Morning Running

I usually run in the mornings on Saturdays, but this week I have run four consecutive weekdays in the morning.  This has largely been due to scheduling - April 1, we were already in Town, doing a final walk-through before a real estate closing.  Another day, we had to be out of Town in the afternoon.  But today, I simply decided to go, while it was cooler and the sun was lower, because I have been enjoying starting the day off with that morning run - having the workout already done is very satisfying, and not having to stop what I am doing at home to go back up to Town is also a plus, especially if I have been doing hard physical work.

So I am finding that I may be turning into a morning runner like two or three of the others in our little running group.  I realize as I think about it that I used to run in the afternoons because it provided stress-release after a hard day at work, but now my life is a lot less stressful.

An article in U. S. News & World Report a few months listed many benefits of morning running:

1.   Your body feels rested and ready for the day after running.  True.
2.   You are less likely to have scheduling conflicts in the morning.  Also true.
3.   You have improved productivity and mental clarity.  I always have a lot more energy after a run; now it's nice to have that energy during the day, rather than in the evening as I often needed to do in my previous career.
4.   Your metabolism is boosted.  That also appears to be true.  Am I losing that extra 5 pounds?
5.   You sleep better.  True.  And awaken ready for the day.
6.   Your diet tends to be healthier the rest of the day.  Very true, and I'm not sure why.  One would think a person would eat more, but I seem to crave less food and healthier food.

(http://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/2013/09/23/6-benefits-to-being-a-morning-exerciser)

We are all so astonishingly capable of making changes in our lives, in minor ways and major ways.

So I think I'll keep this new-found schedule for awhile and see what develops.