The question of whether an evening run beats a morning run is a debate as old as your grossest pair of running shoes. Some people like to start their days with a jolt of exercise; others rely on the post-work effort to wind down from their email-meeting-email-repeat workday.
If you’re not naturally an early bird, a morning run might sound like the last thing you’d want to subject yourself to. There are few sounds more torturous than that too-early alarm telling you it’s time to get out of bed.
But whether or not you’ve already established a habit, there are undeniably a lot of benefits to getting up and running in the morning. Resisting the urge to hit snooze and getting your feet into sneakers instead can impact your entire day.
Running coach and personal trainer Meghan Kennihan, NASM-C.P.T., has noticed increased self-confidence and consistency in clients who run in the morning. “At work, your willpower and motivation slowly decline as the day goes on,” she says.” [Running is] a great way to kickstart your day. It lowers your blood pressure and jumpstarts your metabolism to make you more productive at work or give you more energy.”
Another reason to take a morning run: There’s that nice solitude in the early a.m. hours. “[Running in the morning] is much more stress-relieving,” she says. “Instead of thinking, ‘Oh, someone is standing behind me in line to get on the treadmill,'” you’ll feel more relaxed and serene during your run. And that’s just one of the many advantages of taking a run when you wake up.
The Benefits of Morning Runs
In case you’re still not convinced, here’s feedback from runners and science-backed reasons why it’s beneficial to run in the morning.
You can watch the sun rise during early morning runs.
“Watching the sun come up is the best way to start the day,” says Beth Isaac, 38, from New York. “If you don’t get up at dawn to run, how else are you going to get all those sunrise photos for Instagram?”
Morning runs are less crowded.
“I love feeling like I have Central Park all to myself before sunrise,” says runner Dani Sturtz. “I’m obviously not the only runner out there, but it’s less crowded than in the evenings and so much calmer.”
Focusing is easier when running in the morning.
After pushing yourself out the door to go running in the morning, something magical happens. You might feel as though your brain clicks on. Suddenly, you’re forced to notice pedestrians, cyclists, crosswalks, and giant fallen branches trying to sabotage your intervals.
But that intense level of focus doesn’t stop when you throw your sweaty Sauconys in the corner. Studies have shown that vigorous aerobic exercise (aka running) activates the prefrontal and occipital cortexes. Those brainy parts are associated with “executive control,” meaning they help you regulate your emotions and manage the processes to achieve your goals. No wonder you feel like you can conquer the world after downing that post-workout smoothie.
Morning runs free up your evening.
“I love knowing that if I run in the morning, the rest of my day can’t get in the way of my run,” says Danielle Cemprola, 30, from Greenville, South Carolina. You may get slammed with meetings and conference calls and various unplanned commitments — but that’s okay. Your run is done. And if those meetings get canceled, you can go all-in at happy hour.
Adding morning runs to your routine can improve your sleep habits.
There’s nothing worse than crawling into bed, waiting for what dreams may come, and then…nothing. Insomnia can make you feel sluggish and leave you yearning for caffeine the next day. The potential for better sleep is yet another reason why you should run in the morning. Getting regular aerobic exercise can improve sleep quality and help ease insomnia, according to a Northwestern University study. But since cardio can give you more energy, it makes sense that working out early — and riding that boost through the day — is the key to feeling ready for bed when you’re in bed, not in the office.
Morning runs provide a mental break.
“There’s nothing better than starting your day out in nature,” says Maia Deccan Dickinson, 25, from Anchorage, Alaska. “You get an hour of clarity before having work on the brain all day.”
You can take advantage of mild weather when running in the morning.
“Summers in Chicago are hot,” says Liz Heisler, 34. “But if I get up and run before work, I know I’m guaranteed cooler temperatures and a bit more shade.”
Outdoor morning runs offer the benefits of spending time in nature.
Poor Kimmy Schmidt proved that no one should go without sunlight. But you’re (hopefully) not living in a bunker. So you might as well head outdoors for a morning run — and the greener, the better. A Stanford study found that people who walked in a park for 50 minutes had decreased anxiety and rumination (aka those existential thoughts you might spiral into every once in a while) compared to people who walked around a more urban environment. And what’s more peaceful than a park at sunrise?
A morning run is an opportunity for me-time.
“There’s something so tranquil about running before most of the world is awake,” says Lauren Conkey, 31, from Worcester, Massachusetts. Morning runs give her “a chance to spend some time collecting my thoughts before I’m on mom duty for the next 12 hours,” says Conkey. “Allowing myself to wake up over the course of a few miles, where the only sounds are my footsteps, my breathing, and the occasional bird, is a much more peaceful start to the day than a two-year-old who’s ready to wrestle, read, and play (cute as she may be).”
Morning runs wake your body up.
“If I do a morning workout, I’m usually still in sleep zombie mode,“ says Samantha Cosenza, 28, from Brooklyn. “By the time I get dressed and start moving, my sneakers are already hitting the pavement, and I’m like ‘How did I get here?'”
With all that said, morning runs might not be for everyone. Kennihan recommends trying to stay consistent for three weeks. If you run four times a week, she says, “that’s only 12 days out of your life you have to get up at the crack of dawn.” Then you can find out what’s right for you — and perhaps finally settle the morning vs. evening run debate once and for all.
