Morning vs Night Running

When I wake up to go running before work, I often feel that my running is sloppy and horrible. I chalked it all up to mental fatigue and a sincere desire to go back to bed. I much prefer to run in the afternoon when I've had at least one good meal and a few hours to wake up. Then I found this article that explains everything.

Most of the runners surveyed reported running better at a certain time of day compared to other times. The reason for this is that our circadian rhythm cause fluctuations in performance of body functions. Let's break it down by the time of day and what our body is thinking at that time:

Morning:
Scientists have found that body temperature is at its lowest in the early morning hours, and at its peak in the mid afternoon. It has also been shown that athletes perform better when their body temperatures are higher.  Lower body temperature means muscles are stiff, and lung function is low. Also in the morning, you are unlikely to have had significant food intake within the past 10 hours so your energy reserves are down.

Mid Morning:
Mid morning is when your hormone levels are at peak. This means that it is a good time to build muscle. Plus by mid-morning, you might have had a good meal for energy by now and your body is starting to warm up.

Lunchtime:
You can utilize your lunch breaks to sneak in a good work out. Most people like to work out at this time for reasons other than performance. It may be the only time to work out that doesn't affect the rest of your schedule. It also gives you a nice boost before going back for the rest of your shift. Your body actually hits a lull around this time. Body temperature starts to drop and lung functions slows. (I take this as scientific proof that we should have mid-day naps!)

Afternoon and Evening:
This is when your body temperature peaks. One study even showed that lung function increases as much as 6% in the afternoon. This may not sound like a lot, but it can make a huge difference for those longer runs. The article states that this is the time of day to run to do your personal best. There are no physical negatives to this time of day, but there are some mental challenges. After a long day at the office or dealing with the kids, it can be hard to tighten up the laces and hit the pavement. This time of day may be more of a mental struggle than physical.

So there you have it! If you have been struggling getting to those longer distances, or with stopping even 20 feet, try running at a different time of day. If you have a certain time of day you love to run, feel free to share! I would love to see how it compares to this article.

http://www.runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=7567&PageNum=&CategoryID=