So I just got back from a 7 mile run which I started at 1:30ish…am. Didn’t plan on running so late, but ended up doing some household chores and soon it was way later than I thought. I really wanted to get a run in, and I HATE MY TREADMILL! I live in a pretty safe area, but there are lots of woods which makes it a little intimidating at night. So I decided to go outside for a couple of miles with my flashlight to see how it felt. Within seconds I could feel adrenaline running through my veins, and it felt really good. For the entire run, I felt like I was prepared for something to jump out at me. Maybe a deer, coyote, raccoon, a crazy person…but whatever it could be, I was ready to kick it or punch it in the face.
The other idea I thought about a lot, was how much it felt like the early stages of a race. I’m sure this is just the adrenaline, but I wonder if there is a physiological and/or biochemical advantage to occasionally training under these conditions? One oddity, was that my HR and percieived exertion were low for the speed I was running at. Adrenaline should raise my HR, right? It could have had something to do with circadian rythms, but I would still expect adrenaline to overpower those?
I finished my run without encountering any angry night creatures to punch in the face, which is probably a good thing and now I have to calm down and go to bed.
Does anyone else workout outside at very odd hours? I know it’s not the safest idea, but it offers a unique experience.
I love training at night. I am a night owl, I love staying up late, I’ve always been a late-night person. Last night I was at the track (it was only 9pm, though) but there was no one there, and it’s surrounded by woods - I loved the feeling. It was a little cool and the air was somewhat crisp. I sort of got that feeling of intimidation that you mentioned, although it’s a safe area. But there’s just something about being out there alone, no one else to interrupt the silence. My adrenaline also flows a lot better at night time rather than at shitty 6am.
Only problem is that I am trying to wake up at 5am every day so that I can train once before work, and once after work. And I f’ing HATE waking up at 5am. But I also want to get my body used to the demands on race day at 7am.
Let me ask - do you think it matters if I did all of my training sessions after work around 6 or 7pm, but then have to race at 7am?
Let me ask - do you think it matters if I did all of my training sessions after work around 6 or 7pm, but then have to race at 7am?
Last year I was student, so I never had to train before 3 pm. I didn’t have a problem with the 2 races I did, that started at 7 am. The trick is that one night of bad sleep, hurts two days later. So make sure the second night before the race is a good one, and then do 1 short night, get up at least 3 hours before the race. If that night is only 4 hours of sleep, no problem to race, but you are probably tired the day after the race. And that shouldn’t be a problem as well…
I believe that our bodies will perform best under familiar conditions. I have not seen any direct studies on this for athletics, but I know that one performs best mentally when the setting is familiar. Ex. if a college student always studies at night and wakes up at 10, he/she will not perform best on a 7am exam. I would imagine that this goes for sports as well.
I generally start throwing in a few early morning workouts starting a couple of weeks prior to an “A race”.
Generally I agree with you. But if you have to brake your natural sleeping pattern, do it only once, and only the night before the race.
My personal best 20 k run I did at 3 am in the morning. Even a student should be well asleep by then. The trick is that it works once. The day after I felt exhausted, from being up in the middle of the night and running an all out 20 k. So if you are normally not awake at 7 am, I wouldn’t try to change a thing in the last weeks and sleep the most I can. Then do one short night and get up at least 3 hours before the race so the body is wel awake by the time the gun goes of.
weirdos
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i love 2am runs right after i smoke some crack. im usually being chased by the cops. talk about speedwork.
HaHaHaHaHa!!!
That is psycho…
Jeez, wait until 4:30am and then go run a half marathon…in the rain. That makes MUCH more sense.
I do feel good about it though.
I was ready to kick it or punch it in the face.
LOL! Love nightime runs. Just the sound of footsteps, your breath, and the outdoors. Though something freaky moving in the bushes always helps the legs move faster!
weirdos
x2 
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I love 3am runs. Back a couple of years I’d slip out on the weekends at 3am to get my run in before taking my wife to work at 7.
2 AM? 3 AM? WTF??? Are you guys raccoons?
Every combination of (early/late, hot/cold, light/dark, rain/clear, solo/in groups, trail/road, urban/rural) offers a slightly different experience from other combinations.
Even combinations like “late/cold/dark/rain/solo/trail/rural” are a blast if you can get in the spirit of the adventure.
+1 for late night runs in the wintertime. I don’t mind running in the winter cold (not terribly cold, 10 to 25 degrees F) at night- but can’t stand it during the day. Maybe the cold wind is what bothers me. Who knows.
All I know is that I hate working out before 5 p.m. and really enjoy night-time runs.
2am in Atlanta is “killing time”. Seriously - watch the local news. Every morning there is a news crew live on the scene where someone was shot and killed between 1am-3am.
I have to think there is an advantage to training early AM with regard to racing at that same time.
I also enjoy running after dark in the dead of winter (when it’s dark around 4pm). I’ve even done off-road running then and have successfully used headlamp flashlights for this purpose. It’s awesome!
In the dark there is definitely an increased perception of speed. Did you have objective feedback on your running speed or did it just ‘feel’ faster in relation to your heartrate?
Do almost all my training at night except for races or a saturday morning long ride. Usually out the door about 9:30pm, sometimes 10:00 or later, generally finished before midnight. There’s been a few times I got a late start and went past midnight but I don’t remember ever putting a serious scare into 1:00am.
JJ
I thought he was getting up at 2am to run… ha.
2 AM? 3 AM? WTF??? Are you guys raccoons?
Dads trying to fit training in around a family. But it is really cool getting to make first tracks in fresh snow at 3am! Makes a crowded city seem awfully empty.