It Smells Different In The Morning

I hate exercising in the morning.

No other way around it.

I hate it.

But exercising in the evening?

No problem-o.

I feel confident. I feel swift. I feel like a gazelle that could leap over a heard of elephants while simultaneously knitting a scarf with her hooves.

Exercising in the morning is a whole different ball game. I start to feel sick halfway through it and end up crawling home. I feel more like a turtle that's gone on a leaf binge and is dragging her shell behind. I've come to the conclusion that I'm more of a "finish the day strong" kind of girl.

But, I noticed today I wasn't dragging my shell as far behind me as I was yesterday. I consider the desire to not puke my guts out as much as the day before progress.

I know, I know...so why bother?

Because I'm doing the Baltimore Women's Classic 5K on June 26th, and I'd prefer to not cross the finish line feeling like I'm going to puke or pass out. Which is how I felt last year. I'm positive the fact that it was close to 100 degrees by 8AM had something to do with it. Either way, I'm doing what I can to get myself prepared. And so I laced up sneakers, slapped my hair into an awful pony tail, and prayed I wouldn't run into anyone I know as I was trying not to die on my morning walk/run.

A thought occurred to me in between reminding myself to breathe: it smells different in the morning than in the evening. Seriously. Maybe it's because my nose isn't awake yet - it hasn't been assaulted with a bajillion scents, so it's aware of individual scents/fragrances.

I could smell someone making pancakes.

I could really smell the honeysuckle.

I even smelled roses before noticing the giant rose bush at a neighboring neighbor's house.

I also kept smelling something powdery fresh. And then I realized it was my deodorant kicking in. Three cheers for Degree.

If exercising to the scent of pancakes, honeysuckle, and roses is what it takes to trick my brain into thinking morning exercise is fun, then that's what it takes.

Seriously, if you are a morning exerciser, I tip my hat to you. You have my adoration. And if you would like to pass any little tips along - like how early you start, if you eat beforehand, what you eat, how much water you drink, how long you're awake before exercising - feel free to share your routine/expertise with me.

And now I need to get a shower.