Sometimes the hardest part of going for a run is finding time to actually do it. “Time Slots” will be a recurring topic focused on helping time-strapped runners squeeze in a workout.
Today we’re talking about evening runs.
Finding time to run during the day can be tough. For many of us, the evenings are a much more reliable source of available minutes. Yet for one reason or another (too late, too worn out, too much on TV), we’re sometimes reluctant to get out there and run during the last hours of the day.
Here are a few reasons you might want to reconsider.
There’s something about the air. On hot days especially, a cool evening run can be a thing of beauty. But regardless of the temperature, there’s something pleasant about those last quiet hours of the day. Every season brings a little something special to the evening air.
The day is behind you. Life is stressful. A lot of the time, we end up bringing that stress home at the end of the day and carrying it around until bedtime. Pounding out a good stong evening run can help you regain perspective on the day and run off some of that mental baggage you’re carrying (usually needlessly).
It beats television. There’s nothing wrong with watching a little TV, but it can be too easy to lose track of the night watching nothing in particular. Getting lost in a favorite show or two is one thing. But if you’re spending more time on the couch than that, you probably don’t end up feeling great about it when you get up. Trade a half-hour show for a half-hour run sometime and see how satisfying it can be.
You’ll sleep better. With around-the-clock schedules and the generally frantic pace of daily life, it’s easy to go to bed tense, wound-up, and in no physical or mental state to actually get any rest. If you have trouble getting a good night’s sleep, wearing yourself out with a run can help you spend less time tossing and turning and more time actually snoozing.
When do you like to run? Let us know and maybe we’ll write it up for our next edition of Time Slots.
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