9 Hard Truths of Being a Runner With A Busy Job

Making running happen when you work full-time, in any capacity, can be so hard. In fact, there are 9 Hard Truths you might have to face if you want to make sure you stay running consistently when you have a full-time job. But the good news is, just by knowing them, you can work your way through them.

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[Joe_Bandit]

My problem isn't balancing work and running, it's balancing work and running and hobbies and parenting and my relationship 😅

[margeor]

What works for me is having a treadmill. I know is not the same as running outside, but it does help to build endurance.

[mikestevenson]

The truth about missing some runs can be hard to accept, but just accepting it and looking at it long-term is probably the healthiest way to approach running for life. Great points! =D

[Martin-kcxj]

Zone 2 / Low HR!! I'm in a "once per decade", HIGHLY stressful situation right now, and I can literally see how my body is taking twice as much time to recover, so I switched focus in my training to low HR runs. Training load dropped by half, but I'm still being productive in my runs, AND, the low HR runs force me to relax, slow down, focus on big slow breaths, and being in the moment... and yesterday was the day I realized I was literally meditating while running. It's actually keeping me together as I work 50+ hours / week for a VFX deadline, while I sold my house to move out of the city and have 2 months left to find a place to live. WIthout those low HR runs I would be an absolute mess right now.

[clipper]

I’m really happy that I found this channel. I’ve been on my running journey for 3 months now and just yesterday ran my first 10k (only training, not an event or race), and I’m always looking for every bit of advice I can find.

Whatever it is, this channel seems to have it covered and it’s always done really well.

Thank you, and keep up the hard work! Looking forward to 100k subscribers!!!

[FordyRuns]

So 70 hours a week 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ On one hand I’m annoyed you aren’t already at 100k subs but on the other hand I’m excited for when it happens real soon ❤❤ keep being awesome you two!

[missingmimic]

It's funny how Ben is always the "sleep model" in the videos, leaving the viewers to believe Mary must never sleep and therefore her legend of a vampire runner is born. 😂

[floracook]

It's a matter of priority.... Everyone makes time for their priorities. If it's a priority, it will fit in to the schedule.

[paulwilliams]

Ben and Mary, the pragmatic and balanced advice you give - the experience you both bring - is always clear and actionable. Thanks for the thought and generosity of this vlog.

[Peggysue]

I work 12 hour shifts in a hospital days and nights can happen in one week. For example over the past two weeks my schedule has been, two 12 hour days, one off, two 12 hour days on, one off, two 12 hour night shifts. When this happens I know I have to prioritise sleep and recovery otherwise my runs suffer. I just about manage to juggle both but I ache constantly 😂

[jfarmer]

Half marathon training while in second year of grad school, clinical internship, and working full time…

I really needed this video today. ❤

Thank you for putting out such uplifting content. It really helps me to keep my focus and perspective during the challenges.

[nikitagorbi]

Very true.. some sessions are shit and you run on a discipline in order to feel the same joy later once more. Sometimes you miss a run, but zooming out and general consistency is key.

[charlottehubert]

Another great video! I wanted to tell you I ran my first marathon yesterday in Reykjavik and your videos really helped me stay disciplined and motivated! Keep it up!❤

[kyalgomas]

Fitness Instructor here!!! It's so hard to balance work and training sometimes because my body, of course, absorbs all of it as a whole. Therefore, there are days when I'm exhausted before even lacing up my shoes 😂

Fantastic video (again). I wish I could meet you in Chicago next October. Love your channel.

[annaluca]

I found that with a busy job (resident doctor in my first few years of practice in the UK) I was able to keep up my running mileage because of how much I love running. BUT, everything else running related I used to do such as strength training, stretching routines, cooking healthier meals and fueling well fell by the wayside… they were just less fun and more effort after a loooong day. I found going on regular runs to be a great way to relax, but I slowly but surely developed achilles tendinitis without the proper supportive activities. It’s been a real bummer and it’s taking me month upon months to rehab the right achilles (which no longer hurts, just tight) as I’m also on my feet a lot at work and cannot rest it properly either. Does anyone else relate?

[searaph]

It really can be hard to schedule running into the day with everything that everyone has going on. You make an excellent point about not beating yourself up if you miss one run.

[amydepaul]

I know this is gonna sound girlie and silly but Mary’s running outfit’s are perfection 😍🙌🏻

[jotaylor]

Brilliant video, brilliant channel. Come on everyone - let's get these two to 100k subscriptions. They more than deserve this. And for me the key is HABITS AND ROUTINES where you don't have to think too much or dig deep to find motivation. I worked in health promotion for many years and the philosophy was "Make the healthy choice easy". Same for running. It's all about planning and rewards and your environment etc. Using motivation as your only tool can be so draining. You can only go to the well so many times. So be creative to make the good training choices easier. If your tyres aren't pumped up and your chain not oiled, you're not gonna use your bike to pop out to the shops! Hurrah for Messy Happy.🎉🎉

[TMBLC]

I had to get an A/C unit for my bedroom because my apartment complex doesn't have any. Seems to be working so far, my sleep quality has gotten better!

[PatrickStar-kmdm]

I started running 5 months ago with a full time job. I remember when it was so hard to get my weekly mileage up to 20 mpw. Not because of time but because my body would start to break down because I was averaging 40k-45k steps for the day if I ran before work. Now I just hit my 3rd week in a row over 50 mpw all while working full time. My goal is to get up to 70 mpw before my first half marathon. Recovery was critical for me as my body adapted and I feel better at higher mileage then when I started. Discipline is not an issue, I be there no matter what. I can't wait to train for the marathon next.