She said: The morning drive

Hectic days with limited sunlight hours can make motivating for that post-work run very difficult. When all you want to do is go home, change into your pajamas, have a glass of wine and watch some silly sitcom, who has the energy to go to the gym or pile on layers of clothing (and a headlamp) for that evening jaunt? Well, sometimes I do, but after all, I'm not superwoman.

So, taking advantage of an earlier sunrise, clement weather and the fact that I don't have to get to work until 9:30 or 10:00, I've been trying out the morning run. Three days this week, I set my alarm clock for 7:15, woke up, put some coffee on and went for a run (5-6 miles). Back by 9:00, I had time to shower, eat a quick breakfast and even walk to work. Nothing beats the feeling that you've already done your workout for the day and if you want, you can indulge in all those things I mentioned above (PJs, wine, bad tv).

On the other hand, I really hate waking up during a run. Despite caffeine, I find that half an hour really isn't enough time for my body (and my brain to wake up). So, I'll be on the West Side highway chugging along in a sort of trance when all of a sudden my brain registers, "Hey, you're running!" (As in WTF are you doing running at this hour?)

Still, given the demands of my marathon schedule, my late nights at work, and the scrawny young things at work, it looks like I'll be logging in more than a couple morning miles. Perhaps it will get better? All I know is, it's Saturday and my body was up and at 'em at 7:30 a.m. Definitely another unwanted side-effect.