Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Morning Runs

Morning runs for me work out really well for many reasons. Uh-oh, here comes a list.

1. Waking up.
Even though my body maybe hasn't fully woken up yet, it will definitely be awake after a half mile or so. And I am more likely to not be tired in the morning than at the end of the day after a long day of work. However, sometimes a run after work is great for stress release. I prefer it to be a track workout or something else that involves a bunch of running around though.

2. More energy throughout the day.
I have a lot more energy throughout the day, especially the morning. I also find that the after lunch sleepiness doesn't happen as often.

3. The air.
It seems to be clearer and easier to breathe. Newscasters will tell you the pollution index is a lot lower in the morning. And in the summer, the thick smog and haze hasn't established itself as much as after work. That is huge.

4. The beauty.
I suppose a sunset run would be gorgeous. I should try that some time. But I really love the morning light and how it illuminates everything that is beginning to wake up for the day. The light shines differently through the morning mist. It reflects the dew on the ground and highlights the still-closed flowers. You can feel the sun beginning to warm everything up. It seems to match my morning moods perfectly: gently making my way into the day, trying to observe and experience as much as I can.

2 comments:

Casey said...

May I add on, speaking from my limited experience?

5. Comfort.
Temperatures are generally lower in the mornings. That will be key for this sweater. Sure, this morning was chilly, but once we hit July and August the mornings will be the only comfortable time to be working hard in the sun.

I like your list very much. All of the points are directly applicable to me as well. I recall the boost of energy a morning run provided for me(way back in the day). Today was pretty good for me, but I'm sure if running in the morning becomes routine, I will see more of a lasting energy level benefit through the day.

Thanks again for the run this morning.

6.

Casey said...

Can I add a #5?

5. Comfort
Granted it was a bit chilly this morning; It won't be long before the only civilized time to be out and working hard will be in the cool air of the morning. This profuse sweater will not want to be running around in 90+ degree weather, cause I might just fall over and die of dehydration and exhaustion.

Your list is great Steph. In the past (way back in the day), I used to reap the benefits of morning runs in the form of greater energy throughout the day. Thanks again for coming over to run. Running in pairs is WAY better than my solo runs.