Studies show that a.m. exercisers are more consistent with their workouts than their afternoon or evening counterparts.  Now, there are a.m. exercisers and then there are early a.m. exercisers; we’ll call them the pre-dawn set.

The hardest part of the workout for a pre-dawn exerciser is actually leaving the house and being enveloped in the darkness.  It can be scary out there in the dark.  But, I promise you, you’ll get used to it.

Here are some tried and true tips to make it just a bit easier.

1.  Get lit.  I wear a very bright illuminated vest, a blinky light and I carry one or two knuckle lights.  I don’t care for head lamps but if you have one, wear one.
2. Run facing traffic.  In case a car is going off the road (the road lanes are not very bright, an animal is in the way, you are running around curves) I want to see it.  I don’t like the idea of worrying about a car coming behind me and clipping me on a road.
3. Start small.  Don’t plan to go out for a normal 8 mile run in the dark if you are not used to it.  The paths and roads that look totally fine at 9:00 am are much different in the dark.  Head out for a simple 2 or 3 mile run and then increase as you get comfortable.
4. Be flexible.  I have a great 6 and 8 mile out and back that is mindless and a great weekday run.  The problem is that it’s so much darker right now and more animals (read:  coyotes) are out and about.  Sure, everyone will tell you that they leave humans alone but I didn’t want to find out this one didn’t get the memo so I turned tail and had to add an extra mile and back to my shortened loop to get the distance.   The take away?  Don’t risk yourself for getting your mileage in.
5. Buddy up.  If you are really too afraid to run or walk outside but that’s the only time you can workout, find a friend.  Don’t worry if your paces are different.  Plan to start out with 2 or 3 easy miles, then you can part ways and get the extra miles in if needed.
6. Trust your gut.  If you are running and something feels “off”, trust that feeling.  Cross the street, stay under the street light and do a bodyweight workout until the sun gets higher or make a phone call.  Apologize to your friend or husband for waking them up but they love you so they’ll understand.  Be safe, that’s all I’m saying.

So give it a go and let me know if you become a pre-dawn convert!

Workout #7 – 10/7/15

• Hip Lifts (Bridges) – 25 repetitions
• Squats – 30 repetitions
• Alternating Reverse Lunges – 30 repetitions (a left and a right leg is a 1 count)

Instructions

1. Please print up the October Challenge Workout Description for a complete description of how to do the exercises.
2. Do the circuit 1 to 3 times through.
3. Feel free to drop the number of repetitions or time in a plank to suit your fitness level.

Now go run!

Keli 🙂