Early Morning Runners -Support Group ( :

Last summer, I started walking.   Then wogging.  Finally jogging/running.   I relished my cool morning workouts. 

Then summer was over and I had to shift my jogging to the 4PM heat and humidity.  It was almost unbearable, but I made it.   Then winter arrived and I had to deal with a host of new issues ----  never been an exerciser, let alone one who ran in the ice and snow, so how do you keep your glasses from fogging up or avoid bronchitis in the cold????    Made it through that too. 

This summer (up until yesterday's close), I taught summer academy but did not have to be there so early as with regular school, so I was able to return to my morning workouts.  HALLELUJAH  ---   I had forgotten how incredible cool, peaceful, and invigorating it is to run in the early morning hours.  It's as if my dog and I are the only living beings.....   I love it. 

My body clock is pretty good at waking me up and I try very hard to just make it happen every day --- for me to be done with my workout in the cooler weather and because my dog needs the exercise, but my friend Tamar who lives in a VERY HOT climate is having a hard time getting up to run. 

How do you make it happen for yourself?  How do you get up and get going???????

Other deep thoughts that cross my mind in the morning.......... 

1) my knees are  beginning to be an issue even with new shoes, stretching, ibuprofen, etc,   anyone here an OT or sports medicine guru?   I know I supinate/walk on the outsides of my feet and that is why my knees hurt ---from being torqued too hard side to side, so what do I do to strengthen whatever quad/ham muscles to stop/help my knees?   
  
2)am I the only person stricken at times with almost emergency bathroom situations while jogging before "voiding"?   
   
3) anyone find now the mp3 player that first motivated you to keep going is now just a distraction from the road and your pace?
      
4) what about runner's etiquette ???  -- I always get out of oncoming car paths -- even if it means running across the road or getting my running shoes wet/dirty, but still the people in this town are hateful.    

5) what about this --- the same routes I have been running (I have a range of 2-5 miles mapped out) are getting too easy/too short/I feel like I could run more, but I like to do a loop, you know?  start at my house, make 4 turns, I am home.  do I just try to pick up my speed (yuck) or do I do two trips?

This is long, but I hope to hear lots of good advice and get a support group going for all us early morning slaves of the shoe!   Are you out there?????

mkculs: Have you tried doing Sun Salutations yoga moves. They have helped my lower back to where I have been able to run. I added a few moves to help stretch additional muscles, but find that it has been a big help for me. Took 2 years of regular Sun's to be able to touch my toes! But now its no problem. If you want to try I'll look for some links that show the way I do them. I also do some floor exercises but not as regularly as the Sun's.

good luck! I couldn't stand, walk or hold my grandkids without severe lower back pain four years ago before introducing the Sun Salutations.

Yes bobev, I've thought about returning to yoga. I may do that down the road but will stick with what my doc recommended and some walking/running as able for now. Thanks for the offer!

I was up and out by 5:40 today and it felt great, even if it was only 1/2 hour of walking. We are having unseasonably warm weather making it very easy to head out! We'll see how I hold up when it turns frigid, although that is a bit away yet. January and Feb are usually dangerously cold here!!

So I'm going to bed early tonight so I can be up and out tomorrow again. It is such a good way to start the day . . . as we all know!

Well, we will soon see how serious I am about getting back to morning running--winter is really here (although the calendar says it is fall--don't the seasons even bother to LOOK at the calendar, for goodness sake?? :)

I've been back to soccer for 3 games now, feeling pretty good and recognizing that failing to stretch after games is the primary cause of my trouble. I realize this about once every 3-4 months and really, really need to make a point of stretching after each and every game!

But Tuesday morning is what I"m thinking about right now--I played late tonight and don't try to get up early on Mondays, ever! So I'm girding myself for the cold shock of 5:15 am and pulling out the winter wear. I've found a trail that will take me into the wind first, which is always, always preferable to having run or walk into the wind on the 2nd half of one's work out. It's flat and not very pretty, but then it's still dark most of the time I'm out there, so I guess that doesn't matter much! It's paved but I'm just walking these days so we'll see how it goes.

Definitely got a good workout in at soccer tonight, and talk about "intervals"!! Wow, I'm either barely moving or running at a dead sprint--there isn't much "in between" in indoor soccer! and of course, not much of the standing around/barely moving, either! If you want a really fun high intensity workout that doesn't even feel like it's "a workout," give soccer a try!

Happy trails!

Well got 19 mi in last week ending with yesterday's 5 mi run. Today is a cross training day. The Hal Higdon training program I am using follows a Mon/Fri rest/cross day, T/Th3 mi easy run, Wed challenge either intervals or tempo, Sat 3mi easy or fast and Sun long runs. This week is Wed is 30 min tempo, Sat 3mi fast, and 5mi easy long on Sun. Am enjoying it. I feel better on running days. I am continually amazed at how addicted I've become and that I'm actually running. Wouldn't have predicted it in a million years.

keep up the good work guys!

4.2 mi tempo this am - easy warm up 1st mi-14:30 pace, tempo 2nd mi-11:30, walk .2mi, tempo 3rdmi-11:03!walk .4mi, easy run last .5mi - 12:41 pace overall!