How to Run 100 Miles While Working Full-time

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. (No, not that kind of workin’ girl! Although, Craig makes jokes all the time about me being a stripper before I met him. Ha! That is the joke of the century!!)

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. I 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, straighten things up if Craig took something out of its place, (Yes, I’m OCD.), and most importantly: go to the bathroom—and not just #1. 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 – 6:05 p.m. Lift weights

6:15 p.m. Arrive at home

6:00/6:15 – 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

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Question

What helps you when you are on a tight schedule?