Morning Workout Tips

Like most people, I struggle to get out of bed in the morning to go do a workout. I love the idea of getting my workout done before my day starts but in reality this doesn't happen too often. With summer and the warm temps that come with it right around the corner I thought it would be a good idea to address some of the ways I get myself out of bed when every fiber of my being would prefer to stay in that bed.

I would say the most important thing don't set your expectations too high when it comes to working out in the morning. At the beginning of the semester I had grand plans to get up and run before class every day. If I had the opportunity to run later in the day, even if running in the morning made the most sense, I would hit the snooze button. I love running in the evening so I'm always going to choose running then if I can.

I quickly realized that I had to be more realistic about working out in the morning. Initially I only did one morning workout a week and that was because the only time I could go to the pool was at 7:30 in the morning. Even having just one day of waking up earlier caused me to wake up a tad earlier every other day of the week too.

One of the ways I convince myself to workout in the morning is knowing that I get to sleep in other days of the week. I intern at Corrigan Sports on Monday & Wednesday, have class Tuesday & Thursday, and then Friday off. Since I already had to be up on the earlier side on Monday & Wednesday I found it was easier to set the alarm earlier on those days so I could enjoy sleeping in on the other days.

Lastly, don't be afraid to take a nap. Initially I thought if I took a nap it was negating the point of waking up early to get in a workout. If I was going to sleep in the afternoon I might as well just do the workout in the afternoon and sleep more in the morning. I found that on the days that I did my workout in the morning I had more energy throughout the day until I made it back to my apartment. And after a few weeks of getting up earlier I didn't even need that nap anymore because I was going to sleep earlier. It takes time for your body to regulate it's schedule so don't freak out if things seem out of whack at first.

The Case for Morning Workouts

It's weird for me to be writing this post. Growing up I was always up at some ridiculous hour. As I grew older I had morning swim practices that of course were not fun, but honestly I didn't mind them that much. Sleeping in on the weekends for me meant until 9:30. Once I started dating my boyfriend my sleep schedule pretty much went down the drain. I stayed on a somewhat normal schedule for awhile but after too many days of being exhausted from staying up too late and getting up early my habits started fading. I have been doing better about waking up earlier in order to maximize my productivity but I've still been struggling.

Well today marked the first day of my spring semester and my new internship at Corrigan Sports. I had a 60 minute run scheduled for today that I knew I would have to get done in the morning since I was busy until it was dark out. I set my alarm for 6:45 only to wake up to sleet and ice. I have an old car that doesn't do well in winter weather so I didn't really want to risk venturing out. I have since rearranged my schedule so that I'm doing a trainer ride tonight. The only problem is that I am mentally burnt out from such a busy day. I find the first few days of a semester to be both equally exciting and stressful. All I want to do is lay on the couch and read, not do a hard hill simulation workout.

I've noticed over the past few weeks that when I save a workout for later in the day, primarily after 7:00pm, I start to dread it. I forget I have to do it and then it looms over my head for the rest of the day. I love sleeping in but I have learned that I need to suck it up and do my workouts in the morning or else my workout suffers, I'm cranky and generally less productive that day. Three things I definitely don't want to worry about. Sometimes I enjoy working out in the evening but I'm learning that if I have the time to get it done in the morning before my day gets started it's for the best.

2013 Goals

Happy New Year! I can't believe 2012 is already over. It was a great year but I know that 2013 will be even better. I have some big goals for 2013 and after eating way too many sweets and taking a nice break from running this holiday season I'm anxious and ready to get back to work. This year I've decided to take my approach to New Year's resolutions a little differently though.

After realizing that 12 months is too long of a time to allow myself to achieve certain goals I decided to break my 2013 goals up. I set some goals for the entire year, some first the first half, and some for the second half. I am primarily focusing on my goals for between January 1 and June 30 and then will reassess for the rest of the year.

Goals for first half of year

• Sub 2:00 Half Marathon. This is my number one goal running wise going into 2013. I ran a 2:03 half unrested in October during the middle of marathon training which tells me with some sub 2:00 specific training this one should be in the bag. Not only do I want to break 2:00 I want to crush it. I am making some big changes to my training (more info to come) this year and know that I am capable of more than just a 3 minute PR. 

• Spend the day hiking in Patapsco State Park. This past fall I spent a lot of time running the trails of Patapsco and completely fell in love with the park. It is the perfect place to escape my less than pleasant neighborhood at school and destress. I was hoping to get a chance to go hiking here in December but finals seemed to suck up all of my time. This goal is for pure enjoyment.

• Do at least one early morning workout a week. I used to naturally wake up early as a child and had morning practices and school to thank for my early wake up calls as a teenager. Lately I have been sleeping in later and later and then find too many things that need to be done and before I know it I have run out of daylight. I think comitting to one morning workout a week is a doable way to start transitioning to workout out almost every morning.

• Get INDS proposal passed. This has nothing to do with running or working out but it may be the most important goal I have. I am majoring in interdisciplinary studies, which means that I essentially design my own major. There are a few core classes that all INDS majors are required to take but the rest of the classes are chosen by me and my advisors. In order to make sure students are on the right track it is required to write up a proposal and have it approved by a committee. It sounds a lot more simple than it really is unfortunately. It is a long and complicated process and I am hoping to have it all taken care of by mid-March (fingers crossed).

Goals for the whole year

• PR in the 5K. I mentioned awhile ago that I ran a 24:29 5K back in high school when I was still swimming 15+ hours a week. My 5K PR since starting running is a 25:41 that I ran this past year a week and a half after my first marathon. It was also my first run since the marathon. After trying to ignore my real 5K PR I have come to accept it and now I want to beat it. This is not a primary running goal for me but I would still like to set a real PR this year. I am hoping to run a 5K in the spring but I don't feel any pressure to get this done ASAP.

• Train with higher mileage & hit a 50 mile week. I have always been afraid to run a lot. I normally run 3-4 times a week with a lot of cross training thrown in. I have long term goals that require that I start building my endurance and get used to running more. I also know that one of the best ways to get better at running is to run more. I am sure I will hit this goal during marathon training in the fall but I want to train with higher mileage in general all year.

• Run 1,000 miles. This goes along with running higher mileage. I think this is a doable goal and because I am a numbers person it is something that makes me excited to train more. 

• Sub 3:00 Olympic Triathlon. Along with running I am looking to make big improvements to my triathlon racing. I finished my first Olympic distance triathlon in 3:37 but I also walked almost the entire run because it was abnormally hot that weekend. Coupled with my new & improved running training I think this is a good goal to work towards. I don't know if it is realistic for me or not but I'm sure going to try.

• 4.00 GPA. I have always come close but have never actually had a perfect GPA. 2013 consists of two semsters which means two chances to make this happen. Even if I fail at least I should still be rewarded with a solid GPA.

• Read 10 books. I love reading but often get caught up in the madness that is social media and spend way too much time on the computer. Reading is a stress reliever for me and lets my mind wander and dream.