Once upon a time I worked at 4 am, every single day. I loved it. I miss it, and even talk about it at times to an annoying extent. “Ohh man I love getting up early, I used to work at 4 am every day so this is nothing.” This is usually when I get the, “I don’t give two hoots” glare. OK so at the time I would complain, but looking back my days were ideal.
I finally got the opportunity to open at Starbucks and I loved it. I won’t get these shifts everyday, but once a week is a start! My internal clock decided to be a biatch and actually woke me up before my alarm. Instead of trying to sleep for 10 more minutes, I got up. I grabbed my head phones and spent some time with my coffee and NPR. I’m old.
Please notice the time…I was already up for an hour.
This article was SO interesting. Obviously the title is what caught my eye, but I was engrossed the entire time. AHH I miss working early mornings! I miss my old job…A LOT. I had a 5 miler scheduled after work and it was SO UNBELIEVABLY ROUGH! I was so tired, my body hurt, and I was hungry. I did find 10 cents though! CHA-CHING!
I love getting paid to run.
Not all runs are easy, and this has been a tough week in the running department. Hopefully next week I’ll be back to mentally running with wolverines. I’m also craving sugar like a pregnant woman craves pickles and peanut butter…together. I’ve cut down my sugar intake, and when I order a latte at work I make sure to only get an 8oz. ALL THE FOAM!
Fun fact: I like to dip my food (bready goods-think PB&J or muffin/breakfast rolls) in my latte foam. SOOO legit. This ensures that no foam gets left behind. Mmmm foammmm.
Lastly I’d like to publicly say hello to October. This is hands down my favorite month of the year and so far it has been going swimmingly. The rain has been lovely, the crisp air has been magical, and I’m ready to get crafty with some pumpkins!
Q: Are you a morning bird, or a night owl? I slept in until 7:30 this morning after yesterdays long day. It was amazing.
59 thoughts on “The Opening Shift”
Amy @ A Desert Girl
I’m definitely a night owl! And you should road trip (or fly or something) to my city in a few weeks – they’re trying to set the Guinness World Book Record for most people carving pumpkins at the same time!!! It’ll be epic.
Alex @ therunwithin
i am a morning person i think everyone knows that. brutal though to make that early of a shift.
The Savvy Sister
Good deal on those pumpkins! Early riser…dogs need to go out around 6:00 am and I can never get back in bed once I’m out.
If you liked the NPR Poop train story, maybe you’d like this post:http://sisterearthorganics.wordpress.com/2011/05/21/what-your-poop-says-about-you/
It is my most hit post every single day….are we all obsessed with poop?
kelly @ racesrepsramblings
Wow girl. That is crazy talk.. though I am jealous. I sort of force myself to be a morning person, but I don’t enjoy it. Hope you’re able to get more early shifts 🙂
kathy @ vodka and soda
im DEFINITELY a morning person. hell, i’m a senior citizen – i sleep at 9pm and up awake with the birds at 430am. my life is governed by sleep, poops and food. i’m so loking forward to pumpkin picking too!!
Caitlyn
when i go to the gym i get up around 4:10-4:15. it is super hard still, considering it takes me a long time to fall asleep but i am a morning person! i wrote today about how much i love going to the grocery store in the early mornings because nobody is there [awake] and it’s the best. the thing i love about getting to work early is getting to leave early! i can’t understand why people aren’t all about this at my job, especially since we can pick our hours sort of. i am all about avoiding rush hour and getting home to my bed as soon as possible. haha.
Emily
I’m definitely a morning person. I mean yea it sucks getting up, but once I’m awake it’s like I’ve been up for hours already. And I tend to fall asleep on the couch watching tv or movies at night haha. I’m a grandma and I am NOT ashamed of it!
Change of Pace
Funny you love working mornings so much! I used to work some 5:30 shifts back in my lifeguarding days. I’d always wake up startled multiple times throughout the night thinking I slept in!
Now I wake at 5 weekdays as I start work at 7 and walk the pooch first. I love it!
What are your pumpkin crafts going to be?
