I need a plan! More hours in the day! How do you do it?
bttrthanevr
Posts: 615 Member
I need a real running plan. I'm making progress, but my "training" has been by the seat of my pants lately. I'm not following a hard and fast plan. My kid's activities have really crunched the time I have to run, and I need at least an hour to accomplish the things I'm wanting to do. Soon going to get even worse! Less light/more activities. I am aiming for a 10K in October. So I catch as catch can, and I switch between running for distance, cherry picking an interval run from the 5K210K app, or just running only as much as I have time for. I need to pick a plan, make it a priority and then stick with it. This is a vent and a cry for help.
Does anyone run in the dark? How do you manage it? I run alone because 1-my schedule is so erratic that it's hard to coordinate with another person, and 2- I like running alone.
The bridge to 10K app I have asks for 70 and in some case 80 minutes. Are there other options that work, but fit into 50 or 60 minutes?
Mornings are not my time of day...but one a week might be a possibility. My husband uses it as the only time he can bike or run due to his work schedule which doesn't get him home until 7pm most days. We do not want to leave sleeping children home alone.
I could carve out...
MON no time at all, unless early Am. I would have to run at 5:00AM and would need to steal that day from my husband.
TUES from 8pm until ???
WED from 8pm until ???
THURS 7:10-8:10...so about an hour
FRI Not likely, but I can sometimes squeeze an hour
SAT mostly good
SUN mostly good
I guess that was TMI. But the real question is, how do you do it?
Does anyone run in the dark? How do you manage it? I run alone because 1-my schedule is so erratic that it's hard to coordinate with another person, and 2- I like running alone.
The bridge to 10K app I have asks for 70 and in some case 80 minutes. Are there other options that work, but fit into 50 or 60 minutes?
Mornings are not my time of day...but one a week might be a possibility. My husband uses it as the only time he can bike or run due to his work schedule which doesn't get him home until 7pm most days. We do not want to leave sleeping children home alone.
I could carve out...
MON no time at all, unless early Am. I would have to run at 5:00AM and would need to steal that day from my husband.
TUES from 8pm until ???
WED from 8pm until ???
THURS 7:10-8:10...so about an hour
FRI Not likely, but I can sometimes squeeze an hour
SAT mostly good
SUN mostly good
I guess that was TMI. But the real question is, how do you do it?
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Replies
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I just started w9d1 of the 10k program tonight. But I have been doing the c25k for the past 9 weeks. I'm a mom of three kids who are super busy and I work full time. We often eat dinner late, my husband is in charge of dishes and the kids after while the puppy and I hit the road.
I often don't start until 9pm. But the weather is great and the neighborhood is quiet. I have a reflective leash for my pup and I always wear light colored shirts. When I get home I shower, and go to bed to read and wind down.
I feel safe in my neighborhood, especially with my dog and my phone at night..but I guess this might not be a safe option in all cities.
It works for me...I'm finding that the worst part right now is I hate my non-run days.0 -
What about one long run outside on the weekend, one speedwork workout on the treadmill (for example: warm-up for 1-1.5 miles, fartleks 1 min fast run, 1 min recover, 2min fast run, 2 min recover, 3/3, 2/2, 1/1, run another 1-1.5 miles), then one workout with hill repeats (on real hills, or on the treadmill - and could be quicker than those 70-80 minutes).
One of the ladies in my running club is on a program towards a half, and she only has one long run per week. Every other week the long run is one mile longer. The rest are 3 miles or less, I think. We do 3-4 miles as speedwork in our weekly run club (although I am aiming for 5+). That's just an example - she already has a great running base, but there are programs out there where you don't need 70-80 minutes 3x/week.
I know you said you cannot do the treadmill, but I can't remember why. If it's boredom (the reason I couldn't do treadmill), the speedwork/hill repeats may be OK since you can mix things up.0 -
Thanks for the suggestions. I think I will need to work on establishing a better relationship with the treadmill. It messes with my inner ear issues. I feel like I'm still moving even when standing still for a while after I get off of it. That is one of my issues with it. The other is that it is boring to the point that it somehow makes the distances harder. But the interval training might work to alleviate the boredom aspect. It is also convenient that I have access to a gym at work and the Y gym. I suppose the ellipticals are an option too. My Y is open until midnight. That helps. And the work gym is 24 hours. I'm not willing to give up the progress I've made, so I will make it work some how.
I am divided on how I feel running at night. I can't really decide where I would do it. I have run the more open part of our bike trail, since traffic and businesses along the way provide decent lighting, and it's pretty well populated with people coming and going. I am wondering if I could find a nighttime running buddy for one day a week...maybe...0 -
What I've found I had to do was to intensify on the weekends. My current plan is:
Week 1:
Tuesday: 20 minute run, flat, working on intervals
Thursday: 20 minute run, running up my neighborhood hill, as opposed to my bike path hill.
