Running in the AM

jason_adams

All my runs are morning runs. I don't have another window that works. Here's my mostly standard routine

1) Wake up
2) Drink a glass of water
3) Brush teeth
4) Make / drink coffee
5) Foam roller session
6) Head out the door.
7) Walk the 750m to run starting point (all my runs start from the bottom of my street).
8) Start running

My first 1-2 miles ALWAYS SUCK. My opinion at that point is that I'm not going to be able to finish my run. My brain says I should just stop now. This is usually gone by mile 3 and by the time later miles arrive, I'm in a groove and having a great time. By the end of the run, I feel like a champion and that I can conquer the world.

Yeah!

fhunter91

All my runs are morning runs. I don't have another window that works. Here's my mostly standard routine

1) Wake up
2) Drink a glass of water
3) Brush teeth
4) Make / drink coffee
5) Foam roller session
6) Head out the door.
7) Walk the 750m to run starting point (all my runs start from the bottom of my street).
8) Start running

My first 1-2 miles ALWAYS SUCK. My opinion at that point is that I'm not going to be able to finish my run. My brain says I should just stop now. This is usually gone by mile 3 and by the time later miles arrive, I'm in a groove and having a great time. By the end of the run, I feel like a champion and that I can conquer the world.

Yeah!

Awesome tips! Thank you!

yo_andi

Running twice a day is not giving yourself enough time to recover. Rest is important as that's when the muscles repair and energy stores replenish. How about running just once a day, making it longer than 3 miles if you feel you need to get more road time in. This way you'll have a lot longer between runs to recover.

false. it's only a total of 6 miles.

as far as energy: i wake up super early so i can have coffee and breakie before running. i usually feel good.

No, not false. Recovery is extremely important. That's the one constant everybody needs to adhere to and yet some people seem to be overly ignorant of. 6 miles a day may be too much for one person's body or not enough for someone else, but proper recovery for healing is one thing that won't be 'overdone'. Stretching, icing, heating, sleeping, resting; all this needs to be planned as stringently as your runs are. Its like overhauling a car for restoration, you wouldn't hot-rod the engine without improving brakes to compensate.

fhunter91, I think you're doing something wrong here. If your goal is to have energy in the morning, you shouldn't be eating at night especially not carbs and protein. Your body spends all night metabolizing the calories, which is most likely why you wake up feeling so tired. Eating before going to bed is a bad idea for that reason, digesting the food while you sleep will make you tired in the morning.

If running twice a day isn't causing any injuries for you, muscular or joint, then continue to do it. It all depends on your physicality. If distance and endurance is your thing, maybe that works then. If speed and calories are your thing, then you should probably just do strength training in the morning and run in the afternoon for speed instead of distance. Try doing interval running or race training where you can measure specific improvements instead of just a basic jog. The main idea is you want to define the goal of what you're trying to get out of these runs. If its a better run time, lower maximum heart rate, general calorie burning and weight loss, endurance building, you need to understand the point of it all. That way solutions are more easily found to any issues.

Final note, consumables don't give you direct energy. Some caffeine prior to a run will give you some energy. Fat from a good source is the best long-term energy provider per kilocalorie. But all of these things mean nothing if you don't rest/recover/warm up properly/and get enough sleep.

Utter nonsense. Please cite a credible source to backup a nonsensical assertion.

ekat120

Source for this? I've never heard that (and based on my own experience disagree as I eat at night and train in a morning and am a far better trainer in the am than the pm)

Wow, would've thought this was very nearly common sense. Besides hearing this from various flight physicians I've had (i'm an aviator), a nutritionist who trained me to be a fitness instructor, and countless doctors you can find this knowledge on the web too.

When you eat during the day, you are relatively active, and your metabolism is functioning at a rapid rate. In contrast, during sleep, your metabolism has slowed quite a bit—and because of this, the food that you have recently eaten will be metabolized and digested at a much slower rate. This contributes to increases in body weight, and possible obesity. Another important reason why you may want to avoid eating late is due to the effect it can have on your sleep cycle. Having to metabolize large amounts of food during sleep can lead to feeling tired or lethargic in the morning. It doesn't guarantee that it will, but the odds are high. Everybody's body is different.