Brittany
I know I want to hollow out a pumpkin and put a pot of mums inside for the front steps, but no other plans yet!! I will be all over Pinterest for ideas!
cleaneatingveggiegirl
Pumpkins are only 2.99 at TJ’s?? I must go there ASAP!
Rebekah @ fitnesscreatures
Girl, you can’t get me to wake up early for anything. My step mom woke me up almost every day of high school and now Meghan helps most days. It’s sad, really. I think all those days of working in a sports bar till 4 am didn’t help either. I’d sleep all day and do it again. I LOVE dipping my baked goods in my latte! Even when there isn’t foam, I just love soaking it in the delicious coffee. Yum. Sorry your runs aren’t going great right now. You’ll get it back though 🙂 Hilarious about that article! Sounds like perfect entertainment for me and Meghan. We love poop. Haha. Now that you’re ballin’ out, can you send me some money? I need to buy a Halloween costume. K thanks 🙂
Brittany
I am convinced that us three would get along so well. I so wish you were coming to Seattle with Megan!
pickyrunner
I think it’s awesome and borderline INSANE that you like waking up that early. I hvae to know what time you go to bed at to function. I’m usually find by 5:15 if I’m asleep by 11, but getting up before most college kids go to bed? Now that’s a whole different ball game. I’m glad you’re loving life though! Running is one of those things that is up and down. This is a harder week for me too which is strange coming off of such a high note last week!
Brittany
I don’t ALWAYS get up in the 2 o’clock hour, it was usually a 3:30 wake up for work at 4!! I would go to bed between 7-8 hahaha.
katalysthealth
I am a COMPLETE morning person, although Im not very good at morning workouts until 8am. That seems to be the magic time for my body to catch up to my brain lol Im usually out of it and ready for bed by 9pm!
Catherine @ A Two Storey Home
I actually hate latte foam. It’s a weakened flavor and weird consistency that takes up space in the cup that could be used for the latte! Haha, I know I’m in the minority on this one…
Brittany
Lot’s of people that come into Starbucks ask for no foam on their lattes…you are not alone!
Amy
I’m definitely a morning person, but 4 am is a little too early for me! Still, I love days where I watch the sun rise during my run. Something about it is really peaceful and almost magical.
Whoever wrote your name on your cup is super cute — love how they turned the Y into a smiley face! 🙂
Brittany
I’m so glad you noticed that, I almost commented on it in this post. HA! I love my coworkers. 🙂
Amy
I would too, if they did that for me! 🙂
Mary
Morning bird, but I prefer working out in the evening just to be awkwar.d
Not sure I could get up for 4am every single morning though. You are hardcore!
Davida @The Healthy Maven
If listening to NPR makes you a grandmother than I am a GREAT-grandmother! No day is complete without it.
And I eat pickles and peanut butter all the time…Am I pregnant?!?!? EEK!
Lauren
Pickles and PB together?!
Lauren
I was the same way with sweets last week. Glad that’s over. Phew!! I’m more of a morning person than a night person. However, I’m not a ‘4 am’ kind of morning person. No thank you!!
jessiebearwhat
I loooove early mornings!!
Christine @ Gotta Eat Green
I’m sooo a morning person! I can get up and go at any hour. Nightowl I am not. Which is funny because my boyfriend the night owl. We are opposites.
kcriemer
I used to be a night owl but then the army happened and along with it came zero dark thirty wakeups. now that i’m furloughed i’m still waking up with the moon still out to sit around alll day….
lifeaslisaknowsit
I am definitely a morning person as well! During the week I get up at 4:30, check emails, read blogs, do laundry, and then go to the gym before work. Most nights I fall asleep on the couch by 9:30 or so! 🙂
Amanda @ .running with spoons.
I eat my foam with a spoon 😉 Actually, ever since I got my milk frother, I’ve just been continuously frothing up my milk, eating off the foam, and then frothing it again. Ridiculous… but so good. And girl… I call 6 AM sleeping in, so I guess that should tell you about my morning bird, night owl status 😉
Brittany
This is why I love you! That sounds like the best idea for your foam.
Heather @ HeatherRunsFast.com
I am definitely a morning person! Up at the crack of dawn without an alarm clock. My friends laugh at me that my sleeping LATE is 8… if I’m lucky, normally it’s closer to 7/7:30. Mmmm FOAM!
