This article was adapted from my own life experiences as well as those of Marty Munson, a writer for Active.com. Read his article here.
I am not sure I would consider myself a morning person but I definitely wake up happy most days. However, when I know there is a run waiting for me, I occasionally find myself waking up with the hope that I have mistakenly slept in and I just wont have time to get my run in. What kind of attitude is that? Don’t I love running? Yes. I do. So why is it so hard to get up sometimes and go do this thing I supposedly love? I don’t know, but I do know that there are some reasons why you should get up and go!
You only have to take one shower.
My “transformation” takes about an hour from start to finish. Only having to do this once a day means more TIME, and who doesn’t need more of that?
The best parties are never breakfast parties.
It has happened to me. My friends call and want to go out to dinner or to a movie and I have not run yet. I have to say, “I’m sorry, I have to run.” Saying that to a non-runner will likely land you in the BORING bin. I’m not boring. In fact, I am quite entertaining. That’s precisely why I run alone most of the time. Runs don’t have to take their toll on your datebook. Just get them done before peak social hours. Morning runs have great smells too. Bacon in the frying pan, laundry and crisp clean air.
The feeling of accomplishment is exhilarating!
Scratch something of your to-do list before you even shower, and before most of your co-workers/friends/roommates are awake enough to catch a whiff of their morning breath.
Less hassle.
Take advantage of the fact that your co-workers/friends/roommates are still sawing logs. There is less traffic and fewer people honking at you (and yes, your assumptions were correct, it’s because you look so awesome in those split shorts). Also, the temperatures are way more bearable in the mornings than they are in the afternoons.
I know the drill. You wake up, you see a little bit of sunshine peeping through the slats in your blinds. The morning is calling your name and your running shoes are creeping out of the closet, begging you to put them on. It is almost always easier to just pull the covers over your head and slip into a race dream where you PR’d and qualified for Boston…but then again, that is only a dream…and dreams don’t make you stronger or faster. So get up! Get out there and own the road.