thenextmile

Many people ask me why I run.  Why I get up so early to sneak in miles before work.  While I could easily say that it’s for my health, I’d be keeping the real reason why I really prefer morning running.  But if I told you the truth, you probably wouldn’t understand.  Non-runners often times don’t get it and it’s no fault of their own.  But any runner will tell you that logging some miles in the early morning hours is a feeling like no other. 

In the summer, most Saturday or Sunday mornings you can find me out running by 5:45 a.m.  I set my alarm for 4:45, get dressed, eat a small bowl of Captain Crunch, drive to the next town over, park my car, turn my ipod and Garmin on, and off I go.  All before the sun even shows up.   

No, it’s not easy.  Yes, most mornings I’d rather sleep in.  But there’s something to be said for watching the sun come up, after you’ve already put in a good 3-4 miles.  There’s something about watching the calmness of
Lake Michigan before boats come out to tear it up.  There’s nothing like the quietness that surrounds a weekend morning.   

By the time I’m done, I have usually logged somewhere between 9-18 miles and have burned well over 1000 calories.  All this before most people have even opened their eyes.  So then I come home, relax, have some breakfast and begin the second phase of my day.  All knowing that I enjoyed a morning that most people didn’t have a chance to see.

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