The Secret Morning Community

I have just started to walk again in the mornings. It’s hard. I am not going to lie. My plan is to eventually run again in the mornings, but at this very point in time, walking is good enough. It’s hard to get motivated to get out of bed, especially when it’s dark and wet and cold outside, but, once I am up, and I put on my walking clothes to get moving, and once it becomes that full commitment of getting up and dressed, it is hard to turn back.

Upon leaving the house, I turn on my headphones and listen to some music. That, alone, provides me with the motivation to keep moving and reinforce the positive decision it was to leave the comforts of my bed.

That, and the secret community of other early morning walkers and runners that I meet. It’s like a world of its own when you venture out in the morning sunrise to walk fast or run. Others positively wave and greet you as you pass them by. All secretly happy that there are others, like them, who are willing to get out of bed and move in the mornings.

I have always been a runner. When I used to live in the desert, it was easy to get out of bed because the sun was always up and shining, even on winter days. Running was easy! However, now I live in the Pacific Northwest, it's much harder in the winter months to simply get moving.

But, now that I have found this small secret community of other early birds like myself, who like to walk and get their heart rates up, or run, I am eager to get outside and continue this morning ritual to start my day.

I feel better for it, I feel more accomplished, and I am less likely to talk myself out of that walk or run as I do in the evenings as the weather changes throughout the day.

I have no one else but myself to blame if I miss a morning, and I do not plan to do that unless it’s the weekend — where I may wait until 8 am to get moving.

If you have thought about getting up and starting your day with some kind of outside movement, I encourage you to do so starting tomorrow. Just 30 minutes of fast walking and getting your heart rate up is all you need. Eventually, you’ll be running for 30 minutes, and think of all of the people you’ll meet along the way. That secret community of early risers like yourself, are all waiting to greet you as you start your day.

Happy walking or running!