A few of of you asked to reveal my super secret schedule as to how I fit running 100 miles into a working girl’s schedule.
Well, as much as I wish I wish I had a big secret, I don’t. I literally run–> work –> run –> sleep. Oh, and throw in there lots of eating! Seriously, I thought I was a bottomless pit before. I don’t think I’ve been full for the past two weeks. While it is kind of nice, it is also kind of annoying. I feel like I need a disclaimer at my desk as to why I am eating again.
I really, honestly, do not have time for much else besides working and running. I do not watch TV in the evenings. I do not cook dinner. (Craig and I fend for ourselves.) I do not blog during the week. I hardly read any blogs and rarely make comments on posts. I only spend a mere 20-30 minutes on the Internet in the evening. I really don’t spend any time with my husband in the evenings. We don’t have kids. And I do all my errand running, laundry, and cleaning on the weekends, which means I have no life on the weekends either. But, hey, I did run 100 miles. 😛
But since you asked, here’s what a typical day looks like for me.
4:30/5:00 a.m. Alarm goes off
[If I am running 10 miles or less, I get to “sleep in” until 5 a.m. If I’m running more than 10 miles, I get up at 4:30 a.m.]5:00/5:30 a.m. Out the door to start running
[I give myself a half an hour to get out the door. Yes, I could get out the door in less time, but I don’t like feeling rushed. During this half an hour, I change into my running clothes, put my contacts in, brush my teeth, redo my ponytail, sometimes check my e-mail/Facebook, put dry dishes away, and most importantly: go to the bathroom. Right before going out the door, I eat about 100 calories of some type of energy chews. (I have the chews instead of an energy gel because they are cheaper.) When I was running less than an hour, I wouldn’t eat anything beforehand, but now that I’m running 90 minutes or more most mornings, I need something to get me through the run. I often bring an energy gel along as well just in case I need another boost of energy.]
5:00/5:30 a.m. – 6:45/7:00 a.m. Run
6:45/ 7:00 a.m. Return from my run
[Ideally, I like to get back from running around 6:45 a.m. to give myself some time to stretch and/or foam roll, but I usually end up getting back closer to 7 a.m.]7:05 – 8:15 a.m. Get ready for work
[This also includes making and eating breakfast. I try to prep my breakfast the night before—if I know what I want. I’ll put all the ingredients for a smoothie into the blender and then stick the blender in the fridge. For oatmeal, I will mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl and then mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. This way all I have to do is dump the two together in the morning.]8:15 – 8:30 a.m. Drive to work
8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Work
[This gives me an 8 hour work day with 30 minutes for lunch.]If I am running after work:
5:00 – 5:05 p.m. Change at work
5:10 -5:50 p.m. Run
[I don’t really care to run from work, but if I go home first, I know I will get distracted by things at home, so it saves me a lot of time.]6:00 p.m. Arrive home
[I’m sure my very short commute helps my schedule.]If I am going to the gym after work:
5:10 p.m. Arrive at the gym
5:10 – 5:20 p.m. Change, go to the bathroom
5:20 – 6:00 p.m. Lift weights
6:00/6:15 p.m. Arrive at home
6:15 – 7:00 p.m. Eat, unpack lunch, make next day’s lunch, repack lunch, clean up the kitchen
7:00 – 7:30 p.m. Use the Internet
7:30 – 8:00 p.m. Get my running clothes and work clothes picked out for the next day, pick up around the apartment
8:00 – 8:30 p.m. Foam roll, stretch
8:30/9:00 p.m. Go to bed
It is a tight schedule, but it usually works out pretty well. I really have to plan ahead and make sure all my ducks are in a row each day!
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Well, I was not planning on running 105 miles this week, but sometimes these things just happen. Ha! A friend invited me to run Sunday afternoon, and I couldn’t say no, so I tacked on another 5 miles for the week and ran a new weekly high of 105 miles. Go ahead, call me crazy. My mom already did! 😉
Monday
AM – 9 miles/1:16
PM – 5 miles/39:00
Tuesday
AM – 10 miles/1:23 (track workout: 6 x 1600 meters)
PM – 5 miles/40:13
Wednesday
AM – 14 miles/1:54
PM – 30 minutes weight lifting
Thursday
AM – 12 miles/1:31 (tempo workout: 20 minute tempo run, 15 minute tempo run, 10 minute tempo run)
PM – 5 miles/ ? – forgot watch
Friday
10 miles/1:24
Saturday
22 miles/2:54
Sunday
AM – 8 miles/1:10
PM – 5 miles/43:00
Total: 105 miles
wow, i am so impressed! you have an awesome level of commitment, girl. i think you pretty much do all my busy schedule tricks with making breakfast/lunch etc ahead of time. my biggest challenge is getting distracted by things (i.e. our cats, husband, laundry, fun baking etc.).
ooo. . . .getting distracted by your husband isn’t a bad thing. 😉
That is amazing! I am sorry if you have brought this up already, but are you training for a big race or just racking up the miles right now? I am very inspired by your mileage! Awesome job! 🙂
Sorry, I know it isn’t always very clear why I’m doing such high mileage. I’m training for the Twin Cities Marathon, which is in a couple of weeks.
Oh awesome! I have a friend coming up from TX to run that one. You are going to crush it 🙂
Impressive indeed! Is it dark when you run in the morning? I am so scared of running in the dark. I live in rural SD, so I’m afraid of skunks badgers, and other creatures of the night! Do you wear a light? And BTW, congrats on Boston! Very excited to read about it!
Yes, it is dark when I run. I think I would be pretty scared to run in the dark in the country too. In town in it pretty light with all the street lamps, so it isn’t too bad. I definitely try to be strategic on which routes I take though. I don’t wear a light. I’m not a fan of it strapped to my head and didn’t think it helped that much the couple of times I tried it–but then again maybe it was the brand/type of headlamp I was using.
Try wearing the headlamp around your waist. I find when I run and it’s dark and need a headlamp it’s more stable around my waist and you can barely feel it. It also better lights the ground you are running on. What is your goal marathon time?
I hadn’t thought about wearing the headlamp around my waist, but I know there is a belt light by One80 that my friend really likes. Plus it is way brighter than my headlamp. I am going for a sub-3 marathon.
Where in SD?! Me too!
Sad, Jamie. Your comments always go to my spam folder. I’m glad I found this though.
I’m near Gettysburg, which is in north-central SD between Pierre and Mobridge. Where are you in SD??
Rapid City! My friend April Beringer is from Gettysburg!
so your “secret” is to get up early and get the bulk of the miles done before work, then spend <1 hr after work runing as well. Getting up daily at 4/4:30 takes DEDICATION! I'm impressed!
Yes, I do get up early to get the majority of my miles in before work, and then about 40 minutes running after work. (It wasn’t really a “secret”–just what I do. 😉 ) I’ve never gotten up at 4 a.m., but yes, 4:30 a.m. usually 2-3 times a week. It does take dedication, but I love it so that helps. 🙂
Wow, I’m late to the party but wow, so impressive! I’m curious, what do you eat to fual all this? Does your husband run? What’s your goal for the marathon?
Brian
Same type of foods I usually do: lean proteins, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and healthy fats. . . just more servings. Craig is a fair-weather runner. He’ll do a couple races each year. My goal for the marathon is a sub-3 hour marathon!!
Do you run 100 miles a week every week? Sorry for the questions, I was lookng at my schedule and trying to work 100 miles in, just wow.. Im not as fast as you, so it’s a little more complex to fit the 100 in.. So impressed! And diet is always a puzzle for me..