For the past six years or so, two to three times a week, my training partner and I have gone running before work. Rain (or more likely snow) or shine, light or dark, windy or calm, we can be found plodding along our city's streets and trails while most people are contemplating their first bowl of corn flakes.

Since my training partner is a morning person, starting the day with a workout wasn’t much of a stretch for him. I, on the other hand, had always been a “don’t-expect-any-coherent-thought-before-two-cups-of-coffee” kind of guy. Those first few morning runs were tough. However, like most things in life, once I developed the habit, running in the a.m. became second nature. I guess you could say I became a “born again” morning person.

Throughout the years on our morning trips around town, my training partner and I have systematically solved our employer's, City’s, country’s and world’s problems. In addition, we’ve debated the relative merits and demerits of local and Edmonton sports teams. Most importantly, we’ve never successfully predicted who would win the latest Survivor or Amazing Race despite our excellent exercise-induced insights and analysis . In short, a lot of really good work has been accomplished.

One of the most ironic moments of my life came on a morning run in September 2001. It was a crisp, sunny morning when we were making our way up 90 Street and I remarked, “You know, today is really going to be a great day.” Right about then, a few thousand kilometers away, terrorists were crashing a pair of jetliners into in the World Trade Center. In one of those “do-you-remember-where-you-were-when …” moments, I was obliviously logging another 8 kilometers with my training partner.

Now apart from psychological and social reasons, there are at least three other compelling arguments to get out of bed and into your sneakers:

• Your run gets done. Few emergencies in life happen before 8 a.m. If you plan to run in the morning, you won’t likely get pre-empted.

• Most races start at 9 a.m. or earlier. Part of training to race involves simulating race conditions. If the local 10 km is set for 8 a.m., your body needs to be ready to perform soon after sunrise.

• Your morning appetite is better. Most nutritionists agree that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You’ll be more ready to chow down big time at the breakfast table if you’ve put in a few kilometers on the roads.

So get to bed early on Sunday night. You’ll need to be rested for your pre-dawn jaunt on Monday morning.