Scientists have found that when mice ate at unusual hours, they put on twice as much weight, despite exercising and eating as much as others.

The study, in the journal Obesity, is said to be the first to show directly that there is a “wrong” time to eat.

Keep in mind, I am not a doctor or a nutritionist or sleep specialist. I am just someone with a well-informed opinion and experience around how my own body responds to things.

First of all, the OP didn't say they're eating a ton of food right before they go to bed or whatever (they might just be eating a substantial dinner), so I'm not sure how much your "advice" even really applies. Second, just because a lot of people say something doesn't mean it's true, and doctors are notoriously uninformed when it comes to nutrition. Third, if it's the study I'm thinking of, that study was about messing with your circadian rhythms (including exposure to light, etc.). I don't think the results can be validly extrapolated to the context of someone eating a big meal and then going to bed.

OP, I agree that there probably isn't any benefit to splitting the runs up and that 1 6-mile run would help you improve more. But if you just like doing it twice a day or whatever, I think what you're experiencing is normal. The more you run in the morning, the better your body will get at it. I find hat a cup of coffee helps me (since I don't like eating before).

VeryKatie

I'm running every second day. Every second workout, I feel this way too. I'm chalking it up to my body needing to adjust to me taxing it more. Some runs will be better than others. Just how it is while you're learning (actually, probably forever since you will make your runs harder/longer so that you always keep improving).

ETA: I'm just starting out - using a couch to 10k/12 week program...

Irishsquid62

Two 3 mile runs a day may not sound like a lot but how many days a week are you running?

If you're running every day, that's 42 miles a week and that's a lot of mileage. Heck, that's a lot of weekly mileage for some marathon training plans I've seen.

I love to run but I've learned I need to take a rest day every now and then to recover. I typically put in 25 -30 miles a week and rest 1 or 2 days a week. It keeps me fresh and helps me stay motivated.

You might also consider skipping the morning run a couple of days a week and go longer in the evening (or skip the evening run and go longer the following morning).

likitisplit

In the winter, when it is dark and hard, I will run to the coffee store. I will drink a cup of coffee and run back.

Other than that tip, I think we need to know more about your running plan in general (how many days to you run, do you cross train, miles per week, training goals) to provide more insightful advice.

richardheath

It has taken me about a month to train my body to be able to run in the morning. I have a cup of coffee first, use the bathroom, do some stretching (very important!) then head out the door. Sometimes it still feels like my joints don't want to move at first, but it gets better after a mile or so.

You just have to stick with the schedule for a bit, and you'll get used to it!

Stoshew71

I run in the morning and usually fasted except coffee. 3 miles should not be a big deal if you don't eat any breakfast. In fact, on longer runs it would be good idea to run fasted since you will be working on depleating your glycogen stores which trains your body to build bigger glycogen stores and rely more on fat during your runs. If you must eat something, a bannana like a half hour before will curb you until you get done with your run.

quksan

I agree u should leave the carbs alone at night and if u have to eat go with protein.

Running twice a day is not giving yourself enough time to recover. Rest is important as that's when the muscles repair and energy stores replenish. How about running just once a day, making it longer than 3 miles if you feel you need to get more road time in. This way you'll have a lot longer between runs to recover.

false. it's only a total of 6 miles.

as far as energy: i wake up super early so i can have coffee and breakie before running. i usually feel good.

No, not false. Recovery is extremely important. That's the one constant everybody needs to adhere to and yet some people seem to be overly ignorant of. 6 miles a day may be too much for one person's body or not enough for someone else, but proper recovery for healing is one thing that won't be 'overdone'. Stretching, icing, heating, sleeping, resting; all this needs to be planned as stringently as your runs are. Its like overhauling a car for restoration, you wouldn't hot-rod the engine without improving brakes to compensate.

fhunter91, I think you're doing something wrong here. If your goal is to have energy in the morning, you shouldn't be eating at night especially not carbs and protein. Your body spends all night metabolizing the calories, which is most likely why you wake up feeling so tired. Eating before going to bed is a bad idea for that reason, digesting the food while you sleep will make you tired in the morning.

