6AM Runners.... HOW ?

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  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
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    I get up at 5:15 to get to my CrossFit gym for a 6:15 class. I need time to wake up in the morning so I dress and pack my bag and lunch every morning before I go. To do this I have to:

    1. Get to bed early. For me, this means lights out 10 latest.
    2. Drink plenty of water before bed, which makes me HAVE to get up.

    Also, what is this about not showering? :sick:
  • _MG_
    _MG_ Posts: 453 Member
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    By 6am I am normally done with my workout. Coffee gets done at 3 am, down a cup and either lifting, running or biking by around 3:30 am., when finished nice shower and on with the rest of my day.

    Similar for me. The alarm goes off at 0410. I'm at the gym starting my lifting at 0430 and am finished with that and some cardio around 6-6:10.

    Hit the showers then off to work.
  • csuhar
    csuhar Posts: 779 Member
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    I'm that kind of person that will be in their pajamas until the last possible minute. Heck, I'll be in my pajamas all day or even all week if I wanted to ! But I have a question. HOW do you wake up at 6am, get dressed as soon as your feet hit the floor, getting out of bed and out before the sun even comes up ?

    Also, what's your preference in the summer ? Do you completely change when coming back, or do you just air dry, put on some deodorant and baby powder, then do what needs to be done for the day ?

    Three words:

    Embrace... The... Suck...

    Seriously, it's a matter of figuring out you've simply got to bite the bullet and do it, especially if that's the only time you have. I hate getting up, espeically if I'm up before the sun is. Still, at my last place, that's what I did. It was my only option for going for a run with a safe amount of light and before the heat of the day set in.

    I'm living in a different place, now, and there's a safe running trail that lets me exercise in the evening as things are cooling off without worryng too much about it getting dark, so now I run in the evenings or at night.

    But if your only option is to get out there at 6 AM, then that's just what you have to do.

    As far as hygiene, I always shower after a run.
  • KeithAngilly
    KeithAngilly Posts: 575 Member
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    I would like to know if you morning runners who do it primarily as you feel you won't do it later in the day, feel that you are able to work as hard/ get as much out of it? If so what's your secret? I can get up and go out there but I can never work as hard as I can in the afternoon , I just don't have the energy. Any tips? I'd love to get my workout done before work.

    One trick I use is to set two alarms..one on my nightstand (my kindle) and one set for 5 mins later in the bathroom. When my kindle goes off, I know in five minutes I am going to have walk down to the bathroom for the other one. That system almost never fails me. I set up the coffee the night before and whatever workout I have planned for the day is set up, as well. I have a cup of coffee while I am loosening up and I am usually good.
  • mank32
    mank32 Posts: 1,323 Member
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    it's a yearly cycle for me (seasonally/light affected): during the dark time of the year i routinely oversleep and am generally a sluggish zombie in the morning; during the bright time of year i spring out of bed at 5 a.m.ish, throw on my gear and run for 40 minutes before work. make sense?

    the more light i get, the more energy i have, and the less sleep i need. the less light i get, the less energy i have and the more sleep i need. i love being a morning person. it's alternately very easy and very difficult for me. i always prefer to get my workout out of the way first thing in the early morning (when i have the most energy and nothing else is going on that i could be doing instead) but it's not always feasible.

    the running is awesome at 5:30 a.m.! nobody but us fitfreaks (or fitcommuters) out at that hour.
  • miss_jessiejane
    miss_jessiejane Posts: 2,819 Member
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    I get up between four thirty and five every day. Mostly because I know good and well if I don't, I won't work out at all that day. And I'd rather just get up early as opposed to not getting any time to myself.
  • Crateria_
    Crateria_ Posts: 253 Member
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    By 6am I am normally done with my workout. Coffee gets done at 3 am, down a cup and either lifting, running or biking by around 3:30 am., when finished nice shower and on with the rest of my day.
    3 AM?!?!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    Ahhhh yes...I remember fondly the days when 6 AM was "early"...those were good days indeed. These days it would mean that I somehow had a chance to sleep in a bit.
  • gmthisfeller
    gmthisfeller Posts: 779 Member
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    I am out the door at 4:15 am, you slacker, you! :)

    I set out my running togs just before I hit the sack. The alarm goes off at 4. This is HARD, and it never gets any easier. Getting out and getting that first 1/2 mile done are the hardest part of my day, by far. But then a strange thing happens: I enjoy myself. The music, the neighborhood, the run all make it worth it.

    I need to be at work by 7:00 am, so with a 30 minute drive I need to be done by 5:30.

    ~Charles~
  • Linli_Anne
    Linli_Anne Posts: 1,360 Member
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    I'm naturally a morning person, but it doesn't mean that somedays all I would rather do is lay in bed.

    My biggest motivator is that the earlier I can finish my run (talking long runs) then the more time I have to spend with my kids and husband during the day.

