Morning Joe

I know that one of the financial networks has a program in the early morning called Morning Joe.  I'm a fan of morning "joe" but of the kind that gets my heart rate up a bit.  I guess the financial program could also do this depending on your interests and investment portfolio.  My morning "joe" is generally a cup or two of Caribou or Donut House coffee.  This is my prerequisite before my morning run and certainly before any marathons.  This leads me to the topic of when to run.

I have always been a morning runner.  I think it is a fantastic way to start the day for a variety of reasons:

1. It gets blood pumping to very part of the body early in the day, like a cleansing
2. It helps me prepare for the day in prayer as well.  There is no better way to creatively figure out the day
3. It gets it done.  There is too much potential for things to get in the way preventing a run later in the day
4. For me, there is a tiredness and stiffness at the end of the day which make runs harder
5. Mornings are fresh and quiet and in the summer are cooler, especially in NC
6. On weekends, early morning runs give more time for other things
7. It gives you a chance to do two runs (OK, stop rolling your eyes!) But seriously, although I don't do it often, the opportunity is there for two specific workouts.  Last week I ran easier in the morning followed by an up-tempo treadmill workout at lunch
8. Stress builds during the day and makes runs harder later in the day
9. Almost all races are held in the early morning.  Might as well do training runs when races are going to be held
10. I believe it trains the body to burn fat more efficiently since glycogen depletion occurs overnight.  This is a double-edged sword because glycogen is needed for quality workouts but once you deplete glycogen in a marathon, the body needs to know what to do - which is to process fat for fuel

Isn't is funny that lists are generally done in 3's, 5's and 10's?  Anyway, I will stop here since these came to me first.  Fortunately, I have a relatively flexible environment where I can run pretty much any time.  Generally I run around 7 AM during the week and 8 AM on weekends.  If I do want to sit around with a little extra morning "joe" or the weather may be better at lunch, I will postpone running until lunchtime.  It also gives me some variety running elsewhere and on different surfaces.  Rarely do I  venture out in the evening.  For me, it is just the worst time to run.  I physically and mentally find it difficult to get it into gear.  It's different for everyone and the key is finding your happy time just like finding your happy pace - time where consistency can be achieved because being a runner is all about consistency. 

Today Day 16: 4 miles; 2014: 95 miles