Have I ever seen a sheep sleeping?

I’m sure there are some benefits to running in the morning, but I just do it because I have always done it; in the first stage of my running life at the weekends; and now in my second. I’ve heard some things about how morning running improves the way your body metabolises fat for energy if you go out without breakfast, but that has absolutely nothing to do with why I like to go out in the AM. 

For me, there’s just something about the quiet of the morning. There’s an ungraspable charm in the tweeting of the birds, and the growing of the light. 

99% of the time I feel better after a run than before it, so why not get that good feeling going as soon as I can? 

Anyway, first thing in the morning it’s not like I’m a sociable being. I’m not a morning person. I don’t like talking or thinking or doing things in the morning, unless those things are drinking coffee or running, so what else is there to do besides?

Then there’s the room it gives for doubles. Get a run in early, and I can get another one done in the afternoon (or spend some time on the bike, or doing some S+C) if I’m feeling up to it, safe in the knowledge that I’ve left plenty of recovery time in between. 

We could get bogged down in the details. It is really as simple as this: I run first thing because it is the first thing on my mind. It is my priority, the thing that makes it easiest to climb out of my bed. I run first thing because when I’m up just before the sun the paths and roads feel like they are mine, and peace of mind and space to move become easier to find. 

And with that peace of mind, that space, my imagination can wonder and I can pose such insightful questions to myself as: have I ever seen a sheep sleeping?

I tell you, I’m not sure that I have.