Saturday: Next day of the 5 to 10k program
Sunday: The Next day of the 5 to 10k program
Week 2:
Wednesday: 20 minute run, flat, working on intervals
Friday: Next day of the 5 to 10k program
Sunday: The Next day of the 5 to 10k program
and alternate between the weeks. This is not necessarily a good plan, but it's the best that I could come up with at the moment.0 -
Have you checked out Hal Higdon's plan? You do 2.5 or 3 miles on Day 1 (it bumps up in week 4), 2 miles on Day 2, and then Day 3 is the longer runs so I do that one on the weekend.0
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I guess I first just want to acknowledge that it's REALLY hard to come up with a plan when juggling so much. I admit, mine seems to change weekly. I can't set one in stone, and so it seems I need to just be satisfied with a line in the sand. I think negotiating one morning with your husband is reasonable and makes sense. That and one day on the weekend and you have two. The treadmill or intervals, buddy at night options but sound good for the third run. I ditto the treadmill struggles... getting your sea legs back, boredom, and for me it feels faster (harder to keep my pace). But when I do speedwork on it, it works. It's about all I can handle on the treadmill.
Good luck, and be patient and gentle with yourself, while also asserting your needs. Balance is tough.0 -
Have you checked out Hal Higdon's plan? You do 2.5 or 3 miles on Day 1 (it bumps up in week 4), 2 miles on Day 2, and then Day 3 is the longer runs so I do that one on the weekend.
That looks good. I was just going to continue on with the Zen lab app I was using for the c25k - but I think I like the above plan better.
Do you use an app for the prompts?0 -
Have you checked out Hal Higdon's plan? You do 2.5 or 3 miles on Day 1 (it bumps up in week 4), 2 miles on Day 2, and then Day 3 is the longer runs so I do that one on the weekend.
That looks good. I was just going to continue on with the Zen lab app I was using for the c25k - but I think I like the above plan better.
Do you use an app for the prompts?
I use Endomondo. They have a free version but I bought the one for $4.99. It will give me verbal prompts at every half mile or mile (which I change depending on how often I want to hear). It will also verbally tell me my split times if I want, but that kind of freaks me out so I've shut that off.0 -
You already use Endomondo, don't you?0
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I use Endomondo for the prompts. It's much better at times than distance.
I run at night or early morning on Sunday.
Sometimes I work late (also summer in Georgia), so I'll do my Tuesday run at night under streetlights about half the time. If I have to use the treadmill, I put a fan full on me so it doesn't feel as pointless.
Thursdays I work from home and do morning or afternoon.
Using the SmartCoach app, I did one long run, one speed workout and one easy run a week. Right now, I'm using the Busy Girl's Half Marathon program (longer long runs and a tempo run instead of an easy run). You might want to check out her beginning 10k plan: http://www.jennyhadfield.com/training-plans/10k/0 -
You already use Endomondo, don't you?
I do. So you just manually add the runs for each week in?0 -
Yes, in their interval builder. I walk 5 minutes (or .25 miles) before each run, so I add that in too.
Of course, it told me that my last run was 1 mile in 40 minutes and that I did a 105 minute mile in my "orange" zone running. So, there's that.0 -
I liked using the Smart Coach plan, because you do a long run at the weekend and 2 shorter runs through the week it was easier to fit in. LIke you I am really busy with my kids activities and my husband is a shift worker (plus he goes to BJJ on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday and has fire training on a Thursday and Judo on a Friday) so I am pretty much doing it all myself! I used to run in the dark in the winter in the evenings and I enjoyed it (or maybe I just enjoyed it because it was winter and I like the cold!) but where I live is a safe area and I don't have to worry about my safety. Now I prefer to get up early and run before work, and I can tell you I am not an early morning person!! But you do get used to it and now I wake at 5am every day whether I want to or not. I was checking my Runtastic history and none of my weekday runs were longer than 50 minutes, most were around 40-45 minutes.0
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Yes, in their interval builder. I walk 5 minutes (or .25 miles) before each run, so I add that in too.
Of course, it told me that my last run was 1 mile in 40 minutes and that I did a 105 minute mile in my "orange" zone running. So, there's that.
OK - that is part of the Pro plan. I don't have that yet. I don't mind paying for one but is Endomundo the way to go. There are so many out there I am feeling a little overwhelmed.
