Hi I am Joanna from Morning Runner! While Page is off looking gorgeous and getting married, I said I would do a guest post!
My confessions of a morning runner:
Morning runner (n): A motivated, overly perky individual who enjoys getting up before the sun to log in miles when the rest of the world is sleeping.
I am not a morning person. Ok I said it. Yes – I get up in the morning, usually around 5am and run 3 or 4 or 6 miles but that doesn’t mean I am talkative, friendly or even awake. I am grumpy. Don’t even try asking me questions in the morning – I don’t utter two syllables until I have had my run and a nice shower. Some people need caffeine – I just need a run. See below – I can hardly even smile at 5am.
I am not perky. I am only slightly motivated. I am a complete zombie running down the road. Don’t ask me to do anything except put one foot in front of the other. Math while running? Nearly impossible for me at 5am. Rational thoughts? Who knows, I can’t even remember half the things I think about while running. And this is during the summer – it only gets worse during the cold winter months.
I don’t know how I get up in the morning to run. Of course I would rather stay under the covers and there are the occasional morning where I do ignore my alarm clock and sleep for an extra hour. But most mornings I am up and out the door within ten minutes of waking. Its hard getting your body to wake up so quickly and start running. Most mornings, I don’t really remember the whole run, my legs just run along and I zone out or maybe fall back to sleep I am not really sure.
My morning run routine is pretty simple and I have been using it since college when I had 6am workouts for basketball. I think over the years my body has adapted and gotten used to my crazy ways.
My “morning run” routine:
Step 1: Set alarm for 5am. Lay clothes out on bathroom floor – shorts, bra, socks, shirt, garmin.
Step 2: Get to bed early. I usually go for 10pm for a 5am wake up.
Step 3: When the alarm goes off, immediately roll out of bed and walk into bathroom.
Step 4: Pee. Just gotta do it.
Step 5: Put on running clothes.
Step 6: Lace up sneakers, let out cat and head outside.
Step 7: Start running.
The toughest part of morning runs is going fast. Easy runs in the morning are my favorite because I just let my legs go and run whatever easy pace they feel like. But when it comes time for a tempo run – it is so hard to find the speed so early.
For many getting up early to run just does not work – the power of the snooze button is just too tempting; or its just impossible – like my future husband, who doesn’t even hear his alarm clock in the morning.
So now I present the extreme get yourself out of bed for a morning run method:
Option 1: Sleep in your running clothes – Sports bras have to be the most uncomfortable thing ever to sleep in but it must be done.
Option 2: Have someone else wake you up – My future husband can’t wait until we are married and I move in with him; he says he is gaining not only a wife but also an alarm clock to help him wake up early. Lucky me. But the truth is having someone else shake you awake might be exactly what you need. But that means that someone else needs to be a morning person.
Option 3: Eat a GU right after you wake up but before you start your run. That should give you a good kick!
Option 4: Plan route, distance, splits, etc the night before and have it written out, so that way when you wake up there will be no procrastinating thinking about where to run.
Option 5: Do not brush your teeth, do not pee, do not pass Go and collect $200 – head straight out that door and start running. Of course the first few miles are going to be slow! You are still waking up! Just get out there and forget about your pace.
The best part of waking up early for a run is just getting it done before most of the world is awake. You may not be a morning person but you may be able to get up and get out the door and that in itself is a great thing. And you get to see some pretty amazing sunrises!
And there you have it – all my secrets to being a morning runner even when you are not a morning person!
I have never tried sleeping in my workout clothes but it seems like a good idea! I wish I could workout outdoors in the morning but its too dark for me. Safety first 🙂
I have always woken up early for swim practices so my body doesn’t mind mornings too much. I agree that I am half asleep when I am up then too though
Thanks Page for letting me Guest post!!!
Ahhh I love this post! Thanks for your secrets j!
Hey I have a question about running in the dark…I noticed your headlamp. I’m running a relay (Red Rock Relay- Zion) in Sept with 12 girls and we need night gear. What headlamp do you use? And anything else you suggest in pitch black conditions?
Thanks!
That’s funny, I was just thinking about why I am able to get up in the morning. It’s simply because every morning, when the alarm goes off, I remind myself I’d rather get up and do it now than later after work when I’m tired and hungry. I definitely have a similar experience in the morning, barely remembering my thoughts while running and sleeping through at least the first mile. I was also thinking about how morning runners are more likely to get injured because their body isn’t fully warmed up yet when they start running – how do you avoid this? Do you warm up or just start running? Do you feel like your body is more susceptible to injury in the morning?
My morning running routine falls right in the middle of these. 5 AM runs require 9:30-10 PM bedtime. I plan where I’m running the night before. I usually sleep in some part of the running outfit but leave the sports bra for the morning. Stumble into bathroom, splash cold water on my face, have a few sips of a caffeinated drink and 1 Gu Chomp, swing my legs and arms about (no stretching cold muscles!), wait for the garmin to load up, and get going. There’s nothing better than knowing you’ve already finished your workout when you get to work. I can’t believe I only recently became a morning runner!