One of the biggest struggles I’ve always has is fitting in everything I need or want to do. As runners we know that it goes beyond just getting in your run each morning. Sure, it will get you progress but the little things are what keep us pushing forward and help us stay injury free. We can’t always avoid injury, but there are ways to help minimize the risk.
I haven’t always been a morning runner; in fact for the first 3-4 years of running I did it every day after work. It was tough, but for me it was much easier than getting up before work. Once I moved to Virginia, my husband and I both made the decision that we needed to become morning runners. It was really the only way we were going to be able to get in what we needed to.
The running part (even if I do get up at 4:00 AM) is the easy part for me. My struggle comes in fitting in the little things that I really need to keep myself healthy and strong. As I’ve slowly been incorporating running back in my routine the past month or so I’ve been making it a point to be creative about when I get it done.
I don’t know about some of you, but when I get home from work I’m exhausted. It’s one of the hardest times for me to get myself motivated to do just about anything except cook dinner. The thing is – looking at my reasoning I see a lot of excuses. I know if I want to improve then I have to do the small things; even if that means moving things around.
I’ve set a few new habits into play that have seemed to help even though saying they are easy to make happen on certain days would be a lie.
Mornings are for Running – I used to try to fit in everything in the morning. I knew it would get done, but I ended up getting up extra early or I would be rushed the entire time. One of the most frustrating things for me is when I am rushed during my run. It makes it so much harder for me to relax and enjoy it. I’ve changed it so I get up about 30 minutes later or more than I used to in order to get some extra sleep and just focus on getting my running (or cardio) in the morning.
Strength Work in the Afternoon – I’ve moved most of my strength work to the afternoon. I do have to be very careful with this because it is still easy for me to skip, but it makes it again not as rushed and I can actually focus on making sure I have proper form. I try to have a plan ahead of time so I just don’t go stare at the weights, but being prepared and doing it the afternoon ensures it happens and it is done right.
Fit in What I Can When I Can – Some days I try my best to stick to my schedule and sometimes life gets in the way. Some days I have to do weights quickly 5-10 minutes in the morning and another 5-10 minutes in the evening. It’s not always easy but some days just require me to be a bit more flexible.
Fit in more on the Weekends – Weekends have always been a big training time for me because I don’t have to get up super early. It was always my long run and I have missed that in this come back. I still treat my weekends as my “longer run time” which right now hovers around 60 minutes. I sometimes will add in some spinning and try to get a longer strength work routine as well to help! Fit in more on the weekends if you can.
These small changes have made a difference for me, but mostly because I’ve been focused on changing the way I think about things. No matter what period you are in – recovering, training for a marathon, or just running for run the little things help to keep you stronger and reduce your risk of injury. Looking at it in this light has really changed my mindset. Plus, when you begin to see the results it makes it all worthwhile!
When do you fit in strength work?
Do you have certain times of day you do your workouts?
I always try to remember to not think of strength training and something I ‘fit in’ but something that I also ‘do’. It helps that I have a personal trainer that keeps me motivated in that area. So when people ask me all the time if I ever want to try any other sports I always tell them that actually I weight train a lot and that that is really my other interest along with my running. Generally I run in the early mornings and then do mobility/strength/yoga stuff after work. I always tell myself that if I don’t want to drive to the gym that I can watch Netflix and strength train, haha, that usually works also. Sometimes you gotta do whatever it takes!
I love this post. When I read running blogs, people make it sound like they have 30 hours in a day! Working full time and running is hard, especially when our jobs are mentally exhausting. I’m in the process of trying to become a morning runner and some days it works and others my husband just has to deal with me being gone for an hour after work. We’re getting there though! It feels so good to have our runs done in the morning and have that extra time in the evenings!
I’m totally the opposite! I need to do cardio later int he day and strength super early!
Currently not being able to run due to a lower back injury, I am focusing on doing strength training after work. I spend about 30-40 mins (1 hour max) with my dumbells every other day. Also, I clean up my diet to prevent weight gain but I do eat whatever I want sometimes. Not being to run is hard enough, I try not to beat myself up if I miss a workout or if I eat 5 cookies after dinner. I think what the most important think is balance so that you won’t burn out while making little changes.
Hey there – loving the new blog look! Have you a post you can link back to where you talk about your strength work? I am determined to start incorporating it into my running and a bit overwhelmed where to start! I know something small regular is better than a huge session sporadically – but not sure what that should be! Thanks 🙂 Gil l