how to be the early bird that gets the worm!

recently i've had some of my RunNinja friends query me about how i manage to fit in all of the running that i do (and believe me, i don't consider myself as someone who gets in a lot of training week over week), and my normal answer is that as part of the 'covenant' that i have with my family i have to run on my own time and not interfere with responsibilities as husband and dad.  that means that five days out of the week i get up a few hours before everyone else, get my workout in and make sure that i'm home in time to make breakfast, pack lunches and see kids onto their respective buses.

what you need to know is that i'm not naturally a morning person - although i have always enjoyed the times that i've gotten up early in the morning for whatever reason, for most of my life i have been a nighthawk.  and who needs a snooze button?  i just used to set my alarm for as late as reasonably possible.

not anymore.  now being out on the roads when day breaks is a regular part of my routine - and my body has gotten used to waking up somewhere between 5:00 and 5:25am on its own, alarm clock or not.

some of you are cringing right now.

i've had many a conversation with runners who wish they could be up and at 'em before dawn but have no idea how to go about it.  well, this is my own feeble attempt at explaining some of the keys that have made it possible for me to transition from a late-nighter to an early riser..

1. go to bed earlier - duh.  i realize that that for many people this is easier said than done - depending on the sleep schedules of everyone else in your house, the tasks that get left over for when there's finally some peace and quiet.  that's why i deliberately chose the word "earlier" as opposed to "early" - because i firmly believe that everyone can choose to be in bed earlier than they might otherwise be.  and if you begin to do this with some consistency you can begin to shift the expectations that everyone else around you has of you ... they will soon realize that if they want something from you then they will no longer be able to drag it out at their convenience and unload it on you at the very end of the day (when most people have their lowest energy levels).  and as for the tasks that seem to always wait to ambush you at the end of the day as well?  guess what - they'll still be there at the start of the next day, and the world will have kept on spinning in the meantime.
2. get a better sleep - this also sounds a bit glib, but there are small things that you may be able to do to help with this.  you want to try to get a better sleep so that the hours that you spend in bed are quality hours, enough to refresh you so that an early start in the morning seems less like dragging your butt and more like being recharged and ready to fire up.  so here are a couple of ideas that might help with the quality of your shuteye:
   • a sleep mask - i've worn one every night now for the past two years, and just blocking out that extra bit of light helps me to get to sleep faster and stay in a deep sleep longer
   • melatonin - a natural supplement that aids in the sleep process.
3. have a workout motivator - for me this is normally breakfast.  yup, all that i down before my morning run is a giant glass of water to help kickstart the metabolism and help with hydration, and that's it.  then i spend the rest of my run envisioning what kind of delicious breakfast i will make for myself when it's all over.  that has always worked for me, but it may not work for you - so maybe your morning motivator will be to find a fellow nut who will run with you and keep you encouraged and accountable.  a few winters ago i would get out with my friend rhonda-marie who often was looking for companions for her "stupid o'clock" runs.  you know what they say - misery loves company. 
4. share your workouts - pride may go before a fall, but i gotta say that there's something about posting your early morning workout on social media or a fitness tracking site (like Strava) that will give you a sense of real accomplishment.  when you wrap up a solid run by the time that many people are still clearing the sleep from the corners of their eyes, you're bound to feel pretty good about yourself.  maybe good enough to do it all again the next day.

how about you?  does the morning running thing work for you?  if so, what tips would you have to share?  teach us all something in comments below!

how to be the early bird that gets the worm!

post-marathon into pre-ultra

while not an avid racer i have always found that it's training for races that motivates me to run.

so this week has been both torturous and exciting.

having completed my best-ever marathon performance last weekend, i've had a stretch of four days now (having run just a few get-the-blood-flowing miles the day after the race) of no running whatsoever.  that constitutes my longest lay-off period in about 15 months ... but i needed it.

here are a just a few observations from the last few days:

