My topic for today is: Tips About Being a Runner and also Working 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 a full-time job and are also runners:
- 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.
squeezing in a run at lunch and getting rained on…
So make your runs quality runs and don’t be guilty about missed runs. You can try to make them up the following week.
- 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 return to change my clothes and go back to work.
You can run before work, after work, during lunch. You may have to run on the treadmill.
after work run in the dark…
Whatever it takes to get it done.
- 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.
- 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 you are not working from home). 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.
- 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.
family time on the lake instead of my long run….
This not only lowers your stress level (at work), but it also improves your running performance.
Tomorrow, I’m leaving to spend 8 days in Florida. Not to run but to play tennis and hang out with friends. I may run but not sure how much (even though I am training for a 10 mile race in a few weeks.)
Today I’m linking up with Zenaida and Kim (Kooky Runner) and you should too.
I am also linking up here:
with co-hosts Coach Debbie Runs, Confessions of a Mother Runner, Mile by Mile, Runs with Pugs, and Laura Norris Running.
Happy Running! If you are a working runner, any other hints to add? Please share.
My First 5K and More... 
It really is such a tricky balance. Last week was an awful week at work in terms of workload and I couldn’t get a single run done. But I love the structure it gives me and it also works as a “de-stressor” from work. I think that’s why my favourite runs are after work when I feel I can just regroup before family time.
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I mostly run after work. It’s the time of day I need it the most.
That being said, the few times I drag myself out in the am, it really brightens my outlook on the day.
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I worked from home for a long time. I hadn’t started to run yet, but I was active and of course dealing with other responsibilities as well. It can be very difficult — even more so these days, when people expect you to be available 24/7 or close too (part of why I no longer do that) — but I also enjoyed working from home.
I stopped working around the time we got our first dog, just happened. I also always fit in fitness while working full time outside the home, too.
We make time for the things that are important to us.
Enjoy your vacay. I will actually get to the ocean for a couple of days during that. For my Dad’s burial though. Such fun times.
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Once you are 14 days post vaccinated, I’m sure you will be doing more things. Seeing the ocean always makes me feel better – one of the reasons I went to NH and Fla during a pandemic.
The hardest thing with working 8-4 is timing running with the weather. It usually means running when it is raining or snowing or windy or just skipping your run. You get used to it but I wish often that I could wait and run later. I do admit, it is easier when you do not have to get dressed up and drive to work everyday.
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I’m not quite a week post yet. We wouldn’t be doing this if the cemetery were closer or the traffic not quite so intense. But I figured if we have to be there we might as well be close to the ocean.
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I won’t argue with that reasoning. I’m sure you’ll mask up.
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I used to HATE it when the weather was beautiful outside and I was stuck indoors in one of those awful air-conditioned open-plan offices where you can’t even open the windows.
Thankfully, my schedule is more flexible now and I get to run 5 times a week.
Are you going to Naples? How exciting!!!! Please take a LOT of photos, I need to see what it looks like!
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You know I will take lots of pics. Most of them will be on IG @dsc59
I look out the window while I’m working and see the beautiful sky and when I’m done, it may be raining. Grrrrr…
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A trip to Florida sounds wonderful!! Have a great time! I always take my shoes along when I go on vacation, but my training plan usually gets put on hold. I wake up earlier than my family does, so there’s always time for a few miles, but beyond that I don’t stress it!
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Oh I have running clothes packed for everyday and shoes but I may not run as much I’d planned. Definitely no 10 miller. We’ll see hot it is and how late I stay up at night.
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Man, I would love a midday nap 🙂 At least that’s an option most of the time on the weekend after the long run.
I am envious of one of my sisters who is a stay at home mom; I know she has her own stresses, but she gets to run every day around 10 am after the kids get to school. That sounds amazing!
Great and relatable post Darlene, thanks for sharing!
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I feel exactly the same. I see people write that it was raining so they wait an hour to get their run done. Nice!!
