Winter running in 1, 2, 3

As we're still in the heart of a very dark winter, I've had to adopt a few tricks to motivate my runs.  Here are my favorite tricks in order of use:

Step 1: wake up with a sun lamp!  I used to think these were a total waste of money, but I invested in one a month ago and am LOVING it.  The "alarm" goes off by first lighting up (starting at dim and getting lighter) for about 10min, and then starting the sound of birds chirping.  I'm so addicted I bought the office version of this (not that I need an alarm at work - just the light jolt) for my computer:



















Step 2: Peppermint leg gel.  I bought this because I read an article somewhere that this could help give legs a little kick at the beginning of a run to get going, and cool down at the end of a run.  This just helps me wake up and that's all I need.












Step 3: Peets.  Needed.  Very needed.  This isn't just a run kind of need.  It's a full-time-working mom-of-twins lacking-sleep kind of need.  It's my vitamin P.