Reminders

Today on my early morning run (which should have been ultra early but ended up just being regular early, but we'll get to that), I found myself making some mental notes. You'd think by now I'd know better, but I guess everyone can benefit from a friendly reminder now and then, even seasoned runners.

Actually go to bed when you say you will. This whole I'm going to bed at 9pm but then I play on my iPad for two hours and don't actually fall asleep until after 11 thing is really cramping my style, especially now that school has started.

Don't watch The Walking Dead or Fear TWD the night before a pre-sunrise run. I definitely didn't think this one through.

Oh yeah, I totally want to get up and run in the dark alone after watching this. (PS: Seeing the virus in the early stages and how people react is really interesting. I'm already enjoying FTWD.)

Give your stomach time to wake up. I found out the hard way last summer that the park's bathrooms don't open until sunrise. Today I was ready to run at 4:30, but had to drive out of my way to a 24-hour 7-11 to use the facilities when, surprise!, my stomach suddenly got the memo that I was awake and moving around. I then drove back to my starting point. I didn't actually start running until 5, cutting my 4-miler down to 2.5. Oops.

Pick a route the night before, but be flexible. Last week, I wasted about fifteen minutes in the morning deciding where I wanted to run. Today, I should have just run from 7-11 after my pit stop, but I was set on my predetermined route. Both are rookie mistakes.

Run by time to finish in time. This is actually helpful to remember! I need to be done running by 5:40am at the latest on weekdays, so setting my GPS as a timed run instead of distance is key.

Rely on friends to get you out the door. It's ridiculously hard to motivate myself out of bed at 4:15am, but I've been slowly getting back into the habit by running early a couple times a week. When I can't meet someone face-to-face for a morning run, I rely on the friends in my phone. The constant dinging of my phone as my early-riser friends send me encouragement is incredibly irritating, which is just what I need at that time of day!

I was awake when Kim texted, but I may have gone back to sleep if Montana and Chris hadn't followed up. Thanks ladies!

All in all, this morning's run wasn't perfect by any means, but just getting out there so early - and before a full day of work - is a victory. Habits build slowly, and I just need to keep plugging away until 4:15 doesn't feel so difficult.

All smiles post-run!

And I'm trying not to dwell on the fact that I'm clearly an idiot for beginning marathon training the same week school started. Not only am I exhausted, but my feet are killing me! Oh well...there's nothing to do about it but move forward, and that's what I plan to do.

Do you avoid scary shows/movies before a dark run?
What's the earliest you've ever begun a training run?
Do you have trouble going to bed at a decent hour, even when you have to be up early?

ABK