Alright. It's almost here. Our most popular thing we do ALL YEAR. That's right. It's time for #GOvember.

And this year we're making it our GOvemberiest GOvember of all the GOvembers. We all deserve a little fun after this year, right?

Maybe this is your 7th #GOvember or maybe it's your 1st*. Either way, we've been doing this for so long now that we have some recommendations.

*if it's your first, the rules and explanation are here

So, without further ado, here are our top tips for running and excellent #GOvember

1. Do Harlem first.  Seriously, it's the worst.  At least if you do it early in the month, you have a little more space and there aren't cars splashing sleet on you. We're even giving away a prize to incentivize knocking that jerk street out of the way.

2. Start far, end close. Just trust us on this one! It's tempting to wake up on 11/1, tie your running shoes and head out the door.  But you're going to be tired by the end of the month and it'll be so cold and dark. Hop in your car and knock out some miles that are a little farther away.  Save those close-to-home miles for when your kid insists on accompanying you on her scooter, or when you're in a time crunch.

3.  Have a travel map and a fridge map.  I don't know why, but I get very obsessive about my #GOvember maps.  I like to keep a pretty one stuck on the fridge and reward myself at the end of a run by filling in my route.  Then I have a bent up, snow-stained one that I shove in my SPIbelt for consulting along the way.

4. Find a friend (or a nemesis). " I bully - I mean ask so nicely- running buddies into doing it with me. It’s so much easier to complete if you have people to meet up with," says Astrid, one of our favorite GOvemberistas.  If you don't have a running buddy, join our Facebook group! Also, I personally love some smack talk, so feel free to challenge my sister Kate if you need some motivation. She is super slow and lazy and easy to beat YEAH I WENT THERE, KATE.

5.  Watch where you step. Here in Oak Park, we have a deep and abiding love for all things Frank Lloyd Wright and that man loved himself some ginkgo. And every November the trees drop some of the stinkiest berries you've ever accidentally stepped in.

6. Get a new set of multiple colored markers "for your kids" (um so you have new markers that actually work to make a beautiful map for GOvember that you stare at multiple times a day). This advice comes straight from Tamayo and we are absolutely here for it.

7. Plan, plan, plan. Pick your level carefully and realistically (you can only win in one level). Plan your runs carefully (front load your runs so you're running more in the balmy earlier days).  Plan your routes (nothing is more infuriating than forgetting about Marion Court and having to circle back for it).