I usually exercise at night, after work, sometimes before dinner, sometimes right before shower & sleep. But Friday morning I say “screw this” & joined a local runner’s group, hauling myself out of bed before 5am, fully dressed. I creeped out of the house with my Camelbak waist hydration belt (which I love/hate, since it never stays put). I drove to the local elementary school & met two people who also dragged themselves out of bed & into the dark, rainy morning.
I made it four blocks before they left me behind. Beginner runners, my lovely large buttocks.
Although I didn’t do too badly personally-1.2 miles in 15 minutes-they still were long gone by the time I had worked out the kinks & warmed up enough to continue…just in time to have to get back home so Tom could go to work, & I could do dishes before waking the kid up & beginning the day.
Despite how much that experience totally sucked, my day rocked. I ate well under my calories for the day, & I felt like I had a coffee buzz all day, alert & sharp & endlessly moving forward. I usually feel this for a few hours from 9am to noon or so, but exercising before work keeps that feeling up all day. Which is a hard thing to remember in the warm, soft, cuddly dark of the bedroom, kid & cat & boyfriend snoring away & the sun isn’t even a thought on the horizon yet. What insane person wants to be up & sweating that early?

  
I do, I just have to remind myself of this every morning the alarm goes off at such an ungodly hour, how well it sets me up for the day. I have also started following runners blogs and Instagrams as another way to get motivated, and trying to narrow down to one or two half marathons to try this summer. 
In other news, I’m now hunting for my third hydration pack. I have two Camelbaks, one a belt, one a backpack. They both ride up/don’t stay put. I want a vest, possibly, something I don’t have to fumble with a bottle but that will stay in place without rubbing & bouncing. Time to hit up REI again & see what they’ve got. It’s not such an issue on the treadmill, but I much prefer trail running (I don’t sound so loud outside at least).