Forums >General Running>Trying to cut down my routine before a morning run
The Irreverent Reverend
What is your routine before heading out for a morning run (of more than an hour)? I'm trying to cut down on my routine and get out the door quicker. Of course, much of that depends on training my body to, ahem, "clear out" quicker in the morning.
In training for my second-ever marathon (Carmel, IN, last month), I developed the following morning routine:
Any advice on cutting down on the length of my pre-run routine?
Husband. Father of three. Lutheran pastor. National Guardsman. Runner. Political junkie. Baseball fan.
Set out your running clothes, watch, water, shoes etc before going to bed.
Coffee, then a warmup/get things moving run of about a mile around the block.
It takes me 30 minutes from alarm to out the door when I need to stay on schedule. I can't imagine what you do for 75 minutes. And 3:45? Yikes if that's what it took I would not last in this sport. On when I'm only running 60 minutes and I need to be back by 7, I set the alarm for 5:30.
Runners run
I take about 20 min; I do not eat or drink anything. I still manage to clear out in that time, although it's never with 100% certainty that the job is completely done, so always good to have a backup plan on the route. Morning runs are typically 1-1.5 hrs.
On weekends (when all my LR's happen, and presumably I need more fuel) I eat a regular breakfast whenever I get up & wait at least an hour or two.
Dave
Out the door in time it takes to get dressed. 5 mins.
I know where every port o potty in town is, and always go with tp in a ziploc bag.
Come all you no-hopers, you jokers and roguesWe're on the road to nowhere, let's find out where it goes
Joggaholic
My weekend long run:
1) Up at 6
2) Drink water and eat a banana
3) Standard bathroom ritual
4) Out the door by 6:45
5) Start running around 7, wander the trail for 2 hours or so
6) Home by 9:30, done with shower and change by 10.
Total time ~ 4hrs. Sometimes I don't even eat anything before the run, but that didn't seem to save me any time. If I don't have internet connections, I can probably get out the door within 20 minutes of waking up.
So, I got into this routine with the theory that I should wait half an hour after eating before going out for a run. Thus, wake up, get downstairs, make bagel, start eating probably 10 minutes after I wake up ... wait 30 minutes until after eating to leave ... thus this 60-75 minute routine developed.
Maybe that's a bad theory. Maybe I shouldn't bother eating before going out for a run. Or perhaps I should just eat a banana, take a gel, and fuel along the way if need be ...
... Total time ~ 4hrs. Sometimes I don't even eat anything before the run, but that didn't seem to save me any time. If I don't have internet connections, I can probably get out the door within 20 minutes of waking up.
...
True. Like you, I do spend some time getting lost online (emails, Facebook, news, whatever) during this morning routine. I think I'll try to go no-internet the next few mornings, to see if I move along quicker ....
I used to give myself 2 hours between meal and running, but now I've shortened that to a 1 hour minimum (for slow/easy runs). Maybe my body got used to it and started to tolerate it, but also I realized that I can continue to run after barfing...
What is your routine before heading out for a morning run (of more than an hour)? I'm trying to cut down on my routine and get out the door quicker. Of course, much of that depends on training my body to, ahem, "clear out" quicker in the morning. In training for my second-ever marathon (Carmel, IN, last month), I developed the following morning routine: Alarm 75 minutes before anticipated run time (often 3:45am-4:00am) Drink coffee (set up on timer the night before), eat bagel with peanut butter Spend time "digesting" and getting my body to "wake up" enough to "clear out" the system Get on the road around 5:00am (or, if running at the indoor track, leave home to arrive at track by around 5:00am) Finish the workout and return home by 7:00am (so my wife can head off to work and I get the kids out the door to school) Any advice on cutting down on the length of my pre-run routine?
75 minutes? And I thought my HS son was slow at getting ready. Just kidding... sort of .
Why do you feel the need to eat before your run? Cut that out and you've solved most of your problem. If you're that hungry in the morning, have a light snack before you go to bed.
Seriously, if you are training for a marathon, you want to teach your body to burn fat, not the food you just ate.
Running clothes and shoes are in the bathroom the night before and ready to go. If I'm going to run in the morning before work, I'll set the alarm 10-15 minutes before I'm out the door. Maybe have a small glass of OJ if it's a longer run. If something clears out of the system in that time, great. I much rather have that extra hour of sleep than spend time doodling around. Weekends are another story.
Don't eat. At most I down a glass of water. Warmup by looping around the block, if I have to go it'll happen during warmup and my door is only a minute or two away.
For a run under 2 1/2 hours I don't eat anything when I get up.
I usually drink some water and hit the road. Only uncertainty is getting unloaded in the morning. I've never had any kind of routine at that type thing and it has taken some adjusting for me to get used to it, but where I run I have very limited access to any facilities so it needs to get done. Worst case scenario maybe 15 - 20 minutes from the time I pull back the covers to my first running step. If everything "goes" smoothly it can be ask quick as 5 minutes.
If I'm going over 2 1/2 hours I will probably be doing some testing of gels, etc. on the run and will just take some of those with me, I still usually don't eat anything first.
Age: 50 Weight: 224 Height: 6'3" (Goal weight 195)
Current PR's: Mara 3:14:36* (2017); HM 1:36:13 (2017); 10K 43:59 (2014); 5K 21:12 (2016)
Oh roo roooo!
For what it's worth, I agree w/those who say to try not eating before going out to run. I find it's not a problem unless I'm going to be out there a long time, like more than 2-1/2 hours. I think the whole "fuel before you run" thing has been so hyped that people are way more concerned about it than they really need to be. My massage therapist talked to me, in all seriousness, about how she feels that she failed to "fuel properly" before a recent 5K and didn't do well as a result. A 5K!!
So yeah, see if cutting out the eating and waiting to "digest" helps you get out the door faster. I'm old and slow, but at least I can get out the door quick!
I think the waiting after eating is unimportant. My stomach used to bother me if I ate less than 2 hours before my run in high school, but that's more than likely because I was eating school cafeteria food (usually something fried). After I got to college and through now, I've found I can eat a little of almost anything and then run out the door no problem, I'll have a spoonful of peanut butter or some crackers when I get home from work because I'm hungry, and then get right out the door. Yesterday before my workout I had a handful of oreo's and a glass of milk.
Also, while fueling before a run (like less than 4 hours before the run) for anything less than ~1.5 hours doesn't impact me much, the fueling you do the night before is obviously important.
Know thyself.