I want to preface this with the fact I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON

I very often have a lesson at 4:30 a.m., and normal sessions for me start at 5 a.m. I'm extremely lucky because I only live 10 minutes from the rink.

How do I get myself out of bed that early (for a 4:30 lesson I have to be up at 3:45)? First, I go to bed at 8:30. I work and am going to law school, so this means organizing my time very carefully in order to do so. I'm usually packed for whatever I need to do the night before, so I don't forget anything that early in the morning. Some days I can rush home to take a shower, but on days I can't I shower the night before. As someone said earlier, I set my clock so it reads 5-10 minutes later than it actually is. I forget at that hour that's what I've done, so I get out of bed almost immediately.

I generally don't allow extra time for warming up off-ice, as it's really not in my routine unless I'm at a competition or test. I get on a few minutes early, do laps, and stretch on-ice.

Do I feel like I get more done skating than at later times in the day? YES! In the morning I'm completely fresh, and you'd be surprised how awake you are by the time you get to the rink. My mind hasn't taken over yet, so I don't overthink everything. I also haven't had stress at work or school, so my body is less tired and my mind is more alert. I'm not worrying about what happened here, or what went wrong there during my day, so I'm MUCH more focused. I've done both morning and afternoon skating, and while I do wish my mornings weren't quite so early, I much prefer them to afternoons. My body just doesn't work quite the same way in the afternoon unless I've had a nap (which I HAVE to do at competitions if I compete in the afternoon or evening).

Do I eat breakfast before or after I skate? Well, both, really. I usually have some fruit or an energy bar before I skate. If I don't eat at least a little something, my energy flags by the end of the session. After the session I'll have cereal or toast or a bagel w/cream cheese since I'm usually hungry again. It all depends on your stomach and metabolism - I get sick if I don't eat before hand, but then again I'm diabetic so that may have something to do with it. I know girls who absolutely cannot look at food that early in the morning.

Can I get through the workday without falling asleep? Yes. The time around 1:30 - 2:30 is the hardest, as I've just had lunch, etc. I work until 5:30 or 6 p.m., and I haven't fallen asleep yet. I also don't drink caffeine unless I'm absolutely exhausted, while many others who don't have my early schedule have to do so. The first week or so of doing the early schedule was extremely difficult, as I was a bit tired during the later parts of the workday. But I actually have classes 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. two days a week, and I had no problems (other than going straight home and going immediately to bed! ).

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"Without a struggle, there can be no progress" ~ Frederick Douglass

... You are hard core When I went to college (and this was just undergrad, not something like law school!) I didn't skate at all. Partly it was because my school was ridiculously overpriced and I really couldn't afford it much, but even after the SF rink opened and I got a job there my senior year (and therefore had free ice time) I STILL didn't skate for myself except when I was ice guarding.

A few years ago I started carpooling with my coach, and during that time period I had to get up at 4am because she had to be to the rink by 5:30. I'm not a morning person, and plus I work night shift (three 12-hour shifts a week, different days each week) so I'm always having to figure out when to sleep, how long to sleep, what days I can sleep normally and what days I'll have to wear a blindfold and have a fan pointed at me in the middle of the afternoon. So to then take my "normal" mornings and drag myself out of be at 4am was just too much!!!!

We didn't do that for long. I didn't function as well, and luckily I didn't have to go to work afterwards because I would have been dead to the world by noon! Plus I'm pissy when I'm tired, so I think she got tired of me being so moody! Now I skate either during the later morning sessions, or in the afternoon. I'm much more pleasant! As for the eating in the morning... I can eat any meal at anytime. Half of the week my dinner is at 3am and breakfast is when I wake up at 4:30pm.

I agree on this. I have a hard time functioning w/o at least eating something, even if it's on the morning commute to the rink. (Usually, I prefer as soon as I get up, but sometimes life doesn't seemed to allow me that time luxury and a quickie Egg McMuffin and juice will have to do.) A growling stomach and being half-awake can be a deadly combination when you are stepping out on the ice onto a crowded FS session.

