8 ways I trick myself into waking up early to go to the gym

Back in March, I signed up to run a half-marathon; partly out of a desire to challenge myself, mostly on a whim.

As the October race day looms closer, the amount of time I need to dedicate to running has ramped up. I quickly realized that if I wanted to adequately train for my race and maintain any sort of social life, I needed to make morning workouts a habit.

Heading to the gym or lacing up for a run isn't always what I want to do first thing in the morning - especially in the heat of August - so I took a cue from my Business Insider colleague, Libby Kane, and found several ways to trick myself into getting up early to work out.

I can't guarantee that they'll work for you, but here are eight ways I motivate myself to get out of bed and break a sweat.