Running on a morning kicks ass! It gives you a huge sense of accomplishment and energy to tackle the day. In this post, we look at how to start a morning running routine.
Trust us, even for the most dedicated of runners, rising with the larks to head out and run can seem like a tough chore.
For some, an early morning run is the only way that they can fit a workout into their busy schedules while for others, it’s the perfect way to supercharge their day.
In this post, we’re going to tell you exactly what you need to do to start a morning running routine.
Let’s go…
A good morning running routine starts with a good bedtime schedule.
It’s recommended that adults between the ages of 26 to 64 should aim to get between 7 and 9 hours of shut-eye every night.
This means that if you’re going to be setting the alarm for 7 am then you’ll need to be tucked up in bed by 10 pm at the latest.
This tip is super simple, takes zero effort and makes all the difference when building your morning routine – get your running kit ready the night before.
Here’s a top tip – it’s always worth laying out extra “just in case” kit such as tights, compression socks, gloves and a running beanie to save you scrabbling around in the dark trying to find them.
As the saying goes, it’s better to have something and not need it than to need something and not have it.
Okay so this one might go against the traditional “stretch before you run” mindset that a lot of runners have (and need to forget) but when running on a morning, your warm-up should be based on getting the blood pumping through your muscles.
After a good night sleep, your muscles will be tight after not being used in 8 hours and static stretches just aren’t going to cut it.
Once you have your running kit on, the best warm up you can do is to WALK for 5 minutes, starting slow before building up into a gentle jog.
That way you aren’t going to be stressing cold muscles risking injury.
Once your muscles are warmed up and you’re ready to start running, don’t make the mistake of sprinting straight into training pace.
Instead, run the first kilometre 20 to 30 seconds slower than you plan to run the rest of the session.
This will keep your freshly woken up legs from detonating before you even get into the session!
For many runners, coffee is right up there with food and oxygen when it comes to things that they simply couldn’t live without.
Unless we’re going on a long run of over 10 miles, we’ll often skip food in favour of a glass of water and a cup of good coffee.
Postponing breakfast until after your run could also be beneficial if you’re running to lose weight. Research has shown that running in a fasted state improves the body’s fat mobilization and utilization.
Remember how much effort it took when you first started running to get into a routine? Well, you’re going to have to go through that process again, only to help establish your morning running routine.
When you’re just starting out, commit to just one or two mornings a week (whatever you think that you can manage) and stick to getting up and out of the door on those mornings.
Consistency is always king when it comes to establishing a routine.
Our final tip is one that’ll really help get the routine started. Find someone to join you on your morning running routine.
Committing to run on a morning gives you a real sense of duty and knowing that someone is waiting on you means that you’re even less likely to hit the snooze button.
This works particularly well if you can run with someone who’s already in a good morning workout routine as, chances are, they’ve already been through the pain of forming a habit and can offer you a little extra motivation on getting out of bed.
If you’ve never run first thing on a morning, then you’re in for a treat. A morning run really sets you up for the day and gives you a sense of achievement and energy that you just don’t get on non-running days.
So there you have it, armed with this information you now know how to start a morning running routine. Try it once and we guarantee that you’ll love it.
