jdgreen

How many of you train consistently early in the AM before work, like between 5 and 7 AM. Were you a morning person already. If not, how long did it take to make the adjustment to the schedule and not seem like such a chore?

bvfrompc

I do.

No.

I'll let you know when it happens, I just started five years ago.

Hey, my oldest kid is five years old

Coincidence?

I think not.

My wife and I always have to remind each other, 5 miutes into the workout you'll forget you were asleep 15 minutes ago. Its that first 15 minutes that suck.

patentcad

I ride in the morning 95% of the time. I am a morning person. Once the sun is up, I'm up.

kudude

that's a bit early for me, but now that it gets dark around here by 5, it's the only time to ride. find your warm clothes, though

elgalad

Given I work full-time, there's only one way to get in 20+ hours of training per week.

I don't find it a chore. In fact, I find it easier to get out of bed at 5 to go cycling than I do to get up at 7 to get ready for work.

NealH

I am in the pool at 5:30 AM most weekdays, the time when my local YMCA opens. I have always gotten up promptly in the morning because sleeping after the sun comes up is a total waste of good time.

Miguelangel

I was trainning early in the morning 5- 7, im not a morning person but its very nice to have trained in the morning and I dont have to think about trainning at nites... but.... I found out that due to the rush hour the car pollution was very high so I have changed to nite trainning... I miss the morning rides...

LIUser22

i do, i wasn't a morning person (im in college!!!) but i have become one and it's great. I force myself to get up between 5 and 5:30 to workout for either 1-1.5 hours. One of the tricks is when your body tells you to go to bed, go to bed, even if it is 8 o'clock. I used an alarm clock for a week and now i wake up on my own and eat a cliff bar and start on the trianer/rollers/gym on campus before everyone else gets there.

ovrrdrive

I'm out at about 4:45 and it isn't too bad once you get used to it. I never used to be a morning person but in the last 10 years or so I have changed in to one. Believe it or not, I'm usually dreaming about riding right before I wake up anyway, so it's just a matter of making a quick cup of coffee to wake up a little then getting dressed and running out the door to finish my ride.

Go overboard with lighting and the dark isn't bad at all.

huerro

It's funny you should mention that....for a long time I thought going to bed before the sun came up was a total waste of good time.

cslone

I work a 24 hour on/48 off shift and have a 14 month old. Right now I am training between 13-22 hours a week. This definitely entails getting up at 0430 every work day. It sucks royaly, and after 2 months, I'm still not used to it fully. But I just remind myself of my goals, and it helps get me out of bed.

dcvelo

I'd always been a night person (lots of years in Manhattan saw to that) but since marriage have learned to embrace the morning thing. I'd still prefer to ride after work, but riding in the morning just works better for all involved and hey, it's riding!

One benefit of early morning rides is I don't need to bother with the usual pot of coffee....I'm wide awake by the time I get back.

roy5000x2

I'm going to start to do the AM thing. I got home from school, had a quick snack, made a cue sheet, then realized that I only had about 90 minutes of daylight left. I had to abandon the cue sheet for something much shorter. Sad really.

DanielS

I ride one or two mornings a week generally. Get up around 515. Like others have said - its the first 15 mins after waking up that hurt. Once you're on the bike its all good

I find it best to have all my stuff ready to go before I go to bed helps. My sleep-addled brain sometimes finds it difficult with things like 'where are my shoes?' and remembering to put my HR strap on...

Stallionforce

Not a morning person at all.

But this year I've taken on too much: 25 or so hours of work per week, two graduate courses, and my training. There's been no other solution than to get up at 5:30 every day to train.

I've found by waking much earlier than I used to, I've grown accustomed to it, and now enjoy the feeling of solitude when I'm out running or on my bike. I wouldn't say I'm a morning person yet, but I'm bouncing out of bed most mornings, which I never used to do.

So I guess I'd say stick with it for at least two or three months, and see if you adapt: I think you will.

scotch

i really wish i could get up at 5 or 5:30 and do something other than take a leak with my head against the wall then schlep back to bed. do you early risers hit the sack between 9 or 10pm?

RHOsbrink

yeah... bedtime's around 10. Get up at 5a- don't always make it though.

Frunkin

It gets light at 6:45 and gets dark at 4:30, so I have no time to ride outside. I should really buy some lights.

kudude

bed by 10, up at 6:30. you need to sleep if you want to do any real training. your body just falls apart after awhile if you don't.

Road Fan

Not just warm clothes, but get a good front light! on a recent road ride Mrs. Road Fan and I encountered a rail crossing and didn't have time to get in the proper angled position. The ties surrounding the rails were frosted, and down we both went! scrapes, bruises, torn jackets/gloves, sore shoulders, and considerable time lost!

Road Fan

stidle

God, I wish I could get up that early. By the time I get out of work now, it's only light for about 15 more minutes...As it is, I literally take a shower before I go to sleep, wake up 15 minutes before work, throw my clothes on in a frenzy, kiss my girlfriend, and hop on my bike -- thankfully work is only 2.5 miles away and completely downhill, so I can get there in about 6-8 minutes.

Question for those of you who go to sleep around 10 on weekdays: Do you find that you are still able to stay up until 1-2AM on weekends if necessary?

I'm so conflicted...On one hand I feel like I would absolutely love to go on regular long rides before work; on the other hand, I really value late weekend nights with friends. Can I have it both ways?

Tequila Joe

Usually 1 hour in the morning before work and one hour after work... hey, wait a minute, thats called commuting.

elgalad

My training load varies depending on time of year, but at the moment doing base training, I try to get in 2 hours each morning, and 1 hour in the evening, all outside since it's summer here atm.

I am lucky in that I have few commitments outside of my doctoral studies and cycling.

ovrrdrive

I hate to play devil's advocate here, but all of you guys saying you wish you could get up that early and train need to be honest with yourselves. You can. It's all in where your priorities lie.

Even a 30 minute ride is better than no ride at all...

RichmondRider

Best part about the morning ride: I feel good all day, and am happy that I rode.
The downside is that on those days where I go back to bed (usually with an excuse like "the bed is a lot warmer than it is outside) I spend the whole day kicking myself for not dragging my butt out of bed earlier.
Getting up at 5 is a good habit, and I didn't do much after 10 at night anyway...