80 degrees in October!?!?

My friend and neighbor Brodie has convinced me yet again to try and get up in the middle of the night to run with her. Ok, so maybe it's technically not the middle of the night. But when the sun isn't rising for another 2hrs it sure feels like it! You see, Brodie's one of those super dedicated moms who can both get up at 5am to get her workout in, and be corporate woman/supermom during daylight hours. So, rather than over-committing and failing, I've agreed to try it once a week. 5:30am.

Yesterday was day one. Mid-October. Leaves are changing. It's 5:30am. And I'm in shorts and a t-shirt because it's 68 degrees out two hours before sunrise. I grab Nick's leash and we're out the door. Just a short, easy run - 30min of chatting. It was amazing to me how many people were out. I wondered how many were just taking advantage of the crazily warm weather, and how many are always out there before 6am getting in their miles before the rest of the world wakes up.

I wish I were one of them. Really, I do. I love the idea of watching the sunrise while I run. Being one of those dedicated souls who arrives at the pool before it opens at 5:15. Or doing sun salutations and warrior poses in the peacefulness of a quiet house while Stuart and the dogs are still asleep.

And when I have a one-off opportunity to do such a thing, I love it. It's a moving and motivating experience. But the reality is, that no matter how hard I try, I haven't been able to make it a habit. My sleep is precious. The bed is warm. Stuart and the dogs are all snuggly. Giving all of that up is hard when you're still in the throes of sleep making the decision to "rise and shine". And, to be honest, I believe in the bogeyman and I'm scared of the bad guys who lurk under cover of darkness. Every now and then, Stuart and I go for a nighttime run. and it's fabulous. But, when it's just me, I do my best to be home safe and sound by the time the sun sets.

Maybe if I had to... If, like Brodie, I knew that if I didn't get that workout in first thing, it wouldn't happen that evening. Or when the day comes that I do actually sign up for an Ironman and have to get in those 2 or 3-a-day workouts. But there isn't that compelling reason to not hit snooze or at least wait until daylight. For now though, I'll enjoy the challenge of getting up early just one morning a week to spend time with a friend.