To those who are up at o’dark thirty and out the door running, please tell me how you do it. I’ve got the get up part down. It’s the out the door part that I can’t seem to manage.
When my alarm sounded this morning, I was out of bed in seconds. It took only one glance out into the darkness for me to shake off the idea.
I DO need a run. I’m in the peak of training and my running has fallen off course due to life happening.
I’m not complaining — really. Who complains when family comes from afar for visits? Not me. I also don’t complain when old friends roll into town and make time to see you during your lunch hour.
I just need to figure out how to manage it all and still keep my kids as my priority.
I’ve got my first 20 mile run scheduled this weekend and I MUST make it happen. The question is: How? And when?
For me, once I started getting ready to run — once I was “pulling laces in the dark” (to quote a song) — the run was inevitable. I just had to get from the bed into my shorts and it would happen.
I just can’t get past feeling vulnerable. I know there are a lot of boogiemen out there but still.
I think one of the secrets is to get the body in motion before the brain realizes what’s happening to it :-)
It’s not the body in motion. Truly it is getting past the fear that I’m gonna get raped along the way or that someone will come in my house while I’m out and abduct YaYa. Seriously! These things can happen at any time of day but it’s in the darkness that I have the most hesitation.
What really helps me, besides knowing there is not other time to get a run in, is to have everything ready – clothes laid out, water bottle ready, etc. – the night before. It’s like guilt staring back at you.
it helps me to know that there is someone else waiting for me. Even if they aren’t running the whole way. having someone at a checkpoint gets me out there because they are waiting
The morning is generally quiet bc the bad guys are usually asleep by then. Take along some pepper spray and remind yourself that with fewer cars on the road you are probably safer. I never worried about someone taking the boys, in fact sometimes I wished for it (just kidding). After all that I love to run in the dark, best part of the day, and still be in a net calorie deficit till noon.
I am totally with you, Juls. The girls would be unattended. I couldn’t see my footing or who was out there-my best running path is a bike path surrounded by trees or dark neighborhoods on both sides. I can’t bring myself to run in the dark, either… night or morning. I’m in the “just squeeze it in when I can” phase, too, with no runs since Sunday. It stinks and puts kinks in my training, but it’s life for me, for now. I’m running when I can and I’m trying not to stress myself out so much about it. Wish we lived closer then we could run in the dark together! :)