The Running Thread - 2019

How do you balance running and real life (job, family, relationships, financial, and other things)?
Honestly, even being single with no kids, it can be difficult. There are certain months of the year when I work extra long hours 6 days a week. During those times I either have to give up what little free time I have to run or give up running. Thus far my ability to run during those months correlates directly to whether or not I have a race in the immediate future. But even when I work normal hours, it can still be difficult to find that balance. There are activities I cannot do because of a run.
 
ATTQOTD: Easy, I just stay single jk! Seriously it’s hard to keep a balance, but part of that is because I don’t really want balance at this point in my life. Some days all I do is work and run, and that’s ok! Also, I’m not a very rigid person, so I let the breeze take me where it’s going to go. That said I still have a social life with runner and non-runner friends, and they know that some days I’m down to chill and some days I need my sleep. Also, I typically take advantage of the natural down time in my training to be more “normal.” #NerdLife
 
ATTQOTD: I give a lot of credit to those of you getting your runs in with very young kids. That didn't happen when my 3 kids were young - I was in survival mode every day and there wasn't time to take a shower, let alone exercise. Now that my kids are older, it's so much easier, hence why I didn't start distance running until 4 years ago. They are all old enough to stay home alone if I need to get a run in when DH isn't around. Mostly though, most of my runs are done before my family even gets out of bed, weekdays and weekends (teenagers). :-)

The struggle is real lol. Lucky for me my wife is a champ about it and we work together to make it happen. It's not perfect, but it seems to be working.
 
ATTQOTD-I don't think I am doing a good job. Family/work/life balance has been a juggling act for a while now. It seemed easier a few years ago when my kids participated in school sports and I could run during their practice time. I'm trying to cut back on running to enjoy time with my kids since both graduate next year (high school, college). But there's that pesky work part---my company is a 24/7 business which means 60+ hour work weeks and always being on call in case of emergency. Just doesn't leave much time or energy for running right now.
 


Non Running related, but LSUlakes is a crazy person related. Last week I mentioned we picked a dog out which we made a non-refundable deposit on. Today I was getting a amazon list together of items we needed to order before we picked up our pup, which if course turned into "well I wonder if anything new has been made available... Now we have a problem, a local guy (a hours drive v/s 6 hour drive) just posted he has puppies that will be ready around the same time as our original one. Well of course I had to get more details. The local guy has the exact dog I was looking for and couldn't find one without having to fly to go get it. After talking with this guy I also have more warm and fuzzy type of feelings from what hes doing v/s the other guy. So, I brought it up to my wife. Seems like shes on board, but a little bummed we did not find this sooner. We will talk more about it this afternoon and probably make a decision tonight and will likely go see the puppies this weekend. The good news is we will end up with what we really wanted, and the person on the waiting list (original dog) for the dog we did pick out will get one they really wanted. Bad news, I'm out of $$ and it looks like I did not research long enough. While thats not true, the optics aren't ideal.
 
ATTQOTD: I think it can always be difficult to balance running with life, but if running is really high on my priority list (like during marathon training), I made it happen. When I'm just running for enjoyment (like now), it's easier to slack off.

And does anyone have experience of still running frequently with small kids? It makes me a little nervous for our "someday family." :)
 
No lie, balancing all that is hard right now - worse than normal. But running is a good outlet for stress, so I prioritize it. It’s my main source of “me time” these days, and that’s really what got my running again a few years back.

I’ve got 2 little ones - 4y and 7y now - and work full time. And my husband travels every week for work.

I work exclusively from home, and run during lunch. Otherwise, it wouldn’t happen! Otherwise, I have to schedule everything, all the time. My google calendar is my life line.

And my local running group has become my social outlet too!
 


ATTQOTD: Balance has been harder in the past (young kids + new job + commute + early closing daycare). I am now in a fairly good spot: Job is stable, commute is ok but will get bad in January 2020 (no more train), kids are tween/teen and DH is supportive of my health as he always was.

