4am...used to just be a potty break

Ah, I remember the days when I'd wake up at 4:00am for one reason and one reason only...to pee :) I'd stumble out of bed, across a dark house, and do my business all while barely opening my eyes. Then I'd stumble back to bed (never failing to stub my toe at least once), crawl back under the covers and drift back off to sleep!
But me and 4:00am have become great friends lately! I never thought I'd say it, and I've tried to resist it, but I think I've become...wait for it...A MORNING PERSON! AAAAAHHHHH!!!
At HBU I lived in an apartment with 3 other girls. We'd wake up at the last possible minute, throw on some clothes (but REAL clothes...we were NEVER those girls who thought it was acceptable to wear funky pajama pants, a grungy t-shirt, and bad morning breath to a college classroom) and even a little bit of makeup, the first one to the kitchen would pass out some granola bars and we'd walk halfway to class ALL WITHOUT SAYING ONE WORD! We were GRUMPY! I hated mornings!!
So that's why it pains me to say that at 28 years old I have finally started to live on a big girl schedule! Don't get me wrong, if you ask me what my IDEAL schedule is, I still love the idea of GOING TO SLEEP at 2:00am and not waking up until lunch. But sadly, in Houston, noon is NOT a great time to work out outside..not unless you enjoy the effects of heat stroke! So...5:30am-6:00am workouts it is! This also means going to bed at 10:00-10:30pm, which feels like it should be against my religion!
So anyway, 4:00am has become very different in my life! 5 days a week the alarms starts going off at this time. Some mornings I jump right up and am ready to attack whatever the terrible triathlon training schedule tells me I have to do that day...other days, not so much. Cursing the morning, my workout buddy Kelli, my body for not being naturally strong and hot so I don't have to work out at all, and just cursing life in general, I peel myself out of bed.
I'm a runner at heart and think it will always be my main love! I miss the mornings of just throwing on the Mizunos and heading out the door (or even just carrying them with me and putting them on at stoplights)! This triathlon is requiring a lot more brain function way too early in the morning! First of all, just the sheer amount of JUNK I have to remember to have with me

Also, I am accustomed to running a 1/2 mile loop 10-12 times...takes very little thinking. But when the schedule says 157 minute bike ride, you have to do a little bit more planning. Mapquest saves the day :) But what happens if the route I chose is full of potholes, has construction/road closures, has no shoulder in spots, or worst case scenario, what if I can't remember where I am and get lost?

Yep, that's pretty, I know. Please excuse my morning face. But the map on the hand is sheer brilliance, you have to admit. Well, except for the fact that it took 2 days to come off, even with showers and scrubbing. Oh the sacrifices I make. My skin, hair, toe nails, heels...all of my girly nature is suffering the price paid for triathlon training, but it's all worth it! Except for the occasional charlie horses and hamstring cramps, I am loving the way I feel: strong and healthy :) I began today with a 2,050 meter swim which felt awesome followed by weight training,

but now that I am up well past my new found bedtime, I am off for the night. Tomorrow is the only rest day this week, so I will definitely return to my 4:00am potty break followed by...MORE SLEEP! :)
XOXO