So, your schedule is so busy that your daily running is suffering? Why not try getting up early in the morning before the other people at home are up and before you start preparing for work or for your daily chores and go for a nice and refreshing morning run?
There are some adjustments which you need to make in order to get used to running early, but even if you are not a morning person – getting used to going out for your daily hours in the wee hours is possible!
Becoming a pre-dawn or morning runner has a number of benefits, including:
- You will be all exercised before everybody else has woken up, which will no doubt make you feel very satisfied and accomplished with yourself!
- There are much less disruptions when you are running in the hours when most other people are sleeping.
- You will have completed your daily run and still have time for all the important chores, activities, work, school or other plans you have for the day.
- There is much less traffic in the early hours. If you run on the road you will find that the traffic is so less disruptive at this time of the day. It will be safer, quieter, and he air will be cleaner.
- It is much cooler and fresher early in the morning, and the risks of storms and heavy rains is lower in the early hours.
If you are already convinced you want to try, here are some tips on becoming a morning runner:
- Prepare your running gear on the night before. Make sure you lay out your running clothes, footwear, your phone, an mp3 player, gels, head lights and any other running gear you will be needing. If it is dark, wear a head light as well as bright colored clothing with reflective elements, or a reflective vest to be safe on the road.
- Check the weather forecast on the night before, so that you pick the appropriate clothes and gear you will need for the weather expected on the next morning. This will save you a lot of time for looking for the appropriate clothes on the next day.
- You should check the weather conditions on your pone in the morning just in case, but that’s it! Do not be tempted to go ahead and check your e-mail, your Facebook, Twitter or anything else. Chances are you will get distracted and will be late for your run!
- If you have to prepare lunch for your children or their stuff for school – do it before you go to bed. Do the errands which you usually do in the morning on the night before too.
- Plan your running route ahead and calculate how much time you will need to complete it. This will allow you to make it back home in time for your chores and work, and will also help you stay motivated and keep running in order to meet and possibly surpass your running goals.
- Place the alarm clock or phone out of reach before going to bed. This will ensure that you have to actually get up to turn the alarm off and will stop you from pressing that snooze button and dozing off once again.
- Prepare a snack or breakfast for yourself beforehand if you usually need fueling before running. This will save you the time and the hassle of going through your closet in the early morning.
- Go to bed earlier than usual, and set your clock 10 minutes fast in order to ensure that you have slept enough and that you have a 10 minute buffer just in case.
- Stay safe. Even though the traffic pre-dawn isn’t as intensive as it is during the day, make sure you are visible to the drivers on the road. Wear a reflective vest and reflective elements on your running clothes and gear, and run in a direction towards the traffic. Also, wear a head light or other light if it is too dark, so as to avoid tripping on or running into any obstacles on the road.
- Get a running buddy or take the dog with you for your morning run. Not only will company make your running more fun, but you will feel safer and more motivated to get up early and go running if someone is expecting you.
Believe me, once you get used to pre-dawn or morning running – you will come to love it! It will get you energized, refreshed and ready for your daily chores, work and any other activities you have planned. You will also be more satisfied with yourself which will make you even more determined to improve your performance.
