“I’ll never forget when I had to go to the chalkboard in 5th grade to solve a division problem I had no idea how to solve, and I just had to stand there clueless.” I said to my students. “Mr. P, are you sure you’re not old?” A student responded back.
It’s 4:59am this morning (a Sunday) and my alarm clock is reminding me to get moving. Yes, you read that correctly. I did indeed wake up at 4:59am on a Sunday. Why? It’s simple, it’s about my mindset. My mindset that feels like it’s rolling back to my school days, my old school days that is.
“Everyone wakes up at 5:00am, but very few people are waking up at 4:59am.” That's what I tell myself. I know my 3rd grade team would likely add, “Only you wake up at 4:59am.” Whatever the case, I do it not just on weekdays, but also on the weekends. The change is because of my upcoming training schedule and the Dopey Challenge races.
I remember in high school and college I used to get up and run with my teams before the sun rose. It was a great feeling. While most people were sleeping, my team and I were getting in a workout.
Lately, I’ve been running shirtless and enjoying every bit of my running. When I see hills, I get excited to conquer them. I’ve actually been scheduling my runs to include more hills. When I see a hill in the distance I pretend to say, “It’s time to eat!” and I put a spoon into my mouth. It might be weird. It might be silly, but it makes me laugh and helps get me ready mentally.
After waking up at 4:59am, 33 push ups, standing on my balance board for two minutes, three sets of 20 on my Kettle Bell, two types of stability exercise on my bosu ball, 33 sit ups, 2 minutes of planks, and finishing with three sets 20 of toe lifts per leg. Then I read ten pages and eat a breakfast of cereal or waffles with almonds, sunflower seeds, and strawberries on the side. I finish my breakfast with a half cup of blended smoothie and my multi vitamin. I’m loving this routine.
In some aspects, I’m doing some very old school things; waking up early, running shirtless, running up hills, not worrying about my pace. In other aspects, my 4:59am routine is new school. Focusing solely on strength, core, and stability is new. I’m eager to see what months of consistently doing this routine will do to me. I’m also excited that I’m enjoying running again. It’s going to be a great training season for the Dopey Challenge!
