I have been a early morning runner for a long time but having kids then a pandemic has made me shift things a bit. Here is my current early morning runner routine:

I wake up sometime between 4:00 and 4:30 AM. Lately it has been closer to 4:30 because I have had a hard time making myself go to bed early (tips appreciated) .

Between 4:30 and 5:00 AM I get coffee going and usually try to wake up. I also get my clothes on and gather any gear I might need. A critical move to making sure that my early morning run happens is setting out my clothes the night before. If I forget to set my gear out I am about 80% less likely to actually get out of bed.

I try to be running by 5:15 AM so that I have an hour to run. If I need more time I try to get up earlier or if it’s not a school day Cory will take care of the morning kid duties.

There’s lots of room outside for runners to spread out but I have been hitting the treadmill most days.

When I am done running I help get the kids up and ready for the day. We like to have breakfast together and I love to drink more coffee, especially after a cold run.

Silver lining to having to social distancing and distance learning is that our mornings are much more relaxed. We used to have to be out of the house by 7:30 to get to school but now we only have to show up to zoom at 9:30.

My day is always better when it starts out with a run!

We spent the rest of the day as we usually do.

We played

We cuddled

Then we met some friends at the park and played some more. I love that so many more families are outside playing even when it’s chilly.

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When is your favorite time of day to exercise?

Has your routine had to change in 2020?