Blog

4:50am wake-up call

For the past few weeks, Thursday has been my longest scheduled training day of the week. A 50+ minute swim and a 45 minute run/walk. Coach John probably intends for me to split it up and do one session in the morning and one in the evening. But for various reasons, my Thursday evenings have been busy recently and I’ve known I wouldn’t be able to run or swim after work. Lunchtime is sometimes an option, but not always a reliable one. One week I ran on Thursday and then swam on Friday, skipping my scheduled day off. I’d rather not miss my day off, so I figured out another solution: getting up really really early and doing a morning double.

The total training time is about 1:35, but I know that in order to it work without half-assing either workout and still get to the office on time, I need at least a few hours. So here’s the approximate schedule that I’ve been following for the last 3 weeks:

4:50am – alarm goes off, eat half a Clif bar and half an apple, get dressed, force Charlie out of his bed to go for a short walk (he looks at me with such devil eyes at 5am!)

5:15 – walk out the door, head to the gym

5:35 – in pool for swim

6:30 – dry off, stretch, drink some Infinit, change into running clothes, relax for a few minutes

6:50 – on treadmill for run

7:35 – finish run, cool down, stretch and roll out my quads and hamstrings

7:50 – shower at gym, walk home

8:20 – breakfast at home, get dressed for work

8:45 – out the door again, head to work

Surprisingly, getting up at 4:50 on recent Thursdays has been easier than getting up at my normal 6:30. Today I was half-awake waiting for the alarm. Last week I was up before the alarm. And I finish the training feeling great about myself and what I’ve “accomplished” before the day has begun. There is also a little sense of pride in knowing that I’m one of the first people in the gym that morning and the only person in the pool for at least the first half of my swim. And that’s another reason why this schedule works – the pool is relatively empty in the mornings until at least 6:30am and not having to worry about sharing lanes is a wonderful thing! I could definitely get through the workout about 20-25 minutes faster if I “transitioned” quickly from the pool to the treadmill, but I like taking my time and stretching and taking in some calories. Also, I’ve been trying to push the intensity a little on my swims, and I know that the short break makes my run better and helps me recover more quickly, too. I could also do it more quickly by bringing my work clothes to the gym, like I do any other day, but I like going home for breakfast, even if it costs me 30 or minutes of sleep.

I definitely get tired towards the end of the day and it does take me a day or two, depending on our schedule, to recover from the early morning, and I know I couldn’t do this kind of schedule every day, but once a week it works great!

(I know, I know, after that awful annoying bout of self-pity on Wednesday, I’m writing again. It feels good to write. This doesn’t mean it won’t happen again!)

Swim – January 29
Distance: 2,400 yards
Time: 52 minutes

Treadmill run/walk – January 29
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 45 minutes (10 min. warm up, 7 x 4 min. run, 1 min. walk)
Average heart rate: