I prefer to run first thing in the morning.* I like being up and at ’em before the rest of the world and I know that if I wait until the end of the day I’ll find some excuse to be lazy instead. Right now I’m living in an area without adequate street lighting, and it’s simply much too dark to hit the road until there’s at least a sliver of sunshine.
In about a week we’ll be done with Daylight Saving Time and it won’t matter, but until then I’ve been relying on the awesome app Rise to let me know when to set my alarm before I go to bed. Not only does it tell you when sunrise is going to be based on where you are, it also tells you when “first light” will be. That’s usually just enough to see the sidewalk, which is all I really need. If you’re a morning runner, I recommend it. And it’s free!
*I can’t have anything in my stomach before I exercise, and pre-breakfast is the only part of the day when that’s really an option.