter (the best $8 you will ever spend - actually, spend a couple more bucks for the maple almond and your life will change forever, trust me)
-a tablespoon of flax seed
-1 cup of milk (Jeff and I are total hippies now and bought our first half gallon of non-homogenized milk produced without growth hormones from a local creamery - ah-mazing!)

Once I've got my liquids down, I begin assessing the situation outdoors.  If I haven't yet, I map out my run and have one last check on the weather (STORMS today in the 'nati?!  You've got to be kidding me!).  I make sure my iPod is charged up and ready to go.  I already have my running clothes picked out ("picked out" is a loose term - I always wear a variation of the same thing).  When I do get dressed, I'll make sure to Body Glide it up - this is a VITAL step!  That stuff needs to go everywhere - the longer the run, the more Body Glide is necessary.

It's about this time that I start getting nervous.  I always get nervous before a long run - it never fails.  I am in the "sit and wait" portion of prep time.  With all of the liquids consumed above, I do not think it is a mystery what I'm waiting for.  There is nothing worse than having to "go" during a long run - this applies to #1, too.  I usually go pee about 8-10 times during prep time, and I always make "one last stop" before walking out the door.  During both Detroit and the Heart Mini half I made the mistake of skipping my "one last stop" and had to stop for a pee break during each race.  No fun!

Oh, I didn't even mention last night's prep!  I had a delicious pasta dinner that looked a little something like this (without the bacon, of course - this is an old pre-veg pic):

Did I mention that I'm married to the best cook ever?

Dinner was accompanied by lots of water and was followed by an early bed time.

So there you have it - how I prepare for a long run.  After popping a couple of Tums to ease my anxious stomach, I'll be on my way.  See you in four hours!