Most people think that to become a runner, you would have to wake up at 5’o clock every day in the morning, lace up, and then go out for a run. This morning routine intimidates some who wants to start running because they start having thoughts like:
“Hey, I can’t run. Wala akong time sa umaga”
“Ehhh di ako morning person”, or even
“traffic papuntang work kelangan maaga akong umalis ng bahay”.
And we get it, not everyone is a fan of waking up extra early in the morning, more so of the idea of actually putting on a pair of rubbing shoes and going out for a run before sunrise. But here’s the thing: you don’t have to become a morning person to be a runner. You can always run at night! In fact, running in the evening has its benefits too and we listed some in this article.
1. Cooler weather in the evening
The heat in the Philippines easily fluctuates from being bearable to “pawis and uncomfortably haggard” every move really quick. Now that the cold -ber months are over, you can expect the heat to escalate even earlier in the day. For runners, this means that your morning runs are about to get extra hot. And those who feel uncomfortable running when its hot and/or people who are conscious about their skin, running in the evening is a pretty good solution to these problems.
Running at night is also a practical choice if you’re doing a long run that would take hours to finish! Running for a few hours is already difficult on its own and doing the last few kilometers under the scorching heat at 9 in the morning makes it even more painful.
2. Reduce your morning rush
While others have the luxury to wake up before sunrise to run or hit the gym, others who unfortunately live far from their workplace or school have their mornings booked by long hours of commute and traffic. For these people, there is almost no time to squeeze in a workout in the midst of their morning rush. Hence, it becomes more ideal to run in the evening instead. In this way, you can avoid starting your day feeling frantic and always in a hurry.
3. You get more fuel before you run
Not many people have the time to prepare and eat breakfast before running in the morning. This may work for some, but others find themselves feeling sluggish during their run without enough food in their system.
With running in the evening, you can be sure to have ample time to grab an early dinner or late merienda to fuel you for a workout. You have more time to cook or decide where to get your healthy source of carbs and protein. Just be sure not to eat right before a run as this can upset or cause pain in the stomach.
4. You can workout longer
Imagine feeling at the top of your game and running at quite a great pace when suddenly you look at your watch and it’s already time to prepare for work. Bummer, right? Running a few good kilometers and feeling “bitin” because you already have to do do something else is, frankly, quite an irritating feeling for runners.
One of the best advantages of running at night is having more control over the length of your workouts. Do you want to go for a 10 km instead of your usual 8 km? Go ahead, work is done already. Or maybe you’re already done with a 40-minute treadmill session but you want to sweat a bit more? No worries, you can still hit the weights or join a class in your gym.
5. It helps you release frustration from a tough day
We’ve said it before, and we’re sure you’ll agree even if we say it again: sometimes running is the best therapy we can give ourselves. There are days when we neither run for a PR nor do we run to put in our required mileage for the week. Sometimes, we run just to find an escape.
Running in the evening can be the best time to do this. After having a long long day – from stressful work hours, intense traffic, and pressure of having to deliver and finish a lot of things – running your heart out at the end of the day helps you release the frustration from a rough day. It gives you the time to feel free and find peace within yourself just before you retire for the night. Suffice to say, it can be your stress-reliever before you hit the bed.
Friendly reminder:
Running in the evening is great! In fact, some of us here in Pinoy Fitness are more of night runners than morning runners. But as cliché as it sounds, safety does always go first.
When running in the dark, opt to wear reflectorized fabric or armbands to keep you visible and safe from moving vehicles. You might also choose to ditch the headphones/earphones so you can be more aware of your surroundings. And lastly, avoid isolated places or remote roads when you choose to run at night, it is safer to just stick to well-lit and familiar routes.
That’s about it! Have a good and safe evening run everyone!
