Pssst....Wanna Buy Some Endorphins?

Anyone who tells you that early morning is the best time to exercise, are the people who have never done precisely that. Early morning exercise, like grape-nuts and office cubicles, only sounds good to those who have not had to experience them.

For years I have tried to convince myself that getting up and out the door for a run by 6 a.m. was what I should be doing. My body, however, was not on the same page. In fact, the page it was on more closely resembled a big warm bed.

I think there is a common misconception among non-runners, that the runner is always eager to run a 10k at the drop of a hat. We do not. Deep down runners harbor a secret: we seldom, if ever really want to begin running. Once the actual running begins though and the endorphins kick in, it’s a different story.

Ah, endorphins. I heart you.

Always in need of the next endorphin fix, I would try to trick my body. I would promise it that we were only getting up to have coffee and read the paper and then we’d go back to bed. Or, I’d bribe it--get up five days in a row and you can buy that cd. Sometimes it fell for it, sometimes it fell right back in bed.

This past week though, I started running later. Instead of trying to bolt out of the door with sleep still in my eyes, I first made my commute downtown and then ran (my gym has a downtown location). By the time I was running, I’d already had my cup (thermos) of coffee and the sun had made its way out.

It proved to be the ideal combination. I am baffled why the idea to try a later running time did not occur to me sooner. But, this I do know this--when the army says they get more done by 6 a.m. than most people do all day, it's because no one will go to war if they're getting proper sleep. That and “The Army, Nodding Off Around Noon Time for You and Your Country,” just didn't sound as good.