Early Morning starts...

My early mornings begin with the alarm going off. It's not loud. I've heard louder. But as I am a light sleeper it takes nothing to get me awake.

 

Now staying awake is the problem.

 

I've got a ritual. It goes like this. On mornings of early runs, those that begin at 5.30am, I reset my alarm for an hour. If I fall asleep for that hour than I am too whipped to get out on the roads. And I will sleep that hour and probably a bit more before work. But, like today, if I can not fall asleep again. And the agony of staying in bed is circling around in my brain. I will crawl myself out of the bed and head for the bathroom.

 

I keep all my gear hanging on the bathroom behind the door. One it dries faster (yes, I use my shirts more than once, as do you I suspect) and frankly my bathroom is cold. Cold enough to push more sleep away from my brain. So there I stand shivering slightly, naked, staring at my running gear. The thought of putting it on and being warm is powerful. And when I fully sorted, now the urge to run is more powerful than anything else.

 

No work. Or sleep. Or dark city mysteries. Nothing is keeping from my morning 5+ kilometers.

 

This ritual usually works. And those days that don't work, I will rest up, having a good morning classes, and meet my run in mid morning or early evening. I will be stronger for it. I don't punish myself for sleeping the morning away. I listen to my body. It's been years in learning to speak to me. Only know, in my middle age, do I hear the voice.

 

At the end of the day, it is nearly six in the evening, I still have an our long class, I can feel the tightening in my back. The spreading fatigue of a fast morning run that launched into a long day of walking down metro steps and up them, along pavements, and sitting perched on the end of uncomfortable office furniture. I feel the need for sleep. I crave it. I know I will need it for tomorrow's run.

 

But will I sleep late or run early?