quote:<HR>Originally posted by Iseulte:
Heck, I don't even wake up until I get through the first mile. Just make a habit out of it and eventually your body will get the clue.<HR>

Ditto! I am SO NOT morning person - so my first mile is a like a toddler learning to walk for the first time! But I am not a noon person or afternoon person either and by the time I get home from work and commuting, I'm not an evening person either. Last year I trained for my races at night and this year I've been training in the morning and I have to say, it's a MUCH better feeling to get home at the end of a long day and know all you have to do is eat and go to bed, not drag yourself to the gym or run for an hour.

I don't eat anything before I run or I will get serious cramps - I take my fuel belt for water and if I'm running 6 mi. or more, some gel. I drink OJ and coffee when I get home and have a decent breakfast. I do the 30-minute wake up routine, since that's about how long it takes to pee, brush my teeth, splash water on my face, feed the cats, get dressed, drive to the beach (where everyone runs in Ft. Lauderdale) and stretch. By the end of the 6th mile, I feel like I could keep going forever.

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Not all who wander are lost.

The less I think about it, the better I do. I actually wear my running clothes to bed, so I literally hop out, throw on my shoes, go pee and hit the road.

"You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. You've always got to make the mind take over and keep going." - George S. Patton, U.S. Army General and 1912 Olympian

I hate hate hate running in the morning before work. I forced myself to do it in August when it was really hot. My times were awful and it made me a total crank. So I stopped. I'm devoted to running (just ask anyone who knows me) but my mantra is "if it stops being fun, change something."

It took some maneuvering, but I figured out ways to run at times that suit me better. For example, I run at lunch now that the days are shorter. In the summer, I wore a reflective vest and ran at dusk.

If you really don't enjoy morning runs, it will be worth it to look for ways to get in your runs at other times. You don't want running to become something you dread.

I admit waking up for an early run is hard, but not any harder than going after a long day of work when you get home and you're so flippin tired.

I think it's all in the mind. If you think it sucks to run that early, then believe me, it will as long as you keep thinking that way. Of course it doesn't matter when you run, as long as it works for you and you enjoy it.

-Jodi
www.confessionsofarunner.com[/URL" target="_blank">

I hate waking up and running. Been there done that in the Army.

One you swing your feet over the side of the bed, half the battle is won! It's too easy to make excuses if you put if off until later. Kids, work, too tired, etc. We all know how to talk ourselves out of it. I don't even need an alarm clock any more - automatically awake at 4:30 and out the door before 5:00. To me, this is the best possible way to get my day started. I may crash by 9 at night, buy I seem to run better and have more energy when I do it first thing in the morning.