Kristina at damntenpounds
You WANT the early shift? Who are you?! OMG, no, girl. I couldn’t do it. Sometimes I have to get up for 6 am phone calls and I want to blow my brains out. No amount of coffee ever makes it easy. Good thing you’re a morning person. The early bird catches the… foam? LOL.
Lisa
I swear I’m a mix of an early riser and night owl. Probably because I have insomnia;) So yah, it’s not the best and I’m always tired. Not too good.
I think I’d totally prefer working mornings though! I’ve worked the late shifts, and they are just not my cup of tea…by that time I’m basically a walking zombie.
Jan @ Sprouts n Squats
Naturally I’m a night owl but since getting up early to workout I’ve become more of a morning person.
I love the foam on my Chai Lattes, to the point where I will get a spoon to get the remaining foam out of my takeaway cup, and heck I sometimes even dip a finger in to not miss any of it 🙂
jessielovestorun
I’m a complete morning person — kind of have to be when the hubs gets ready to leave at that time. Gotta be a good wife & get his breakfast & lunch packed.
thoughtsappear
I’m a morning person…but not quite 4 AM early…which is when Kiefer gets up. I prefer to get up between 5:30 and 6.
sincerelylily
ahhh MONRINGS! so since we are boht morning birds and old ladies at heart- this will make our B and B so perfect. We will rise early, run, and prepare the breakfasts for our clients and like, have NPR and TED talks available.
Good for you for doing your runs! This week has been rough for me too running on a hotel death-mobile ughghghhgg. I can’t wait to run outside tomorrow.
And i always ask for ‘no foam’ on my lattes…. but now that i see you dip yours into your food, i might have to change my ways lady. genius.
Britta
4 am BRITT?! Oh myyyyy thats so early. But I mean, I totally get it and I’m sure after a few times of waking up, its not so bad. Running after work and being up for so long would be ROUGH – I don’t even know how you do that! I have gone for a single run this week.. oops. I should go today but I can already tell I am pooooped – I JUST WANNA SLEEP ALL DAY.
What is NPR? This is either my ESL german coming out or my “I live under a rock in Canada” – is it like a TED talk or …? Either way I love that you listened to that specific one! hahah I love being informed about what half the population does know 😀 Also, HELLO OCTOBERRRRRRRRR!! ❤
Brittany
NPR is a public radio station for like news and stuff. They also have different “shows” that have interesting articles and stories!! I love it. HA! I don’t know what TED talk is, but Lily made a reference in a comment a few up from yours combining NPR and Ted talk together..so I assume they are similar!
Tessa @ Amazing Asset
I used to be a morning bird (cute term btw) but now that my usual shift at work is from 3-11, I’ve turned into a night person! But hrmm not necessarily a night person, somewhere in between the two actually! I like to go to sleep almost as soon as I get home and then wake up around 8:30-9:00. It seems to be working for me for now! I’m sure the running will get better as the days go on… it’s usually just a period and then it will stop! I know you already know this 🙂 Love ya woman and have a wonderful Friday!
Meghan @ fitnesscrEATures
I’m glad there are people like you in this world who will take the early shift because that is surely not me. Although, when I do have to get up early, it isn’t the worst anymore. I guess that’s part of growing up? Nahhh.. 🙂
ALL OF THE FOAM FOR ME TOO! I love when I get extra!!!!
Hey, for a bad running week, that’s a great run, numbers wise! I’m sure they’ll feel amazing soon enough! Have a great weekend beautiful lady!
spectacuLAUR
I’m definitely a morning person. I can’t keep my eyes open at night and tend to get bored, but for some reason have TONS of energy in the morning. Actually, I think I get more excited about my morning cup of coffee than anything else! ALL THE FOAM. Yum
Ashlee@HisnHers
You crack me up with your change thing! I NEVER see random change around. I think you’re just a lucky gal 😉
Heres a tip for when your body is sore/tired/all of the above that I learned from dancing my whole life….stretch IN the shower. You will come out feeling like a new person I promise!
Brittany
AHH I totally stretch in the shower!! I LOVE IT! I love the hot water running over my muscles..I am convinced it helps the muscles to relax for a deeper stretch! Great idea!