What to have? Lots of carbs, some lean protein, some veggies or fruit...some dairy. Aim for energy food (carbs) vs. recovery food (proteins).

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Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

Since January this year I have skated before work pretty much everyday (1 week off during skate camp + 2 weeks illness)

Alarm goes off at 5. Shower then breakfast; a big bowl of alpen and porridge oats sets me up till lunch. Its about a mile walk to the station and then 15 minutes on the train - sometime I listen to music on the way to wake my mind up. As a warm up I run around the rink 3 times, first slow then faster. A little stretching and then on the ice at about 6:50. Off ice at 8 - train back home, shower + change and a mile walk to work for 9:30. I don't have problems at work with fatigue.

The trick with the morning sessions is to get enough sleep. Simple, but it takes discipline, don't rely on coffee. Second, you have got to personally want to skate. I have seen some people at practice who are not having lessons very unmotivated.

Morning sessions are more about quality and quietness of ice time. You can get some speed up and not worry about inexperienced skaters; you can concentrate more.

No, Morgail you are not insane for doing early sessions, but go easy the first week; do what you love, love what you do.

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Skate Free

Thanks to everyone for all the replies and advice! I think I may do a walk-on to the early session this week, just to see what it's like before I commit to contracting for it. I talked to an adult skater at the rink today who goes to the early sessions, and she was happy with them. Even though I'm not a morning person, I think that knowing that I'm getting up to skate will motivate me to pull myself out of bed that early.

I've had 6:30am lessons once a week over the summer, because it was the only time I could fit in with my coach- he has different summer hrs and so does the rink. (during the year, I take my lessons at 10:30am) He never thought I'd go for a lesson that early; I guess he underestimated how serious I am.

This means I have to get up around 4:30 so I can leave the house at 5:30, arrive at the rink at 6, and skate a little to warm up before my lesson. I always eat some cereal for breakfast, because I don't like to try to function without any nutrition. Although it takes me forever to roll out of bed most days (when the alarm is set to 7am), I manage to get myself up and moving pretty quicky- I guess it's because I know I don't have as much time to get ready.

I try to go to sleep around 9-10pm the nights before I get up that early because I function best with a decent amount of sleep. I also try not to drink any caffeinated beverages the day before I need to get up early. It's worked well so far, except for one week when the neighbors saw fit to set off firecrackers at 9:45 pm and again after midnight sometime. It was jarring to wake up that way, and it took me forever to fall back to sleep both times. I skated ok, but was waaaaay tired at work afterwards.

I've always been a night owl (I could easier see myself staying up til 4 than waking up then), but I also have a lot of determination. Lots of people think I am crazy for getting up that early... but even though I am still a beginner (working on pre-bronze moves), I have a passion for skating and I am very determined to improve as much as I can. I think this summer has been a turning point in figuring out how committed I am to skating- not just because of the 6:30 am lessons, but also due to attending the Hackensack camp. Anyway, whenever I want something, I do what it takes... and if that means getting up at 4:30am once a week, so be it.

It's nice that the 6am freestyle session is very uncrowded. (usually me and 2-3 children, who may or may not be taking lessons) Part of me will miss attending those sessions when my coach switches back to his fall schedule.

I think it's beneficial to have something to eat in the morning, especially before skating. For normal people, blood sugar is probably low when you get up in the morning, and it is beneficial to boost that by eating the right stuff...... it is good for body, including brain functions.

Well for a while I skated at 9 AM. That's how early the rink opened, no earlier. But the rink was over 1,5 hours travel away so I was getting up very early for an owl!!!
I ate milk porridge (very thin) from a bottle on the bus there, and no, I wasn't getting as much skating done - I lacked strength, especially. Rest of the day I was as dumb as a wooden box but hey.

My nutritionist - herself a skater and skating coach - says that you should have a low GI snack before you skate and a high GI one afterwards. She did write an article on what to eat before skating, even if it's in the car - I know yoghurt featured, and sandwiches on wholemeal bread, but I've forgotten her other suggestions. She did say, though, that 100 ml of sports drink should be drunk during your workout, if necessary, and you should have a high GI snack to replenish your blood glucose levels immediately afterwards.