Schedule wise, on weekdays, I mostly train at lunch and people at work know my running objectives for this year. I have declined lunch meetings and refused promotions to keep having room for running, for myself. I occasionally will train early if I fall out of bed or run from the train station to home if it was not possible before.

On weekends, I just run whenever convenient but I go.

We will see how this holds up as I increase distance and training duration this year.

Funds wise, I have canceled gym membership and that covers race registrations. Clothes and shoes I buy what I need, mostly when in sales. I do not have an expensive lifestyle otherwise except for vacation budget.

Which brings me to how I “save” for runDisney or any racecation which are mostly benefiting me. I make a budget and find ways that are mine alone. For example, doing our own house cleaning does not count because that saving ends up freeing money for the family vacation. So no gym membership, taking an extra responsibility at work or receiving gift cards count in my budget. Making my lunch and my coffee also count: I have a weekly amount set for that and subtract from it (weekly 40$-12$lunch-6$coffee=save22$). I am glad to report that I have saved 2/3 of my Dopey budget!
 
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Sorry you lost your deposit @LSUlakes, but I think it's important to connect with a breeder, so I think you're making the right decision.

We are bringing home a lab puppy next month (hopefully). We like the breeder, but it isn't my first choice (first choice is $1k more, so that's a hard no). We are also the last male puppy pick, so we are slightly worried we won't like whoever is left! If that happens, we will lose our deposit. Better than bringing the wrong dog home though! There are still two females left so we could switch, but we really wanted a male.
 
ATTQOD: It's actually really nice to see a lot of us are saying the same things. It's not easy!

I have two sons (3yo & 7yo) so there is no leaving them alone to go run. DH is very supportive and he picks them up every afternoon to give me a chance to run and get supper at least almost ready before they get home.
With summer time arriving for us next week, I can move my runs to early in the morning before he leaves for work (& before it is too hot). Once school starts back, I'll do the 5am wake-ups for runs before work until about October. By then, I can't handle the lack of sleep with the work stress any longer (plus it's cooled off some) so it's back to afternoon runs.

Side note: I was strongly considering going back to school for my Ed.S in the fall. DH asked me what I was going to drop in order to make time for this. The thought of dropping running made me cry. Needless to say, I'm not going back to school. Not really for the running reason but more for the "my kids are still young and I don't want to miss things right now" reason. I can always look into going back once they're older.
 
Sorry you lost your deposit @LSUlakes, but I think it's important to connect with a breeder, so I think you're making the right decision.

We are bringing home a lab puppy next month (hopefully). We like the breeder, but it isn't my first choice (first choice is $1k more, so that's a hard no). We are also the last male puppy pick, so we are slightly worried we won't like whoever is left! If that happens, we will lose our deposit. Better than bringing the wrong dog home though! There are still two females left so we could switch, but we really wanted a male.

Labs are great dogs! If I ever get back into duck hunting I would likely get one. We are going to take the kids for a trip Saturday to see the puppies and make sure we like what we see. Being able to meet to person and his dogs ahead of time as well as seeing how they are being raised will make this whole thing much easier. We havent informed the other breeder of our potential change incase we see something that isn't right. So far he is saying all the right things and not making things difficult. Best of luck with yalls puppy situation as well! If everything goes to plan we will be able to bring our new dog home on June 15, just in time for Fathers Day!!
 
I'm trying to cut back on running to enjoy time with my kids since both graduate next year (high school, college).
Running will still be there in the future. But this time with your kids won't. Life can change in a hurry. A year ago, I had almost all my family close by. That is no longer the case.

Not really for the running reason but more for the "my kids are still young and I don't want to miss things right now" reason. I can always look into going back once they're older.
A few years ago I realized that my mother had told me that my parents would always be there for me not because she said call us if you need anything, but because she spent a lot of time with us when I was younger and made sure that my dad also spent time with us when he could even though his job sometimes necessitated very long hours 6 days a week. Essentially, they invested in me trusting them because they were always there for me in my youth so I knew I could trust them when I became an adult and had to deal with adult challenges, responsibilities, and choices.

