Favorite time to run

I snoozed through my workout this morning, meaning it looms over my head all day knowing I have to knock it out after work.  I used to be an evening runner, I never once dreamed of waking in the 4am hour to run.  Who does that?!  Oh yeah, me.  

I find it easiest to hop from bed to road or mill and just git-er-done.  The first step out of bed is the hardest, the rest is pretty effortless.  But sometimes the first 20 steps from my office chair after 8 hours are impossible.  In the summer time, if I slept through my run, it meant it just plain wasn’t going to happen that day.  With the winter FREEZING temps we have this week, it’s indoors regardless, so I’ve found myself being more flexible.

I don’t mind the 5pm runs if the weather is decent, or in this case on my treadmill with some episodes of the Big Bang Theory.  After sitting all day at work it usually feels great once I get myself going.  Sometimes getting going is the problem though.  I’ve built a ridiculous tolerance to caffeine, so I can have a Spark at 5pm to get me running and I will still be asleep by 9.  The thing I don’t like about evening runs is they tend to be sluggish just from the sitting and the day’s food.  We all know about GI and running… moving on.

What is your FAVORITE time to run?  If you could get out every day at this time and do your workout, when would it be?  My ideal time for my body is around 7am.  I have time to get up and get fully awake.  If I’m running longer, I will have some breakfast, simple toast and PB2 is usually my go-to.  Since I have to be to work by 8:00 and not be a disgusting mess, this time is weekends only.  Such is life. 

Training updates: I made it outside for my run Monday morning, but then we got spanked AGAIN with ridiculous wind and now ridiculous cold, but NO snow.  I’m hoping for an outdoor long run of 12 miles on Saturday!  Tonight’s workout is speed…. I’m still deciding on what all to incorporate.  Mile repeats or 4x800s.  Decisions!

The 4 AM Club – Tips for early morning running

I used to have a limit, or rule if you will, about the absolute earliest I would ever run.  The earliest I would ever allow an alarm was 4:47AM.  I broke the rule, and it wasn’t even that hard.  Thank the time change.  3:55 AM, my eye balls popped open BEFORE my 4:00 AM alarm.  Like I said, if not for the time change, this would not have happened.  But my bed times had been skirting around the 8:30 range the last two nights.  So this was just sort of my body going by it’s normal clock.

To make a long story short, I had a time crunch, I needed to be in the car with my co-worker by 6:15 to head out for a work conference.  I wanted to run 6 miles.  SO, I started at 4:10 AM.  And it didn’t suck.

Tips for morning running and getting your tail out of bed:

-          - PLAN!!!! You must plan ahead.  Set a goal, an alarm, and all of your gear out the night before so it’s right there, and takes little time for you to gather.

-          - Go to bed early.  This goes with the planning aspect.  If you know you are running early, or earlier than you normally would, make sure to plan ahead and get to bed in time.  Cut caffeine off early in the day and start winding down so you can fall asleep.  This is really easy for me, I always seem to be tanked and ready for bed.  I’m also a good sleeper (if this exists)  I very rarely have issues falling or staying asleep, and I don’t have kids to wake me up!

-          - Go to bed visualizing your run.  This might sound crazy, but it works for me!  I visualize the workout, the route, or my plan for the morning.  Am I doing a tempo? Steady state? How many miles?  This helps and it also is a good motivator.

-          - Have your fuel ready.  I don’t eat anything, but I do drink something.  I have my Spark in my shaker bottle, and my 3 Catalyst on the counter waiting for me.  I take them immediately, that way by the time I get dressed, they have kicked in and give me the boost I need.

-          - Remind yourself WHY you are doing this.  For me, it’s usually “you get to come home after work and watch General Hospital” or “this beats going to the crowded Y.”  Or in yesterday’s case, it was really the only time I could do it.  I knew I’d be camped on my butt all day long in the car and in training, and wouldn’t have the energy to do a dang thing when we got home (this was the case) so I was extra motivated, and extra glad I did it!

Don’t expect to become a morning runner overnight.  It takes some getting used to.  I started last summer, and only did it when it was horribly hot out.  By September, I was back to running after work in the evenings or not at all.  (I kind of fell off the wagon after race season)  It’s not always easy, and can wear you down if you don’t take the rest when you need it.  I make sure to sleep in on my cross training days and do it after work or on my lunch break.  Having those “sleep in” days help me get through the week, and help me wake up more motivated the next early day.  It’s routine for me now, and second nature, but it took time to get there.  It’s like training for a race, you have to train your body to be able to respond and get going early.

THIS ISN’T FOR EVERYONE!  I so get that.  I can’t imagine the thought of evening running, like after 7pm.  Some people always run in the evenings.  Some people just aren’t morning people.  Some people think I’m bat sh*t crazy.  Everyone is different.  If I didn’t have to work 8-5, I would not run at 5AM.  My personal favorite time is that 7AM range.

Random tidbits from yesterday:

-         - FOUR.  The time I ran, and the number of cups of coffee I had.  One latte from Scooters and three cups of good ol’ black coffee during training.  I love coffee, but I typically don’t drink any during the week.  One day a week tops.  So this was a lot, and the top of my head was tingling.

-         - Mahoney State Park is just gorgeous.  If you can make it there during the fall, DO IT!  Wow.  I wished we could have been outside walking the trails or biking instead of inside.

-         - I hate to drive.

-         - Don’t trust the “fuel range” mile indicator on your car.  I was a block away from the gas station, and was 95% sure I was going to have to get out and push it there… oops.

-         - I really hate being in the car.