Talking of eating in the car, wasn't it someone on these boards who said that you can always tell an early-morning skater by the stains down their fronts caused by drinking coffee in the car on their way to the rink!

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Hmmm... From what I remember from when mom was doing this montignac thing and I was just dieting, low GI would be just about every type of vegetable and fruit except corn, grapes, bananas, raisins and (water)melon. Although from my purely personal experience, bananas and pureed bananas with milk are fine too before skating. Low GI would also be any whole-wheat cereal without sugars added, as well as non-whole-wheat cereals but with extra fibers, also without sugars added (or only very little). Take a look into whole-wheat baby food porridges that say "just add milk". As long as they're not sugar-pumped, they're probably low GI too.

Gawd, I feel guilty reading some of these posts as I have enough trouble getting to the rink for 7-730am, let alone 5am lol!

I think the best thing is, as others have said, is to get into a routine, and shower the night before, make sure all your stuff is organised, etc, so you can just get in the car and go.

I am the sort of person who needs at least seven hours sleep to function properly, and a few months ago when I was going in and starting at 7am to work on my programme, I became very disciplined and was in bed by 10pm. The more you do it, the easier it gets, and I was soon able to do my programme 'cold', straight off with practically no warm-up. However of late have been going to be far too late (in the early hours), and either failing to get up to skate, or spending the whole session feeling my skates didn't belong to me.

I'm better at giving advice on these matters than taking my own advice lol!

S xxx

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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness"

I am impressed by those who can skate an early morning session without a shower first. I am soooo stiff first thing in the morning that I can't imagine doing a spiral or even a camel spin without a hot shower to loosen up all those kinks! Of course I don't really have a choice anyway, since I don't have time after skating to take a shower before work. . .

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

I have to shower before I skate in the mornings (sideways hair, you know). After the morning skate, I run home to shower again just before work. The second shower is always a sprint so I can make it to the office on time.

Gadzooks, if I didn't shower after a 2-hour skate, I'd feel miserable, and cause considerable distress to others around me at work! You wouldn't believe how soaked I get skating.

And because I usually skate again after work at 5-ish, I take a third shower in the evening when I get home.

Skating is hard on my water bill!

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Bill Schneider

-How do you wake up enough to do something as athletically demanding as skating that early in the morning? Do you allow extra time for warming up off-ice?
It depends. I often have a lesson around 8.30am (which isn’t that early) and arrive at the rink in time to warm up for half an hour. The only time I skate earlier is if I do a skating course which starts around 6am and I don’t warm up before. I find it so much easier to wake up if I am going skating than if I am doing anything else.

-Do you feel like you get as much done skating early as you might skating later in the day? I find that I am much more of an early morning skating and have more energy than I do later in the day.

-Do you eat breakfast before or after you skate? It depends on how early I am skating and whether I am hungry or not. If I decide to eat then I stick with something light – like fruit/ a cereal bar/ or a small amount of a muesli type cereal and yoghurt. I often eat after skating too.

-Can you make it through the workday without falling asleep at your desk? I am still studying and often find myself feeling a bit sleepy.

I skate at 6 or 630 am three days per week. It's quite simple. I skate that early, or I don't skate.

So I deal.

It's not too bad actually. Getting to bed at a decent hour is a must, along with organization. I pack my bag and my work clothes for afterward the night before, leaving it all in a neat little pile.

One thing I find is that I'm absolutely starving afterwards. I do eat beforehand, but I must eat again afterward. If not, I'll be lightheaded and nauseous with hunger before 9am.

I actually for some reason love skating really early in the morning. I go from dreaming about skating to doing it, which is a great feeling. The only thing I don't like about it is when I'm done skating!

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2014 and 2018 Olympics here I come!

Skating, skating all day long, skating, skating all night long! May seem tiring to some people but not me, it's my life!!

