Tell me how you find the time and motivation to run

[lahobbs4]

I feel ya! Mine are 7,6, and 3 and my husband is also a runner! So, we switch mornings... his are 17+miles, mine are 3-5 during the week.

On work mornings, I am usually stressed out because I need to make it back in time to get everyone up and ready and lunches made and myself showered and ... you understand! So I will limit myself to 30 minutes. If I can get that done, then I'm happy. But I don't get mad at myself if I miss a day. I try to find an early evening that I could run, instead. As long as you enjoy it and not make it a chore, I think that can help you find the time! Good luck!

 

[BuckeyeBama]

There was a period of about 10 years in my life when I was building my career. I was working minimum 12 hour days Mon-Fri, with frequent weekend work. My commute, by train, was 2 hours each way. I ran at 3:30 in the morning. It was important to me, so I did it, and that was the only time that I could do it.

And, to be sure, there really are people out there without the time to run. People working two or three jobs and falling into bed at night, just to get up the next day and start over. I know - I was one of them for a short period of my life. I feel very fortunate to have the time to do the things that I want to do now, and who knows what tomorrow will bring. So I do what I love while I can.

From your posts I would suggest that you do have the time. You just have to decide that you want to do this. So, my advice, just do it. Don't let the inconvenience become an excuse not to do it. But you may also discover that running is not for you, in which case I encourage you to just try something else. Stay active and healthy. That is what is important.

 

[Terapin]

I have 4 kids + two stepdaughters. Kids are 18 down to 1 year old. I am pregnant and stopped running a few weeks ago - but I did start running again when my last baby was 6 weeks. I found that I could get a good run in for 30 minutes a few times a week and one longer one on the weekend. Sometimes it was as dinner was in the oven, and after dinner I would take a shower. Sometimes it was just as I got home from picking up kids as they settled. Sometimes it was as they were in activities like gymnastics.

The key for me was to get dressed in workout gear early so I could take off as soon as I could.

Most runs were short, like 30 minutes.

I ran sometimes with a jogging stroller.

I've also heard of moms and dads taking their kids to the park and running nearby.

 

[Burgundy Rose]

I don't have children, so I can't really help you there but I do have some things to say about time management in general and motivation.

1. I run because I think races are fun. If I didn't sign up for races, or knew I'd participate in one, I don't think I'd be running. The prospect of signing up for one is enough to keep me going. Right now I'm not signed up for any but I do plan on running a Disney half marathon in September 2017 and that's enough for me to train. There are a lot of bonuses to collect along the way - being able to run to catch the bus without feeling exhausted, seeing my time become better and better each week, etc.

2. Regarding time management, I found out about two years ago that while some people genuinely have zero time for non essentials, most of us, in fact, do. The thing is, your schedule isn't going to suddenly make room for an activity. I think you have to make that room. You have to decide that X and Y are your priorities (and by priorities I mean are essential to your well-being as a person) and the rest will just have to adapt. I'll take my own #1 hobby as an example. I'm a reader. I need to read every day for an hour to feel okay. I'd rather go without food and clothes than without books That's me. Knowing that, there are some points in my life when my schedule was so packed that just looking at alloted times for essentials, you'd think I wouldn't have had the time to read, but I've always read. I read during my morning commute, during my lunch break, during my evening commute, while running (I listen to audiobooks), while cooking (audiobooks), while showering (audiobooks), while doing chores (audiobooks). For about a year I did my reading from 4 to 5am because there was no other way Most days, I get in way more than just an hour of reading. I multitask a lot. The one thing I can't do well (but I do it anyway!) is manage two word-related activities at the same time. I can't listen to a podcast and write. I can't work and talk on the phone. I know someone who calls her mother during her workouts so she doesn't 'just talk on the phone for an hour while everything else gets postponed.' The bonus is that she can't get angry at her mother on the phone anymore because she's too exhausted to
What I'm trying to say is that if you're looking at your schedule and at the times you allot to essentials, you're never going to suddenly find a hole in there where you could go run You have to make it fit by finding a way to change things around I hope it all works out for you