Today I ran in the morning, and I looked stiff and disjointed for most of the run.

This is day 2,134 of my daily running streak. I run in barefoot-style footwear, so I notice tight joints and a poor stride quickly. Today my hips were tight, my legs felt heavy and I never found a rhythm. It was a useful reminder of why I am an afternoon runner.

Most days I run in the last hour of daylight. Part of the reason is poor time management in the morning. Part of the reason is that I avoid running in the dark where I can. Morning running has plenty of supporters. They talk about getting the run done early, enjoying the rest of the day and the productivity boost. I like the idea. I have never found it works for me.

Why I struggle with morning running

I run every day, so my legs are always carrying some fatigue. I never start from fully fresh. The knock-on effect shows up first thing. I wake up like a stiff old man. It takes a shower, some stretching and a hip workout before I feel normal and ready to start the day.

By the afternoon, the day has done the warm-up for me. I have moved around, loosened up and gone through my normal routine. When I head out, I need little or no preparation, and I settle into the run within the first few minutes.

When I run in the morning, I skip that process. The first couple of kilometres feel like hard work. I find that frustrating, because I want to reach a state of flow quickly and stop thinking about the effort.

I do not warm up, and I know why

Many runners do a proper warm-up or a stretching session before they go. I do not, and I will be honest about the reason. Running is a big part of my life, but I try not to make it a bigger part than it needs to be. I want to go out, get the run done and get back to the rest of my day.

The exception is a race. I only do long endurance events like marathons and ultras about three times a year, and for those I warm up properly. For the other days I do not want to add a block of preparation time. That choice works with afternoon running. It works against morning running.

What decides whether morning running suits you

I am not a coach, and this comes from my own body, not from research. These are the factors I think matter:

- Your age and how supple you are when you wake up. - How quickly your body feels ready after getting out of bed. - Your lifestyle, weight and genetics. - The workload you put your body through each day, and how well you recover from it.

Some people wake up fresh and ready to run straight away. Younger runners often do. Other people, like me, need a long time to warm up. Neither is better. They are different starting points.

If you want to be a morning runner

If you want morning running to work, you need to give yourself more time before the run. Get up and have a shower. Do some dynamic stretching. Spend a few minutes on mobility work. The aim is to start the run without spending the first couple of kilometres feeling like you can barely move your joints. Once that is solved, you may well fall in love with early runs.

The trade-off is time. If you leave things until the last minute like me, morning running will be a challenge. You have to build an extra block into your schedule for getting ready. Afternoon or early evening running removes that block, because the day has already prepared your body.

The lesson for me: consistency over preference

The lesson from today is about how I protect the streak. My streak does not need me to enjoy a particular time of day. It needs the run to happen, every day. The best slot is the one that creates the least friction for my body and my schedule.

I am building this for the long term. My vision is a streak of 16.5 years, so I cannot design my days around what sounds disciplined. I have to design them around what my body supports on an ordinary day. For me, that is the afternoon. A time that fits my body lets me keep running on tired days, low-motivation days and busy days.

If you struggle with morning running, ask whether the problem is your discipline or your set-up. You may not need to try harder. You may need a longer warm-up, or a different time of day.

Why this matters for the mission

I run to complete 40,075km, a lap of the world, and to raise £1M for children's causes such as Great Ormond Street and BBC Children in Need. After 2,134 consecutive days, I have covered 16,398.01km. That leaves 23,676.99km to go.

Those numbers only move if I run on days when the timing is awkward, my legs are heavy and I would rather be doing something else. The more people the vlog reaches, the more support the fundraising gets. That is why I film and publish the runs every day.

If you run in the morning, tell me what your warm-up looks like. If you are an afternoon runner like me, tell me why. Watch the full episode, subscribe, and share it with a runner who is struggling to get going.

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/5uh-QYq4j2U