Something I get asked a lot about running or triathlon is where I find time. I do believe that if something is important to you that you can make time. For me the most consistent time that I can get to exercise is early in the morning. That often means getting out of bed between four and five AM. It’s not always fun but if I want to prioritize my run then it’s best for me to get it done before the day gets started. So here are some things that help me get on the run when it’s super early:

• Set your alarm and don’t hit the snooze button – Just get up and get out of your room as quick as possible.

• COFFEE – Coffee is one of my love languages, I love it, the caffeine is great and it’s my favorite way to start the day. It helps to have a coffee maker that you can program and set up the night before so it’s hot and ready for you when you get up.

• Lay your clothes out the night before. If I have to search around in the dark for my clothes there is an 80% less chance that I will get up and go.
• Decide the night before what workout you are going to do and route you are going to run. I try to limit as many decisions as possible in the morning. As soon as I start trying to decide what I want to do, sleep starts to rise to the top of the list.

• If you are going to run for more than sixty minutes then it’s best to eat something simple, otherwise you can head out fasted if you like.
• Warm up inside! This mainly applies to winter but summertime mornings can also be chilly so a dynamic warmup inside can help get the muscles ready to go.
• Go to bed earlier. This one might seem obvious, but it is often hard. In the evening I am running around doing all of the things I can’t get done while the kids are awake. I also can waste a lot of time on the internet or watching Netflix, that time is much better spent getting some sleep.
• The best motivator is to find a running buddy or group who you meet for your morning run. It’s much easier to get out the door if you know a friend is waiting for you. If you don’t have anyone crazy enough to get out for an early run find a virtual buddy can help too. A text and some digital motivation helps just as much.

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The last few days have been so much fun, Friday brought in a snow storm so we spent some time sledding and building snowmen.

Last year Cannon didn’t love being on the sled but so far he is loving it this year.

Emerald had her serious face on but I think she enjoyed watching all the other kids and building her first snowman.

An exciting update (for us at least) is that Emerald is pulling herself up, cruising and even standing on her own (if only for 3 seconds).

The sweetest exchange between Cannon and Emmy happened while they were playing “fort” under the dining room table. I can’t believe I caught it on video.

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Are you a morning runner? Any tips to share?