Maybe it was spending too many days in the sun, or the overindulgence of food as typically happens during a holiday, or perhaps it was the heat and the many hours spend driving in the car, but on Monday evening I got a crazy idea. Boyfriend and I were just about in New Jersey, on our way home from an amazing vacation at my parents house, when I blurted out, "I think I want to get up early and go to the gym before work tomorrow".
Boyfriend of course responded with a cool, "Ok". This took me by surprise as working our so early is not something I can typically bring myself to do more than once a week.
Here's what it was like working out in the morning. The first day was amazing. Getting up that early was not that bad, my workout was great, I was ready for work extra early and I felt great for the rest of the day. Day two was a little more difficult, but I still felt great most of the day (although a little bit tired). I was really enjoying having my nights free to do things like getting together with girlfriends and having date night with Boyfriend. But by Thursday I needed a break from it all. I slept in until 7:15 and it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.
Friday I had big plans to get up extra early and run in Valley Forge before work. Until I remembered my running sneakers were in my gym locker at work. And then my asthma started acting up, be it because of stress, or lack of sleep, or the heat, or maybe all three. So I scrapped my morning run plans. Oh what a shocker, something else I tried and didn't have the energy to stick to.
For everyone that can find the energy and motivation to wake up in the early hours of the morning and get your exercise in, I congratulate you. To me, you are awesome. Some people are morning runners, some are night runners, and maybe we aren't really meant to switch. I'm pretty sure I function really well as a night runner. When I work out in the morning it feels like I cheated. I don't feel sore when I wake up, even though I gave the same amount of effort. I don't feel like I have to give up my evenings, which is just weird.
I think in the end I have discovered more of who I am instead of something I can achieve. I am just a night runner. I enjoy racking up the miles as I watch the sun set over the river. I enjoy the calm of summer nights and street lights. Does this often take up some of my evenings and make my schedule a little more difficult? Yes. Do I need my sleep? MOST definitely. But maybe my whole routine doesn't need a makeover. Maybe the way I was doing things works just fine for me.
So I have to ask, have you ever though of changing up your workout routine? What made you do it, and did you end up making it work for good?
xx Sara
3 comments:
Good for you for trying something new!
I'm a morning runner by necessity. It's too hot here to run very long in the evenings! And I do enjoy getting it over so that I have my whole night. (even though I go to bed so early so that I can get up at 4:30!) but when the weather is nicer I do enjoy mixing it up a bit to run later. Maybe I'm a closet night runner!
i'm definitely a night runner, too. i would LOVE to be able to get my runs out of the way in the morning, but i can only seem to manage that once a week, for my long runs. i agree that it's kind of a bummer to give up my evenings to run, but i just can't seem to make the switch! it's funny to hear from another night runner, too, since everyone i know runs in the morning!
Funny. A similar post just went up on Fitwithapurpose.com. I do best early in the morning because I've always been an early riser. When I run at night, I feel like I'm running through mud.
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