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Five In The Morning Workout People
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A whole new world of competitive assholes, dare devils, recovering heart patients, diabetes victims, state running record holders, and CAT 1 bikers, and hairy Schwin Bike Humpers, opened up before my eyes this morning.

I'm talking about the "Five In The Morning" Workout People. I didn't know there were so many. What a huge eye opener this was for me. They span the whole gamut, from Clydesdales to Kenyan speed runners. They are up at five in every city in the US, jogging and biking. Their numbers dwarf the afternoon crowd.

I decided to switch my run sessions to 5 in the morning down at the popular 14 mile running strip I work out on (see my old post entitled, "No Orbea Shall Pass") usually after 5:30 P.M. Same place.

For everyone running or biking down on that strip, after 5 in the afternoon, there were surprisingly 40 more at 5 in the morning. I was shocked that half of the city worked out at 5 in the morning. But they do. I guess its because of temperature and work and family schedule. Get up at five, like everybody else. Its like a whole new world just opened up. "So, this is where all of you hardcores are?"

Try it. You will see what I'm talking about. Its probably where you will see the guys and gals you see at tri events, who talk to you, who say they run where you run, live in the same city as you, but then you don't see him or her, and you scratch your head.

Well, its because he or she is a Five in the Morning Workout Person.

And, if you are new to it, you'd better rub your eyes and get the "sleepy out," for the most of them, the bikers are going fast, and the runners are running fast, faster than the afternoon people.

Some poor guy, he must have been new to the Five In The Morning sessions, his wits not all there, having, like me, being forced into this by necessity---decided to go up and then down one of the higher hills on the course, with his experienced Five In The Morning Biking Buddies---as I was running up the hill. To descend this hill called "River Mountain" on a road bike, and not tap the brakes, you get going a good 42-50 miles an hour, and its got curves. Even after a good nights sleep and 8 hours of work to get your attention, on "real time," going down the hill is basically, "hanging on for dear life," under the best of circumstances.

At five in the morning, it must be horrifying.

As he was coming down, he screamed to his two friends who were going down the hill at breakneck speeds: "Hey guys, this is too early to do this. Guys, this is too early to do this. I'm not ready. Way too early. Hold on." He kept saying it all the way down the mountain. His friends yelled back: "come on, you wussy."

This must have been 5:30 in the morning.

Then another group summitted the hill and went down it, then another.

The drawback on all of this is, is.....your body feels like its 11:30 at night, at 5 P.M., after a Five In The Morning workout. Maybe mine will adjust.
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Re: Five In The Morning Workout People [boothrand] [ In reply to ]
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What about us 4:30 guys? ;-)

Nothing better than your 20 oz cup of coffee on one side of the dreadmill and your 20oz water bottle on the other...



"your horse is too high" - tigerchik
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Re: Five In The Morning Workout People [boothrand] [ In reply to ]
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Boothrand, I was always in the 5 pm to 8 pm workout crowd, get home, have shower and dinner and stay out downtown till 1 or two pm on weekends. After having a kid 8 years ago, I've been converted to the 5 am group. This is the only way to go. All the fast dudes with families hang out in the 5 am group. We have a great group of 35-50 year olds on this exact schedule...but I would have never done this when I was single. It would have messed up my social life too badly. Now my social life IS at 5 am with other triathletes, or with my family after work !
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Re: Five In The Morning Workout People [devashish paul] [ In reply to ]
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I just joined the club this morning.

Right now, it feels like 9 at night. But I'm okay.

"Our" numbers are astounding.

We could unseat everyone on the boards governing the running, biking, swimming and triathlon boards with our votes.
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Re: Five In The Morning Workout People [boothrand] [ In reply to ]
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I made a deal with myself after IMFL last year that I would continue doing long races but I would be home by 10am on the weekends (I have 2 little kids that I miss way too much...). Most of the year, that's no problem, as you can get in plenty of work between 6:30 or 7 and 10. As I ramp up for IMFL again, it's tough getting in 5-6 hours by 10. On 6 hour days, I plan on letting my return slide to 11, but for 2 of every 3 weeks for the next few months, I'm clipped in at 5. It takes me 15 minutes to ride from my house to the beach, passing a nice, well lit lighthouse, then I get in about another hour while the sun rises over the ocean. It is awesome. Almost awesome enough to justify getting up at 4:30, but not quite. By me, I am usually completely alone until about 6 or 6:30. By 7:30, where I ride turns into a bicycle fest.
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Re: Five In The Morning Workout People [Hid] [ In reply to ]
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That's one thing I need to ask you 5 In The Morning Workout people.

This seems to throw a proverbial wrench into the coffee addictions.

Do you go back to coffee after the 5 in the Morning Workout, say at 7 or 8 in the morning?

