Lauren Paz Soldan, Spanish teacher
Three times a week, Paz Soldan wakes up at 4:30 a.m. to train for The Richmond Marathon, which she will run on Saturday with her best friend.
After getting up, Paz Soldan makes herself an Americano coffee, eats and does some physical therapy to prep her muscles before heading out to complete her set running distance for the day. She runs around her neighborhood, as it makes her feel safer in the darkness of the morning.
“I’m more of a CrossFitt–strength person, so this is really outside my wheelhouse, but I think that being fit in a lot of different ways is important as I age,” she said.
When she gets home at around 6:15 a.m. she stretches, showers and has a protein smoothie before she hustles out the door at 7 a.m. with her four-year-old daughter, Isabella, to drop her off at daycare.
After getting Starbucks with Isabella and making it to AHS, Paz Soldan makes more coffee and prepares her slideshows for class. Greeting students before class is her favorite part of her morning.
“I think that the world language hallway is a really friendly place, and I really like that for us. I hope that kids feel seen and that we’re happy to see them,” she said.
Sammie Decareau, freshman
Three to four times a week freshman Sammie Decareau wakes up at 4:20 a.m. to go to her swim practice for Arlington Aquatic Club.
Before leaving, she brushes her teeth, puts on her bathing suit under sweats and eats avocado toast with bacon bits that her mom makes for her.
“I don’t really mind waking up so early but I’m usually really tired at school. My family doesn’t mind either, my sister also swims in the morning but we swim at different clubs,” she said.
When Decareau arrives to practice at 4:55 a.m., she stretches and swims until 6:45 a.m., when she goes home, showers, does her skincare routine and gets dressed in clothes she picked out the night before.
In the car Decareau has a granola bar when her sister drives them to school. They usually get there around 8:05 a.m., so she heads straight to class.
Decareau’s schedule requires her to swim in the mornings as after school she is busy with physical therapy and soccer practice until 8:35 p.m., but some days she does swim after school. She tries her best to go to bed by 9 p.m. every night to charge her body.
“I probably wouldn’t recommend waking up this early because it’s important to prioritize your sleep. But if you do a sport in the morning then sometimes you’ll have to,” she said.
Sophia Sewall, senior
Five to six times a week Senior Sophia Sewall wakes up at 4:45 a.m. to go to the gym, depending on her schedule.
“I like to wake up early and go in the morning especially when I know I’ll have something after school which is most days. I feel like it kick-starts my day and makes me more productive the rest of the day,” she said.
After getting out of bed, Sewall “has some honey for fast-acting carbs,” along with her preworkout and creatine supplement. When she arrives at the gym at 5:10 a.m. Sewall begins her workout by stretching the area she will be working on that day. Her workouts rotate on a six-day split so she can focus on each muscle group twice a week. After her strength training she does cardio.
“I’m not restricted to certain exercises. I like to switch it up and try new things so they’re not always the same,” Sewall said. “I get mixed views on going so early, my mother thinks I need more sleep but my dad thinks it’s a great way to spend the morning,” she added.
Sewall gets home at around 6:45 a.m. when she showers and eats some fruit before leaving for school at 7:35 a.m. to arrive at 7:50 a.m.. This gives her plenty of time to get to class, enjoy listening to music and chill a bit before the school bell rings.
