No matter if you are an educator, a stay-at-home parent, or an entrepreneur, you can take on the challenge of running a marathon at any stage of life or competence level. Additionally, by equipping yourself with the appropriate resources, you can be ready for the extensive distance of the race.
With a bit of creative scheduling, such as fitting in runs in the morning or before dinner, it is possible to accommodate running into a busy schedule. While running may add to your already packed schedule, it can also offer stress relief and a profound sense of accomplishment that can change your life. Whether you choose to train alone or with a group of friends, you can conquer the distance and find joy in participating in a marathon.
Continue reading for some advice on how to make your training effective within your hectic schedule and which specific areas you should prioritize with your limited time.
Marathon tips for the time-crunched runner
1. Time management
It is becoming increasingly common to observe professional runners who simultaneously work full-time jobs and raise children. The intention is not to suggest that everyone should aim to perform at a professional level in running, but it is inspiring to realize that there are ways to effectively balance a busy schedule with rigorous training.
Becoming a master of time management is necessary to accomplish this task. When facing busy and packed schedules, an effective strategy is to plan your day in advance. This involves meal planning and preparing outfits the previous night, resulting in time saved when getting ready in the morning.
Make a plan for the day and put forth your best effort to make it happen. Whether you choose to do treadmill workouts or jog around the park while your children play, there are means to incorporate your running distance and training.
2. Take every opportunity
It is crucial to seize every opportunity to train whether you are preparing for a marathon in hot weather or in a snowy environment. Avoid postponing your training.
To ensure that you get your running done, seize opportunities, even if it means waking up at 4:30 a.m. to avoid the heat or using your lunch break for a quick run. It is important to make the most of chances to squeeze in a run, especially on days with unfavorable training conditions.
3. Running is an addition to your day
Deena Kastor, a retired professional runner and Olympian, offers valuable advice for individuals with packed schedules: Incorporating running into an already busy routine is crucial. Despite seeming paradoxical, engaging in running provides an excellent opportunity to review our daily tasks and establish priorities. The time spent running holds equal importance for enhancing our organizational abilities and promoting our well-being.
By thinking step by step, rephrase the following text while keeping the meaning intact: Do not include extra information and do not eliminate any information. “This is the most effective way to multi-task and enhance your productivity. Additionally, once your body releases endorphins and dopamine, you cannot help but feel happier and more efficient in all your activities.”
4. Set a goal
By setting a clear goal, you can retain motivation to excel even when your schedule is busy. This is because you are aware that each training session brings you closer to achieving the goal. As a result, skipping runs and losing consistency becomes less likely.
5. Work out in the morning
Running in the morning before work is a useful strategy for individuals who have both work and running commitments. This is due to the fact that, although it is difficult to wake up early and go for a run, the alternative of going to the gym or relaxing with dinner and Netflix after a long day at work would make the choice to go running significantly more challenging.
6. Lean into training alone
Although you may prefer training with your running club, it can be difficult to synchronize their predetermined schedule with the group’s. Despite this disappointment, gaining experience in enduring solitary sessions is indeed excellent preparation for the marathon.
The reason for this is that you are highly likely to run alone during the race, so drawing confidence from your training runs can greatly benefit you mentally on race day. View it as a positive that you have the opportunity to run solely based on your own intuition. Being in a group of runners can occasionally pressure you into maintaining a pace that is too fast.
7. Find ways to enjoy your training
Remember, training for a marathon should be enjoyable and not just hard work. If you’re not having any fun during your training, it will be more difficult to stay committed. If you find yourself feeling stuck, try rearranging your training schedule and incorporating a workout that you know will bring you pleasure.
Instead of being afraid of the marathon, set a goal and enjoy the training, so that when race day arrives, you will feel excited about completing your training and being able to fully enjoy the satisfaction of finishing a marathon.
8. Don’t skip the stretch
After enduring rigorous training and managing a hectic schedule, it is only fair that you give your body a well-deserved stretch.
If you have a friend available, accompany them to a yoga class for a day, utilize the time while dinner is cooking to stretch, or shorten your run by five minutes and allocate that time for stretching. Concentrate on stretching the muscles that feel tight. In case your job necessitates prolonged sitting in a chair or if you have a lengthy car commute, it is essential to stretch your hip flexors and quads.
