Comments on: Is there a “best” time of the day to run?

By: Dean Hebert

Dean Hebert — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:48:07 +0000

Interesting and one more example of why HR training is extremely unreliable in training. You may not “feel” like you can run your workouts in the mornings and that indeed is important to know about yourself. It underscores the underlying emphasis on this whole thread in fact that individual variability and knowing yourself is key to optimizing “work out time.”

Max HR is a reasonably stationary figure and won’t vary by 20 beats during a day for an individual. Max HR is also unrelated to how you are feeling – though in your case they may coincide it is not cause and effect. Resting HR is almost invariably lower upon waking versus later in the day.

By: Woods

Woods — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:12:33 +0000

My issue with early morning vs other times of day is that my max HR within an hour or two of waking up in the morning is significantly lower than later in the day–on the order of 178 vs 198–and the difference carries through at lower levels of exertion as well. Also, and I guess not surprisingly, I just can’t run as quickly on those morning runs. On a recent early morning run I struggled to run my 250m speed work at even close to the pace of my 1km intervals run in the afternoon a few days earlier, and this is typical of my experience over several years.

This always leaves me wondering what I’m getting out of the morning runs.

By: Dean Hebert

Dean Hebert — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 23:59:13 +0000

Good question.. I’ll address that in a new post. I’ve had a number of this kind of question along the way.

By: Seoirse

Seoirse — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 22:48:47 +0000

Can I ask (might be obvious) how much water is enough?? I know I can drink too little (although I dont… about 2.5 – 3 ltrs) but can I drink too much??? I know that if I drink before a run I will be crippled with cramps and it might depend on body mass or just the person but in the scale of the day can one person drink too much water? Thanks in advanced.
Seoirse

By: Dean Hebert

Dean Hebert — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 01:49:29 +0000

Great comment… it is absolutely so individual! You have to know when and how it feels best… then go with it! Definitely being on your feet all day will adversely affect tendons. Thanks

By: Danyah

Danyah — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 01:13:49 +0000

You mentioned that with tendonitis it might be better to run during later in the day. For me, I prefer to run in the early morning. I am by nature a morning person, so getting up at 5:30 AM for a quick 3-4 mile run is no big deal. But I tend to find that when I am on my feet at work all day long my tendons tend to get fatigued by 4:00 PM – too much for an afternoon run.

By: Dean Hebert

Dean Hebert — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:36:05 +0000

Not sure about that research either. But, I tend to agree… a glass of milk is really very few calories in the scope of a day. Odds are that if you really need to shed 5 pounds it will come from somewhere else within your diet. 5 pounds is a small amount and most likely will not affect athletic performance to any substantial degree (perhaps and only perhaps – some of course – but it is not that simple of an issue).

Having a steady weight is a VERY fortunate thing. On the other hand if it is an issue of clothes fitting etc. and not a performance issue… it’s another thing entirely.

I would recommend instead, focus on improving (which does not necessarily mean MORE workouts) your training versus focusing on a few pounds.

By: Seoirse

Seoirse — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 22:53:38 +0000

Hi again, Just a note on Justines comment.
I cant see why one glass of milk every night would make you gain weight if you run on a regular basis! There are lots of studys to show that milk can make people lose weight, alothugh I dont know how true the findings are. If it was me I would look at other diet habbits… or… maybe… that just your body type.

By: Justine

Justine — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 21:27:44 +0000

Thanks for the response., I appreciate it.

I am usually finished with dinner by 6:30, and I rarely snack at night. I wonder about the glass of milk because I would like to lose 5 pounds. My weight is steady, in fact sometimes it feels too steady I recently completed a half ironman triathlon, a huge training commitment for me and my weight, oh that held steady.

But, on the practical side, I end up with the glass of milk because I need my sleep. Still, I’d like the weight gone and I wonder if it would help to tough it out without the milk for a few months.

By: Dean Hebert

Dean Hebert — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:14:24 +0000

Justine,
I do similar re: dealing with hunger @ night. I need to be sure I either snack or eat a hearty meal to hold me.

The research that was quoted was with college students. Those who ate their meals late in the evening versus consuming their calories during the day ended up not gaining weight but gaining fat. This was with no change in calorie intake. They discussed the affect of hormones released after eating that inhibit insulin from working. The physiologist I spoke with was clear that “any calories” consumed within 2-2.5 hours of sleep may have that effect.

Since the study did not investigate amount or types of calories I am not sure if a glass of milk has a similar affect or not.

I think on a practical side… if you’re weight is steady, your body fat content is steady, and it helps you sleep… just do it.