Stretched For Time

With the fantastic current bit of dry, warm and sunny weather i have got behind again with my latest blog post. I have written up and submitted my shoe review on the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 13 which should be posted on the bug this week. As well as running i always have other things on the go that keep me busy. As well as working, sparing time for my two children and helping with their homework i also have an original 1983 Raleigh Burner i am stripping and rebuilding. Nostalgia for me and a collectible bike for my son. We also have an allotment to tend so we are right in the thick of planting, weeding and watering. My employment means i am a signed up trade unionist and i am an elected Union Learning Representative. In this role i give up my time to help employees find educational opportunities. So what has all of the above got to do with running? The simple answer is time management. We all have busy lives and all too easily can give ourselves the excuse of being too busy to fit in a run or any exercise for that matter. If you sit down and literally write a timetable of your daily schedule somewhere there will be a gap. It may only be 15 or 20 minutes but that is enough! O.K., some days really are chock a block busy but don’t let that be the excuse for the next day or the day after that!

 My general work type day will usually run as such:

 

07.00am Get Up…

07.15am …Actually Get Up!

07.30am Help Get Children Ready For School

08.00am Banana And Coffee

                 Daughter Leaves For School

08.15am Feed Pets

08.30am Wife Leaves With Son For School, She Then Goes On To Work

08.45am/09.00am Go For Run

09.45am/10.00am Return From Run

10.15am Cook Breakfast – Porridge

10.30am Eat Breakfast – Watch News/Go Online

10.45am/11.00am Shower And Change

11.30am Wash Dishes/Tidy/Washing In Or Out To Dry.

 

Depending what time i start work i may even now have an early lunch. I can start work anywhere from 12.00pm to 17.00pm. If i start later at 16.00pm or 17.00pm this would give me an opportunity to either nip to the allotment or answer emails etc. I then go to work and am typically home at 23.30pm but can be home as late as 01.30am! Then repeat the above. Tuesday and Saturday are my usual rest days from exercise if not from work. I also work quite a lot of over time so booking races well in advance means i am committed and also force myself to have the time off and away from work. So although having a busy and full lifestyle it is still possible to fit in three or four runs a week. If i am off from work on Tuesdays then i attend the Saffron Striders running club then depending how i feel the next day i will either run or give myself the day off knowing i put in some good effort at the club.

 The only next issue once you have sat down and worked out where and when you can fit in your runs is self motivation. Believe me getting home at 01.30am on a late finish day and then getting up at 07.00am can be a real struggle! Getting into a regular routine it becomes second nature to go through the motions of getting up, getting ready and heading out of the door. Most will agree that getting out of the door is the hardest part and that once the run is under way they feel great and really glad they gave themselves the little push to get going. Even if on a tired day the session isn’t the best, the furthest or the fastest. Your body will be thankful of the extra miles put into the legs and the stamina this will create for future runs.

 If you are keen but feel you are struggling for time i hope this gives you a little insight in how it can be done. Sit down, be methodical and see what you can do for yourself.

 

Happy Running, Baz.