And I don't mind entering the runs in manually, but I want to be able to sit and do it at the PC all at once. And I really don't want to assign them to specific days - because the days I get out to run change from week to week.0 -
I liked using the Smart Coach plan, because you do a long run at the weekend and 2 shorter runs through the week it was easier to fit in. LIke you I am really busy with my kids activities and my husband is a shift worker (plus he goes to BJJ on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday and has fire training on a Thursday and Judo on a Friday) so I am pretty much doing it all myself! I used to run in the dark in the winter in the evenings and I enjoyed it (or maybe I just enjoyed it because it was winter and I like the cold!) but where I live is a safe area and I don't have to worry about my safety. Now I prefer to get up early and run before work, and I can tell you I am not an early morning person!! But you do get used to it and now I wake at 5am every day whether I want to or not. I was checking my Runtastic history and none of my weekday runs were longer than 50 minutes, most were around 40-45 minutes.
OK - where is Smart Coach - is it a stand alone app - or a plan within one of the other running apps?0 -
Ah, friends...lots of good things to consider...thanks for your ideas. I thought about it a lot at work today...I am going to have squeeze what I can, and be happy with what I get. This quote popped up on my Facebook feed...
"It's important to remember that each footstrike carries you forward, not backward. And every time you put on your running shoes you are different in some way than you were the day before."
I may not make progress as fast as I want to, but I will be continuing to make progress.
I was going to rush off to the Y for a late night gym session. But then I decided to take a deep breath, and just take a little time tonight to check out some of the options you all suggested. I figure if I can make a "choose your own adventure" plan...with contingencies...I will feel better and have a few workable scenarios to choose from based on amount of time available. Who knows maybe this total time crunch is a blessing in disguise. It will make me get more creative and cross train a bit more.0 -
You already use Endomondo, don't you?
I do. So you just manually add the runs for each week in?
Before I start I pick my workout as a distance goal - however many miles I want to run. I usually have it default to tell me my distance every half mile (especially when I'm running 2.5 or 3.5) but I have set it for 1 mile too. It does not shut off automatically when I complete the workout (my C25K app did) so I do have to pull out my phone & hit the pause button or it will keep tracking.0 -
Yes, in their interval builder. I walk 5 minutes (or .25 miles) before each run, so I add that in too.
Of course, it told me that my last run was 1 mile in 40 minutes and that I did a 105 minute mile in my "orange" zone running. So, there's that.
OK - that is part of the Pro plan. I don't have that yet. I don't mind paying for one but is Endomundo the way to go. There are so many out there I am feeling a little overwhelmed.
And I don't mind entering the runs in manually, but I want to be able to sit and do it at the PC all at once. And I really don't want to assign them to specific days - because the days I get out to run change from week to week.
I should have kept reading before I replied. Saturday I planned my route in advance online (just using the free web version not the pro one) and it did send that route to my app, but more often on the way out the door I just put in the app how far I want to go, figure out in my head roughly how far I need to go, and then turn around when I'm halfway.0 -
Ah, friends...lots of good things to consider...thanks for your ideas. I thought about it a lot at work today...I am going to have squeeze what I can, and be happy with what I get. This quote popped up on my Facebook feed...
"It's important to remember that each footstrike carries you forward, not backward. And every time you put on your running shoes you are different in some way than you were the day before."
I may not make progress as fast as I want to, but I will be continuing to make progress.
I was going to rush off to the Y for a late night gym session. But then I decided to take a deep breath, and just take a little time tonight to check out some of the options you all suggested. I figure if I can make a "choose your own adventure" plan...with contingencies...I will feel better and have a few workable scenarios to choose from based on amount of time available. Who knows maybe this total time crunch is a blessing in disguise. It will make me get more creative and cross train a bit more.
I started with one 5K-to-10K plan, decided after W1D1 that it wasn't what I wanted, then (thanks to reading the boards on MFP) found a different one that worked better for me that I was able to work into my schedule. There are a lot of options out there so hopefully you can find one that works for you and your busy life.0 -
OK - where is Smart Coach - is it a stand alone app - or a plan within one of the other running apps?
The android app is no longer available, not sure about the iTunes one, I just use the plan on the Runner's World website. I have it bookmarked on my tablet so I can just have a quick look to see what I'm going to be doing before I head out.0 -
I may not make progress as fast as I want to, but I will be continuing to make progress.
I have to keep reminding myself of this continually.0 -
OK - where is Smart Coach - is it a stand alone app - or a plan within one of the other running apps?
The android app is no longer available, not sure about the iTunes one, I just use the plan on the Runner's World website. I have it bookmarked on my tablet so I can just have a quick look to see what I'm going to be doing before I head out.
I just write the workouts on my calendar and check them off when I completed them. Low tech, but it works...mostly...as long as I can figure out what day/week it is.
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Ok - I don't trust myself to not have an app keeping track of my plan yet. Somehow mentally checking those days off in the app holds me accountable. Stupid I know - but I am not ready to mess with something that is working
It looks like Map My Run has training programs (and the 10K beginner one looks like it may be a good fit) but you need to be a MVP subscriber to use them. ($6/month or $30/yr)
They do have a one month trial so I may just sign up for that and then pay the $30 if it works for me.
Anyone have experience with this one?0
