Early Morning Runners

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angf0679
angf0679 Posts: 1,120 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
How do you do it? I've switched to running in the morning (I get up at 5am) as I can find more time in the morning then at night and it's much cooler first thing in the morning! I don't do it every day, but about 3 days a week. (I plan to Saturday morning as well, but not as early!!!!)

By lunch time I am so tired. I was on hold for a call I had to make a work and couldn't keep my eyes open. I had to stand and pace.

I went to bed about 11pm last night, so I got about 6 hours of sleep, which is good for me. However, it doesn't feel like that right now!!!!!
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Replies

  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    I'm a morning runner and have been for years, but I'm also a morning person.

    It's a struggle for some people but one of two things will happen.......you'll get used to it and won't feel fatigued by lunch time or (if you're hardcore "not a morning" person) give in to your body's normal rhythms and run at a time more natural for you (the cooler temps are a bonus in the summer!)

    Give it an honest try, you'll probably adapt and grow to love the quietness of an early morning run.
  • beth0277
    beth0277 Posts: 217 Member
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    Your body will get used to it. I get up at 4:30 am now to workout by 5:30 and the first week was rough but it doesn't bother me at all now. :) Good job!
  • handyrunner
    handyrunner Posts: 32,662 Member
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    I have been doing it too..and i sit here and yawn at my desk...i can deal with being tired...since it happens later in the day and i will be getting out an about soon...


    my struggle is convincing myself to get up and when id rather sleep...what pushes me is if I dont im going to have to make it up later so get up and go!!!
  • zenrunner1
    zenrunner1 Posts: 12
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    What do you eat in the morning? Perhaps you are not re-fueling adequately
  • angf0679
    angf0679 Posts: 1,120 Member
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    What do you eat in the morning? Perhaps you are not re-fueling adequately

    Before I run? Nothing. Today I had a bowl of cereal and a banana.
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
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    I went to bed about 11pm last night, so I got about 6 hours of sleep, which is good for me. However, it doesn't feel like that right now!!!!!

    I tend to hit about 6 hours of sleep too but I try to pick at least 2 days a week where I sleep in and get 7 - 8 hours. That helps out quite a bit.
    What do you eat in the morning? Perhaps you are not re-fueling adequately
    You don't need to eat a thing before you run. I never do. Just have a nice breakfast after you get back and keep some ice water around for those afternoon times when you might feel a bit more tired. Get up and walk around for a minute. It happens to me as well and those two things help.
  • Escloflowne
    Escloflowne Posts: 2,038 Member
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    I find working out in the morning wakes me up...
  • Sobus76
    Sobus76 Posts: 242 Member
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    I run right after breakfast, do to my work schedule, thats 130pm. i do it after waking up because its easier for me to do it before work then after working 11 hours on an assembly line then running after an hour drive home. plus i feel more energetic the rest of the day.
  • kristinegift
    kristinegift Posts: 2,406 Member
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    I am not at all a morning person. But I got up at 4:45 yesterday to run 7 miles before work, and I didn't even dread it. I've been doing these early morning runs for about two months now, and it took me about a month to get used to it, but now I go out and I get to scare deer on the nature trail and startle sleepy bunnies and enjoy watching the sun rise. It's nice to be out when the streets are quiet, the temps are low, and it's basically the energy equivalent of my first cup of coffee. There's hope! (Plus, when summer is over, you can always switch back to evening runs, when the evening is a bit more tolerable temperature wise!)

    Edit: It's also good to run in the morning sometimes (though maybe not SUPER early) because, whether we like it or not, most races are in the morning.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
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    you may just have to get used to it - some people adapt to it, some are just naturally morning people.

    I am neither - and despite many years of having to be up before the sun, I was never able to adapt to it.
  • TAsunder
    TAsunder Posts: 423 Member
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    Caffeine slightly before lunch helps. Also, 6 hours is likely not enough. If I only got 6 consistently I would probably actually fall asleep at work. Not sure how much you are running, but the rule of thumb I try (largely unsuccessfully) to follow is, 7-8 hours plus 1 minute per mile run during the week. So if you run 30 miles per week, you should be getting 30 more minutes PER DAY.
  • Some_Watery_Tart
    Some_Watery_Tart Posts: 2,250 Member
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    I agree with the suggestion that you might not be refueling properly. Maybe pack a couple light snacks for late morning? It also may be that your body will need a couple weeks to adjust to the new routine. It's a great excuse for an extra cup or coffee or tea. :)
  • lemurcatta85
    lemurcatta85 Posts: 19
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    I find working out in the morning wakes me up...

    Same! I have more energy throughout the day - though it doesn't make it any easier to force myself out of bed at 5!
  • mmm_drop
    mmm_drop Posts: 1,126 Member
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    I find working out in the morning wakes me up...

    Same! I have more energy throughout the day - though it doesn't make it any easier to force myself out of bed at 5!

    Yep, yep, this!
  • angf0679
    angf0679 Posts: 1,120 Member
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    I pack a fair size lunch for work as well and always bring 2 water bottles with me. I'm not really a coffee drinker but sometimes do mix a little into my hot chocolate. Its just to warm for that right now! I agree I probably have to get used to it and I'm sure I eventually will.
  • kmbweber2014
    kmbweber2014 Posts: 680 Member
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    I did it for about six months and then decided it was time to give up. Now I workout at about 8 at night. Seems to work better and it's cooler.
  • jbrownnolan
    jbrownnolan Posts: 72 Member
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    Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope.

    I would rather run at 2 in the afternoon with 85 deg sunny weather than haul my butt out of bed at 5am. I have tried it numerous times and never gotten use to it. The only days I do run in the morning is if I know there is no way I'm getting in my run later in the day or for some strange reason I'm laying awake in bed and can't fall back to sleep, there is an awesome feeling knowing that you are going to work with a 10k already under your belt, but the feeling of staying a sleep normally outweighs that feeling, I'll get my 10k in normally right after work, right before dinner (5:00pm).

    Good luck with the waking up early thing though, I'll be sleeping ZZZzzz
  • Still_Fluffy
    Still_Fluffy Posts: 341 Member
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    I get up at 4:45 in the morning to workout, but I go to bed around 10 at night. Give your body some time to adjust and you'll be fine. It took me a could of weeks to get used to it. Now I wake up everyday at 5 am even when I don't plan to run.
  • bigblondewolf
    bigblondewolf Posts: 268 Member
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    You may just genuinely not be getting enough sleep. I get up at 5am to run and go to bed at 10pm at the very latest most nights (except for weekends). I know on nights where I went to bed too late I crash and burn the next day around lunch time.

    Try getting a little more sleep and seeing if that makes a difference. Also remember to give yourself time to adjust to getting up so early.
  • IGbnat24
    IGbnat24 Posts: 520 Member
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    You'll adjust. I love running before the neighborhood is awake. Get yourself a good playlist to jam along with.

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