i typically run in the evening anywhere from 10 pm til midnite. i personally enjoy running in the evening more due to the fact that there is less traffic and the cooler temperatures. not to mention since i'm in college i get the joy of running past drunk people, which provides a good dose of entertainment. only downside to that is that every so often i get something thrown at me. luckily i have a 100 percent dodge rate so far.

its a different perspective at night than it is during the day, so i would recommend doing both because you get to see more than one side of your town/course.

Nighttime running

The good: It is cool in warm weather. Neighbors are less like to see you and think you are crazy. There are few distractions, so you can really focus on the run.

The bad: You may be attacked by giant bugs. It is colder in cold weather. Folks may not see you, so you could get crunched. You may not see the mailbox before you crash into it. You will most likely be slower if you are at all cautious.

I like to run at night, but it makes me a little nervous, especially those giant bugs.

I frequently run in the dark, both in the early morning or evening as my schedule allows. Here's my comparison:

Morning
=PROS=
- Fewer cars on the roads
- I'm wide awake by the time I get to work
- My exercise for the day is done by 6AM!
=CONS=
- I'm not yet awake, and sometimes do stupid things like run across intersections without even looking for cars
- My pace seems to be slower
- My muscles are tighter and require more warm up time

Evening
=PROS=
- Warmer than mornings (good thing in Winter)
- Great way to burn off stress after work
- My pace is faster
- Muscles are somewhat loosened up already
=CONS=
- Warmer than mornings (bad thing in Summer)
- More cars on the road
- doesn't prepare you for that 6AM marathon start time

But for some reason I still prefer mornings, I think mostly because of the feeling of solitude and the "crispness" in the air.



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"Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream..."

I like running at night. It's quiet, there's less traffic, less people to gawk at you. I sometimes run a trail/gravel road through a park that has lights on it. I run outside of the light, in the dark, so people don't see my and my night vision is not destroyed. I will also pick up a big stick and carry it and I carry a folding knife I clip on my fuel belt. I've trained to fight with a knife.
I'm still looking for a good full moon night to go run. I saw a lunar eclipse last month when I did, which was totally unexpected and cool to see. I like to run on trails and use a headlamp when there's no full moon.
I like to look down on all the losers who are sleeping while I run too.
My mind will want to get the better of me. I've always been afraid of the dark since I was little and my fears will try to take over my mind. I have to remind myself that the most dangerous thing in the woods is a human, which calms me down. But that's also the reason I carry a knife.

I'm a vampire! I do my best training at 3:00 am. I like to have the roads to myself. I enjoy floating down busy streets through intersections that I know will soon be filled with the hussle and bussle of the awaking world. But at night they belong to me.

It's great! All summer while everyone was complaining about 90+ degree days I was enjoying the stillness of the cool night air. 75 was the hottest I can remember running. No cars, no people to deal with, no stopping. I wouldn't trade it for the world.