If running twice a day isn't causing any injuries for you, muscular or joint, then continue to do it. It all depends on your physicality. If distance and endurance is your thing, maybe that works then. If speed and calories are your thing, then you should probably just do strength training in the morning and run in the afternoon for speed instead of distance. Try doing interval running or race training where you can measure specific improvements instead of just a basic jog. The main idea is you want to define the goal of what you're trying to get out of these runs. If its a better run time, lower maximum heart rate, general calorie burning and weight loss, endurance building, you need to understand the point of it all. That way solutions are more easily found to any issues.

Final note, consumables don't give you direct energy. Some caffeine prior to a run will give you some energy. Fat from a good source is the best long-term energy provider per kilocalorie. But all of these things mean nothing if you don't rest/recover/warm up properly/and get enough sleep.

CodeMonkey78

OP,

Regarding rest and feeling sluggish, I can only recommend getting adequate sleep and listening to your body. If you feel as if you need more recovery time, make sure and take it.

Depending on your weekly mileage and cardio base, two-a-days may not be the best idea. Of course, this varies for every runner.

If you are really chomping at the bit to run twice per day, I would highly recommend mixing up your workouts often (i.e., don't try to set a PR every time you hit the road). If you're feeling more sluggish in the morning, make your morning run a slow recovery run/jog to keep you moving and continue building your cardio base. For your afternoon run, mix it up with some speed work, strides, tempos, intervals, etc. when you feel more refreshed.

Just mix it up often, have fun, and happy running! Hope this helps.

fhunter91

OP,

Regarding rest and feeling sluggish, I can only recommend getting adequate sleep and listening to your body. If you feel as if you need more recovery time, make sure and take it.

Depending on your weekly mileage and cardio base, two-a-days may not be the best idea. Of course, this varies for every runner.

If you are really chomping at the bit to run twice per day, I would highly recommend mixing up your workouts often (i.e., don't try to set a PR every time you hit the road). If you're feeling more sluggish in the morning, make your morning run a slow recovery run/jog to keep you moving and continue building your cardio base. For your afternoon run, mix it up with some speed work, strides, tempos, intervals, etc. when you feel more refreshed.

Just mix it up often, have fun, and happy running! Hope this helps.

Yes it did! Thank you for your advice

michellemybelll

Source for this? I've never heard that (and based on my own experience disagree as I eat at night and train in a morning and am a far better trainer in the am than the pm)

Wow, would've thought this was very nearly common sense. Besides hearing this from various flight physicians I've had (i'm an aviator), a nutritionist who trained me to be a fitness instructor, and countless doctors you can find this knowledge on the web too.

When you eat during the day, you are relatively active, and your metabolism is functioning at a rapid rate. In contrast, during sleep, your metabolism has slowed quite a bit—and because of this, the food that you have recently eaten will be metabolized and digested at a much slower rate. This contributes to increases in body weight, and possible obesity. Another important reason why you may want to avoid eating late is due to the effect it can have on your sleep cycle. Having to metabolize large amounts of food during sleep can lead to feeling tired or lethargic in the morning. It doesn't guarantee that it will, but the odds are high. Everybody's body is different.

Scientists have found that when mice ate at unusual hours, they put on twice as much weight, despite exercising and eating as much as others.

The study, in the journal Obesity, is said to be the first to show directly that there is a “wrong” time to eat.

Keep in mind, I am not a doctor or a nutritionist or sleep specialist. I am just someone with a well-informed opinion and experience around how my own body responds to things.

i see no real source in your lengthy response. a lot of rhetoric, and the mention of an article in a journal that you do not link to. surprise, surprise.