I drank one cup, and then went out into the darkness.

After it, at 7 or thereabouts, it was all water. I just couldn't summon up the coffee maker after a long 12 miler.
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Re: Five In The Morning Workout People [boothrand] [ In reply to ]
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These days, training for IMUSA, I'm on the bike by 5am on Saturday but during the week I "sleep in" till 4:45-5:30 depending on the day. It's the only way to ensure I'll get in at least one of the two scheduled workouts for the day. You'll get used to it... kinda.
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Re: Five In The Morning Workout People [boothrand] [ In reply to ]
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People who have that kind of energy at 5 a.m. really piss me off! I was going to masters swim workouts at 0530, but had to quit because I kept getting a bad case of "keyboard face" every afternoon at work.
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Re: Five In The Morning Workout People [boothrand] [ In reply to ]
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I am a five-in-the-morning swimmer. I swim at the local YMCA, which has a large clientele of our community's older folks. Every morning when I arrive, a contingent of them has already staked out a lane to "float" with those foam belts. Some of them attempt to actually swim, although people have probably drowned with better form than I've seen.

So, I can understand why someone with a job and/or family gets up before the sun to hit the pool (or track or road or whatever). But I don't get why they're there so early. Perhaps someday I'll know.
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Re: Five In The Morning Workout People [boothrand] [ In reply to ]
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There was a tiime in my life when I used to go to bed about that time after a night of partying. That was long ago in another life. But I'm still not much of a morning person. I'll be still sleeping.
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Re: Five In The Morning Workout People [boothrand] [ In reply to ]
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Hello there,

I became a five in the morning guy when I decided to take the sport seriously and put in some serious training time. With two hours in the morning and an hour and a half at lunch, I was able to maintain a 15-18 hours a week during the winter. It was not much fun riding an indoor bike or swimming at that time of the day, but it helped me come out of the winter fairly fit.

Now that I have moved from Virginia to California (near Palm Springs), I have to get up at 5 to avoid the worst of the summer heat.

Riding the bike early is not a problem, but running early can be very hard on your legs. My legs always feel better at lunch, but by then it is usually in the 90s or higher.

Hail to the early morning crowd!

Chad
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Re: Five In The Morning Workout People [boothrand] [ In reply to ]
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I'm a 5am Master's guy. Up at 4:30, Red Bull at 4:32, car at 4:40, pool around 5:05. But then I own my own business, so sometimes I come home and sleep again until around 8 or so.

It's good to get stuff done that early. No one else is up. No one at the gorcery store at 6:30am after the swim. No one at the Bagel place, no one at the gas station, atm, or basically whatever else is open. No traffic is the best.

By 10am I can't get shit done b/c there are too many other people trying to get shit done.
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Re: Five In The Morning Workout People [tri_bri2] [ In reply to ]
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I agree with you! 8 am used to be early now 6:30 once a week is all I can do.. I biked 4 hours at 7 this morning and I am dying right now.. tired!! very tired! How in the world do you guys do that? See, I have a 2-3 hours lunch so much easier that way..
Last edited by: Marisol: Jun 24, 04 16:13
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Re: Five In The Morning Workout People [boothrand] [ In reply to ]
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Up at 4:15am, in the pool by 5am, swim 1 hour, hit the running path at 6:15am, run for 45min to 1 hour, at my desk at work before 8. Or hit Spin class by 5:45am, etc etc etc.

I used to be an evening workout person, but with 2 kids I could either quit tri's or adjust my schedule so I could actually see them.

It is a defferent world at the gym in the morning vs the evening. I have made some really good (tri-geek) friends from the regulars in the am. A funny thing happens when you convince a friend to try the am workout, how it affects them. They are also floored that there are many people leaving the gym, finished with their workouts as they are getting there (as some presumed god-awful early hour).

Tomorrow morning, 6am, 7 mile run, be there.
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Re: Five In The Morning Workout People [OCTriGeek] [ In reply to ]
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Up at 4:10 get to the pool at 4:30. It suck but if I get their late the local high school swim team shows up (even during the summer just minus the coach) and crushes my self esteem. True story, I was swimming a 100 cool down breathing every three I kept looking over at one of the girls in the lane next to me, I'm thinking cool I'm keeping up with her on my cool down. I finished and turned to look back at the clock (bad mistake) EVERYONE in that lane was doing one arm drills. Oh well, at least I can buy beer.
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Re: Five In The Morning Workout People [boothrand] [ In reply to ]
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The morning crowd at my gym is pretty calm. I'm up at 4:30, make coffee/PBJ and out the door for a 45 minute drive to the gym (and work right beside the gym). Pool opens at 6, so I stationary bike, run or swim, or some tri BRICK for 60 minutes, clean-up and walk to work by 7:30. Sometimes I need more coffee, sometimes just water. It's nice to get a morning workout in and have a chance to recover before the evening workout. My daughter is in college, so I sleep-in until 7ish on the weekends, thank goodness.
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Re: Five In The Morning Workout People [boothrand] [ In reply to ]
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The best part about being an EMR (early morning runner) is the "good morning" you get from fellow EMR's. It's like we have our own little clan. Welcome to the club.

