I run* in the morning. I used to be a rower. Our practices were early in the morning before classes because it was easier for scheduling. Plus, water tends to be calmer in the mornings, especially on the lake where we rowed. All this is to say that I got used to working out early in the morning. I thought I had become a life-long a morning workout person.

Now, as an adult with kids, I run or workout in the mornings because it makes the day much easier. I get it over with and move on with the tasks of the morning. I don’t have to plan around it or stop whatever else is going on later in the day to get sweaty and then take a shower and do the whole thing. However, it is terrible. I need at least an hour for my food to settle after I eat, so I generally don’t eat before I run in the morning. Exercise scientists from my past are probably shaking their heads at me right now, but honestly, performance isn’t as important as it once was. (I suppose that begs the question of why I’m still running in the first place, but that’s for another post.) I don’t have time to wake up, eat, wait an hour, and THEN run, however long that takes.

My runs are faster and feel better when I can go later in the day. It’s not a mystery as to why. To run early, I wake up at 5:45am, sometime after having been woken up by a baby in the middle of the night (babies… rolls eyes**) and try to be out the door by 6:15am. I’m still half asleep. I haven’t eaten. Lately, it’s still kind of cold out. These are not prime conditions for peak performance. During the Corona-times, I’ve been able to go during my husband’s lunch break or after his work day is over. Both times allow for him to give his undivided attention to our boys without feeling guilty for neglecting work. The more often I run later in the day, the harder the early morning run days feel. It has led to a stark realization.

I am no longer a morning person. Maybe I never was naturally a morning person. I was conditioned to exercise in the morning, but looking back on it, I didn’t speak to anyone until I had been awake for a couple of hours, potentially making me an unpleasant morning teammate. By the time practice was over, I was all smiles and exhausted good humor, but that was like 9:30am. Now, I am capable of basic functions in the morning, but higher level thought doesn’t begin until at least 7:30am and a cup (or 2) of coffee. Have I been lying to myself all of these years?

Well, now that the scales have fallen from my eyes, I’m wondering if I should restructure my days, given our new-found flexibility. Yes, right? I mean, I still enjoy getting the workout done early so I can shower and move on with the day, but this is going to require some consideration.

*Or just exercise. I’ve been pretty much only running since my second son was born, but I love swimming and biking and rowing.

**JK I love my baby