12

AM/PM "easy" pace differences and Doubles (Read 147 times)

stadjak


Interval Junkie --Nobby

    Anyone else find that "easy" runs in the AM and PM have dramatically difference paces for the same effort?  Maybe this is because I'm a night-owl at heart.  But a 6am run puts me around 9:15 to 8:45 for "easy".  But a 6pm run (on the same day) puts me around 8:15 to 7:45 for the same effort.  Even though the AM is 72F and the PM is about 84F.

     

    Maybe the PM run is fueled by work-day stress?  Maybe I hate mornings.

     

    Just me?

    2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do


    Latent Runner

      Anyone else find that "easy" runs in the AM and PM have dramatically difference paces for the same effort?  Maybe this is because I'm a night-owl at heart.  But a 6am run puts me around 9:15 to 8:45 for "easy".  But a 6pm run (on the same day) puts me around 8:15 to 7:45 for the same effort.  Even though the AM is 72F and the PM is about 84F.

       

      Maybe the PM run is fueled by work-day stress?  Maybe I hate mornings.

       

      Just me?

       

      Old farts like me have this issue every day, the old bones and joints are creaky and such in the mornings so I always go slower after I've gotten up compared to when I've been up and around for the bulk of the day.

      Fat old man PRs:

      • 1-mile (point to point, gravity assist): 5:50
      • 2-mile: 13:49
      • 5K (gravity assist last mile): 21:31
      • 5-Mile: 37:24
      • 10K (first 10K of my Half Marathon): 48:16
      • 10-Mile (first 10 miles of my Half Marathon): 1:17:40
      • Half Marathon: 1:42:13


      Feeling the growl again

        Easy is an effort level, not a pace.  The pace can vary considerably.

         

        In my best shape, on a typical afternoon run in decent weather my easy pace was 6:20-6:45, depending how fresh I was.  Yet the first mile of an early AM run would often by 7:30+, and by the end of the run I would be down to maybe 6:45-6:50 pace and my average for 6-8 miles might have gotten sub-7.

        "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

         

        I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

         

          Anyone else find that "easy" runs in the AM and PM have dramatically difference paces for the same effort?  

          Same for me as well.

            Hey anyone else notice that when you run in the rain you get wet?

            Runners run

            MJ5


            Chief Unicorn Officer

              I have differences like the OP and spaniel. I've always been an afternoon/evening runner, since high school. I don't know if my body just biologically isn't ready to run early in the mornings or what. Or, often I've ran the night before (I only run in the morning when I have something going on after work) and suspect I haven't had enough recovery time between runs.

              Mile 5:49 - 5K 19:58 - 10K 43:06 - HM 1:36:54

                Yet the first mile of an early AM run would often by 7:30+, and by the end of the run I would be down to maybe 6:45-6:50 pace and my average for 6-8 miles might have gotten sub-7.

                 

                Agreed, for me the first mile of an "easy" run in the morning is much slower than what the "easy" pace miles toward the end of that same run are. I don't do doubles very often though. So I can't give an honest comparison of easy AM vs easy PM on the same day.

                 

                I do find, however, that I have a difficult time keeping "easy" runs easy when I run in the evening (I'm typically an AM runner). And if I do manage to keep the effort low, the splits are slow even compared with my first few miles in the morning. Not a huge fan of evening runs in general, but  I do them when I must.

                FSBD


                  Hey anyone else notice that when you run in the rain you get wet?

                   

                  thanks that explains a lot, especially this year's VCM.

                  We are the music makers,

                      And we are the dreamers of dreams,

                  Wandering by lone sea-breakers,

                      And sitting by desolate streams; 

                  World-losers and world-forsakers,

                      On whom the pale moon gleams:

                  Yet we are the movers and shakers

                      Of the world for ever, it seems.

                    There was a point in my life when I ran. Now, I just run.

                     

                    We are always running for the thrill of it

                    Always pushing up the hill, searching for the thrill of it

                    LedLincoln


                    not bad for mile 25

                      I've noticed that my afternoon/evening runs tend to be faster, even if it's a double day.  That said, I still love my morning running much more than later in the day.  I guess speed isn't everything.

                      jerseyrunner


                      Half Fanatic 12680

                        I've noticed that my afternoon/evening runs tend to be faster, even if it's a double day.  That said, I still love my morning running much more than later in the day.  I guess speed isn't everything.

                         

                        Yes, this is generally true; runs done later in the day are faster. But the early morning runs are still good for training simply because you have to work harder. Here is an article that explains the pros and cons of running at different times during the day. As it notes, running in the evening is best for speed but many people find it hard to get motivated to run at the time of day. I am certainly one of those. Even though I creak a bit for the first slow mile(s) of my morning run, it is still easier for me to run first thing in the morning than to get out the door at the end of the day.

                         

                        http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/morning-noon-or-night?page=single

                         

                         

                        cookiemonster


                        Connoisseur of Cookies

                          Easy is an effort level, not a pace.  The pace can vary considerably.

                           

                           

                           

                          This.

                          ***************************************************************************************

                           

                          "C" is for cookie.  That's good enough for me.

                          stadjak


                          Interval Junkie --Nobby

                            Easy is an effort level, not a pace.  The pace can vary considerably.

                             

                            Yeah.  That might be why I phrased the original post as a comparison of same effort with differing paces.

                             

                             http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/morning-noon-or-night?page=single

                             

                            This is a wonderful article.  One thing it doesn't really address is the question of which might be better for training.  Except for the parts about muscle building (mid-morning) they mostly focus on performance, injury susceptibility (morning) and mental toughness training (morning, late-afternoon).

                             

                            That is: do you derive more benefit to endurance when you run the engine cold, or hot?  Keeping effort constant.

                             

                            Anyone know any (winter) marathons with a 6pm gun-time?

                            2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do

                            Julia1971


                              Weird. I find my evening run to be slower than my morning one. But, that could also be due to the fact that of the two course I usually run on days I double, the evening one has a greater percentage of uphill I think since it's shorter.

                               

                              I don't tend to race very well in the evenings, either, but I've been guessing that was due to not eating properly for them.

                              Julia1971


                                I thought I just sweat more in the rain. Weird that rain causes sweat.

                                 

                                Hey anyone else notice that when you run in the rain you get wet?

                                12