After my usual Herbalife Formula 1 French Vanilla Protein Smoothie with organic spinach and kale and fresh (frozen) fruits from Costco, it was a bit late for me to go for my early morning run. The crack of dawn run or the Rocky Balboa run was out of the question this morning. But not to fret because there’s always the mid-morning run to keep me on schedule.

I do prefer the 8am start, but today just wasn’t cooperating. The majority of the organized events start at 8am and I’ve found that my body wants to run at this time. Not too hot, but cold enough to keep me at a perfect temperature after the first couple of miles. Sometimes I find that I’m not even breaking a sweat when I technically should be after burning 800-1000 calories. Don’t get me wrong. You don’t burn 800-1000 calories by not working. I’m pushing, but the temperature pushes back.

Best Time to Run

I have no scientific proof other than the eyeball test. I feel stronger and lighter in the morning. In the evening, I feel heavier and sluggish. The 8am start appears to be good enough for the majority of the races so I’ll blindly follow.

If you’ve ever missed the morning or mid-morning run and attempted an afternoon to late afternoon start, you’ll know the difference. If you’ve ever had an evening or a late evening start, you’ll notice even more of a difference. For last year’s Tough Mudder, I did the majority of my run training in the late evening. I was trying to get use to the cold being that our event was in Lake Tahoe. Besides it being more dangerous. Man versus car … car wins. Plus, I don’t recommend watching Criminal Minds before a late night run because you’ll hear every creak and pop while you’re running. Who knows? That little extra adrenaline might be the difference of an 8 minute mile versus a 7 minute mile though.

Overall. The answer to the best time to run is whenever you can. But personally, the optimal time to run is early morning. You’ll won’t feel weighed down by the afternoon In-and-Out burger and shake. Plus, you’ll have the added bonus of knowing you’ve got your run out of the way and the rest of the day is yours to enjoy without the cloud of pavement time looming over you throughout the day.

Morning weight = 171.5 Post run weight = 170

Today’s Meals:

When Did I Eat?

• 8:15am (Meal 1) — Herbalife Smoothie
• 9:40am (Meal 1.1) — Pre run nutrition. Herbalife24 Prolong, Herbalife24 Prepare, Herbalife Niteworks

• 11:20am (Meal 1.2) — Post run nutrition. Herbalife24 Rebuild Endurance, Herbalife24 Formula 1 Sport, Herbalife Instant Chocolate. I add the instant chocolate because I don’t particularly like the taste of the Rebuild Endurance, but I know the nutrition it provides is necessary to prepare me for my first marathon.

• 12:30pm (Meal 2) — Chinese leftovers and more protein courtesy of Odwalla Super Protein Chocolate.

• 5:30pm (Meal 3) — Vietnamese Veggie Bahn Mi and a slice of homemade pear pie.

Today’s Activities:

• RunKeeper 40 of 64 Marathon Training Plan. 6 mile slow/fast. This training involves 1 mile slow, 4 miles steady, and 1 mile slow. RunKeeper suggests a fast pace of 9:55/mile to 10:05/mile.

Wednesday, 10-02-2013