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Running at the crack of dawn
Posted on Feb 28th 2008 7:00AM by Jacki DonaldsonActually, it's not the crack of dawn. It's more like pre-dawn when I find myself running up and down the seven hills in my neighborhood. Dawn implies a bit of sunlight is peering through the sky. When I run, it's dark. Completely dark. And I completely love it.
Running in the dark of the early morning is the newest of my exercise approaches, designed to allow me a jump on the day ahead, to get my workout out of the way before the world around me wakes up. No interruptions. No distractions. No competing priorities. Just me, an hour's worth of time, and the hills. Or sometimes my treadmill. I also fit in a few other exercises -- mostly for my stubborn stomach -- and a shower too. By the time my husband and little boys are awake, I've accomplished what I set out to do and don't have to fret about fitting it in for the rest of day.
It took some practice to get rolling with this workout routine. Once a night owl, I now crash early. My favorite late TV shows get taped and I watch them early on subsequent nights. Hoisting myself out of bed in the morning has gotten easier too, although today I slept 15 minutes longer than intended and had to ramp up my running speed to make it home on time. Not a bad trade, though. I'm sure my body liked the jolt it got.
My road to fitness is ever changing. No schedule is ever permanent and while I sometimes wish to find the perfect plan for keeping fit, I realize that as life evolves, so does my approach. Right now, my darkened runs feel pretty darn ideal. Times will change, though, and so will my plans. Who knows what the future holds. I only know at the moment that I plan to hit the streets again tomorrow, for another run in the dark. I can't wait.
Running in the dark of the early morning is the newest of my exercise approaches, designed to allow me a jump on the day ahead, to get my workout out of the way before the world around me wakes up. No interruptions. No distractions. No competing priorities. Just me, an hour's worth of time, and the hills. Or sometimes my treadmill. I also fit in a few other exercises -- mostly for my stubborn stomach -- and a shower too. By the time my husband and little boys are awake, I've accomplished what I set out to do and don't have to fret about fitting it in for the rest of day.
It took some practice to get rolling with this workout routine. Once a night owl, I now crash early. My favorite late TV shows get taped and I watch them early on subsequent nights. Hoisting myself out of bed in the morning has gotten easier too, although today I slept 15 minutes longer than intended and had to ramp up my running speed to make it home on time. Not a bad trade, though. I'm sure my body liked the jolt it got.
My road to fitness is ever changing. No schedule is ever permanent and while I sometimes wish to find the perfect plan for keeping fit, I realize that as life evolves, so does my approach. Right now, my darkened runs feel pretty darn ideal. Times will change, though, and so will my plans. Who knows what the future holds. I only know at the moment that I plan to hit the streets again tomorrow, for another run in the dark. I can't wait.
