Day vs. Night Running

Watched something on this on Dr. Oz (Don't Judg Me! lol) a few weeks ago and he said the best time to train and run is in the morning, and something about how your body is more receptive to it.

I've heard morning runs are the best for the body and to burn fat....I've heard later in the day is better for burning fat as well. So who knows. No matter what time of day you are running you are doing a great service to your body. People prefer all differnt times of day to run and I think its all psychological....some do best in the morning before breakfast on an empty stomach, some do best late evening because they feel looser and more relaxed. Its just all a personal preference. I like to run right after work (4pm), it gives me time to unwind, relieve the work stress of the day, and really enjoy listening to music while I run. I also like 4pm because its during the heat of the day and I get a killer sweat going (makes me feel like I am working off more) and soak up the sun --- ofcourse once the temps get above 95 its not as much fun running during this time and I either head indoors or run later.

Yeah, I've heard that same phrase. I suppose it makes sense -- your training should mimic race day conditions (time of day/weather/type of course (hills vs.flat). For me, though, that's not my preference, at least for my weekday runs.

I love to run after work in the early evening. It burns off the stress of the day, plus I don't have to hurry to finish, clean up and get to work by 7 am. Evenings are also when I feel strongest, so it makes sense to me to do my speedwork/tempo runs then -- perhaps I should be looking for evening races

Weekends, though, it's a different story. My long runs are in the morning, the earlier the better. Since I'm running at a slower pace during those runs, it doesn't bother me. Good luck with your training. The important thing is to just get out and run, whenever that may be.

Laura

dont have anything scientific to say but i run in the morning only because i can get it done and dont have to worry about things happening during the day to keep me from my run

I used to run at night all the time. My favorite time to run was around 11pm, because the air had cooled down, and the streets were completely empty. It was such an awesome, light feeling running while the rest of the world was sleeping. I trained for my first half-marathon doing all my long runs at night, because it was far too hot to do them any other time, and I could never manage them early in the morning.

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about training at different times for a race. I run a morning run, or afternoon on occasion, just to keep it varied, but a majority of my runs are in the late afternoon/evening, because that's the only time that works, between a baby and her dad's work schedule, that I can get the run in. If I had my way, I'd do late evenings again, but.. Such is life.

Anyway, I don't put stock in that sentiment. I run when I can, and I've never had a problem during a race as a result. In fact, I enjoy my training more when I don't feel like I'm slogging through runs during times I don't like. So I just so what feels good. Call me a rebel.

In the morning, I am thinking about all the other things I should be doing instead of going out. Not to mention, I'm tired because I often lay awake with my mind thinking about stuff from the day. I feel drained and behind the rest of the day. When I run at night, the day is over. Everything productive I was going to get done either got done, or it didn't. I use my night run to process my thoughts, burn off any left over energy, and its quiet. So quiet. Not like the morning when lawn mowers are running, kids yelling, lots of traffic. And its cool. I can feel the sweat evaporate off of my skin. When I get home, the house is quiet, I slip into the shower, pull of my soft PJs, drink a glass of chocolate milk, climb into bed with a sense of satisfaction, and fall right to sleep.

I'm not going to win any races ever. So the few minutes I may lose over training at a different time of day is nothing compared to how much more enjoyable my night time runs are over day time runs.

I can attest to the truth of the phrase. I usually run in the evenings, when my muscles are loose from moving all day. But when I do 5Ks at 7:00 am, 8:00 am, etc. I feel like I must either warm up to the point of wearing myself out or feel super, uncomfortably tight during the first mile. My body isn't used to warming up quickly or moving fast that early...I have worked all through June to workout in the morning sometimes to get my body used to it. I guess I'll find out on the 4th of July at my 5K if my attempts at adapting my body to am workouts have worked...