Hello, everyone. It's been a while since I've posted. I have been on here and there, but life just got a little busy and, well, you know how it goes.
If it's all right to ask a question of you wise people: has anybody who is a natural night owl made a transition to running early in the morning (that is, getting up as early as 6, which, for me, is incredibly, incredibly early)? For those who run in the morning, when do you go to sleep? How can you still be energetic during the day?
You see, there have been many times in my life when I have tried to do this. I am a "true" night owl and it has never worked for me. I just cannot imagine going to bed before midnight. It makes life seem so not--fun and forced. I also am absolutely not willing to not get enough sleep (as in, not an option, not worth anything in the world). Whenever I tried to force myself to go to bed earlier, even 10 or 10:30, even when I gave it more than a month to get used to it, I don't fall asleep anyway until my body's usual sleepy time and when i get up early, I can go through all the motions but it's just not worth it without being well-rested and, heh, fully conscious. Not on a daily basis.
I can very well leave things as they are and run during the lunch hour, but I would also love to do some of my runs in the quiet calm of the early morning. the above logistics make this seem just impossible. Can't always get what you want, and all, and at least 8 hours of sleep will always remain my priority, but I would love to hear how anyone else deals with these types of concerns and maybe get some new ideas!
Mmmmm...beer
I usually get 7-8 hours of sleep a night, in bed by 9/10, up at 4/5. I've been doing this for two years, and I'm still not used to it. lol Sometimes it's hard to drag myself out of bed that early, but it's the best time for me to run with work and the family, so I make it happen.
-Dave
My running blog
Goals | sub-18 5k | sub-3 marathon 2:56:46!!
Yugo! Welcome back!
I suppose I am naturally a night owl from my younger days, but since holding down a regular 8-5 kind of job for the last 25 years & having kids, I have been forced toward more regular hours.
I think mornings are the best time to run - (1) seldom any scheduling conflicts in the 5-7AM time frame, (2) get it out of the way & in the books early, one less thing to worry about, (3) in summer, the coolest time of the day.
I like running lunch hour in the winter for the opposite reason of #3, but it's hard to get as many miles in as I'd like & still keep my job.
In any case I will be of little help to you because (1) I don't mind going to bed early, (2) a full night's sleep is not as sacred to me.
I go to bed 10-11, and get up 5-5:30 to run, depending on how long I plan to go. Complicating factor is my chronic insomnia, as I often whine about in the dailies, when I either can't get to sleep or wake up in the middle of the night & can't get back to sleep. Like last night when I couldn't get to sleep till after 2, but I still got up at 5:30 to run. And no I am not very energetic today, but I can generally function OK on little sleep, as long as it doesn't go on more than a few days in a row. I am not operating any heavy machinery.
Dave
race obsessed
I am afraid I don't have much to add, but here I am adding something... 'cause I am like that sometimes.
I can sleep anywhere and anytime. I have always been able too (except when race day excitement or some other even keeps me up)
So if I have to run at 5am as I did this morning, I just eat and go to sleep earlier - 10pm last night.
If I run at 9am like I did this weekend (or 9pm) I do to sleep at midnight or 1am or whenever.
I am a hunter and during the season, If I need to get up at 3am - I just go to sleep at 7pm. No big deal.
Now, my DW who has always had sleep issues just can not comprehend. And she much like you will stay up until she is tired to go to sleep.. which may be 1am and have raceday with me dragging her out of bed at 5am... and she suffers... and tries to nap in the car on the way to the race.
As far as being tired - my changing sleep schedule does not make me nearly as tired as *NOT* getting at least 6 hours the night before a run... that will affect me all day.
Former Bad Ass
Welcome back!
I am like you which is why I run after work. Whenever I do run in the mornings I try to get to bed by 1030 but that means I stay in bed until 2am without sleeping.
I am up by 6am for work so running for me would have ti start at 4am. Shudder.
hope you can make it work.
Damaris
Labrat
In bed by 9 normally.
Up at 3:30 ish on a run day. 4:45 ish on a non-run day. That gets pushed closer to 3 am for portions of a marathon training cycle, which gets OLD very fast.
Having to commute for a job with an early start kind of cures any night owl tendencies of mine.
I am sure they will resurface come retirement...
5K 20:23 (Vdot 48.7) 9/9/17
10K 44:06 (Vdot 46.3) 3/11/17
HM 1:33:48 (Vdot 48.6) 11/11/17
FM 4:13:43 (Vdot 35.4) 3/4/18
I can sleep anywhere and anytime.
I am very envious, that is truly a gift, I hope you appreciate what you have been given. My wife is more like that.
Yugo! Welcome back! I suppose I am naturally a night owl from my younger days, but since holding down a regular 8-5 kind of job for the last 25 years & having kids, I have been forced toward more regular hours. I think mornings are the best time to run - (1) seldom any scheduling conflicts in the 5-7AM time frame, (2) get it out of the way & in the books early, one less thing to worry about, (3) in summer, the coolest time of the day. I like running lunch hour in the winter for the opposite reason of #3, but it's hard to get as many miles in as I'd like & still keep my job. In any case I will be of little help to you because (1) I don't mind going to bed early, (2) a full night's sleep is not as sacred to me. I go to bed 10-11, and get up 5-5:30 to run, depending on how long I plan to go. Complicating factor is my chronic insomnia, as I often whine about in the dailies, when I either can't get to sleep or wake up in the middle of the night & can't get back to sleep. Like last night when I couldn't get to sleep till after 2, but I still got up at 5:30 to run. And no I am not very energetic today, but I can generally function OK on little sleep, as long as it doesn't go on more than a few days in a row. I am not operating any heavy machinery.
I pretty much mirror this post except for the lunchtime running. I also prefer to run or workout in the morning and have since I began this ridiculous fitness journey some 15 years ago at 31 years of age.
Giving up Jay Leno's nightly monologue was tough for me lol, which went back to the days of Johnny Carson, a show I watched since I was a kid.
Also mixed in there were the Three Stooges, Benny Hill or any one of four Star Trek series that all came on after the nightly news which up to that point in my life was pretty standard.
There are 8 hours between 9:00 pm and 5:00 am, but like DP I usually do not sleep during all of them but function fine, but there is enough time there for you to get quality rest. It is just a question of if you are ready to make that transition or not.
For me, the need/want to workout won out over being the night owl that I was for a billion years. I am a morning owl now and will probably never go back to the way things were.
If you can pull it off it is an awesome way to start your day, I would not have it any other way!