It's Just What I Do

Every Monday through Friday at 4:00 AM my alarm goes off. Weekends or days off I sleep in until somewhere between 4:00 and 5:00 AM, usually depending on the sunrise. But time is irrelevant. Time is just a concept, it’s a schedule, it’s only relevant to you. What’s early for me is normal for you. What’s late for me is early for someone else. It’s what happens next that’s the important part.

My actions upon waking up are: get ready, brush my teeth, drink some coffee, hydrate, eat a light snack, warm up and go run as far as I can with my allotted time. I then stretch for a bit, and head to the shower. I then eat a full breakfast, pack my things, and get to work by 7:00 AM. Rain, snow, sleet, wind, calm, cold, ice cold, humidity, dark or light; six mornings a week, regardless of conditions, holidays, rest, barring anything short of an injury, getting called into work, or even a natural disaster. Before anything else, I’m getting my miles. No excuses.

A few years back, I was not in the place I am now. I was extremely overweight, out of shape, smoking a pack (sometimes more) a day, excessively drinking, eating poorly and generally not happy with where I was in life. I made the conscious decision that I needed to make a change, I needed to prioritize my own health and wellness. As a lifelong procrastinator the easiest way for me to make that change happen is to truly make it a priority.

By making the very first task of the day focused on my health, it became impossible to put off. I knew if I waited till after work, I would allow myself the entire day to think of any and all excuses on why I shouldn’t exercise that day. The solution was as easy as setting an alarm. That simple act shifted my health and wellness from an afterthought to being paramount. Late nights drinking? Can’t do it, I've got a 4:00 AM alarm. Cigarettes? Turns out they’re not good for you at all and they in no way benefit a morning run. Who knew? Poor diet? Sorry, I need a better source of fuel. By taking away my ability to procrastinate, the only option I left myself by default was to be better.

I had a pretty similar reason for why I’d run in bad weather. I knew if I only ran on good days, I’d never go. So I had no choice but to run in bad conditions to ensure that I would run in good ones. Now, if I was to be perfectly honest, these days, I run in bad conditions because I love it. Give me the slop, the snow, the wind, the rain, give me the battle. Give me that sense of accomplishment of putting in work when people think you're crazy to do so. A 10k when it’s 10 below with high winds. Icicles forming on your hat, your beard and your eyebrows Your sweatshirt getting rigid because the sweat is freezing? Great, can’t wait because I know, as soon as I’m done my day will only be easier. Growth doesn’t come from a place of comfort, strength comes from overcoming adversity. And when you choose adversity by default, you get better at dealing with it when you don’t.

We all know the benefits of diet and exercise, the verdict is out, it’s good for you! But the benefits of early mornings, that’s something that caught me by surprise. At first I thought it would be hard but it turns out, it just made every aspect of my life better instead. There’s obvious physical benefits but it’s the mindset that really improves. There’s the simple things like seeing the sunrise, having the world to yourself, hearing the birds, seeing the critters scurrying about, the endorphins that get released by exercise that improve your mood, and the extra energy you now have because you created it. All excellent perks. But in my opinion, the real benefit comes from the struggle. By making your body do something it doesn’t want to do. To move when you want to sleep and to keep going when all you want to do is stop. This is where the progress comes from; that’s the drug that keeps me coming back.

I needed to build a routine. I needed to create the discipline required to follow it. Which was as simple as setting an alarm and getting up when it goes off. No shortcuts, no gimmicks, come up with a plan and do it. Start your day with something hard! Leave no chance to hesitate and you won’t. Simple.

So in short, when I get asked “Why do you get up so early to run?” I’m happy to give the simple answer of, “It’s just what I do.”