9. Put it in the calendar
The use of one central calendar is perhaps the most effective tool for a time crunched athlete. However, in order for it to be effective, you must actually use it. To effectively plan your day, it is important to be aware of what is happening, where it is happening, and when it is happening. This applies not only to your tasks for the day but also to family events.
You and your wife have a shared “family calendar” that is synchronized with my personal calendar. By doing so, I am informed whenever she adds something to it, preventing any surprises from commitments I was unaware of. This synchronization also lets you ensure that your workout schedules do not overlap with prior commitments.
We highly advise including all tasks and events in your calendar, such as picking up kids from school at 3:30pm, going grocery shopping at 6:15pm, and swimming at 7:30pm. Interestingly, you have the option to synchronize your TrainingPeaks calendar with third-party calendars like Google Calendar, Outlook, or iCalendar.
Once you have put everything in your calendar, you can begin to search for empty spaces or opportunities where you can potentially improve your training time. It is astonishing how much time may become available once you start examining your day with a sense of organization.
By thinking step by step, you will be able to identify potential conflicts in advance and collaborate with your coach to enhance your training schedule for the week. For instance, if you have a rigorous biking session scheduled simultaneously with your child’s dance recital or soccer game, it is highly probable that you will be unable to attend that workout.
By having a schedule, you will be able to anticipate conflicts in advance, align days of rest with pre-planned commitments, and ensure that your training stays on schedule.
10. Recruit help
In today’s world, we are surrounded by social media influencers who seem to have thriving careers in sports, business, and personal life. However, it is important to remember that what we witness is often a curated version of their lives. We are not aware of the challenges they face or the networks that support them.
We are given a “perfect portrayal” and required to succeed without assistance from others. This not only establishes an unattainable benchmark, but it undoubtedly results in a decrease in self-confidence, impacting performance and mental well-being.
When considering things sequentially, do not hesitate to seek assistance. Establish a network of support consisting of family, friends, and coaches to aid you in achieving your objectives. This support can manifest in various ways, such as enlisting friends to organize a carpool for transporting children to and from school, thus potentially allowing you some extra time for exercise.
Is it possible for you to hire a landscape company or a neighborhood kid to mow the lawn on a weekly basis? Can your significant other assist with meal prepping every weekend? Engaging in these activities can considerably free up a significant amount of time, which can ultimately be utilized for training or recuperation.
In conclusion, the hiring of a coach can significantly reduce the amount of stress in your daily life. Collaborating with a coach allows you to simply wake up and adhere to the plan, eliminating the need to spend numerous hours researching the science and constructing the plan in addition to implementing it.
Formal coaching also provides the advantage of having a coach who has completed years of education, training, certification, and research. This ensures that you can make the most of your limited training time each week by optimizing every minute and achieving the best possible adaptation.
11. Maxime your rest day
Many endurance athletes find it difficult to take rest days, and there are even coaches who don’t recommend them. However, we firmly believe that every athlete should have at least one day off per week, a day dedicated to complete rest. This necessity arises from both physiological and mental-emotional perspectives.
The primary purpose of rest days is to provide a day of rest, prioritizing minimizing physical stress. This means refraining from activities such as easy running, hiking, swimming, and riding. By dedicating the other five-six days of the week to training, we expose our bodies to a considerable amount of stress.
Adding on the emotional stress of our personal and work life, our physical and emotional state becomes drained. A rest day provides our body with the opportunity to recuperate, restore muscle, and strengthen our immune system. Moreover, it grants us ample time to address errands, settle bills, go grocery shopping, prepare meals, and more, alongside allowing our body to recover.
12. Find your inspiration
If you are looking for motivation, there are numerous methods available; it is simply a matter of discovering what resonates most with you. Try placing a motivational quote on your bathroom mirror.
Create an exhilarating playlist. Engage in volunteer work at a local race or watch a marathon where a friend is participating. Adopt an energetic dog that requires physical activity and prevents you from being idle on the couch. No matter what motivates you to step outside and prepare yourself physically and mentally for a challenge.
