Since it’s Friday, I’m linking up with Running on Happy & Fairytales and Fitness for the Friday Five 2.0 linkup! Join in! Don’t forget to link back to your hostesses and visit some other bloggers.
My topic for today is: Five Ways to Be a Runner and also Work Full-Time
I know that if you are a stay at home mom, you are plenty busy and if you are retired, you also still have many responsibilities but this is for all you out there who have full-time job and are also runners:
1. Run Fewer Times During the Week
Let’s face. Your time is limited. You have hours where you have to be at work.
You probably don’t have the time to run more than 3 times a week. Maybe not more than twice. There may be busy weeks that you only get out to run on the weekend.
It really annoys me when it is sunny during my work day and then it is raining when I finish. I wish I could just run whenever the weather permits.
in between busy work weeks – squeezing in a run on Sunday
So make your runs quality runs and don’t be guilty about missed runs. You can try to make them up the following week.
2. Be Flexible.
We really don’t want to skip our runs. So it often takes some creativity to figure it out.
I work near UAlbany and I have run over and then returned to change my clothes and go out or go back to work.
You can run before work, after work, during lunch. You may have to run on the treadmill.
Whatever it takes to get it done.
3. Increase Your Hours of Sleep at Night
Working 8 hours a day is tiring….stressful. Then there’s running which tires us out, as well.
It would be nice if when we were tired, we could sneak in a nap during the day.
Since that can’t happen (at least not at my job), you need to ideally get 7-9 hours of sleep each night.
4. Schedule/Plan Your Runs
This is especially important if you are training for a big race.
If you leave it to chance, you are less likely to get your runs done and/or get in enough mileage.
I put them on my calendar (and on my blog).
I pack my running clothes the night before to bring to work. If I plan to run before work, I lay out my clothes the night before.
3 miles after work and before a show when working in NYC
These scheduled runs are just a plan or a framework. It doesn’t mean that I don’t switch days and mileage around. But it definitely helps me organize my life.
5. Don’t Forget About You.
I have a hard time with this.
I often am tempted to refuse a dinner or social invitation because I need to get a run in. Rather than relax with a book or watch TV, I want to go for a run.
Sometimes, I have to bring work home 😦
Plan to treat yourself to some ‘you’ time. That means time that doesn’t involve work or running.
meeting my college roommate for a boat ride (instead of doing my run)
This not only lowers your stress level (at work), but it also improves your running performance.
(Next week, I am taking two days off from work and not to run – to hike and to go to the Botanical Gardens in NYC.)
Happy Running! If you working runner, any other hints to add?
My First 5K and More... 
All of our fitness activities do take lots of planning and organization for sure. I do schedule all of my workouts like appointments
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Yes. Me too.
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Great post! I did not work full time when I started training for my first marathon and counted it as such a blessing! However, I did work full time when I started training for my second marathon and had no idea how I would fit it all in and still go to PT, but I did it!
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I always said that if I ever ran a full, it would have to be after I retired. I don’t know how I would get the runs done.
Good for you.
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Where there’s a will, there’s always a way. I may not have been a runner when I worked full time, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t work out. I did.
It’s not easy, but you always feel better when you do!
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Working out and training for a marathon or half marathon are two different things. You know that. Skipping runs and long mileage runs can result in poor results and injuries.
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Actually, I would argue that for a lot of people, skipping strength training can lead to injury.
You’re lucky that that doesn’t seem to be the case for you.
Plus I would also argue that both ultimately have the same goal: keeping us active, healthy & fit!
Maybe I just like to argue. 🙂
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I am not arguing the value of a workout vs running.
My point is that scheduling a 12 mile run or 25 mile week is harder when you work full-time than fitting in a workout.
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Well, the 12 milers generally fall on the weekends. Although people do all sorts of nutty things with their long runs.
Shorter runs during the week can be as long as some people do strength training (but not me, I do shorter workouts).
I’m not saying any of it is easy; it isn’t. But it can definitely be done. And I think many of the points in your post do apply to both. Just my $.02.
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Those work hours eat up a huge chunk of time and energy…i am on 10 hours days for summer and it is long!
You know for me it is get up early and get a few runs in a weeek before work, makes everything else better for me!
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I don’t know how you get up that early and still make through a 10 hour day. You are amazing!!
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I agree with all of this points!! Runs have to be schedule and once on the schedule, they just have to get done!! Thank you for sharing this !
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Yup but not always possible unfortunately.
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Although I’m currently not working, I feel like I was able to get my workouts/runs in better when I did work! I think I’m just one of those people who manages their time better when it’s limited! 🙂
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Yes I find sometimes on the weekend when I have all the time in world, I get little done. LOL
So when you have limited time, you have to manage it well and schedule everything.
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Exactly!!!
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You eluded to this, but I’d say flexibility is paramount. Just because a lot of your (non-working friends) are knocking out 30+ mileage weeks, doesn’t mean you should, too. The runs simply may not happen due to weather or late hours at the office. Having a social life away from the running shoes is also important 😉
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Glad you agree.
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Planning my workouts really is key! I do all my workouts before work so it doesn’t usually interfere except on business trips – especially travel days.
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I wish I could be more motivated to run or work out before work. It would make life easier.
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Great points here! I make sure to include my runs in my calendar then I decide whether to do it in the morning or after work.
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Same here.
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You are so much better about making time for friends and such than me! I always put my runs first. My bad…
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Not bad. Running is important to you.
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