    It's harder in the winter, when the sun isn't up, and it feels unnatural to be out and about, but in the spring and summer, when it is light out that certainly helps the motivation.
  • dpwellman
    dpwellman Posts: 3,271 Member
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    HOW do you wake up at 6am, get dressed as soon as your feet hit the floor, getting out of bed and out before the sun even comes up ?
    6 AM? I need to be done by 0600 if I have a chance at beating traffic.
  • lavaughan69
    lavaughan69 Posts: 459 Member
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    I'm that kind of person that will be in their pajamas until the last possible minute. Heck, I'll be in my pajamas all day or even all week if I wanted to ! But I have a question. HOW do you wake up at 6am, get dressed as soon as your feet hit the floor, getting out of bed and out before the sun even comes up ?

    Also, what's your preference in the summer ? Do you completely change when coming back, or do you just air dry, put on some deodorant and baby powder, then do what needs to be done for the day ?

    I'm in my PJ's right now! :-)

    I think it's yet another routine that you have to get into, just like eating better and logging food. I'm just not quite ready for the exercise routine. I love to relax and enjoy a morning coffee and watch the today show before heading to work. I'm sooo lazy! Lunch hour walks are my thing but once the snow melts...if it ever melts...I plan on doing more.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    By 6am I am normally done with my workout. Coffee gets done at 3 am, down a cup and either lifting, running or biking by around 3:30 am., when finished nice shower and on with the rest of my day.
    most often this type of behavior is a decision and supported/dictated by bed time.

    I am supposed to be awake by 645- but I often go to bed between 12- 1 AM. It makes it almost impossible to get up any early than late 6 early 7 time frame- not with regular late bedtimes
    Ahhhh yes...I remember fondly the days when 6 AM was "early"...those were good days indeed. These days it would mean that I somehow had a chance to sleep in a bit.

    "early" is relative to bed time- for my old roommate- waking up at 9 PM was waking up early. LOL

    but I remember those days for me too- I had to be at job sites by 7 AM- and i twas 1.5 hr drive- so yeah- sleeping "in" to 6 was amazing. Now I wake up at 7 and I'm like- holy hell the day's half over LOL.
  • sabbyfairy
    sabbyfairy Posts: 53 Member
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    I was doing it by being the crazy home-school kid that stayed up until noon. I'd jump a few fences and grab my running buddy at sunrise and we'd go.

    Now? I'll probably stick to 10am until the weather gets warm, in which case I'll start getting up earlier. Nothing sucks more than being late to getting to your run and having the sticky humidity and burning sunshine instead of the nice morning mist.
  • freddi11e
    freddi11e Posts: 317 Member
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    I HATE WAKING UP SO MUCH I COULD DIE

    That said, I am at the gym at 6:30AM mon-fri because I know I won't do it after work. I really won't. I have tried, but I'm just lazy. So by going to bed in my workout clothes and setting my alarm on the other side of the room, it guarantees that I am awake and ready when I need to be...and if I am already awake, I can't rationalize going back to bed. Good luck!

    LOL omg i am going to try just sleeping in my workout clothes so i can get up for a run. I find this to be absolutely GENIUS.
  • HornedFrogPride
    HornedFrogPride Posts: 283 Member
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    I try to awaken by 5-5:15 so I'm usually running by 6am. I am a morning person. I coffee up before every running (that helps me). Also try to grab a snack before (mango! mango! gummies by Trader Joe's current fave). But really the key is going to sleep as early as possible to get adequate rest. The rest is repetition of early morning running which creates a habit. If it's summer, I'm sometimes running by 4:30am to not get baked by the sun. It can take a little work to get started but after building a routine which becomes a habit, it's hard to change. Love seeing the sunrise while I'm running (it's a gift)! The beauty of the sunrise is usually a strong enough motivator assuming that I got enough zzzzs. Oh and make sure you have all your workout clothes ready (& your headlamp if it's dark), that helps. :wink:
  • ironrat79
    ironrat79 Posts: 273 Member
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    I'm in the gym by 5am and bed by 9:30pm. In between is filled with work and school, I have no social life lol
  • maz504
    maz504 Posts: 450
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    Meh, I learned pretty quickly that I'm just not a first-thing-in-the-morning exerciser. On the weekends I'll go in the morning once I've had a chance to wake up and fart around the house for a bit, but if I force myself to go very first thing, I just don't enjoy it. Is there a reason you want to work out in the morning instead of the evenings?
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    ...Also, what's your preference in the summer ? Do you completely change when coming back, or do you just air dry, put on some deodorant and baby powder, then do what needs to be done for the day ?

    Well, since you asked...I live in a hot climate and run long-distances on dusty trails in the hills. I get sweaty and dirty. In my opinion, one should shower and change clothes after a run - especially if you are going to work or something. :tongue:
  • Escloflowne
    Escloflowne Posts: 2,038 Member
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    If I'm not working out, I wake up at literally the last possible moment to make it to work on time, but if I want to work out I get up at 4:30am and within 15 minutes I'm wide awake for the rest of the day, it's like a natural high!

    I.C.E. Cream Official Tester
    IKEA Professional Put Together-er
    Kickboxing Class Attender
    Been in fitness for about 2 years and have studied kitty-gif-ology, nutrition and Dinosaurs

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