1. i've definitely gotten to the point where running is an integrated part of my daily lifestyle.  i genuinely miss not getting up to go out an run.
2. it's been a long time since i've treated myself to a good sleep-in.  it took me three mornings of not getting up before the sun before i actually slept through to when i'd set my alarm.
3. resting and recovery takes as much discipline as going out the door to workout.  for the two big races prior to the waterloo marathon last weekend i'd shortchanged myself on time off of my feet, and i think that in both instances i paid for it with a less-than-desired experience/result.
4. it wasn't too hard to put weight back on.  i gained about 5 lbs. in 3 days, but then read that most of it could probably be accounted for by water retention as part of muscle repair.  and i also saw that meb keflezighi gained about 12 lbs. shortly after his 2015 boston marathon which made me wonder if maybe i haven't been treating myself enough (!).
5. my legs feel really good.  i might attribute it to better overall conditioning, smart race-running, extra sleep or the tiux compression socks that i wore as part of my kit on sunday.  maybe all of the above.

now it's time to switch training gears - gotta hit the hills, log some longer single runs and get my trail legs under me as i focus on the next two big events on my calendar, the sulphur springs 50k and the north face endurance challenge series gore-tex 50 miler (don't forget to use the promo code D30PVON15 for a 15% discount if you want to sign up for any distance of the north face ecs!).

- - - - - - -

and now for a quick shout-out ... here's to my friend, training partner and fellow barrie running ninja rick doucet who's taking on his first full marathon at the goodlife fitness toronto marathon this coming sunday.  you got this ricky ... #runninjarun! 

post-marathon into pre-ultra

keep it natural, keep it real

i continue to chuckle at and about myself when i think of the lifestyle changes that have come about as a result of running.  some friends and i were collectively scratching our heads about where the 'old pat' went to when we were discussing this subject after church this past sunday.  the fast food days are almost non-existent, late night brainless tv is no longer on the radar, and a weekly/monthly/yearly training and racing regime now dominate the calendar.

a couple of days ago i watched two engaging and insightful videos from ultrarunner and fruitarian michael arnstein and among the things that i took away from them was the importance of regular, long, quality sleeps.  i've certainly taken to trying to make my sleep pattern and duration more predictable during training cycles (and found it immensely easier to get up each morning to run - even as the days get shorter), but after listening to michael's recommendation of a sleep mask i decided to give that a shot as well.

shamelessly stolen borrowed from one of my daughters

i will have to see if it ends up that i sleep more soundly with a mask on, or if i will just be providing hours of entertainment to the rest of my family as i lay unconscious.

as i think of some of the other 'natural' adaptations that have contributed to a me v2.0, i can't miss mentioning the role of chiropractic in my life.  for about five years now i've been seeing my friend and chiropractor dr. brad norman.  it was in response to a thoughtful gift card shared by another friend of mine (brian) that i began exploring the chiropractic journey through New Life Chiropractic - not having any back problems, headaches, or nagging pains to speak of.  at the same time i discovered that i was the ideal candidate - as i've always believed, it's better to practice the fire escape before you smell smoke.

you can also watch the progression of spinal degeneration in this video provided by my friends at New Life Chiro:

dr. brad is a practitioner of the gonstead technique, which targets specific adjustments in an effort to restore the flow of communication and energy between the brain and the rest of the body (vis-à-vis the spinal cord).  his mission and approach is all about facilitating what the body is designed to do best - restore itself - rather than mask/medicate/poison the presenting problems. 

one of the reasons that i'm a believer in chiropractic is partly because brad is my friend - but moreso because he and his team share a compelling vision of how God has intended the body to be a beautiful collaboration of science and art.  there are so many medicinal recommendations that want to introduce artificial ingredients to interfere with that.  i've done my best to stay away from all of that - so much so that aside for gravol to deal with my occasional onset of vertigo, i've not taken any other medications in the last several years.

so nutrition, sleep, exercise, chiropractic - some of the key pieces to my current state of health and fitness.  what are yours?

keep it natural, keep it real