7:15am – get up and dressed

Depending on how far I’m intending to run, I get out of bed between 7:15 and 7:30am. Despite owning loads of activewear, I wear the same couple of outfits to run in – a free race T-shirt and a pair of battered old Adidas shorts. These days, I’m running in my luminous orange London Marathon finisher shirt because it’s perfect for dark mornings and, well, I’ve seen all the other people who ran it wearing theirs in my local park. I’ve also got a brand new pair of Nike runners, which are an absolute dream to run in (although if it’s raining, I wear an older set – there’s no way these babies are getting dirty before their time!).

I always brush my teeth before running. It doesn’t matter what time of day the run is scheduled for, I need to have a clean mouth. Weird right? It’s a bit like going to work without brushing your teeth – you feel slightly unprepared and raggedy. I also brush my teeth standing on one leg, which is good before a run because you start to wake up all those stabilising muscles. I might even do the odd calf-raise or lunge if I feel a bit tight.

Morning vs evening workouts: “How switching the time I exercise helps me avoid stress”