It’s a wild Saturday night in NYC, and I’m sitting on the couch in my lobster jammies, blogging and getting ready mentally and physically for my 20-mile run tomorrow, and there’s no place I’d rather be.

(OK, fine, I do have some FOMO I’m not in Dallas with Ashley and Blake, but I knew it wasn’t a good idea for me to travel the weekend before a marathon I’m not as well trained for as I’d like to be.)

Tomorrow, I’ll run Grete’s Gallop, a half marathon in Central Park, with seven miles before. Running two hilly laps of the park isn’t my ideal long run, but most of my NYJL team is running it, followed by brunch. Since I hopped into the training so late and am running another marathon before NYC (what?! I still can’t believe I’m doing that…), my training has been pretty different than the rest of the team, so I’m happy for an opportunity to run with some of them.

Plus, hi, like I’d turn down an opportunity to run a half-marathon? And Grete’s is a nice reasonable one, at only $35. 

Now that I’ve been running/blogging for nearly seven years (wha??), it’s fun to be able to look back on old recaps of past races.

I ran this race in 2013 and remember it so vividly: I remember that Emily was running it as a tune-up for her first NYC Marathon, I remember how badly I chafed from the humidity, but what I remember most is that I was in the process of interviewing for my current job, and had to submit a huge social media proposal by that next day. I remember being so stressed out when I woke up that morning and trying my best to put it to the back of my mind while I ran.

In 2011, I ran into Gia and ended up PR-ing by accident…which then put me in PT for the rest of training because I pushed it too hard and my knee told me so.  

Tomorrow, my only goal is to get 20 in and feel good when I’m done.

I’m treating this like a dress rehearsal for the big day next weekend: same outfit, same fueling plan (Nuun to drink, starting with Honey Stinger gel and moving to shot bloks), going to sleep now.

Things I will not be repeating: having Trader Joe’s lobster ravioli for dinner. NOPE. I should have known better…

What are your running rituals?