How to start running in the morning? – tips for every runner

For many people, morning running is a nightmare. Getting up early is just not for them. However, sometimes you have no other choice. Many responsibilities, work, and other additional tasks do not allow you to make room yet for a running workout. Therefore, you need to make the switch and start running in the morning. Certainly, this change will not be easy, because it is difficult to get out of bed earlier than usual. 

In this article, I will give you some tips on how to change your habits and how to start running in the morning. See what you can do to make your morning workouts a pleasure and not just an ordeal you have to go through every day.

1. Set a goal for yourself

Getting up in the morning and training without motivation? That won’t work. Therefore, set a goal for yourself. Think about the fact that if you get to work, you will burn calories, feel better first thing in the morning, and give yourself energy. What’s more, you’ll start the day well and get satisfaction from the work you’ve done. Others are still asleep, while you have already done your workout and are ready for the next challenges on this day. 

This is one of the reasons why running in the morning will be better for you than after work. What is very helpful is to take a piece of paper and a pen and write down all the advantages that it is better to run in the morning that evening. For example – lack of time, other obligations, late return from work, and tiredness after a hard day. Any reason is good. Such a list will surely motivate you. 

“And what will training at such an early hour do for me?”

Well, that’s the question many runners ask themselves when thinking about starting to run in the morning. Here are some of them:

• in the evening you’ll be able to rest – if you don’t run in the morning, you’ll have the thought in the back of your mind all day that you’ll still have to run when you get back. Choose to train at an early hour and then manage the time for yourself. 
• stimulate yourself – an early workout will give you energy for the whole day, and stimulate and relax you. This will make your brain work better. 
• energy for the whole day – exercise in the morning is a good option for people who feel a lack of energy in the morning. It’s better than coffee! 
• better preparation for competition – running races usually take place in the morning, not in the afternoon. Therefore, your body will be better prepared for such a morning effort. 
• better organization of the day.
• better weather – in summer the mornings are cooler, which allows you to exercise in better conditions. Better a slight coolness than heat. 
• beautiful landscapes – in the morning nature, as well as morning runners, awaken to life. Fresh air, fewer people on the paths and streets, and birds singing. Probably you can not start the day better.

2. Having a hard time getting up? Put your phone far from the bed

Getting up early isn’t easy for everyone. Most people use the alarm clock on their phones to wake up in the morning. Some unconsciously reach for their phone and turn off the alarm clock to sleep a while longer and… keep sleeping. If you are one of these people, you may have a problem with getting up early for your workout. However, there is a way around it. 

Instead of putting your phone on the nightstand next to the bed, put it further away. By doing this, to turn off the “screaming” alarm clock, you will have to get up, reach for your smartphone, and only then turn off the alarm. This action will allow you to wake up more. 

After that, with your phone, don’t go back to bed, because you’ll fall asleep again and there’ll be no training in the morning 😉

Alarm clock with short snooze 

If you find it hard to get up in the morning, set alarm clocks every minute. This way your alarm will remind you now and then to get up and start your morning routine, which also involves running. The thought that you are about to hear your alarm again may motivate you to get up. Just don’t turn off the alarm clock completely!

3. Prepare for your morning run already in the evening

The worst thing in the morning is being unprepared for the day, especially for running. Therefore, do everything you need in the evening. What should you keep in mind? Here are a few things. 

• eat a light supper – your evening meal should include protein and carbohydrates. After such an energetic supper, you’ll be able to go for a workout in the morning even without breakfast. REMEMBER: running on an empty stomach is not for everyone. In the morning, see if you feel good without a meal, or if it’s better to eat a small snack. 
• prepare your sports outfit – have you seen that meme with the boy who sleeps on the bed and next to him there is already prepared outfit for the next day? Yes, that’s you with a sports outfit. Pick out a T-shirt, shorts, shoes and all the other accessories so that in the morning you can just put on the clothes. This will be a great motivation. We sometimes waste a lot of time choosing an outfit in the morning, which equals a shorter workout or no workout at all. 
• go to bed earlier – it is difficult to go to sleep and then difficult to get up. This is a problem for many of us. Little sleep doesn’t help with training. That’s why put your phone down earlier and go to bed so that you can get a good 7 hours of sleep. It may be hard to switch at first, but it will get better with time.

