Have you ever heard conventional wisdom from so-called healthy life style specialists – who usually don’t look anywhere near a healthy life style – saying that running early in the morning is somehow a blessing? That is the best idea, the best practice, ultimate habit? Well, yeah, I’ve heard also them a lot, and I am here to tell you, from the beginning, that this is basically a subjective subliminal joke… I am not saying that running early in the morning can’t be a very good way to start the day for some people, but for sure it is not for all people who want to exercise. Some studies might say that it is a preferred way to squeeze your active period during a day, but nobody actually speaks from the individual’s perspective. I don’t like at all running in the morning, let alone early in the morning.
27.000 kilometers in 9 years
Who am I to speak, then? A pretty regular guy, who tries to optimize bases on knowledge and personal experience a proper lifestyle and who, also, has run 27.000 kilometers in 9 years, very fer early in the morning. Actually, for me, the optimum period to run is somewhere between 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM, but, of course, being in the middle of the day, this doesn’t work very often, since I have a full time job, not related to sports, so then I need to adjust it. If I can’t run during my lunch break, which usually happens to not be able to, I am switching my time loop for the activity in the evening. So then, during longer day time, to go between 6:00 and 8:00 PM for a running start is perfect. During winter and complete darkness, it is more tricky, but I need to choose and to adapt.
Pick your best hour for running
There are moments when I just don’t have the mood to start any run for a day, but in many cases I fight this thought and go out anyway. It is not that productive all the time, but it is a least “painful” alternative. I am not a morning person, even if I had thousands of early wake-ups in my life, so waking up special for a run is out of the question, and my best guess is that nobody really likes that. Maybe some exceptions, but let’s be sincere… Now, as said, if you go to bed at 10:00 PM and wake up at 05:30 AM, let’s say, then it might work to start the day in such a way. But if you go to sleep at 12:30 AM or later, and you get up at 08:00 AM, the last thing you want to do in the morning is to go for a run.
Who really likes to go running early in the mornings anyway?
I am absolutely sure you would prefer to sit in your chair, to sip some coffee, or tea, it depends what you like the most, to read news, or even start working, reading mails, whatever… A personal bound with running in the mornings is out of the question for me, so what I am trying to achieve here is to tell you if you hear somebody insisting running in the morning is the best way for you, that is absolute bullshit. It might work for them – I still have my doubts – but it might not work for you at all. And then reading or hearing this makes you feel bad, or makes you feel like you are doing something wrong. No, running can be enjoyable at any moment of the day. This is the only key, so shape your own way, it works either way.
3.000 kilometers / year
A said, I sleep very well at night, so then if I run up to 09:00 PM and then go to sleep at 01:00 AM is not something that fights against my health. Unlike many promontories of certain conventional wisdom, I can take of my shirt at any moment, and dare them to do the same. I am pretty sure I would win this battle at most moments. On top of the numbers and experience pointed out earlier, which provides me the right and expertise to clearly say that the moment of the day when you running depends on how you feel it, there is not any common pattern, because if it would have been any, most likely I wouldn’t have been running for 9 years, 3.000 kilometers / year on average.