I don't think there is enough space here, but I'll try. Generally speaking, I skipped morning runs because I had stayed up too late the night before, and I didn't really train hard. A guy I used to train with--a low 28 guy, mind you--once said I was the hardest worker he'd ever known. I appreciated the compliment, but I don't think he knew enough people.
When I was 24-25, I think I had a real chance to develop. I was physiologically about 3-4 years behind my chronological age, so this was a time of significant speed development. Yet at one point I was only running Monday through Thursday. I wasted 1/3 of my week for about four months, yet still ran big PRs in the spring. What could I have done?
In my early 30s, I just should have run more volume on my workouts and more consistent longer runs. I actually did a mid-week a.m. 12-miler one year then cut it out in subsequent years; bad idea.
If you're going to really find out what you can do, and you're healthy enough to do it, then you need to look over the edge, not just see the edge from a distance. There will always be another party or another bottle of beer. The chance to run at your physical best, however, is a small window.