(aka I’m Winning the Snooze Battle but Losing the War)
I was so inspired by yesterday’s Thursday’s post on AM vs PM running I decided it was finally time to commit to my journey of becoming a REAL Morning Runner. I set my alarm(s), drank an extra glass of Nuun, crawled into bed early(ish), and recruited a little social media accountability.
Oiselle teammates looking out for each other
I fell asleep dreaming of a zombie warmup where “by the time you wake up you’re already a few miles in!” (like ALL you morning people claimed) followed by a magical sudden burst of energy leading to three kickass tempo miles, and a smug sense of self-determination that would carry me through work and lead to my most productive day EVER, EVER – and I’d be instantly converted.
Alarm #1 went off, and I think purely out of habit my magnetic thumbs-to-snooze-button silenced it. But PM Sarah is smarter than AM Sarah, and another one went off a minute later.
AND I ACTUALLY GOT UP.
I really did.
Twitter makes shit happen
I sent proof to Meghan, expecting a big virtual high five and to find out she was already done with 11 miles of hill repeats and a 60 mile cooldown on the trainer, possibly in the middle of a huge core sesh and DUH OBVIOUSLY FOAM ROLLED ALREADY.
She’s kind of a badass.
Luckily I didn’t hear about hers (or anyone else’s) early Thursday AM workouts until 80 minutes later. “Way to go! You really went out and ran!” you might be thinking. That’s cute. Thanks for having that kind of faith in me.
Nope, I missed them because immediately after that presumptuous ‘ha I beat the morning runner hurdles, this AM shit ain’t so hard!‘ tweet…
*Reenactment* sub couch for bed and although those ‘jeans’ feel/fit like pajama pants, I don’t sleep in them
So my journey to becoming (at least a part-time) Morning Runner continues. I’m one step closer, fighting the frontline battle with the snooze button, and am happy to report this morning I again made it out of bed in 3-Snoozes-or-Less. Which I guess means it’s time to go run long.
Promise I’m not going back to bed.
Sarah OUaL
Sarah OUaL 
Ha! It is hard to break into or out of a routine, but the more you stick to it and make yourself do it at least part time, it will start to feel better! I am usually an afternoon runner, but on those days that I run early and then do other things throughout the day, I feel fantastic for the rest of the day!
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Bahaha love this. I’ve just accepted that I’m not a morning runner unless its Sunday and I can run at 9am then climb back in bed all day lol
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Nice work. I’m in the process of getting used to getting up early again but it’s rough. Glad you’re having some success
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Something I do to make it a little easier to get going (especially when it’s cold) is sleep in my sports bra and whatever top I’m going to run in. I have my compression shorts & tights, plus my jacket and socks, right by the bed. So once I’m upright, I stagger two steps to my clothes and once I get the rest of my gear on, I’m way less likely to get back in bed. And I know a lot of people don’t do this, but I gotta have a cup of coffee before my run. So the coffee pot is loaded and all I have to do is press “play” (as we say in our house). A cup of hot coffee is an added incentive and definitely helps me wake up (plus it helps me offload, if you know what I mean).
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OMG, sleeping in the sports bra and top sounds genius!!! I really struggle with my switch to morning runs as well! I’m gonna try that tip!!
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haha I did early morning runs for marathon training last summer out of sheer necessity (heat stroke & death being outside after 7am) and somehow cannot channel that inner morning runner at all anymore. I’ve fallen asleep on the couch in my running gear countless mornings. Definitely losing that war.
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Did I miss the post where you go through with getting the pixie cut? Your hair looks really short and cute.
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Ha – I never posted about it. Left it to Twitter & IG. Maybe I’ll blog the tale some rainy day…
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How awesome! Yay you!!
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Ha, it was a good try! :) The only time I magically become a morning runner (weekend long runs aside) is when we’re on vacation at the beach and I get up EARLIER than I do for work, just to get my scheduled weekday run in before the heat of the day arrives.
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You gotta move your phone away from the bed….it forces you to get up and turn it off….and by then the hard part is over (aka leaving the warm covers). Just an FYI…we are about to lose an hour of sleep next week so it will be DARK when you wake up and making the a.m. alarm oh so much more fun next Sunday morning :)
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Yep, I used to be a morning runner. Then I quit that. Now I can’t do it to save my life. Headed out for my long run at 8 this am and it felt SOOOOOOOOO early. Yuck. Ugh. Anyway, I feel your pain.
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I’ve been trying to switch to morning runs for the past few months. It’s not going well for me. I’m glad I’m not the only one that struggles with this.
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I got up early for a workout today- I had my bag all ready and my running gear in a pile on top of my shoes in the hall + a banana (hall = so I didnt wake my S.O.).
It was literally stand up, into outift, brush teeth, plug in headphones, exit door. The walk to the gym then jump started me! Im like you- snooze button central so I need to be absolutely ready to rock!
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Maybe you really aren’t meant to be a morning runner…and that is ok :)
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I used to run no later than 7am every Saturday but this winter I got lazy due to the cold weather and have been running around 10am. I need to start getting up earlier too because once summer gets here it will be 85 by 7am and climbing!
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waking early to run is really hard and sleep is very important. Don’t beat yourself up. I read somewhere in a legitimate article that athletes preform better and have better work outs in the afternoon and that early morning running is not as good. You are able to do faster better workouts in the afternoon thus you become a better and faster runner.
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Patience young Padawan, it takes baby steps and time to build a habit. :-) If you want it, you’ll make it happen.
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I’m now uber determined to get your a** out of bed in the morning (not that I do it on a regular basis). Here’s the thing – if you don’t HAVE to, why get up early? Sure it feels great to have it done and have the rest of your day but if I have free lunches open or I know I can get it done after work I NEVER go early during the weekdays. Just sayin. ;)
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Yeah. when you figure out that morning running thing, you let me know. Thus far, still not able to do it. I need like coffee and a little daytime stress to get me going.
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i cannot lay back down or i’d never get up!!! great job getting your AM run in!
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I used to have three alarm clocks set up around my room. Then I learned that I could still get back in bed after turning all three off. I’m too smart for my own fool-proof tricks ;-)
Love the new hair!
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My trick to get back into morning running is to make really fun plans that I look forward to for after work, and then tell myself if i don’t AM run then I don’t get to go… it’s like a bribe :)
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Mine is a little like the worst of both worlds. I’m working on getting up earlier with less snoozes so that I can make it into work early enough to allow me to squeeze in my workouts right after work (with all the bad food choices) before I pick my kidlet up. Poor little guy, he gets dragged down too with the “up early… long long days” and then we both fall asleep on the couch at 7. Someone remind me how exhausted I am now the next time I mention a marathon.
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I sleep in my clothes, too, as insurance. I do the bulk of my runs in the morning, and it can be a struggle. Like today, when the alarm was set at 5 and the neighbor’s 8 kids were playing in the snowy street till midnight. I make myself get up and go downstairs, at the very least. If I still want to sleep after I’ve gone to the bathroom and let the dog out, I can lay on the couch. Usually, though, I’m ready to roll.
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So awesome!! It takes some time. I am not totally sure you will get “used” to it but it will become routine…you will love having it done with in the morning!
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Pingback: Part 2 – The Virtues of an AM/PM Runner | Once Upon a (L)ime
Don’t beat yourself up. Takes time to form a habit. Just stay focused on what you want to achieve and you’ll be able to do it. Cheers to morning runs!
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