Give me time
After two years as a stay at home mom, I recently returned to the work force. With an 8-5 job, a two year old, and a husband who works a different shift, I find myself, as so many of us have before, with a complete shortage of time. Training for a half-marathon is no joke though, and I’m trying to find creative solutions for running that don’t include a 4:30 alarm clock and a flashlight taped to my head.
I’ve dusted off my running stroller, and started hauling my son again. He weighs way more than I remember! I’m not getting the distance I need, but maybe the extra weight counts for something. I’ve also started bringing running running clothes and shoes to work, and going out for a few quick miles during lunch. This has had a wonderful and unexpected benefit. Today alone two people have come by my desk to talk about running, and about fund raising. I’m hoping to get one out for a walk with me next week. Maybe I can round up a team of people for theZooma run in November!
So, a question for you dear readers. How do you do it? If you’re like me, and have more to do than you have hours in the day, I’m sure you’ve discovered some great ways to put in your miles. Share them with me in the comments.
Hey Jen,
I struggle with the getting up early to go running part. I keep meaning to get up at 5:45 AM so I can get a long run in (I live in hot and humid S Florida), but the sandman has been keeping me in bed the last few mornings.
My other option is to workout around 5-7 PM. But at 5 PM it’s usually still brutally hot down here. My husband and I go to spinning class at the gym every Tuesday night – AHHHH, air conditioning! My house is a mess, the laundry piles up, mountains of paperwork are taking over my home office. So I have no good solution to balancing life and working out.
My husband and I are going for a short bike ride tonight at around 6:15 PM, but then night time workouts interfere with family time. My kids are usually sleeping when I do my early morning workouts. Once our century ride is over (October 26th) we will only be training for a marathon, so we can scale back our workout schedule just a bit. Right now we workout 5-7 days a week.
I don’t have kids so I guess it’s a bit easier. So what’s my excuse for sleeping in these days?
When I was marathon training there were only two things that kept me going. 1) a schedule laid out for each day of the month, in advance and 2) more importantly a training partner to keep me going. So if you can get a team together it will really help as you keep each other accountable.