Early Morning Runs

Sorry to have been gone for so long! Life gets so busy, it is hard to live it and blog about it too.

We've had to revamp our training around here, and I use the term "training" lightly.  Pat and I had to stop working out in the afternoons, because there is only an hour between when I get home from work at 5:30 PM and when Kate goes to bed at 6:30 PM and in that time we have to feed, bath, and play with our little girl.  Not to mention, start something for us to eat.  So working out had gone out the window, and Pat and I had to come up with a new plan to work out in the mornings.  We both leave for work, and to take Kate to daycare, at 7:30 AM so our workouts need to be done by 6:15 AM if we're going to have enough time for both of us to eat breakfast, shower, feed and dress Kate, get her bottles and food ready, make coffee, walk the dog, put away laundry and clean dishes, etc.  So the alarm clock now goes off at 5:00 AM and one of us tries to be out running by 5:30 AM on alternating mornings.  So far we're not doing that well - Pat is doing better than I am, but we both make it about once a week.  This week, so far, neither one of us has wanted to run on icy streets in the dark.

In researching tips for early morning workouts, I found the following to be the best advice:

• Eat something -  between 100 - 300 calories is all you need.  It helps get your digestion going and keeps you from being hungry half way through your workout.  A banana, granola bar, or piece of toast seems to be just right.
• Set the coffee pot - or put out items for a hot drink.  I prefer tea.  Although caffeine has been shown to improve your performance, neither Pat or I can stomach it before a run.  Something hot is comforting and helps you wake-up though, so I make sure and put out the tea pot with water, my cup, and the tea bag before I go to bed.
• Set out your clothes - having everything ready cuts down on the time and energy it takes to get out the door, once you finally make a move away from the bed sheets.
• Turn on lots of lights - we have to leave it dark upstairs, but we go downstairs or in the bathroom to get ready and make sure to get lots of lights on.  It helps your brain wake-up and feel like it is morning.
• Don't look outside from bed! - Especially if the forecast called for snow last night.  Just don't do it.

We also had to change the route that we take.  While it is very safe to run along the trails, and rivers here during the day - I worry about animals (bears in particular) in secluded areas.  The best advice I read mentioned that even well lit areas that are secluded won't help you if you get attacked and no one can hear you call for help.  Plus the trail can be icy and snow packed, so we decided to create a path through town using http://www.mapmyrun.com/. 

I'll try and post some pictures the next time I actually make it out that early!