when to run?

beerdan
beerdan Posts: 8 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi Guys,

On running - someone told me its best to go running early doors in morning - maybe after a banana or something. Is this right? I am trying to work out a regular running routine - used to go in the evenings back in the day and it helped me to sleep. Any offers?

Dan the guitar and brass man

Replies

  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    Go whenever works best with your schedule and needs, it doesn't really matter when you do it.

    As for what to eat, it's not a good idea to go running with a full stomach right after a meal- it causes stomach crams, side stitches, and sometimes throwing up. Let your food settle first. A banana is probably fine or some other light food for energy if you need it. You should allow ~30 mins after a snack and 90 mins after a full meal before running. Whether you go on an empty stomach, with a snack, morning, midday or night is a personal decision- just do whatever works best for you.

    If it's inconvenient to run in the mornings, you probably won't stick with it very long. If it helps you sleep, by all means do it before bed.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    i like to run in the morning myself. as far as the "best" time to run... that's the time you have for running. i find that exercise in the evening energizes me and i don't sleep. but a morning run is better then a cup of coffee.

    no, i lied. nothing is as good as coffee.

    as for what to eat before a run, it depends. i'll do a short run on nothing more than coffee. if i'm really going for a long run, i'll have two cups of coffee, and some toast with peanut butter, and a banana. but i'll also eat that as soon as i wake up, and go on my run in about and hour.
  • cinrn68
    cinrn68 Posts: 215 Member
    I agree with the previous poster -- run when it's convenient for YOU! I typically like to run in the mornings, but I see runners going by my house pretty much all hours of the day/evening. It's whatever works best for you, your schedule, your preference, etc.
  • sukiwabi
    sukiwabi Posts: 221 Member
    Meh, go when you want. Generally I run best in early evening. If I run in the am, I need to eat a couple slices of turkey, drink some oj or v8 ( for potassium), and caff up with a little tea or dang I'm a slug. I also try to plan ahead for am runs by making sure I really hydrate the night before.
  • gabequinn19
    gabequinn19 Posts: 6
    I run at night because I start work pretty early (6 or 7 am). I would suggest you run at night, since it helps you to sleep.
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
    The air will be less polluted in the morning. You'll get better performance in the afternoon, though--I believe there are studies that have shown this interrelationship between sports performance and circadian rhythms.

    But for adherence to exercise, just do it whenever you are likely to stick to it. I would eat if you are going for a run longer than 30 min, although there is a lot of individual variation in this, too.
  • RunnerElizabeth
    RunnerElizabeth Posts: 1,091 Member
    I run morning, noon or evening, depending on the day and my schedule. For me, morning runs are easy, afternoon hard and evenings are impossible. For strength training, I'm the opposite. If night works for you, do it!
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    I vary it. Most commonly it will be late evening 9 or 10 pm but sometimes I am able to go in the afternoon and occasionally I will do a morning run. Just do what works for you and your schedule.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    I'm a morning runner but, as the others have said, run when it fits your schedule.

    There has been some hype recently about the improved fat burning of running fasted first thing in the morning. A couple of studies have suggested there is a benefit but if you look at the data the difference is so small it's hardly worth mentioning.

    If you're a morning person run in the morning; if you'd rather run after work (or during your lunch break) it's all good.
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    I like to run in the evening. I usually eat a mid-afternoon snack at work, get home, work out, and then have dinner. This way I'm not running on a full stomach, but I'm also not falling over from low blood sugar which would be a risk for me first thing in the morning.
  • KingofWisdom
    KingofWisdom Posts: 229 Member
    The best time to run is when you can make time for it. On weekdays, the least amount of people are driving in the early morning (4-5 AM). I took a liking to walking because I've been too self-conscious to run, but walking doesn't burn enough calories for me. This week I'm going to start running in the morning. Less people on the street means less people to give me dirty looks or yell out at me (also less of a chance that I'll get hit by a car).
  • amoebaw
    amoebaw Posts: 1
    This is not a question about when to run but what to eat before running. I'm running in my first half marathon in a couple of weeks and I was wondering what is the best thing to eat before the race. I have the tendency to fill faint and nauseous if I don't eat enough before a workout and since I'll be running for at least 2 hours I want a good meal before the race that will keep my energy levels up.

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