Goals: Triple Loop, Novice Competitive, Sr.Silver Dances, Gold Artistic, and top 3 at Sectionals

LOL! If it were any other sport, I'd need to shower again after working out for an hour in the morning, but since our rink is pretty cool, all I need to do is remove a layer or two as I skate and I don't sweat too much.

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

I'm a morning person, so I love skating in the morning! I currently get up at 4:30 a.m. so that I can get dressed, pull my hair up, and grab breakfast (can't skate without it! ). By that time, it's 5:15 a.m. and I'm out the door. The rink's only a twenty minute drive for me (if that), so usually I'm rolling into the parking lot about 5:35 a.m., where I usually have to wait for one of the maintenance workers to see me and let me in. (Sad, I know...)

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have synchro from 6:00 - 7:30 a.m. followed by a dance lesson until 9:00 a.m. Other mornings, I just go to practice because there's like, one other person on the 6:00 a.m. session, so I can usually get my Starlight or Paso in without having to worry about taking some little kid down!

Early morning ice is quiet, peaceful, and relaxing. The cool air and the breeze on my face wakes me up and by 9:45 a.m., I feel like I've been up for hours! (Well, I guess I kind of have been! ) Seriously, it makes me laugh when I get to campus and see half the class falling asleep and there I am bright-eyed and bushy-tailed!

That's the reason I'm thinking of doing these sessions. There are a couple sessions I could make after work, but it would be close timewise, and I don't want to be the one who can't stay late at work if I'm asked to. So if I don't do the early sessions, I could only skate on weekends.

And that's why I'm thinking of the 5:50 session rather than the 7:10 session - I'll have time for a shower before work! No one would want to sit by me at work if I didn't take a shower after I skated. Plus I'll have time to eat more breakfast if I'm hungry.

So when do you do your first early morning session? You see, we're all invested in your new lifestyle now, LOL!

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

Hi all, I suppose I'm chiming in kinda late... but OMG, hats off to those of you who can skate at 6am & earlier!!

I used to have lesson at 7am. I would always make sure I get up 2 hours *before* skating, so that my body & brain can actually wake up. I know if I don't, I would do silly things like forget to bring my skates (or a change of clothes) with me to the rink!

But I can't imagine getting up 2 hours before a 5am session!

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I need to make it a routine to do something that early successfully. Three days a week would be enough to consider setting the rest of my schedule up around it. Early up for me means early to bed. I've got a 30-40 minute drive to the rink, so that give me time to drink my coffee on the way.

I do like to have extra warm-up time if I can get it.

My best skating time is about 9:00AM, so I don't get as much done at 5:50 as I'd like. I've been having a 6:40AM lesson on Friday mornings this summer; that's somewhere between (but leaning toward the less productive...)

I have to eat breakfast beforehand; I've always been a breakfast eater so that's not usually a problem.

Sometimes I do have to use my lunch break for a nap, but that has more to do with whether I slept well than whether I skated. On a really good day, I'll skate at dawn and then do a 12 mile bike ride at lunch...

That looks like a pretty good mix, about what the bicycling magazines would recommend for a pre-ride breakfast. I've got to add coffee, though...

Rob

As with me! When I started doing early sessions, I "shifted my biological clock" by getting up by 4 a.m. every day (including weekends). It works out well since, if I am not skating, I am in to the office WAY early and make up some of the time I take off for skating, which keeps my employer happy. My friends have learned that if they call after 9 p.m. they are GOING to get GRUMPED at!

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Dianne
(A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! )

If I don't skate in the morning, I can't skate. Therefore, I have become a morning person and LOVE to skate in the mornings. The few times I have decided not to wake up and missed my session, I have really regretted it.

If I do the walk-on, it will be this Thursday or Friday (I need to sneak a peek at the session schedule next time I'm at the rink to make sure they aren't full - which I doubt they are!). The fall session, which is when I'll be doing these sessions, starts the first week of September. I'm not completely sure what mornings I want to do yet - have to find out when my lesson will be first I'll probably do two mornings a week. I have to decide by the end of this week though, since the contracts are due in soon.

I'm kind of excited