Kickstart your body with a good morning run.
Route planned. Alarm set. Shoes at the ready.
The 6 AM alarm buzzes, and I make my way to my feet. Stumbling down the hall in search of a banana and the will to put on these damn running shoes.
The hardest part is over. I’m out of the bed and have my running gear on, Garmin watch set, and laces tied. Today’s run is a 5-kilometer interval sprint workout. One of my favorite short workout distances. It’s a series of sprints and recovery jogs capped on either end with a warm-up and cool-down.
The first few strides are the worst. Each thump on my foot sends tingles up my legs chilled by the morning air. But, after a few minutes, I settle in, and find a rhythm.
Warm-up is over. Time for the first sprint. Now I’m awake.
The magic of waking up early and immediately starting your day with a run is hard to explain; it’s something you have to experience. If I can get myself up and get my heart pumping above 150 bpm for 30 minutes, then the rest of the day is a breeze.
Running for me comes in waves. I’ll pick it up for a few months, then slowly fall back into cycling or a mix of the two. The point is keeping your heart pumping and your feet moving.
My endurance performance is usually not the best first thing in the morning. Any activity before a proper meal or cup of coffee is dreadful, but my body does appreciate the effort.
There is something about doing a long cardiovascular activity in the morning that sort of kickstarts your body for the day. And if you can keep it up, you’ll force yourself into one of the best routines.
I first found my love for running in college. Wanting to make sure I stayed fit, I started running. Best of all, for a college student, it’s free. You likely have a pair of shoes that will work fine for some short-distance runs around the block.
8 years later, I’m still loving the endurance sport of either running, hiking, or simply walking. Anything that moves my feet and pumps some blood.
Don’t worry about being able to run the entire time.
Get out there. Run a little, walk a little, do what you need to do. Start small; try to get to the point where you can run 1 kilometer without stopping. Then 1 mile. Then 2 miles. Then a 5K (5 kilometers or 3.1 miles).
If you keep it up, you might find yourself planning your half marathon or even marathon training plan. Now you caught the bug. Also, time for some new shoes.
Here are some of my favorite workouts:
Simple Fartlek (“speed play” in Swedish)
1 km warm-up
5 minutes running at a fast pace followed by 3 minutes of recovery jog x5
1 km cool down
“Speed it up a little!!”
15 minutes easy pace
15 minutes moderate pace
15 minutes hard pace
30 Minute Sprints
7-minute warm-up
1-minute slow ramp-up (start running faster and faster over the minute)
30-sec sprints followed by a 1-minute recovery x10
7 minute cool down
Happy running.
