Prelude to a 12 miler

Wow, it's Friday again already? Jeez. This week flew by.

So, today is a rest day for me! I haven't had a rest day since last tuesday, Sept 4th (wow, I didnt realize it had been that long... ) It was really nice to get to sleep in till 7am!

Tomorrow I have a 12 mile long run and then Sunday I'll end the week with a 3-5 mile recovery run. Which will put me at 34-36 miles for the week.

Tomorrow should be interesting. I have taken a lot of precautions to make sure that I get my planned 12 in:

1. Hydrating. I am drinking at least 100 ounces of water today.
2. Nutrition: I had mellow mushroom pizza yesterday for lunch, but I'm hoping to have it again today. If not, then I will take one home for dinner tonight. Mellow Mushroom the day before a long run always insures a good run.
3. Rest: I got about 9 hours of sleep last night and am giving my legs a rest today, so hopefully they will be good to go tomorrow morning.
4. New Route: I am running in a completely new place! Although, part of it, I ran in the marathon route. That will account for about 2 miles of the whole run. (The part of the marathon that goes around the lake in the park around mile 21-23... remember, April, thats where you stopped to use the bathroom?). The rest of the run is on a greenway along the cumberland river. This is also the route for a 15k I'll be running at the end of the month!
5. New Running Partner/s: I replied to a post this week on the Nashville Striders website for a running partner and we will be running together for the first time tomorrow morning!

I plan on wearing my hydration belt and taking some gu. This will be my first time to take gu since the marathon, and I'm thinking of using it around mile 8 or so. The temperature is supposed to be a perfect 50-60s. Should be an awesome day for a long run!