Tips For Running In The Morning

I read a great article the other day, I wish I could remember where.  It was about a boxer.  He went out of his way to wake up a 4am to begin his training sessions.  He said he liked the idea that while his opponents were sleeping, he was preparing himself for battle.  And with that being said…

I’ve found it much harder to make time for running these days.  So difficult in fact that I’m considering scheduling some of my runs… in the morning.  There I said it.

This is a big step for me, I’ve made serious efforts to avoid morning running so far.  I’ve dedicated many a lunch time to tempo and interval sessions.  I’ve cancelled plans with friends after work so that I can get my runs in.  But I think it’s finally inevitable, so tomorrow morning, I’m waking up at 6:30am and jogging down to the track for 400M repeats.

I’m really not bad at the waking up part.  That’s fine.  The big problem for me is just the way that my body feels when I run before work.  The normal wear and tear pains seem amplified.  The motor skills required for running just seem much less natural.  I’ve scoured the internet for tips, so here are some of the highlights.  Forgive me if they’re too obvious.  And again, since the actual waking up part is not a problem for me, I’ve omitted those from the results…

1. Go to bed early.  The better rested you are, the better you’ll feel

2. Prepare the coffee maker so that all you have to do when you wake up is turn it on.  Drink a cup of coffee with some water while getting dressed.

3. Alternately, have another source of caffeine readily available (energy drinks, gels, shots)

4. Lay out your running clothes and gear before you go to bed.  It’s much easier than fumbling around in the morning.  Maybe even lay them out in the bathroom to be kind to your spouse.

5. While you’re in there, make use of the toilet before walking out the door.

6. If you want to get really crazy, take a hot shower first.  It wakes you up and warms up your muscles at the same time.

7. Plan your run the night before and wake up 15 minutes earlier than you think you need to.  It sucks to be running late because your workout took longer than you were expecting.

8. Take some extra time to stretch and warm-up jog.  Come to terms with the fact that it will take you longer to hit your stride in the morning.

9. Relish in the fact that nothing else will get in the way of your running plans, because you’re getting them out of the way first.

I’m wide open to suggestions.  Anyone else out there have some good ideas on how I can get into the idea of running in the morning?

J

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