How to Start Running in the Morning
If you would have told me a year ago that I would turn into a morning runner, I would have laughed so hard. Before getting a new job in November, I was the worst at waking up. Like to the point where I had to get a wakeup call for important early morning events and was constantly sleeping through class and work. It was embarrassing and frustrating to say the least. I thought that it would go away when I got my first “big girl job” after college, but that did not happen. It actually got a lot worse. It wasn’t until I got this new job that things started to turn around. I went from sleeping in until 8:58 and rushing to work, to waking up at 5:30 to lift or run.
So what changed? I’ve been struggling to figure that out. I know that the new job had a lot to do with it, but there’s more to it than that. I also have a new found passion for running. And not the old passion for competing and racing that I used to have. After being injured last fall and having to take my time running easy miles the past few months, I learned to enjoy the slow and short miles.
After a few months of dark, early morning miles, I’ve really learned to enjoy them. I’ve been able to wake up earlier and earlier each week.
Go to bed early I’m proud to say that my bed time is between 9:00 and 9:30, always before 10:00 (yes, even on weekends). If I go to bed past 10:00, I have the hardest time waking up to my early alarm.
Get enough sleep Sleep is so important, arguably one of the most important things for runners— recovery happens during sleep. As for waking up early, it will be tough to do on little sleep. My goal is to get 8 hours every night and extra sleep on the weekends.
Wake up at the same time on the weekends (or close to it) To get into the habit of waking up at 6:00 every day, I started setting an alarm on the weekends instead of sleeping in. My weekend alarm is set for 7:00 (soon I’ll start setting it for 6:30). I found that waking up to an alarm every day, and close to the time that I wake up during the week, really helps me get moving when the alarm goes off early Monday morning.
Start slow Don’t set your alarm at 5:00 the first morning. Start slow. I started waking up at 6:30 for a few weeks, then 6:00, and now 5:30. It took me a few weeks to get here, but it was easier than in the past when I tried to wake up at 5:00 right away (5:00 is my wakeup goal once 5:30 and 5:15 are easy).
Set your clothes out the night before Having my clothes out saves me so much time. When I wake up at 5:30, my brain isn’t fully aware of what’s happening, which makes it difficult to pick out my clothes. I stumble to my dresser, grab the clothes on top, throw them on and head to the kitchen for my pre-workout drink and snack.
Pre-mix your pre-workout Another time-saver I love is mixing up my pre-workout the night before and sticking it in the fridge. I know it takes like two seconds to mix it, but this way I just grab it out of the fridge in the morning and go!
Put your alarm across your room Every time I’ve slept through my alarm over the past few weeks, it’s because I accidentally charged my phone next to my bed. By putting my alarm across my room, it forces me to get out of bed and get going. But don’t make the mistake of getting back into bed after turning off your alarm!
Be easy on yourself Waking up early is tough, but adding on a run or lift can feel impossible at times. There will be times that you wake up and don’t feel like working out. There will also be days that you accidentally snooze your alarm four or five times and don’t have time to run. Be patient with yourself as you begin this new schedule!