While I am fortunate enough to still live close by to two of my nephews, I have come to realize that I am close to them not because of distance, but rather because the time I spend with them is usually on their terms so long as their terms do not involve anything dangerous. The "I don't want to miss things right now" reason will pay huge dividends in the years to come.
 
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ATTQOTD: I wouldn't say it's easy but running is my "me time" of the day. My husband works from home so I'm able to leave while our baby is sleeping and the other kids are either at school or playing and get a run in for the day. I run early (during the summer) or during bedtime. Long runs are probably the hardest but the everyday 4-6 miles are really not a big deal. I don't have a job though so that is probably a big obstacle for other people that I don't deal with.

And does anyone have experience of still running frequently with small kids? It makes me a little nervous for our "someday family." :)

I have 4 small kids (ages 8, 5, 3, 8 months) and I make it work. :)
 
2 replies in 2 days is a record for me! Helps today is my last day before a super long weekend for me so I’m unmotivated to actually work.

My biggest obstacle is sleep. I work nights so anytime stuff comes up during normal hours I have to sacrifice sleep. It’s so easy to turn the alarm off and go back to sleep especially when I sleep a few hours then get up for something then back to sleep for a few more. Plus outside things wake me up a lot, lawn mowers, loud neighbors, etc. it’s been awhile since I’ve had uninterrupted sleep. This training cycle has been very difficult, training for a 10K in my head it’s ok to skip a run. When marathon training it felt like I couldn’t skip because I needed all the miles I could get.
 
QOTD: How often do you buy new running clothes? This excludes socks and shoes.

ATTQOTD: It's been a very long time! I am doing well on shirts since so many races give running shirts these days, but my shorts are looking bad! I'll probably need to purchase a pair or 3 this summer which will be the first time in at least 5 years. The only issue I have with shirts are the white ones. They just look bad over the years.
 
This weekend and on Monday we have the following folks with races:

25 - @DopeyBadger - Brat Fest 5k (19:59 / N/A)
26 - @flav - Ottawa Tamarack Half Marathon (NG / N/A)
27 - @Dis_Yoda - Memorial Day 5k (NG / N/A)
27 - @avondale - Mercer Freedom 5K (26:59 / N/A)
27 - @PrincessMickey - Bolder Boulder 10k (NG / N/A)
27 - @Disney at Heart - Georgia Peach Jam Half Marathon (NG / N/A)

Best of luck to each of you with your race! If you need to revise a goal or have another change to make please let me know. Hope your race goes well and we look forward to hearing how it went!
 
We are bringing home a lab puppy next month (hopefully). We like the breeder, but it isn't my first choice (first choice is $1k more, so that's a hard no). We are also the last male puppy pick, so we are slightly worried we won't like whoever is left! If that happens, we will lose our deposit. Better than bringing the wrong dog home though! There are still two females left so we could switch, but we really wanted a male.

Love labs! We were the last male puppy pick when we got our Golden Retriever Barkley and I was worried for the same reason. Fortunately ours worked out well and he is the perfect addition to our family...he's a little wild and crazy but apparently that is to be expected it had just been a long time since I had a Golden. Good luck and I hope you get a great little guy!
 
ATTQOTD-New running clothes? I don't purchase much and it's not very often that I do.
Plenty of shirts from running events. My shorts never seem to die. And if shoes and socks don't count, there's not much left for me to shop for!
 
And does anyone have experience of still running frequently with small kids? It makes me a little nervous for our "someday family." :)
I continued to run frequently when my son was a baby/toddler/child, just not long distances. I had a treadmill in the house, so I used it for a mile or two while baby was napping or when he went to bed. When he was older/bigger, I took him out in a jogging stroller sometimes. And as a child under 10-ish, I could leave him playing or doing school work in another room while I used my treadmill. It was very easy while out on maternity leave, and a little harder when I went back to work full-time. I was running 4-5 days a week, but I didn't really have the time to devote to long distances.
 

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