Rach @ This Italian Family
$2.99 pumpkins?! What a great deal!
Also, I am a rise-with-the-sun kinda girl. So on my days off in the summer I wake up around 6:30am and in the winter I can easily sleep until 8am. I have to be at work at 6:30am so I wake up at 5:45am and get ready super quickly and head out the door by 6:10. I want to soak up every minute of sleep I can get, haha! But yeah, I definitely am not the type to want to get up early (aka before the sun), haha! Just goes to show just how much I love my job. 🙂
Luv What You Do
I slept until 8 today which was fantastic! I am a mid morning girl by choice but end up working out in the mornings. But never that early : )
GiGi Eats Celebrities
MORNING BIRDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!! If you’re lucky (and live in LA) you might see me flying in the AM. The thing is though, everyone in LA is a NIGHT OWL…. So they are never awake to see my FLEA MY COOP!
And are you cutting back on sugar because of a certainly blond chicken who makes interesting videos about healthy foods…………………… That girl would really like to pat herself on the back right now. lol
Elizabeth
I cannot decide what time of day person I am…..but I think I’m actually a morning person forced to sacrifice my love for the sunrise due to my night shift work schedule!
my Dad is a NPR lover, but I think that gene skipped a generation.
di @ life of di.
I’m with ya on the love of early morning wake-ups 🙂 Ever since Marty and I started waking up around 445 a couple of months ago – I feel like my daily energy levels are thriving and I’m actually enjoying my life more. Is that weird? I just love the routine that it brings me!
PS – I love NPR too! If you are looking for some other fun Podcasts checkout the How Stuff Works App 🙂 The two guys that host the show are HYSTERICAL and have a ton of fun topics to choose from.
Matt @ The Athlete's Plate
Early bird here! Up at 4:40 AM Mon-Fri.
Arman @ thebigmansworld
I’m the odd one out amongst my friends who still study- they all are night owls and cant study before 3pm, whereas me- I go brain dead past 4pm! these days, a sleep in for me is 7.30am, but wowza 4am. Thats commitment!
When I was in NYC, I went to the pb&co sandwich shop and had the pregnant lady which was pb and pickles… its actually amazing 😉
olivetorun
I am definitely a morning person- and I always have been. Even when I was younger, at sleepovers, etc I would be in bed or sleeping around 9… to this day that is when my internal clock says its time to sleep. I don’t remember the last time I slept straight through the night and past 7 a.m. The week days I’m up by 5:20 at the LATEST and on weekends I’m up between 5-6.
Life After Swimming
No foam left behind should probably be life’s motto. Love the leaves as your background! Sorry the run was stinky though 😦
Katherine
While this whole post was interesting and funny, your ‘I love getting paid to run.’ caption literally had me cracking up. I found a quarter the other day on a run and was absolutely giddy. It really is the little things in life! I’ve always been a morning person, so I can totally relate to you. I wake up for 5 AM cross country every morning, and I’m completely fine with it. People must think I’m insane! I’m really not a night owl though. If I stay up past 10, I feel like I”m going to pass out! I’m such a grandma somtimes!
allieksmith
Ahhh, foam, heavenly foam! I am so jealous of all of that foam! Also, I love that you collect change while you run 🙂
Meghan@CleanEatsFastFeets
Much like you, I am a morning bird through and through. Although 4 a.m. is ridiculously early, even for me. If I had my druthers, I’d sleep until 8 every day. Then I’d wake up to a foamy coffee and a great run (or some form of cardio). Then I’d eat something delicious for breakfast. That sounds like a great day to me.
By the way, you and the Hubby have strange taste in listening interests. He went through a whole podcast on how mortuary’s work. That’s a little creepy, if you ask me.
Melissa @ Al Forno Mementos
I need to start listening to NPR. I heard there’s some good things on there. ANNNND I love latte foam. gahhh I never get enough when I order a latte. 😦 can’t wait to see what you do with the pumpkins!
P
I am most definitely a morning person who has attempted to be a night owl. Didn’t work :P!
theanniehall
HA I JUSTTTTT listened to that radiolab episode while incline walking!!!