I took a day off work on Friday to hang out with the wife and kids. We had quite the day planned, but in the midst of the all the fun, there was a break in the action around mid-morning and I decided to grab a quick run. For those who have read my blog very long, you know that I try to isolate most of my workouts to my lunch break. The reason is pragmatic. This has the least effect on my family life.
The bad thing about this routine is that, during summer, it is usually very hot outside when I run. So on the especially hot summer days, I will occasionally slip in an early morning run to give some relief from the heat. I generally find I’m not a comfortable on those days. It just feels like I struggle a bit more.
Photo Credit Ryanmickle
At any rate, this mid-morning run was a real dog. I started off feeling pretty good, and about 2.5 miles into the run, I started getting stomach cramps and feeling just terrible. Not sick, just generally crummy. I had to cut my workout short and walk a bit before it subsided. I was only planning on 3 miles anyway, which I guess in retrospect was a good thing.
I’ve talked with several runners that have found their running routine dictates how “strong” they feel when they run. It seems like people who run in the evenings struggle with morning runs, and vice versa. Am I correct in this observation, or just trying to make myself feel better?
I’m going to run a poll for a bit to see what the readers think. When is the best time of day to run? When do you feel at your strongest? I’m curious as to whether I’m unwittingly choosing a poor time to run, or if my experience is a by-product of my training regimen.
Chime in and let me know what you think!