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Scheduling my runs for the week really helps me to manage my time. I guess it also helps that most of my runs are short since I’m not really training for anything at the moment. I feel lucky that I have a little bit more flexibility since working from home, especially for lunch time workouts.
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Yes, I will be sad to go back to the office – no mid-day runs. And I also don’t care if I only run 2-3 miles. Even with training, I am not a high mileage runner.
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I got really spoiled when I had my 2-week quarantine (almost six months ago, already). I could do my runs a little later (like, at 6:30 or 7:00) and then log-on in my running clothes. Or, I could take a quick shower and do the hair later LOL Then I had to go back to the office (whomp whomp). It is tough to get it all to fit in, which is why most of my runs are so early in the morning. I’m an early-riser, anyways, so it’s not a deal breaker. Have fun on your trip!
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I know. I don’t know how I will cope with going back to the office.
I got used to working in my running clothes and skipping out for lunch or right after work.
What’s funny is that I ran more often before work when I got up earlier to drive to work.
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I work full-time and have a daughter but have found, no I should say I made the time to run. It’s always been a priority for me. I do have a flexible job as well and we have showers and a locker room at work so I’ve run at work when I’ve had to. It can be done.
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That’s great that you can run at work.
I agree. We do what it takes to squeeze it in.
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I work part-time now, but when I worked full time, I still ran 4 mornings per week! With 2 small boys, I got up before the crack of dawn to put the miles in. If it’s something you love, you make time for it!
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That’s amazing.
Yes you do make time but often it’s a challenge.
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I work slightly less than full time (4 days a week…but often more than that) and I run before work. Its been really nice with working from home that some days I can start my runs a little later. I got into the habit of morning workouts about 15 years ago when I was in grad school and working full time, and still managed to run 5-6 days a week. I learned that if I put it off until after work its less likely to happen!
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Smart move. I need to get into the morning groove.
I agree. It’s nice working from home. More time to run.
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It really does help to have a schedule and stick to it. It is much easier now that my kids are out of the house and I have less to balance. I like to do my workouts mid morning or it’s easy to get distracted!
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Yup. A schedule really does help.
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I work four days a week, but I find the thing that’s even harder is kid duties. Work at least is predictable- with the kids it seems like something is always coming up. But I know I’m lucky to only work four days- I schedule my longer runs for my days off.
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I can’t imagine having young kids and fitting in your runs.
Good luck.
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It is definitely a challenge to fit it all in. In addition to working and running, blogging has been really difficult to work into my schedule too. I get up early and work my running schedule around my work schedule. Fortunately, my busiest work days are also my rest days. The other days I go in a little later so I have time to fit in a run. Scheduling is key.
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Very true. Working from home has helped save time too. But that will end.
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Last year when I worked from home it was so much easier to run. I didn’t have to get out that early and as long as I was home by 8am, I could still shower, get ready, make my breakfast, and be ready at 8:30am. Now I have to drive to school but am not at school as early as before. I know everyone is busy but it is all about planning and making it happen. And if it doesn’t happen, oh well, life goes on. Running is a hobby and not our jobs. I agree that making time for ourselves is also important.
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Yup. You get it. I don’t know how I fit it in when I had to get dressed up and drive to and from work.
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Love love love this post! I work a full-time job, have a side-hustle (my blog and run coaching business), I’m a mom, and my husband has a chronic illness. I don’t get to run as much as I’d like because there just isn’t enough time but I love the tips you give about planning ahead and being flexible! Definitely true for us full-time working runners!
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I know. It’s so hard. But we do what we have to do.
You are inspiring.
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You raise some excellent points. I don’t have a strict schedule in this season, so I can’t imagine how much more challenging it is to have to make things work with a set-in-stone one.
I hope you have the best time on your trip.
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I am loving Florida so far.
Needed a break from life.
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I worked from home before the pandemic, but I make it a point now to run before my husband leaves for work (which is early). Some days it is hard to get out the door that early, but it is worth it. I feel much more focused on my work day if I get some exercise!
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I need to start this again.
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