Unfortunately so is the dog.
Hence this morning I’m straight up and out of the door at 6am, even though it’s a Saturday and I’d normally have a little more leisurely start.
We avoided any awkward encounters with potential canine love interests, and got to enjoy the first still moments of a perfect spring day.
Most of us are drawn to bodies of water; ponds, lakes, rivers or seas. My grandparents in land-locked Northamptonshire used to drive every weekend to the local reservoir, to walk the dog or sometimes just to sit and watch the water.
Water for me now makes the perfect focal point for a running route. In Cornwall I’ll head for the beach at dawn and there’s nothing like it. In Dubai, I joined other expats for a couple of laps (three if I could manage it) around the Springs lake. My Hampstead Heath routes always pass by the ponds.
Water at dawn holds a special attraction. It’s both calming and stimulating; never the same. And the reflection of sunrise on still water makes the most amazing photos. Another dawn runner kindly sent me this incredible shot of his morning running route in Colwick Country Park near Nottingham.
Colwick Country Park, courtesy of @Darren0310
Last week I smugly ran in 30 degree warmth in Dubai; this morning it was a fairly brutal -6 in London! But, as exclaimed by a rosy-faced early-morning bird watcher who emerged from the trees and made me jump out of my skin, “what a morning!”.
I’m always looking about me for a nice photo when I’m running, but this morning my surroundings were totally absorbing. Everywhere you look is a perfect view.
On a technical note, enjoying a morning like this, and not missing out on a nice, long weekend run because of the ice and snow, means knowing how to run safely in winter conditions. Interestingly, I think it means adopting some of the techniques that I’ve been trying to learn in order to adopt a more minimalist style, in particular taking quick, short, light steps.
This is a pretty impressive example of running on ice! http://completerunning.com/archives/2006/09/30/pose-method-running-on-ice/ The focus here is on ball-of-the-foot-landing and pulling the leg back with the hamstring on each stride, which is exactly what the marvellous Tom Craggs at Perfect Fit Training has been teaching me. What better morning to put it into practice. (And with such cold temperatures first thing, there are less people around to watch!)
Wrap up warm and enjoy your run!
Okay, so after a while perhaps I’d miss Hampstead Heath’s rugged hills and woodlands, and if I was here in the Summer I’d have to become a 4am jogger to beat the 45+ degree daytime heat, but right now this feels very easy to get used to!
Early morning running, Dubai-style
Hampstead Heath 14 January 2012
A perfect, clear winter morning with an unbroken blue sky, and very fitting for the start of a new year. Not unpleasantly or bitingly cold, but just fresh enough to feel almost as though you’re getting a cleansing shower as you run along. It’s difficult not to feel that the cool wind is sloughing off the heavy, sleepy, lazy layers and preparing you for a new start.
I stood at the top of Parliament Hill to catch my breath and looked over at the City for a while, thinking ‘Eugh… I have to be back in that tomorrow!’, but that’s a day away…
A very good friend of mine took up my little challenge to submit a photo from a Christmas morning run. This is her early morning moment of quiet escape. Whatever might be going on in our lives, she and I both agree that nothing beats running for solitary, reflective, mood-changing, contemplative time to ourselves, and a much-needed breath of fresh air.
Not a very festive scene on the weather front (see below!), but today is about people and the above put a big smile on my face on my Christmas morning run. Enjoy your day!
Frosty December morning on Hampstead Heath
I’ve been waiting for weeks for a perfect winter sunrise; a glinting, silvery scene with frosty white trees. This time last year we were ankle-deep in snow, so I’ve been holding out for a quintessential Christmas card photo from my early morning runs. No luck so far, but this morning did deliver a light frost and a crisp winter sky, and I left my usual route and ran uphill over crunchy frozen blades of grass. This moment was my first sight of the rose and gold sunrise.
Peak District 27 November 2011
New Balance Minimus trail shoes
This weekend, my new running shoes and new early morning nutritional regime got tested out in the wild and windy Peak District. My shoes (the New Balance Minimus trail shoes – see left) are recovering after an ankle-deep mud bath. More on those later.
I mentioned on this blog a few weeks ago that I was keen to find out a few simple but effective ways to prepare for an early morning run without falling back on Lucozade as an energy boost, and to recover and get ready for a busy day without slumping mid-morning.
Enter fellow early-morning-runner, Jo Scott-Dalgleish.
Jo is a nutritional therapist specialising in sports nutrition, and here are her expert pointers for getting the best start to the day:
EARLY MORNING RUNS – HOW TO EAT FOR ENERGY AND RECOVERY
Getting up before dawn for an early morning run, it’s only too easy to pull on your trainers and head on out of the door on an empty stomach.
But this approach isn’t going to allow you to make the most of your run. To exercise effectively, your muscles need to be well topped up with glycogen, for which you need carbohydrate. The best pre-run carbohydrate is quickly digested and delivered to your muscles. A banana is a good bet or half a toasted white bagel with honey. If you prefer to drink something, try diluting 125ml of fruit juice with 125ml water. Grape juice, pomegranate juice or blueberry juice are good choices to drink before a run as they contain more anti-oxidants than other fruits.
Once you are back, it’s best to eat breakfast within 45 minutes as this is the ‘window’ to replenish the glycogen you used up in your run. It’s also important to eat around that time to prevent a blood sugar crash later on, which can result in making unhealthy choices such as pastries, croissants and muffins. Including a slow-release carbohydrate with your breakfast will help to sustain your energy levels throughout the morning. A great post-run breakfast choice is porridge with a couple of tablespoons of nuts or seeds (which provide healthy fats and protein) and a handful of fresh or frozen berries. Other ideas would be low sugar baked beans, boiled or poached egg with whole grain or rye toast, or low sugar muesli with semi-skimmed milk or natural yogurt.
Putting new shoes and Jo's nutrition tips through their paces on a muddy trail through the Peak District
I have to admit that I put a Yorkie bar (when in Rome…) in my pocket just in case – it seemed appropriate in case of emergency!
But otherwise I didn’t miss the Lucozade and Jo’s tips are much more natural and healthy, so I will be sticking to them from now on.
Jo Scott-Dalgleish BSc (Hons) MBANT is a Nutritional Therapist practising in Chiswick, West London. She specialises in sports nutrition, energy management, weight loss and digestive health. Please see www.nutritionsolutions4health.co.uk for more information.
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