Because of work commitments, I normally workout early in the morning as oppose to after work. I run my tempos mostly to heart rate (~170), but in the mornings this is SO much slower.
Today, for example, it was about 6:00-6:02 pace. Last week I did the same session after work, and I felt comfortable running 5:10-5:15.
I also couldn't actually run much faster if I tried. Mechanically my body just doesn't work the same way in the mornings. I am doing a proper warmup (20 minutes + drills and striders).
Does the pace matter even if I am running at the right effort level? Does anyone else find there is this much difference between afternoon and morning runs?
Maybe some other important details: it's cold-ish where I am (around 37-42 degrees most mornings) and I usually start running within 15 minutes of waking up.