Best Time Of Day To Go Running?

[Kassie]

what time of day would you guys say is the best time to go running. in the morning, evening, or sometime in between? track is over for the year (i ran long distance) but i want to stay in shape for soccer in the fall, plus i just love running. so what time do you guys go running at for those who do?

[JerryK]

what time of day would you guys say is the best time to go running. in the morning, evening, or sometime in between? track is over for the year (i ran long distance) but i want to stay in shape for soccer in the fall, plus i just love running. so what time do you guys go running at for those who do?

On the weekend I run in the mid-morning. On weekdays I run at lunch and often in the evenings also.

It's a daily double, and I do it because I like the high I get.

I don't like early early morning, or late evening. If I run too late in the evening, I don't sleep well cause it hypes me up. jer

[tarnalberry]

whatever time of day works best for you. there isn't one right answer - some people like morning, some like the afternoon, some like evening. too close to bedtime does make it hard to get to sleep, and too much in the middle of the day when it's hot can be risky, but other than that, it's whenever *you* like to go.

[grey]

I like to run in the early evening, after work and before dinner. It's my favorite time because I can shake off the stress of the day and unlock the muscles and joints a bit and get my breath going again. During the day, there's little time for me and a lot of rushing and demands on my attention (true for most of us, no matter what we do these days!); running and walking - I generally do both - outside in the fresh air, exploring the real world for bit, puts things back into perspective. Then I can go home, have dinner, and do a little more work, but at a more relaxed pace. It's also when things start to cool a bit in the summer, the sun's not as strong, and the air quality tends to be better for those us with environmental allergies or asthma. Another reason I like the evening vs the a.m. - I can go longer if I feel particularly loose or find an interesting route to explore; in the a.m., I have to watch the time *much* more carefully! Can't relax.

My health has made my run or even a walk something I only do sporadically this year, especially this spring. One of the best things about getting my diagnosis and starting the gluten-free diet is the thought that I'll be able to run again regularly!!

ps - One thought, if you don't already do this, think about doing sprints in preparation for soccer in the fall. There may be a local team (road runners or some such) that has coached track workouts in the summer, or you can do them yourself, either on the track or in your longer runs. But it's different muscle fibers and you need to build your anaerobic threshold for soccer. Just my $.02.

(sorry so long!)

[corinne]

It depends your body, on where you live, on your school/work schedules, on significant other schedules etc.

I'm fortunate to have a flexible work schedule. When I lived in Montana, I would run in the early afternoon in the winter after it had warmed up a bit to minimize frostbite. I now live in California and it can be over 110 F in the summer so I run late evening or if I have to early morning. I'm not a morning person and it takes a while for my body to get moving so I try to avoid running in the morning so I have less chances of getting injured.