Timeline of A Typical Morning Run

After reading the Another Mother Runner Anatomy of a Run blog post this morning while I was warming up on the treadmill, I just knew I had to do a similar post today. So, here's what my morning looked like:

1:31 a.m. My littlest wakes me up wanting to sleep on the couch in our room. His nose is stuffy and he's not happy about it.

1:34 a.m. I've convinced him he can breathe through his mouth and climb back into bed.

2:07 a.m. I'm thinking I should just get up and run because I'm not sleeping well at this point anyway.

2:34 a.m. Sleep wins...well, at least the idea of it. I'm tossing and turning. And I just have this thing about running before a 4 is the first number on the clock. That rule used to be that I wouldn't run until a 5 was the first number...my, how things change.

3:57 a.m. Still tossing and turning. I'm thinking maybe maybe I should sleep in and skip the run.

4:01 a.m. Since I'm not sleeping anyway, I figure I might as well run. It's a little before my 4:15 alarm, so I'll get done sooner and can try to catch a nap before work.

4:06 a.m. I've brushed my teeth (yes, I brush my teeth before I run), changed into my running gear and decide I should foam roll a few kinks on the right side of my rear and my hip.

4:07 a.m. I get up from foam rolling and wonder why the heck I don't do that more often. It feels fantastic.

4:09 a.m. I let the dogs in the garage because it seems awfully cold for them to be outside.

4:11 a.m. I have my stuff settled in on the treadmill and begin walking. I read the Bible verse for the day, one I really like (“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 6: 6-7). I check my email. And then I read the Another Mother Runner post.

4:14 a.m. I put in my ear buds and start running...slowly.

4:15 a.m. I realize it helps to actually turn the iPod on.

From here on out, I only had my treadmill mileage to look at, so that's what I've got.

.65 miles Is it me or is running slowly harder? Is the whole run going to feel like this?

1 mile I hit 6 mph on the treadmill and try not to think about the distance. Don't look down. Don't look down. Don't look down.

1.13 miles I look down. Only .13 so far? Crap.

1.2 miles Why do I feel like I'm bobbing and bouncing?

1.77 miles I startle one of the dogs when I tell her to go lay back down.



2.12 miles What is that kink in my back? I guess I'll need to foam roll when I'm done.

2.27 The volume on my iPod seems a little low, so I adjust it. But when I put it back in the cup holder, it changes songs. Then I try to figure out what song I was on. I don't keep up with song names. This proves harder than I thought.

2.34 Finally get the iPod on a song (but I'm pretty sure it wasn't the same one I was listening to before it switched on me). Realize the battery is really low.

2.47 miles I'm not even halfway done? Yikes.

2.69 miles The dog startles me when she bumps something.

3.01 miles at 33:01. I love when numbers work like that :)

3.02 miles Well, at least I've run farther than I did last week...total.

3.3 miles My legs feel heavy.

3.32 miles One of my favorite songs comes on and I smile because I needed that boost. (It's "Lay 'Em Down".)

3.33 miles My iPod dies.

3.66 miles I feel like my legs could run forever...if only I could shut off my brain.

4.07 miles I'm feeling good. I'm "supposed" to start cooling down, but I just keep on trucking.

4.25 miles I've run for 4 miles now and consider running to 5.25 then walking another quarter.

4.75 miles I go ahead and cool down. I'd reallly like to run more, but I know that time isn't on my side.

4.77 miles I update Daily Mile with today's run, waiting until I'm done to enter my time.

5:06 a.m. 5 miles in 54:54 (love the numbers again)! What a way to start the day!

5:07 a.m. Chocolate milk. I start to foam roll and realize I can't drink milk and foam roll at the same time. So I foam roll when I'm done.

5:12 a.m. I hit the shower.

5:30 a.m. I crawl back into bed for a few minutes of sleep before the alarm goes off. This is one of my favorite things to do. And I can hear my little guy snoring on the couch...heart smile :)