Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Balancing running and, you know...life


(Apologies for the emo post below.  Just imagine you paid $15 to see an indie band play.  ::strum strum strum::)

Running is great, but training for something can be freaking time consuming.  I love it, but trying to get faster and train for longer distances has had it's downfall.  Training for Eugene has turned into "Margot and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad training cycle" and I have to admit I've been feeling very frustrated lately.  I've gone from looking forward to pounding out hard workouts to being ready to stab myself with a foam roller to avoid finishing up the training.

This is the time when I start questioning my priorities.  Everywhere I look, I see articles about "making time for a workout".  Inspirational pictures tell me that I'll never regret a workout.

But I have regretted workouts!  And not just because I didn't run them hard enough (although this is the most common reason).  A couple weeks back, I ran a 20 miler before work.  I did this because I was racing that weekend and I didn't want the 20 miler to interfere with the 15k race.

I woke up at 5 AM, ran for three hours (yup I get into work very late) and started my work day.  That morning, I felt like a bit of a badass to run that much while the world was still asleep.  But I quickly realized what I'd done was foolish.  I couldn't concentrate at work.  After about 2PM my morning run caught up to me, and I had to leave early with a splitting headache.  Later, when I explained to my roommate what happened, she shook her head and told me I was crazy for running 20 miles before work.  

And you know what?  I think she was right.  I guess this is why people always do long runs on weekends.  More time to run, and less productivity required.  But even weekends can be hard to make the time.  I don't know how some people do it!    We all have our own commitments, and one of mine is being in a long-distance relationship.  So on the weekends that I visit Anthony, I definitely tone down the workouts to avoid being a tired jerk the rest of the day.  But in marathon training peak weeks speak, that means 2-hour runs at a relatively easy pace.  Basically, I try to minimize the time running (funny, because that is still a LOT of running) without giving myself a workout hangover for the rest of the day.  I want to be fun and I want to be up for going out later in the day.  And I guess that's my priority.  (with that attitude, surprising I'm not elite, eh ;-))

Of course, some would argue that I should stop my complaining and suck it up, right?  After all, "someone busier than me is running right now." 


I say maybe that person needs to reevaluate their priorities.  If they are that busy, maybe going on a run wasn't the best idea.  We all need sleep and rest, and in a society that glorifies being "SO BUSY", sometimes going on a long run, or running a track workout isn't the best choice.   Maybe kicking it with the people you love is.  Or going to the grocery store.  

As someone who is not elite, and who doesn't have a career in running, but cares about it a lot, it's hard to perfectly define my priorities.  I would say that my job, my relationship, and my friends/family come first, but in reality, I don't always act that way.  And I do love running most of the time, but it's still just a hobby.  When I look back on how I spent my late twenties in a few years, I hope I don't regret how I spent my time.  I guess it's hard to know now, but I'm doing the best I can.    

(This is just me.  How do you balance being a runner (or whatever else you like to do) with your other commitments?)

16 comments:

  1. I know exactly how you feel. I am a full time mom, wife, employee, and runner. I do the long runs on Saturday mornings with a marathon training group while the hubs and baby sleep in. I run two days a week with Peyton strapped in the jogging stroller basically screaming the whole time. (so no one goes with me and the hubs is at school.) i have learned to tune him out and to run as fast as i can. and then one day a week i run by his daycare before i pick him up from school. By the way love your blog. I look forward to reading it. Does your boyfriend run? You can maybe run together on days you get to see him. Or do other activities that burns a lot of calories while together. :)Don't beat yourself up about missing runs. in the end you are still way fast. (and a lot faster than me.)

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    1. Hi Allyson. Thanks for reading I'm really glad your enjoy:).

      Ant doesn't run, but maybe one day he will! Lol about the other calories.

      Anyways, it sounds like you've got a TON on your plate and I really appreciate your comment.

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  2. You are funny even in "emo" posts.

    I find that lately, I am just running more days per week but fewer miles each run, in order to not have it take over my life. It's easy enough to squeeze in 4-6 miles without having to reprioritize my life. The bottom line, though, is if it isn't fun, then maybe it needs to be toned down or changed.

