In Which Jenn Gets Jazzed For A Long Run

Last week I came to a startling realization: I was actually excited about my planned 16 mile run.

I expressed this unexpected feeling on Twitter and received the expected response: that I was crazy, and everyone who had a long run on the docket was dreading it.

And so I thought: what if I explained how I got myself this psyched up? Maybe my fellow runners could follow the same method and at least manage to downgrade outright dread to reluctant acceptance. In that spirit, try some of these on for shoe size:

Get some new music. Duh. Everyone knows this one. But seriously, do it. Despite my alt-rock leanings, I fired up some of the Ke$ha I'm less familiar with, because BEATS. Highly recommend serious beats for running.

Perfect segue to...

Get some new gear. CAREFULLY. This is a long run, after all; introducing new clothes could lead you into an exciting new world of chafing, sweating, smelling, etc. Save it for the short run and see how it performs there. Use your tried-and-true clothes here. BUT. How about clothes you already have exactly but in a dangerously different color? Or a new hat or sunglasses, something you can remove easily if it's not working out for you? Myself, I was wildly excited to have found a value 12-pack of elastic headbands in the bargain bin at Rite-Aid - I snagged 'em for $1.42. GLITTERY GOLD TO THE RESCUE.

Get your favorite pre- and mid-run snacks. Again, nothing you haven't tried before - now is not the time to puke on the side of the trail (or down the side of your treadmill; someone's going to have to clean that mess up, and it could be you). I had a box of Swedish Fish to munch on my walk to the gym and a mocha Clif Shot (plus caffeine!) for the midway point. Happy tongue, happy... um... sorry, nothing logical rhymes with tongue. Just eat something good, is all I'm saying.

And on that note...

Plan an awesome night-before dinner and post-run meal. Assuming you're doing this run in the morning, of course; if not, adjust accordingly. I had Neapolitan pizza and it was DELICIOUS.

Post-run, I made myself a chocolate peanut butter banana smoothie with chocolate protein powder. Good stuff.

There you have it. How do you know my methods work? Because I ran SEVENTEEN miles. BAM! Now go forth and smash those long runs! (And if you can only choose one thing, I highly recommend the glittery gold headband.)

What are your long run tips and tricks?

Don't forget, you can follow us on Twitter @fairestrunofall. To see how our training is going, check out Jenn's dailymile here and Moon's dailymile here. If you have any questions for us, leave a comment or email us at fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!