15 December 2008

In Need of Some Help

Okay friends, it's rally time. And I need your help.

With an ever-increasing workload, it's becoming imperative for me to start getting some runs in before work. Heck, before the sun comes up, for that matter. And I'm struggling with it. Weather here right now is NUTS, and once again I found myself this morning hitting the snooze what seemed like 25 times, then finally waking up, only to check my Google Reader (seriously, people--37 posts ALREADY?!) and drink some coffee.

Parsenn has been zero help in this matter, also. I was hoping my dog would have some early morning CARPE DIEM qualities and be excited for a morning run. Not so much. I am starting to believe he has a little bit of "cat" in him, in addition to the several other breeds evident in my dear little "Standard American Mix" doggy. The guy is a sack of potatoes on his bed in the mornings. Zero energy boost from him.

I spent a bit of yesterday afternoon planning my training for Chippewa and Grandma's, and that was pretty fun. But does it really make any sense at all to be planning on doing a 5 mile tempo run on a Monday in early June and then skipping a run this morning?

This weekend I did snowshoe for 2 hours and developed a decent case of the DOMS (Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness) which was great, but still, I need to get this morning running thing going. And that's where you come in. Any tips?

6 comments:

Glaven Q. Heisenberg said...

Um, get one of those little crack-smoking yippy dogs?

Increase your caffeine intake?

Really, I gotz nothing useful for you. I am a morning person by nature, so getting stuff done before 5 a.m. just comes naturally to me. Days like today, Monday, when I have my late shift, I feel useless. The prospect of having to work till 9 p.m. fills me with dread and ennui every Monday.

I don't know if there's any good way to change your nature if you're the hit-the-snooze-button-5-times-in-the-morning kinda guy.

Man, I'm really helpful, ain't I?

Freezing weather and dark mornings are no help either.

So: Last suggestion:

Portable klieg lights and battery-operated electrical thermal underwear.

Or give the dog more caffeine.

If none of these suggestions work, the problem's just you, man.

Danielle in Iowa in Ireland said...

We have a little crack smoking yippy dog and he likes to sleep in more than my roommate - in fact, she stays in bed longer every morning because a little ball of warmth is curled up under the covers.

I find the best strategy for morning runs is to try and find a friend to run with you. Or at least meet you to run, even if you run different paces. That way you have to get up. I go to the gym at 5:30am a couple times a week and I can only do it because I meet a friend.

B. Kramer said...

My advice about morning runs? Don't.

I'm too busy sleeping it off to get out in the a.m.

Aron said...

the first day is the hardest but just get up... its the BEST feeling to have them done and over with! plus the mornings are so peaceful... then you have your whole evening to spend with wife and dogs :)

put the alarm across the room, dont hit snooze, go straight to the coffee pot and just get out the door. wont be long and you will be addicted to the morning runs :)

Adam said...

I used to try and get the clothes just right for cold winter runs. I'd freeze my ass off for the first few minutes...sometimes I'd warm up and other times stay cold the entire run. Now I just overdress for everything and embrace the overheating. I consider it Badwater training even though I'm not training for Badwater. How's the training program looking for Chippewa? If it's anything like last year I recommend finding a huge snowbank and walking back and forth across it for a couple hours;) Whatever Mother Nature gives us it'll be a blast.

Helen said...

Snowshoeing might well be the correct training for Chippewa!! I am not much help with motivation these days but I know the only reason I will make it to the gym tomorrow morning at 5:30am is that I promised a friend I'd be there... otherwise I too would be hitting the snooze button. Do you train with anyone other than the not-so-energetic dog?

Just this weekend I sort of made a decision to run Grandma's this year instead of Madison. Not 100% yet but yeah it's funny that I am dreamimg up all these ways of PRing and I can't even run a mile... It's ONLY December I tell myself.