How do you fit your training...

Hubby and I are self employed and up to this year ran our business on a semi part time basis (ie 8.30 to 2.00/3.00) so training was no problem - we just ran or swam or biked after work.

Business is such that we have now moved into new business premises and work from 9.00 to 5.00 (in theory - we leave the house at 8.30 and are rarely home before 6.00 somethimes later)  We're finding that we're both really tired and our mojo for training has gone south!

Its the fact that when we get home we've got the dinner to cook and we're both physically tired from our job - plus we now work maybe every other weekend so that time is gone too.  I think half the issue is that we both train -

Please note I am very glad in this climate that our business is doing so well - I'm just curious how normal motals fit in all their running and such!

I'm out of the house from about 7.30 am to 6.30 pm every working day, either at work or commuting.

I'm currently fitting in four runs a week, including LSRs of up to twenty miles, without too much difficulty.  You just have to work round it. 

I find eating things that don't take long to cook, like pasta, helps with time in the evening.  Or can you put things on in a slow cooker to cook while you're out?  Or cook stuff at the weekend for re-heating in the week?

I'll walk to work and take my running gear in a bag. Then when I've finished for the day, I'll get changed and run home

Your working day (8.30 to 6) sounds like a dream to me (I leave the house at 6am and get home at 8pm)  - is it more around losing your mojo when it comes to running, rather than not actually having the time? Could you run before work (or run to work?), or get out even for half an hour as a lunch break?

With my work, I have a long commute so before or after work are both out. I have to run at lunchtimes - luckily I have a gym close by for showering, and there is also a shower in the basement of my office. I make sure the sessions are quality rather than quantity - so speed reps or a temp run are normally what I concentrate on, and leave anything longer to the weekend.

Good luck with the business though - sounds like you are doing well on that score.

With Wilkie on this, leave the house at 7.15 and never home before 7pm.  I still train 6 days a week except for the odd blip here and there. Still have a home to look after as well, OH is now training for am IM and has worse working hours than I do due to him having to travel a lot up ann down the country.

Sounds like you got too used to having the afternoons free to do what you wanted

I cook loads of meals then freeze them and then every night I get one out and have it for lunch the next day.   That way I am having my main meal in the middle of the day when I need it most.

When I come home in the evening I can go straight out to run then I have a light meal when I get back. 

It does seem sometimes that there are not enough hours in the day especially when your routine is changed.  It takes a while to get into a new routine and finding the best way to fit everything in.

Glad your business is doing well GFB

I suppose it comes down to motivation? If you want to do it, you find the time.  

I'm a single parent with three kids (10 through to 16) and I work full time.Their feckless father lives the other side of the world and has nothing to do with them financially or emotionally, so I don't get time off every other weekend like many parents. I can't do anything before work usually, so I train in the evenings once dinner is cooked etc. While the kids are out/watching tv/on computer/eating, I go out and run or gym/swim. I cycle to work in school holidays (10 mile round trip) and weekends, plus a longer run on a weekend. My kids are old enough to not need 24/7 attention which helps. But do I do prioritise training above things like housework. Quite frankly, I think doing a run is more important than cleaning the kitchen floor! The other thing that helps is that I don't have a b/f so I only have myself and the kids to work around. I suppose being unlucky in love has it's advantages - like more time to train.....

I do realise that it's a matter of getting organised (especially re: food) and also to get me lazy arse out of bed in the morning!!

MrGFB is talking about getting a shower in at our work - so as we can make better use of our lunch tme and the pool is literally just a mile away. 

It just seemed like a very long summer (longer hours - kids off school- our new grandbaby was born) and with both of us getting injured (long story short - me with a badly cut foot and he with a calf strain) it kinda took the heart out of  heading out in the evenings to train or getting up early.

Probaly just need one of these....

You need two priests?

Bloody hell, that's worrying.

I'm usually up at 6:30am and back at 6:30pm. Run anywhere between 7:00pm - 9:30pm and in bed by 12:30am.

Exhausting, but how else are you meant to fit it all in?

25th hour anyone?

GFB - as you can see from the posts above, if you want to you'll find a way.  My hours aren't too encroaching (7.30 to 5.45 incuding commute, but I don't live too far from work and have lots of transport options) but have 2 young kids and a wife who's started going to the gym.  I usually run straight from work 2-3 days in the week and end my run at home (running between 5 and 7 miles each run currently) so thats me using what is dead travel time anyway for my core running and then do a more pleasurable LSR at the weekend.

Good luck with getting your Mojo back and with the business.

don't think I could do long training hours and work fulltime let alone long hours..............I have total respect for everyone who manages it..................

I seem to require 9 or so hours sleep a night and so something would have to go.............

good luck with getting a routine going GFB.write yourself a training timetable/ food menu for a couple of weeks and try it out........re-evaluate it after a couple of weeks to see what worked and what didn't

I can't imagine how people fit their training around jobs, kids and pets

I struggle - I have absolutely no idea how I'll ever run when I have kids. 

I'm out of the house from 7.45 to about 6.30 or 7 normally, so not a hugely long working day by a lot of people's standards.  But I don't think time is the problem for me, it's definitely motivation.  I could easily fit a couple of short runs in in the morning before I leave but I can't haul myself out of bed any earlier and I know that some days I just can't face heading back out to run when I've got in from a hot uncomfortable, standing commute on the tram. 

I'm just about managing now as I'm training for a half maraton so know I need to get the miles in but when I don't have a target, I'm useles.  I guess the answer is always having a race on the horizon! 

My biggest trouble this summer has been that we are away or have people to stay most weekends so the long run has to be done after work one day, which is hard.  I've managed this so far by either stopping somewhere on the way back from work and running there (if I am driving) or this week ran home from work (9 miles ish - so not quite as long as my long run should have been but better than nothing).  I don't think I could manage running with a rucksack though, so I can only do this if my hubby can take my bag back for me. 

Very much wish I had the super-motivation of some of the people on this thread though.  Huge admiration for you especially angelic!

Helen - stop inviting people to stay at the weekends!

I saw a girl running along in central London the other morning. 

She was wearing running gear, holding a water bottle in one hand and her handbag in the other!

I stopped running as I let pressure of work get in the way. I started working away more, travelling more, the usual stuff and I just sort of lost the energy to get out and run. Once I'd done that once or twice, it was far too easy to not go out at all.

I'm now back and am determined not to go the same way again. So it gets fitted in, along with everything else. Some times something gives, there's a priority order, if I don't have time to run AND eat, well I'll eat, but if it's between running and housework, then the housework looses out. It helps to be a bit organised with meals - plan ahead, so you're only having to do something quick if you run after work.

Doesn't it take ~ 3 months to form a routine? Accept that you're going to have to work at it for some time before it becomes natural.