Morning Runs?

Sounds like you should just get up and go! Make the bed later. Carpe diem, I say.

I set my alarm for 5:30 or 6 am (depending on the day) and eat 1/2 a Think Thin protein bar as soon as I turn my alarm off. This gives me a bit of energy and prevents me from hitting the snooze bar (which I've always been a slave to until I started doing this).

I get up, get ready and GO to the gym, and hit the treadmill. I warm up for a 3 - 4 minute brisk walk then start jogging a 10 min mile. I only run 2 or 3 days a week, I do other things to mix it up. My knees tend to bother me if I run 2 days in a row.

Good luck!

Mornings are better for me too but if I do it in the morning I'm late for work! I'm pooped of the evening but I DO IT! If you have to do mornings skip making the bed. Take your water with you. Anything that's gonna get you out that door. Good luck!

I usually run in the morning because I prefer to run on an empty stomach, but I never ever ever ever get up early to do so. I run after dropping the children off at school/nursery during term time, and only while staying at my parents or in laws in the holidays. The rest of the time I am limited to running at weekends, or in the evening after my husband gets in from work, which is only possible in the summer holidays as he doesn't get in until 7pm, and we live in the country so can't run after dark as no lights.

I just pinch the fat on my body...but I agree it's tough especially if you don't like running. You can jump rope, ride bike...try to alternate

Hahaha so true!

I don't bother to make the bed...I'm just going to get back in it later! Only time the bed is made is when I strip the sheets to wash.

Getting up in the morning is never easy!!!!! I am not human before 8am. It physically hurts having to get up before 8 for the school run. Most of the time I don't, and am late.

I get up 3 days a week to run @5:20am... And trust me, I HATE (*snap rubber band on wrist*) it, but gosh golly! It gets so hot here, that that is the only time of day cool enough to go running without getting heat stroke. The only way I manage it is by laying my clothes out the day before, then after the alarm goes off (and having a "I don't want to, you got to, you promised yourself and your husband, but I just wanna sleep, you'll just stay fat" conversation with myself in about 30 sec) I grab them, go to the bathroom, rinse with mouthwash (faster than brushing, but I can't run with nightmouth), get dressed and walk out the door. I make sure to turn on lights too... not lamps, but real lights that wake me up. I'm always out the door within 10min of my alarm going off. Making breakfast, showers, dishes, bedmaking... it all happens afterward. It's kinda like cleaning your house. If you ever sit down in the middle of it, you're never gonna get bak up and finish.

I run early ( like 5 am) on my run days, my motivation is that I live in Texas, so if I wait and run any later it will be 110 degrees outside! Have you ever tried running in 110 degree weather with the sun beating down on you? That's enough motivation for me. Once the sun comes up it's too late!

Yes, me too!

I do, and I am NOT a morning person. But 2-3 days a week, I meet my friends at the local high school's track in the morning to do the C25K. Because I'm meeting other people, there's more pressure on me to make it happen at a certain time. I really enjoy doing it with them, and wouldn't want to miss it. We probably will move the time up later, in the fall when the temp cools off a bit, but for right now, morning is our best bet. Knowing that if I put it off even an hour, it will be too hot to run and I'll have missed my chance for the day (and missed the company) gets me going. That and the fact that I feel great after I do it... so even if I feel like 4-hours-of-sleep-what-is-up-with-my-teething-baby-ugh when the clock goes off, I mentally reach for the "It's so worth it!" feeling that overrides the desire to hit the snooze for another three hours. Before you go to sleep, maybe mentally rehearse waking up in the morning, see yourself doing it, go over some of your most motivating reasons why you want to do it (which don't have to be the most motivating for anyone else -- it's whatever gets you excited and feeling like moving is a good thing) so that in the morning they'll be easier for you to call on. Maybe write them out on a note you keep beside your bed, so that you'll see it before you pull the covers up over your head for an extra snooze. I find that first thing in the morning, it's ridiculously hard to remember why I thought something was important the night before! LOL

I try to get up an hour or more before our start time, because I absolutely can't go without a light breakfast, but if I eat breakfast too close to the workout, I'll get sick. I also have water during that time, and as needed during the run/walks. A full stomach would slow me down, but water doesn't seem to bother me. Maybe instead of drinking a lot of water at once, sip a little over a longer period of time?You might want to try some ome coffee or black tea to help get you ready. Caffeine prior to a cardio workout has been shown to help people get going, last longer, and do better.

On run days, that's it's my number one priority, and everything else is secondary. The bed will wait until after your run - run first, make the bed later! I've heard of some people sleeping in their workout clothes so they would be one step closer to following through when the clock went off in the morning.

Also, if you can buddy up with someone, get a friend to run with you, or find a running group in your area, that might help a lot. The concrete "X time at Y location" can be an outside motivator, and it is so much more enjoyable to run with other people! There are probably lots of ways to find groups if none of your friends are interested in joining you - MeetUp.com, running sites, people training for a local race, etc.

I don't drink water before, but I drink lots afterwards.

I am NOT a morning person (ask anyone who sees me before 9am) but it's my only time to go. I lay everything out the night before...clothes, contacts, hair ties, shoes, ipod, dog leash, etc. so that when my alarm goes off I can stumble to the bathroom, get dressed, let dogs out, come back in to put the rest of my gear on, then grab the dogs and go. When I get home I stretch and drink water and have a protein bar before I shower. I can't drink much or eat anything before I head out or I feel like crap. I'll eat half a protein bar on the way to the gym before my 5:30 hardbodies class, but on run mornings..nothing.