4. Find a running buddy 

Sometimes nothing will motivate you more than another person. Find a friend who also runs in the morning. If you don’t get out of bed or don’t have the motivation to run, then surely one phone call from a friend who is already waiting for you downstairs will “force” you to act. After all, you’re not going to leave your friend alone, are you? 

After a while, there may come a time when it’s not them, but you who will have to motivate them to get up early and train.

5. Prepare or plan your breakfast the day before 

The day before, prepare a good breakfast to eat when you return from your workout. Such delicious food will motivate you to do a decent run when you know what reward awaits you when you return. 

What’s more, it will give you more time in the morning. You won’t have to prepare breakfast or think about what to eat to have even more energy for the rest of the day. 

6. Don’t go running right after waking up 

Get up, get dressed, and immediately go out for a workout – don’t do it like that. You need to give your body a few moments to acclimatize and wake up. Your muscles, after a full night’s sleep, need time to warm up and get ready for action. Therefore, do some morning activities first, and only then go out on the trail. Give yourself about 30 minutes to properly wake up your body. 

You can use this time to eat a small snack, use the morning restroom, browse social media, read your morning online newspaper or check your emails. See how much you can get done by getting up early? And still have time to work out! 

7. Warm-up, warm-up, warm-up 

No workout can take place without this part, and certainly not the one when, after a full night’s sleep, you need to warm up your muscles to function well and avoid injury. Spend around 20 minutes warming up. Do dynamic exercises that will get your body ready for action and for running. 

8. Running in the morning – time to relax and prepare well for the rest of the day

Morning training is the perfect time to mentally prepare yourself for the challenges ahead of you. Therefore, take your headphones with you to your workout. Turn on your favorite playlist and enjoy your training even more.

You can also choose an interesting podcast to listen to only during your morning workouts. It will be another motivator for running 😉

9. Analyze and refine 

You won’t immediately be able to figure out the perfect plan for every morning. You will create your ideal plan by trial and error. 

Didn’t get enough sleep? Go to bed 30 minutes earlier. Something you ate was weighing on your stomach in the morning? Change your habits when it comes to your diet. Choose products that are best for you. 

Did you fail to run at all? Think about why this happened. Analyze the situation and try to avoid it in the future. Don’t get angry with yourself, it happens to everyone, especially at the very beginning. 

Also see if you can run on an empty stomach, or if you need to eat a light and quick snack. If you are running on an empty stomach for the first time, take something to eat with you to consume when you feel sick. People’s bodies work differently. Some people can run without food in the morning, while others can’t.

10. Applications 

Apps that you can download to your phone can also help you run in the morning. In many of them, you can set how you can train. What’s more, you’ll be able to track your progress with them, so you’ll see what you’ve accomplished with your workouts, such as how many calories you’ve burned. 

If the results alone don’t satisfy you and you have that’s not enough motivation, then you can try apps that don’t just count calories, route, and pace. 

Install an app that is like a survival game. You have to run away from zombies, collect supplies and perform various tasks. This is an interesting version of diversifying your workout. When you hear the roar of zombies in your headphones, you are sure to get a quick buzz. 

Will it motivate you to help others? Choose apps that convert kilometers that you run into money for charities. You can choose the organization you want to support and every morning, every step you take during your training will mean financial support for your chosen cause. It’s a wonderful feeling when your efforts can help others.

Get up in the morning, take your phone and headphones with you, turn on the app, and RUN!

Additional benefits of running in the morning 

• Morning workouts will give you energy for the whole day – during a workout endorphins are secreted, which will not only give you energy but also make you feel better. You will be able to organize your work better and even after work you will still have time and strength for other activities. Your concentration will also improve.
• Don’t drink coffee, choose to workout in the morning – can’t wake up in the morning? Do you find it hard to get up? Opt for a workout first thing in the morning. You will wake up better than after a cup of strong coffee.
• No snacking during the day – after your morning workout, you need to eat a good and nutritious post-workout meal that will give you energy for the rest of the day. This way you won’t feel hungry and won’t have the urge to snack.

How to run in the morning? I hope you will find these tips useful, and thanks to them you will eventually manage to get up earlier and go for a workout. Surely it will be hard at the very beginning – after all, everyone would rather sleep an hour longer than get up and go out. However, write down all the advantages of such running and see that it’s really worth it. Good luck!