8 Ways to Become a Morning Runner
Photos by Marques Jackson Photography.
By Marnie Kunz
After a lifetime of being a night person, I finally made the switch to morning running.
I’ve always been a night person. Yet I meet so many runners who love to get up at the break of dawn, crushing their workouts before I even stumble out of bed bleary-eyed to find my glasses. And with races so early and most running groups meeting for a “fun 7 am run” on weekends, I started to feel like I wasn’t a real runner.
In fact, the whole later in the day running thing was part of what inspired me to create Runstreet NYC running group on Saturdays, meeting later in the day for a mid-morning or even afternoon run around Brooklyn. And when I went on to schedule Art Runs, I made those later in the day too, often at 9 or 10 am, so those early bird runners could get in their extra miles (or even extra races) and not stress out the rest of us who may be celebrating the night before, or, just, not in bed sleeping at 10 pm. But, alas, as much as I love night and afternoon runs, I can admit morning running has its advantages. Especially during times of intense heat (hello, NYC summer) or busy days where you feel too exhausted to run by evening.
Become a Morning Runner with These Tips
So after much trial and many errors, here are my top 8 tips to become a morning runner. Soon you too can be posting those overachiever selfie photos about loving the sun rise and crushing all your miles before the rest of the world stumbles out of bed.
1. Set three alarms. If you’re anything like me and the night owls, one, and even two alarms just won’t cut it. So go ahead and set three alarms (or even more if you need to) to wake yourself up bright and early. Make sure the last alarm is particularly loud and annoying so you can’t ignore it.
2. Have a goal. Keeping your big running goal in mind will make dragging yourself out of bed a little easier, or at least more meaningful and more likely to actually happen. If you’re training for your first marathon or 5K, or working up to running 3 miles continuously, keep this big goal in mind to motivate you on those rough early mornings.
3. Lay out your running clothes the night before. Check the weather and prepare your running clothes the night before so all you have to do is slide into them and out the door. If you’re like most of us night people, the less thinking in the morning and the less tasks you have to do, the better.
4. Follow a training plan. If you’re following a running plan, you will know how many miles you need to run and around what pace. This will help you just wake up and run instead of sitting around thinking about where to run or how far to go. If you don’t have a training plan, you can check out the Runstreet Training Center for a plan that is perfect for you.
5. Wind down early. This one is perhaps the hardest for us night people but it must be done. Either you will go to bed late and wake up early a few days to run, and then will be so tired you’ll start passing out early, or you can do this more gracefully and start going to bed earlier and avert crashing. Be realistic and start winding down an hour earlier than normal. Don’t attempt to go from a 3 am bed time to 10 pm or you won’t fall asleep. Give yourself about a week to gradually go to sleep earlier and your body will thank you.
6. Reward yourself after each run. Whether your reward is bragging rights on social media (yes, welcome to the morning runners club!😎) or watching your favorite show later instead of a night run, you deserve it. Give yourself a small reward after each run because, hey, this morning running thing is not natural for many of us. But you still persevered.
7. Banish excuses. Training your mind is most of the battle with morning running. So do what you need to stay positive and amped up. Focus on how great you feel after your runs and it will help you get going and out the door in the morning. And if something happens and you slip up and miss a day, just get back to it the next day. Focus especially on staying consistent in your first few days of morning running, as this is when it’s most important to forming a habit, according to psychologists. But forming a habit is a long haul journey, so if you miss a day or two in the first month, keep the bigger picture in perspective and get back to your running. One of the biggest mistakes I see with beginning runners I’ve coached is missing a run or two and then never getting back to it.
8. If you still can’t sleep with a night routine, see your doctor. Sometimes there may be a medical or psychological reason you are up late at night, and this will make morning running hard to do longterm. If you can’t fall asleep naturally when you’re waking up early to run, check in with your doctor and therapist to rule out any medical or psychological issues and get help.
Morning runners, what keeps you motivated and getting out the door early? Share your running tips below or tag @Runstreet on Instagram to share your training and get cheered on.😊
Related Posts: 10 Running Mistakes that will Kill Your Vibe, Improve Your Running with Progressive Overload, 10 Ways to Destress Now
Marnie Kunz is a RRCA-certified running coach and the creator of Runstreet Art Runs, which bring together communities through running and street art. She is a Brooklyn resident, Akita mom, running coach and writer. She enjoys traveling, art, and eating messily.
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