Early to Rise

The sun was still on the other side of the earth.  It was early saturday morning and it was dark out.  What am I doing up at this time of the morning?  More to the point, what are all these other people, dressed in running clothes, doing up?  Silly question.  They are marathon training, and they are getting started early to get the miles in before starting the rest of the day.

But back to one of my earlier questions.  Why am I here?  I'm not training for a marathon.  And last time I checked, there is no advantage to getting your miles in earlier in the morning.  11 miles still counts in the training log whether you start at 6am or 9am.  And since I work Friday nights, I have only made rare appearances at these 6am runs with the Elmhurst running club.

When I first moved out here a couple years ago, I assumed it was just some crazy suburban thing that prompted them to run so early.  Or, sarcastically, I thought perhaps it was because there's little out here to do to keep you up late, so they just run early because they have nothing better to do.

Well, I was wrong.  They have lots to do, most of it with their kids and families who all have busy weekends planned.  So they run early to get it out of the way before taking the kids to soccer or swimming or dance class (or all the above).  But I work Friday nights, which means I rarely get to bed before midnight.  I am not a morning person in the first place, but I'm especially grouchy on five hours of sleep. And my kids are young, and haven't been jammed with activities on weekends, so there has been no urgency for me to run that early. 

Nevertheless, I occasionally join them early because I like running with them.  They are not only my neighbors, but a great group of talented runners.  Most are also dedicated parents.  A good deal of the talk during their runs is about children.

This last weekend, with no race on my calendar, I figured it was a good time to go through a little sleep deprivation and join them.  Then my wife handed me my oldest daughter's cheerleading schedule, which said she had a game on Saturday at 8am.  Oops.  Suddenly, I could relate to all my Elmhurst friends and their weekend schedules.  It has now begun for me too.

Amazingly, considering how I felt when the alarm went off at 5 am, I found I enjoyed the run.  The Prairie Path where we do most of our longer stuff is a very easy place to run. It's a soft surface, and it's flat.  The miles are clearly marked, and there is plenty of water out along the course.  And clipping along at 7:30-7:45 pace, it was fun to catch up with friends.

It was a stark contrast to the weekend before when I ran along the lakefront path a little later in the morning.  It was jammed with runners and bikers everywhere.  This is where I did most of my training until we moved a few years ago.  And don't get me wrong, that can be a fun atmosphere to run in also, but it's very different.

On this morning one of my friends met me with the group after he'd already run ten miles. He was planning on doing 20, and he started at 4:30 am!  Now that's crazy.  He says the only other creatures he saw at that time of morning were a couple of skunk families! That'll stop you dead in your tracks.  Fortunately they ignored him.

So I was finished with my run by 7:30, the time I normally start.  I was home in plenty of time to make it to the Cheerleading.  And I admit to feeling slightly smug looking around knowing I had already been up for several hours and had gotten my long workout in before coffee!  And the cheerleaders were very cute.  Though at the age of 6, I'm pretty sure most of it is lost on my daughter.  When I asked her if she knew who won the game later, she had no idea.  Regardless, I'm glad I was able to go.  There is always another run.  These times with your kids are unforgettable.

Next weekend cheerleading is once again on Saturday at 8.  Fortunately though, I've got a Sunday race!  While many of you will be doing the Chicago half marathon in Hyde Park, I will be heading up north to Great Lakes Naval base to run the Fort 2 Base race.  It's ten nautical miles which equates to a little more than 11 land miles.  And I can think of no better place to honor those we lost on 9/11 than a military base.  If you're interested, you can get information on their website:  http://www.fort2base.com/  

See you on the roads......

Comments

[Bob Richards]

I can relate to not being a morning person from my years at the Sun-Times sports desk when I would get homer at 1 a.m. Even though I'm no longer there, I'm still a bad early-morning person. But when I get out the way you did, it gives a strong feeling of satisfaction. See you on the path one of these days. . . . maybe closer to 9:30 . . . after coffee.

[A Facebook User]

I have not been out there many Saturday mornings either, usually work related. If I am not working a late Friday nite, I am working an early Saturday morning. Besides, I like Bob's idea of 9:30 better!!!

[john]

Ok, I'm in for 9:30 after coffee some saturday morning. After the kids cheerleading and soccer seasons!