I’ve always thought that training pre-dawn was the best. I had my reasons, and I believed them pretty strongly.

But at the same time, I’ve heard just as many arguments from nighttime running and riding zealots.

In fact, if I look out my window at 8pm I’ll see far more runners then than I will at 6am. Why?

I figured I’d do a short survey to ask triathletes, runners, and cyclists around the world when they preferred to run and cycle. I asked them:

1. What is your preferred time to run?
   • Why do you prefer that time? If you feel strongly about your choice, please let me know.
2. What is your preferred time to cycle?
   • Why do you prefer that time? If you feel strongly about your choice, please let me know.

We see that the most strongly held opinions are with running – either morning or night. The sentiment about when the best time to cycle is seemed much more flexible.

Here are the results:

Here are some of the reasons for pre-dawn and sunrise runs

Many of the athletes who prefer morning run then because it’s cooler:

While others say it just suits their schedules better:

And many more say it sets the tone for a great day:

Almost a third prefer the evening. Here’s why.

The late-eve and night crowd also says it’s cooler:

• “Still light, heat has gone.”
• “It is a cooler time of the day. Plus, I am most alert in the evening and late-afternoon.”
• “Cooler; more energy in the afternoon / and evening.”

But others do it for the warmth – I guess it depends where you live:

• “Too cold in the morning.”
• “It’s convenient to run after work. Plus there’s still some heat, which is good conditioning for races. It’s also my commute twice a week.”

Others cited performance reasons:

But the main reason is maybe the most obvious – waking up early is tough. This reason was possibly the most strongly-held from our respondents:

The two main reasons people ride in the morning are due to the cooler weather and of course for safety reasons as there’s less traffic then.

• “If I am riding on the road, I want to get out before there are many drivers. This is more important to me than the time of day I run.”
• “Less traffic. Wind is calmer. Temperatures are more reasonable. Leaves the rest of the day open to enjoy.”
• “Less traffic and I prefer riding outside with others for safety. If I’m using the trainer then any time of day works.”
• “Get a good safe start, finish before it gets crazy hot.”
• “Pre dawn is safer with less traffic, is nice to see the sunrise and is just overall peaceful and the best time of the day.”
• “Cooler, less traffic, safer. The only time I will ride outside is a pre-dawn start.”
• “If I’m biking outside, prefer just after sunrise because there are few cars on the road. If biking on trainer, prefer late morning/afternoon/early evening before dinner.”

In conclusion, we have stronger beliefs about when we should run than when we should cycle.

Most running is based around weather, sleep, and schedules, with fairly strong opinions. Most cycling is planned around safety and also weather. Both running and riding times are also heavily driven by family commitments, work, and the general practicalities of life.

A few people expressed that any time is a good time to get out and exercise, and I think these guys get it just right.

Thanks for reading. Subscribe to our newsletter below for weekly updates and info on triathlons and training.

[mc4wp_form]