how to become an early riser (Page 2)

I have never been an early riser until my daughter came along.  Now i'm up at 4a, but it's tough.  I agree with prep the night before....layout the clothes to workout and change in, pack the duffle bag, fill the water bottles, and go to bed early (9:30 for me).  It was VERY hard the first 6 weeks, but now it's just a routine.  About 10 weeks into it, i started eating PB on a slice of bread with OJ every morning and my workouts really started to improve.  At first i couldn't even eat that early...

IMO, the big benefit is race day.  It's just no big deal to wake up and be at checkin at 6a.  You're ready to go 

Get a dog.  Seriously, my dog wakes up at 4:30 in the morning and pokes me with her paws to wake up and give her a belly rub and take her for a walk.  Claws in the side are much more effective than an alarm clock because you can't turn them off without really waking up.

Some other things that might help:

Sleep with the blinds open.  Where I live, the sun comes up EARLY in the summer, and I find it hard to sleep with light in my eyes.  It's also nice to look out the window and see that the world is awake, so I should be too.

If you're not a hit-the-floor-running kind of person, don't force it.  Make it as easy on yourself as you can.  Get a programmable coffee maker and set it to just before your wake up time.  My husband has even decided to get one of those little one-cup coffee makers and put it on his nightstand so that he can have his first sips of coffee while still in bed and start waking up that way. 

I also find it helpful to have a special pre-workout snack or treat that I really like but can only have if I get up in the morning and eat it before my workout.  I leave it out on the counter the night before, and I know that a treat is waiting for me when I wake up.  Believe it or not, this actually helps me, but you may not be so treat-motivated.

THAT's WHAT I'm Talkin' about....

Were you aware that there are state-specific forums on the site also?  Post a request in there...

I will admit living in urban Phoenix, given how spread out that city is, would be a challenge.  But, nobody said you could put triathlon training in a neat little box.  You've got it in you so just DO IT. 

I have a wierd way of handling morning workouts...

I tell myself that 5:30am is just another time of day and I try not to even feed into the "oh, it's early morning" negative thoughts.  What is the difference between getting up at 5:30am or 7am?  It's really not that big a deal if you think about it.  Or at least that is what works for me! 

It probably helps that I go to bed earlier so I get a good amount of sleep and I just get up and go.  I also think of all the benefits.  I love the feeling of getting my workout in and having some time to myself before waking up the kids.  I love how quiet it is in the morning.  I love being out running or biking and waving to the others out doing the same.  I love how I feel all day when I do my morning workouts.  I just remind myself of all the positive things and it is much easier!

Maybe it had a big effect on me because I already felt this way, but reading Dean Karnazes' Ultramarathon Man:  Confessions of An All Night Runner really clarified this issue for me.  I used to understand that people thought I was nuts for getting up so early.  I've been leaving the house at 5am to go to work for 12 years.  Now that I've been getting up between 3:30-3:45 to work out first they really think I'm nuts. 

You know what?  I'm LIVING.  I'm enjoying my life.  This is what I want to do.  But I want to be with my kids and wife and be a good husband and father too.  So if this is what it takes and I can do it, then it's not nuts.  It's a balls to the wall commitment to live my life the way I want to live it.  Think like that and you won't be hitting the snooze when your alarm goes off.  You'll be lying there waiting 10 more minutes for you alarm to go off so you can get up because you GET to GET UP AND DO WHAT YOU WANT!

 By the way, Morey1, easy for you to say up there in Muskego, the endurance athlete capital of the Midwest. [sarcasm/]

I highlighted what I consider the best advice......

When I go to my Masters swim class it is hilarious what the peeps do prior to just jumping in. Yes, you are going to be a little cold for about 10 seconds then it will get better... I just jump in without thinking about it ... saves me some time

 I realize that has nothing to do with getting up early but it is the same principle...