Incidentally, the best time to ride seems to be 5 AM on Sunday mornings. Ahh, the car-free roads.



-------
Andrew

"When will i learn, people do not want to hurt but will spend $500.00 bucks to go four seconds faster." - randall t
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How?!?! How do you do this? [ In reply to ]
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I keep thinking I'm going to start doing this 5am thing. Actually, I'm just trying to do the 6am 'thing' and get a short run in before work. I've successfully gotten out of bed once....it just feels so awful to be running at that time of the morning. I also can't figure out the coffee math...I really need a cup before the run but once I start drinking the coffee I sit down and read the paper and BAM it's time to go to work.

How do you 5am'ers wind down after work? My after work ride is what keeps me sane. I suppose having children must be the driving factor that gets you up at that time.....it's simply not natural. What time do you go to bed to get up at 5am? 8pm? Sounds like my grandparents.....

_____________________________________________________
"Oh man, it's going to take days to kill all these people!" - Jens Voigt
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Welcome! [ In reply to ]
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Welcome to the demented world of 5 am workouts. I, like most people, started to avoid having to workout in the evenings when I'd rather spend time with my kids. Now, I get an immense feeling of satisfaction when I show up at work before 8:00 am and know I've already got 2 hours of running under my belt.

Of course this is all fine and dandy while my kids are young and go to bed by 8:00 at night -- because I'm in bed not too far after them. It's usually lights out for me by 9 - 9:15 pm. I'm a regular killjoy at our subdivision block parties when I have to go inside so I can make the Sunday morning 5:30 bike ride! :)
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Re: How?!?! How do you do this? [jsivvy] [ In reply to ]
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Up at 5:00AM, coffee, email, etc. until about 6:00, then run or ride.

PM--Ride/swim or out to dinner or tri club function, etc. {NO kids in at Casa Morgan}

To bed around 10PM. Once you keep this schedule for about 3 weeks, it becomes habit. Even now, I'll wake up not much after 5AM on the weekends without the alarm. I know that I'm really tired and need to rest if (1) I sleep until 8AM or (2) I doze off at work.

Coffee during the day.....usually a cup or two, but that's more of getting out of the office for a bit. Eating healthy (and eating every few hours instead of B/L/D) and drinking lots of water keeps my energy up.

clm

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com
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Re: Five In The Morning Workout People [boothrand] [ In reply to ]
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For me this is the only time to train. Your workout is done and out of the way, you have the day to stay loose and continue to move the muscles and joints, you kick start your metabolism, there is less traffic, and I fall in bed exhausted at night.

My two favourite times of the day 4:30 am when my feet hit the floor and 10:00 pm when my head hits the pillow.

Just this week at about 5:00am I was training on the course of a local upcoming TRI and I had a white tail deer run along side me on the shoulder for about 400-500 metres at about 40km/hr. Made the whole day.



Don't skate to where the puck is skate to where it's going to be!

Wayne Gretzgy

It's a Good life if you don't Weaken!
My Mom 1922-2004
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Re: Five In The Morning Workout People [boothrand] [ In reply to ]
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Wednesdays, long run , up at 4:15 starting to run at 4:30 till 7:00 AM, so when most of my coworkers wake up, I already have run 2:30 hours, needles to say I need caffeine not to fall sleep at work :) !!!
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Re: How?!?! How do you do this? [ironclm] [ In reply to ]
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So, Cathy you go, Coffee, Workout, Coffee.

See. I just can't go back to the coffee after doing that, at least, I don't think I can. I think I can do Mountain Dew, after a "Fiver" workout. But that stuff is worse than Coffee. I'll be crapping all morning. And, without the coffee, I'll be victimized at the office by people with brain skills much lower than mine.

And I'm a good 1.5 pot of strong Folgers kind of guy.
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Re: How?!?! How do you do this? [boothrand] [ In reply to ]
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strong folgers...oxymoran

my coffee is like tar...i need to spoon it into my mouth
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Re: How?!?! How do you do this? [boothrand] [ In reply to ]
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Booth, my friend....Folgers is not coffee. I've finally convinced my mother (in Kansas) of this. French roast or Kona coffee.

No soda for this gal. Well, a Coke on a long ride. Coffee or water during the day. ;-)

clm

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com
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