Prepare

One thing that helps with the early morning wakeup and delirium is getting yourself ready the night before. Set out your clothes, so there’s no fumbling around trying to find your socks in the morning. I’ve even heard of people sleeping in their run clothes, but that’s a bit too much for me.

If you’re taking water with you, get that ready too. This could mean putting a bottle in the fridge or just setting it out and filling it in the morning.

Go to bed

Depending on your schedule, a morning run might require a super early wakeup. Sometimes for me it can be as early as 4am! That means if I want to get 7-8 hours of sleep I need to be in bed by 8-9 o’clock. I’m really earning old lady status there.

You may not require that much sleep, but trust me going to bed at midnight and expecting to be wide awake and ready to run is not going to last long if you can do it at all. Sleep is important, it’s when your body really gets a chance to recover.

Wake up early

Oof. This is the rough one for most people. Like I said, I’ve gotten used to it, but I wasn’t always a morning person. If this is you, it’s ok not to start at 4am. I started out getting up just a little early to go to the gym. Maybe you get up 30 minutes earlier and do some yoga. Whatever it takes to establish an earlier routine.

I need to eat a little something before hand, so I add in some extra digestion time. I’ll eat and then take my dog out for a walk first, then get ready to run.

It might take time but once you become accustomed to it, you may even enjoy the feeling of being up before most people and getting a run in before they are even out of bed! On my long run days I like to ask myself, “What did you do before 9am today, self?” “Oh, just ran 10 miles, nbd.” I’ve said it before, but mind tricks are a huge part of running, y’all.

Warm Up

Your body has been pretty immobile for (hopefully) many hours, so you’ll want to make sure you do a little bit of a warmup before you head out. Check out my essential pre and post run stretches for a good start.

Stay Safe

If you’re starting out super early, chances are it’s going to be dark and there won’t be many people out. Read all about my best safe running tips, and make sure to keep yourself safe out there.

Go easy on yourself

You may not become a morning runner right away, you may hate it, you may find your runs are not great, etc. It’s ok. Give yourself some time to adapt and know that if your goal is to become a morning runner, you can turn things around, maybe even grow to love it like me. I’m going to assume if you are reading this you WANT to become a morning runner. If you don’t, that’s also ok! It might not be your jam and honestly whatever gets you out there and feeling good is what’s important.

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