#TuesdayTidbit - Early Morning Running

I'm a morning person - it's just who I am. Evening running, well even afternoon running, usually just doesn't work for me. By the end of the day, I'm usually lacking energy, but also I just have too many things on my todo list that I want/need to get done. So if I leave my workouts for later in the day, they often don't happen.

Also, with our family schedule, if I want to get a run in, it has to be before Hubby goes to work. That means I need to be finished by 7, or 7:30 at the latest which means sometimes I need to start running by 5:00 or 5:30am.

Here are a few tips for early morning running:

Plan Ahead 
The night before, I always make sure that I have all of my my clothes laid out including my (affiliate link) compression sleeves, my running belt with my key/anything else that I may need such as fuel, my bottles of water filled and ready to go, my pepper spray, my (affiliate link) knuckle lights, my noxgear, my road-id and my reflective bands. I do believe in safety first.

One major pet peeve of mine is to see runners without reflective gear, or see runners who aren't running against traffic.

If I am going to the gym, or my basement treadmill, I still do all of the above minus the reflective outdoor gear. I have everything laid out so that when my alarm goes off, all I need to do is get dressed and get out the door.

I personally don't eat before working out early am. I know that others do. My stomach doesn't tolerate it very well so usually I don't eat. If I'm running a longer run, I'll make sure that I carry fuel for the run. 

Adjust Your Bedtime

Although lately, this hasn't really worked for me, as I've been going to bed at my 'normal' time, but if I've been working out several mornings in a row, I usually require a little earlier bedtime. Listen to your body, you'll know when you need extra rest. 

Meet Running Buddies 

Meeting a friend helps keep you accountable. It's hard to bail on a workout when you know that someone else is meeting you. No one wants to leave their friend hanging when you've made plans to meet them. 

Run Solo

On the flip side, running buddies are not a necessity. Make a commitment to yourself and follow through. I am so scared of running solo in the dark. I think partly because I'm night blind. No really, I can't see. I took an eye exam, and the DR asked me what I saw on the night vision test. I said chicken. He said.. ummm.. it's a barn. You really can't see a thing can you! So yeah, I'm not out a lot at night! 

But this week, I knew that I needed a good 5 mile run, and the treadmill just wasn't happening. So I laid my gear out, set my alarm, and forced myself out the door. 

I was so happy to see the sun come up! It was a beautiful sunrise, and I was happy that I stuck to my goal and got this run in even if it was much slower than last year at this time (but that's another post). 

Not everyone is an early morning runner, but I know that getting my run in first thing in the am, is best for me mentally. 

If you've never watched the sun rise on an early morning run, you should give it a try. 

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