The Sprightly Spud

Are evening or morning runs better?
I’ve tried them both, and here is my two cents on the matter…

Running; ‘keep fit’ in its simplest form. From those of us who consider ourselves ‘hobby joggers’, to the borderline professionals, more and more of us are starting to pound the pavements on the reg.

Recent data from Statista showed that over 6 million UK residents had run ‘At least twice in the last 28 days,’ for ‘any intensity, any duration’, making running the most popular sport in the survey. In my opinion, it is the simplicity of the activity that enables this level of participation; a decent pair of trainers and you are good to go. Furthermore, the COVID 19 pandemic left many of us deprived of our beloved gyms, so in a desperate attempt to avoid becoming a fully fledged couch potato, more and more fitness junkies took up running, and it seems like the habit has stuck.

Whether you are satisfied with a gentle, unstructured, jog a few times a week or you see running as an opportunity to go further, faster, and stronger, in hope of competing in an event, most people have to fit training around some kind of work schedule – hence why usually our runs happen either early in the morning, or after a working day, in the evening. But is one superior?

The Early Bird

Springing out of bed to a 5.30 alarm straight into sports gear laid out the previous evening, the morning runner swiftly takes on board an espresso before heading out of the door, to the sound of the birds chirping, and the joys of sleepily quiet streets. 10km done before the majority of the population have even risen, the early bird arrives at work (likely with overnight oats in tow), feeling fresh and ready to attack the day, safe in the knowledge that the hardest, but potentially most enjoyable, part of their day is done.

The Post-Work Warrior

As the clock ticks lazily over to 5pm, the evening athlete’s toes begin to twitch, desperate to be out of their loafers, and into their trainers. When home time finally hits, they head to the bathroom to change, before bounding through the office’s revolving door, into the rush of pedestrian traffic. After between the 1000s of fellow workers, in their single minded mission to arrive home, the night runner eventually finds a quiet canal towpath, where they can let the sound of the music pumping through their headphones, and the thud of their feet on the tarmac, soothe them from the stresses of their day.

In my opinion, as a runner of 5 years, there are multiple issues to consider when choosing whether to take on your activity in the morning or evening, aside from ones natural tendency to be a ‘lark’ or an owl’;

1. Performance

For some of us, running is an opportunity to better ourselves, to reach our full potential, to strive to be the most athletic and efficient version of ourself… With the help of the latest Garmin, providing a plethora of data concerning split times, heart rate variability and VO2 stats, a number of those who have caught the running bug aim to maximise their speed, and may be training to optimise race day performance. As a result of this, performance on runs may be an important factor in when some athletes take to the roads.

Some of us may find that we are able to run faster, and generally feel looser or ‘better’ whilst running, later on in the day. This may be due to our body temperature being higher in the evening, and therefore our muscles not being more primed to take on the challenge of exercise, particularly if you are targeting an interval session, tempo run, or trying to hit a PB. Furthermore, warmer, more supple muscles are less prone to injury, meaning long term performance and training ability may be improved too.

Despite the physical argument for improved performance in the evening, as with anything, our psyche is going to have an influence too. After an 8 hour slog in the office, the last thing many of us want to may be to head out for an hour of intense physical exertion, leaving us trudging along the pavements, when we would really prefer to be on the train home. Inevitably, performance is not going to be optimal if one simply can’t be asked to run fast. Conversely, the same can be said for the morning run – some of us would just rather hit snooze! This means that when considering whether we should lace up in the AM or the PM in order to be our speediest self, we mustn’t ignore how our psychological state can impact our ability to achieve peak performance. We’ve all heard the ‘running is 90% mental’ motto – so its vital to apply this to training, as well as racing.

All this being said, maximising performance is not the be all and end all for the majority of us who hit the pavements, so – quite frankly – just run when it makes you happiest.

2. Fuel

No matter what ‘level’ of runner you consider yourself, any physical exercise requires an energy source, so this may effect when we choose to run too. Although a lot of us prefer to run on an empty stomach, in an attempt to avoid the dreaded stitch, when taking on longer endeavours (1 hr and longer is a general guide), its not advisable to do so without something in the tank. This means that if you can’t face bunging in a banana on toast before your morning 30km, then it may be better to push training to later on in the day, when you’ve had time to ingest and digest a solid meal or two.

The same thing applies for runs where you want to be pushing the pace. A speed intervals session will place strain on your muscles’ glycogen stores, so its inevitable that your performance will be improved with a bit of fuel. So, if you can’t face taking on nutrition right before you run, or early in the morning then an afternoon or evening stint is likely to have you feeling more energised.

In summary; if its a fast, or long run your planning, do it later in the day, once you’ve had substantial meal, or following a high carb pre – run snack early in the morning. However, an easy 5km may be just as suited to a 6am ‘black coffee and go’ attitude. Ultimately, its down to personal preference.

3. Work Schedules

Flexible working is a runner’s dream. When we can fit hours around our training, it lets us hit the pavements when we have enough sleep, fuel, and energy to perform at our best, then return to our laptops feeling refreshed and revitalised – potentially maximising the quality of our work output too. However, even post covid, some of us still have to do that ‘attending the office’ thing, to earn the cash that pays for our excessive trainer collection.

The net effect of this is that, if we have to be on the tube by 7 am, runs get demoted to the evening slot. Conversely, late shift patterns may mean that the only time we can lace up is early in the morning. So, if the ‘better’ time to run is defined as the one that lets you hold down a job, then it may be completely outside of our control.

4. Safety

Whether we like it or not, it is a fact that running, alone, as a woman, in a sketchy part of High Wickham, in the dark, isn’t safe. Full stop. Equally, running along busy roads, in the dark, isn’t safe for anyone. The extent to which your personal safety affects when you run, will obviously depend on where you live, but for some of us it plays a deciding factor in when we can head out. In the most extreme of cases, when work schedules, neighbourhoods, and daylight saving time mean that we enter and leave the office in pitch black darkness, it may even be that the treadmill is our best friend.

The Finish Line

In conclusion, heading out to run in the fresh morning air may suit some of us. The physical exertion readies our mind for a day of mental exertion. Alternatively, we may only find running enjoyable if it is powered by a long, hard day, allowing us to shake off the stress of the day and burn away any residual office anger. Essentially – ‘better’ is too broad a definition to use, and in order to make running a sustainable form of exercise, it needs to be done when we enjoy it most. So lace up your trainers whenever you bloody want.