Unexpected Benefits of My Morning Run
My original motivation for running was fitness. I’m much heavier than I should be and was discouraged about getting winded more quickly than my kids. I wanted to loose weight and get fit. I’ve lost over 20 pounds since Christmas 2007, and I can probably run father now than I ever have before (sad state, but true). But, I’ve seen other benefits that I wasn’t anticipating.
Since my college days, it’s been very hard for me to wake up before the sunrise. Come to think of it, its often hard to get out of bed after sun-up as well. I’ve always been most mentally and physically active at night. I’ve wanted to become a morning person, but it hasn’t ever come naturally for me.
The 3-times weekly goal of keeping my running schedule is now motivating me to get up early (anywhere from 5:30am to 6am, depending on family schedule for the day), get out of bed, get my shoes on, and go. As soon as I am actually up out of bed, the rest comes relatively easily. Only once in over 100 workouts have I retreated back into bed after leaving the house before finishing my morning time or distance goal.
Being up that early, running through my neighborhood before the sun comes up has been a refreshing way to start the day. It’s rewarding to see the duck pond in the stillness of the dawn and to hear the roosters crowing from the little farm a few streets away. The mood and sense of the streets around my home are calm and comforting as they transition from darkness to the warm shades of the early morning. This morning I could hear the local high school drumline warm up with rudiments and paradiddles. It wasn’t just another welcome sign that football season is here. It was nostalgic to think back to when I was practicing beside my friends before school.
All of these external events have been in the neighborhood since well before we moved in. But I wasn’t able to experience any of it from the comfort of my own bed. Because I am out in the neighborhood instead of curled up under the covers I’m able to see, hear, smell, and touch all these things. Besides the larger goals of fitness or accomplishment of completing each small step on the way to a marathon, I’m able to enjoy more fully the area where I live.
If I keep this up, I might even turn into a real morning person.
How about you? What pleasure or benefits have you found while running that you weren’t expecting to find?
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i have a number of excuses for not getting up in the morning to run, so i run at night. I leave somewhere close to 9pm. ironically, i enjoy it for similar, but opposite reasons. the world is winding down, the heat is subsiding, cool breezes set in, kids are tucked in, some bbqs are still lit, and couples are out hand-in-hand for an evening stroll. most people like to start their day w/ exercise, but i guess i end up enjoying exercise as a way to wrap up the day and wind down. though it may seem dangerous, running at night allows me to “see” cars approaching from behind since it is harder to hear them coming when I have my headphones on. headlights from behind reflect off objects ahead of me, so i “see” them coming from much farther away. what i don’t like about running at night? thunderstorms are more frequent, winter time is **** cold, more chance that something will come up that will prevent me from being able to run, metabolism boost goes to waste, and there’s less time for work/home/fun projects that i used to do at night. fortunately, exercise doesn’t stimulate me enough that i have trouble sleeping. after running 4 miles last night, i took a shower and was asleep 2 minutes after my head hit the pillow.
I too have enjoyed getting up earlier since getting serious about workouts. This has become one of my favorite parts of the day, so I wake up with eager expectation instead of dread. You may have already seen this, but you might like this Zen Habits article on becoming an early riser: http://zenhabits.net/2007/01/how-i-became-early-riser/.
NIce, Scott. Thanks for the link. While its easy for me to get out of bed when I’m scheduled to run, it’s still hard to wake up on the off days. I should try applying the tips from your link to my non-running days.
Hmmm…back when, I hated getting up in the morning to run.
These days, I don’t mind. It’s definitely peaceful out, and unfortunately, I usually get distracted by the sunrise and stuff. (Wishing I had my camera setup or wanting to do some night photography.)
And it’s definitely nice that my mind is usually clear. (Although sometimes I don’t know what’s going to pop in there, as evidenced this morning when I broke out in song.)
(Here by way of RunnerPlus)
Much obliged, Rahn. Thanks for stopping by.
Seeing your manual log online has piqued my interest in finding a way to embed logs or charts directly from Nike+ or Runner+. I’ll let you know if I find anything.