Don't wait up

 There are multiple schools of thought on when the best time is to run in a day.

Most of which are not based on when the sky looks the prettiest.

Sometimes it seems like the entire world runs first thing in the morning - the dawn patrol, as it were.

Or - in my case - more like the "tennish, after a cuppa" patrol

..you know, after the sun has had time to get up and stretch its legs a little.

Many of these folks cite the satisfaction of having their run out of the way before they start the rest of the day, so that nothing can get in the way of them getting it in. I grant that it can be nice to already have run, but since I generally don't let anything stop me from going for a run (except on Fridays), I usually just find that it ends up pushing other things I need to do (some of which I am less dedicated to than running) later in the day, or perhaps to that indeterminate "sometime, when I have time" that is a black hole for all the stuff like cleaning and yard work and generally being a responsible adult.

"Aww jeez - getting late, gonna have to postpone the weeding"

Some people also cite the fact that races are held first thing in the morning (sometimes literally), so training their body to run well early in the day is important. On the surface, the reasoning is sound, however since body temperature for most people drops overnight (with its lowest point around 5:30am) this can leave your muscles and connective tissues cold and more susceptible to injury. Furthermore, the overnight fast may leave you inadequately fueled for a morning run, and some runners have digestive issues if they try to eat before a morning run. Speaking of eating, I always find myself hungry for the rest of the day after any run of more than an hour or so, so that leaves more time for me to over-indulge (though I recognize that's not necessarily a widespread issue; I'm sure most people have better-regulated appetites than mine!). 

On the right: normal person's stomach after a run.
On the left: the nigh-bottomless chasm that resides south of my ribcage.

Time can also be an issue, too - if you're trying to make sure you're at your place of business by a certain time, need to care for other humans' needs in a timely manner, or have some other appointment, you may either end up being late or having to cut a run short if it's taking longer than you anticipated.

THEY SAID IT WAS RAIL TRAIL

If you have the opportunity, running in the afternoon can be a great compromise - I used to run around 3:30pm a few days a week on my lunch break at my old office, and tried to continue that when I changed jobs and began to work from home. It does make a nice break in the day, with fewer of the disadvantages of morning running: I'm better fueled, my body temperature is higher and tissues have had time to loosen up, and I'm generally wider awake.

The sunshine is quite nice, too.

Afternoon runs, though, still have their disadvantages: if I'm not done work yet, I'm still on a schedule to try to get back to my desk on time, and in summer this is frequently the hottest part of the day. It's lovely right now, as the warmth has time to build from a chilly morning - there are loads of days in shoulder season that on my weekly Saturday morning run I am freezing in tights and long sleeves to start but ready to overheat with everything zipped down by the end - but when the temperatures soar in June through August (and sometimes outside those months), running at 3pm can feel like a penance for your sins. 

Lately, though, that hasn't been the case - more longsleeves than tank tops this week!

I've honestly been having a lot more trouble tearing myself away from my desk recently, too, until my workday is done. I'm not sure if it's a result of working from home, or it being very busy at my company the past couple of months, or simply not having my daily appointment to have coffee with Tanker and run back to my office that I had for years.

Though I've been finding some interesting new places to run around my neighborhood

In any case, I've come back around to running in the evening. It may just be an effect of the sun staying in the sky later, so it's not miserably cold and dark yet when I get out at 5 or 6 or even 7pm.

Ok, it was almost 8pm last night, but who's counting?

I know many people don't enjoy evening runs - I have heard that it makes it difficult to get to sleep afterward for some, and for others they find their motivation wanes once they've already put in a long day at work or doing other things. For whatever reason, neither of those is a factor for me: I actually like knowing that I already have everything else done, and all I have left to do is run, eat, and sleep.

There are some rather scenic perks as well, sometimes.

Of course, I know I'm blessed with a wonderfully accommodating husband (who doesn't mind having dinner later than most people go to bed, or waiting at a dark trailhead for my idiot arse to emerge) and very little in the way of time-sensitive responsibilities. I also know that running in the evening can pose additional challenges, like knowing when you'll need to bring a headlamp along.

I've not always judged that 100% correctly

There's also the fact that I'm running at almost the polar opposite time of day to the start of a race, but perhaps even that in and of itself has value for ultrarunning: if you're still able to go have a pleasant romp after every other tiring, frustrating, energy-demanding thing you've done that day, aren't you slightly better trained to keep pushing yourself in a race that has stretched on longer than the daylight?

Learning to disobey your circadian rhythm can be a powerful thing.

So I ask you - what's your favourite time of day to run, and why? Now that I've spent years running at all different times of day, I know I prefer to do so later - once I've shaken off the morning stiffness and sipped something caffeinated - but I'd love to hear others' experiences and preferences.