Iv’e heard rumors that if you do something for 21 days straight you form a habit. I am not sure I am fully on board with this but I do think that the more you do something, the more you are likely to do it.

When I signed up for my first half marathon, I knew I would have to start getting up before the ass-crack of dawn to work out. Although this didn’t thrill me I knew I could do it because I have done it in the past (for bootcamp classes). I didn’t want to let myself (or my running buddy) down by inadequately training so back at the end of February I started setting my alarm clock for 5:15 am (woof).

And so far, so good. Every weekday morning I’ve been getting up and heading to the gym in the pitch black morning. I think I have successfully formed a new habit. I found an article on Forbes that rang very true to my journey.

The 3 Phases of Habit Formation

Phase 1: The Honeymoon – This phase is characterized by the “this is easy notion.” I absolutely felt that way the first week.

Phase 2: The Fight Thru – This phase is where you struggle through your new habit. Temptation is near and you have to fight it every day. Weeks 2-4 I was fighting. It was freezing cold every morning and I was very sleepy and just wanted to stay in bed. I didn’t, I fought through.

Phase 3: Second Nature – This is where you get in the groove. This week I have been feeling in the groove. Wake ups have been a little easier this week compare to the last few weeks.

In short, no, I do not think I am now a morning person. It’s still hard to get out of bed every morning and I am still groggy until about 9:00 am. But I do feel strongly that I am in the “second nature” phase of early morning workouts. Post triathlon and half marathon training and post graduation(!!!), I do plan to continue early morning workouts even though I will have nights free.

Feeling accomplished before I even put my (work) pants on for the day isn’t something I want to give up!