    I occasionally catch grief from the husband about running a lot, and while I agree that family time is important, I spend every evening and weekend with him. It's not like I spend running hours with some other person instead of him. I basically am selfish about this "me" time and don't feel guilty about it, especially if I'm in the "running is fun" range and not "if I have to run another tempo I'm going to cut someone".

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    1. I definitely agree with you that 4-6 miles is the sweet spot for a quick weekday run. Yeah I think given that you live with your husband going on runs isn't selfish. At all. ;0

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  3. I think your feelings are totally legit. I think the "motivational" posters can very easily cross over the line into the realm of "extremely ridiculous for real people". Everyone has different busy thresholds and if you're too busy, you're too busy. I think this is an example of how as a society, we try to do everything. So many of us continuously burn the candle at both ends.

    For me, I have to constantly remind myself to take things one day at a time and to learn from my mistakes. So you found out that you can't do a 20 miler before work and then feel awesome. Well, at least you know now! You can jot that down as a mistake you won't make again and move on.

    You're doing an awesome job and remember to count your everyday successes. It's so easy to get wrapped up in long term goals and we forget about the awesome things we do every hour. I mean, look at it this way. You posted a great blog post that has inspired conversation. That's definitely something you can't regret :).

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    1. Thank you for your thoughtful comment! it definitely made me feel better.

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  4. Ah, great post. The joys of finding balance.....I have had many of the same feelings! "Is spending 8+ hours this week running/training really worth it?!"

    You know, the only reason I decided to try to get faster was because I was sick of spending excess time running. The faster I completed a run, the quicker I could get back to "real" life. Efficiency at its best, ha!

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  5. I get this, and I don't even run that much where running takes up an enormous amount of my time. I think part of the reason (aside from laziness and fear of injury) that I eschew running more than 45 miles a week is that I don't want it to take control of my life. 

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    1. Yeah i think that 40 or so miles a week is that sweet spot where you can still have a life...apparently it's also the point where I start hating running as well!

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  6. Spend more time with meeeeeeeeeee! En serio. I don't have flex days scheduled for April or May. Three day weekend! I'll come to you.

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    1. That would be awesome! I know so much more about OC now and can now show you some fun things! Will email you soon.

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  7. I totally get what you're saying here. And I agree, sometimes running takes up a little more time in my life than I would like it to...especially with my long runs on Saturday mornings.

    But that being said, I know that running adds SO much happiness and relaxation in my brain, which transfers to all other parts of my life, so it's effects are well worth the time invested.

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  9. Newbie commentator here! I love, love that you are giving other new NUUN HTC candidates a chance! I’ve been reading other blogs, some who did it last year and with the rise in running (blogs), it just sounds like a great opportunity to spread the love and how wonderful NUUN is! Finding that balance is hard! I love running so I make time for it because it makes me sane/is a destresser and my family/bf/friends understand this. During marathon training it means that I only get to go out with my friends once or twice a week but it works. My bf will sometimes run with me and my parents…well they just tell me to stop running because they think my knees will blow out. I tell ‘em: knees are easier to replace than organs!

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  10. Sometimes you can't fit it all in... I think you are ready for the taper part of your training.

    Before I had my son, I could wake up at the crack of dawn to run 6-10 miles before work and on the weekends I could go long.

    My new schedule is working out at lunch time or after my son has gone to sleep. Instead of cocktails on Friday night I can sometimes be found on a treadmill in front of the TV. And instead of going for long runs on the weekends, I take my little one with me. I know it will be awhile before I have the time to fully committ to a marathon. I would rather wait, then attempt to run the distance half assed.
    Good luck in Eugene.

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  11. Balance. Way to be honest. Who doesn't struggle with it? Finding the balance has meant a lot of things over the last 13 years. Most recently I've been enjoying challenging myself, my speed, my endurance, my fitness... I've also been enjoying the great race day results. But my husband and I are now trying for our second child and it's been very hard for me to scale back my intensity. I watch others doing long miles, big workouts, and setting challenging goals, and I get to feeling left out. I still plan to run as long as I can, but it's hard to let go of the chase. But the dynamics of our family, and
    what my husband cares about are of more
    long term value then one more race.

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