What is the best time to run?

Marathon Man

Recently I have been doing my running at very different times during the day and night. Today for example I got out for a nice fast 40 min run before breakfast. On Tuesday's and Thursday's I run in the evening after my dinner. I'm just wondering when other runners get their runs in and when do you guys consider is the best time and if it is wise to run prior to breakfast?

Slogger Jogger

Hi,

It depends on the distance of the training run. If it was 50 mins or less of a run then I'd consider doing it first thing with breakfast after. For my long run I also have my bowl of porridge and cup of tea beforehand, otherwise I'd be running on empty. Most of those runs I do starting 10ish Saturday mornings so that to me is a good time. At this time of the year the bulk of my runs are lunchtime with a soup & sandwich grabbed afterwards.

Regards,

Slogger

hunnymonster

I love an early morning slow run of 60-90 minutes. Any longer than that and I need brekkie. For anything speedy though, I need food in my. Ideally I have a bigish snack at about 11:30 and head out for 1pm.

rdunne

i tired running into work once in the morning. It was so sre my shins where killing me. I was told not to do much steching in the morn as your body is cold . I t would be really handy to run in the morning, but maybe not for me

TheRoadRunner

I like to run during the day around lunch time.

Morning running does not suit me at all but I wish it did.
I need time to loosen up after getting out of my bed.

I don't mind going in the evening but I have to leave it late if I do this as I find it hard to run with my dinner still digesting in my stomach.

At the end of the day anytime is good as long as you can get out !

deadlybuzz

For me, the ideal time is early evening, usually when I get home from work, before dinner, as I am fully warmed up, and at less of a risk to get injured.
On a weekend, I run early in the morning, but only after fully stretching and warming up.

thirtyfoot

Depends on your preference and when you are at your best. Also, family and work is a factor.

I can't train in the morning, my optimum time to train from a quality side of things is between 11-2pm and I do most of my training in the evenings from 7pm on after work. I eat lunch at 12pm and pre-training dinner at 3 or 4pm. More food after training then each evening.

Any session I do in the morning is low quality and a case "of just getting the session done" so I try not train early morning (except the occasional weight session). Having said that, a run just as the sun comes up can be great.

Marathon Man

Tingle wrote: »

Any session I do in the morning is low quality and a case "of just getting the session done" so I try not train early morning (except the occasional weight session). Having said that, a run just as the sun comes up can be great.

I couldn't agree more. Generally speaking, the morning is not a time when I would be up for a speed session. However, in the evening I am alive and kicking for an oul bit of speed.

baza1976

hunnymonster wrote: »

I love an early morning slow run of 60-90 minutes. Any longer than that and I need brekkie.

Hi Hunnymonster,

I nearly fell off my chair when I read about your early morning activity.. An early morning run of 60 - 90 min... Is this before work? I can hear them chanting from the stands " are you Paula Radcliffe in disguise". How's the training for China coming along?? NO seriously, that is great work out for a " morning run". My Hands are up you are deffo a better runner then I will ever be.. I suppose I envy you really... Yep forget about the rest of my post .. I envy you. lol

hunnymonster

yes this is before work. In the run up to a long triathlon, I could be training up to 3 times a day so it takes a lot of organisation to fit it in. For example, if I want to do a 90 min morning run at the moment, I need to do 45 min on a treadmill (because I don't like running in the dark) and then outside for 45 min at 7:45 when it gets bright enough. Quick change and I'm still in work before 9.

I did an 80 mile ultramarathon last weekend so have been mostly running of late. Off for a long swim tonight and if the weather holds I'm really looking forward to getting back on my bike this weekend.

louthandproud

hunnymonster wrote: »

yes this is before work. In the run up to a long triathlon, I could be training up to 3 times a day so it takes a lot of organisation to fit it in. For example, if I want to do a 90 min morning run at the moment, I need to do 45 min on a treadmill (because I don't like running in the dark) and then outside for 45 min at 7:45 when it gets bright enough. Quick change and I'm still in work before 9.

I did an 80 mile ultramarathon last weekend so have been mostly running of late. Off for a long swim tonight and if the weather holds I'm really looking forward to getting back on my bike this weekend.

Hat's off to you Hunnymonster, you may need your head examined, but I'm probably just jealous really. I couldn't even imagine 80 Miles, not even in my wildest dreams.

Well done.

doke

Depends on the specific purpose of the run.

Speed sessions always work best for me around 5 PM. I read somewhere that 4-6 PM is recommended for optimal results, and I've always found that. Can't ever remember doing a good speed session at midday.

If you're training for a marathon, there's anecdotally some evidence to suggest it's a good idea to run before breakfast to improve your fat-burning system.

Long runs I tend to try to do around the same time of day as the target race I'm aiming for.

When I moved up from marathons to ultras, I quickly found I sucked at digesting on the run. Ended up running my first 100K on a sick stomach with diarrhoea (too much information?). From talking to one of the other lads on the Irish team, I quickly found out that you have to train that part too, specifically by running straight after a hearty breakfast. Goes against everything your mother ever told you, and feels absolutely terrible the first few times you try it, but like most oter things you get used to it and are the better for it.