I am a single mom with a job, a marathon runner and an aspiring IronMan 70.3 competitor. And I know how hard it is to fit everything into one day. Let’s start with the first myth: I always feel like working out. That is so not true! Like every other person, I have times when all I want to do is hang out on the couch with a book or a movie. It takes quite a bit of strength of will to get my butt moving, but I do it (most days at least 😉). Second important thing: my daughter’s father is very involved with her and she spends half of her time with me and half with him. Without that, I could never do all of my training.
I commute to my office 3 days per week and it’s over an hour and a half each way. I am grateful for days I work from home – I have enough time to work out and to take care of some chores (laundry anyone?). I am a firm believer in building my sports into my routine as much as I can, so it’s harder to just skip it. Courtesy of that habit, I think my coworkers may suspect I’m crazy (not entirely wrong, I do endurance sports after all 😉). I try to do stretching during breaks at work, so I can be found trying to touch my toes with my hands by the coffee machine or stretching my back while on a call. There is only so much time in the day, so I get creative in scheduling.
The attached picture is the other way I do it: with a couple of pieces of equipment, I can do a lot of my workouts at home. My daughter is already used to seeing me doing basic core exercises or stretches while she eats (I think she appreciates it to a certain extent: I don’t tell her to eat faster then). Some resistance bands for strength training once per week – I do my other strength training with my trainer one evening per week when my daughter is not around. Stationary bike is awesome – I can ride it any time I have down time at home, which usually means bike intervals when my daughter goes to sleep.
That leaves running and swimming workouts. Those are the tricky ones, as I need to be able to get out and my daughter needs to be taken care of. I manage long runs (usually 20 miles) every other Sunday. For shorter runs – two days per week I get off the train 6 miles before my office and run the rest of the way. Fortunately for me, there is plenty of bike paths around DC. Unfortunately, they get very crowded and not all of them are well lit. Note to any aspiring local politicians: offer better lighting on Custis and W&OD Trails and you have my vote! Making this part of my commuting routine definitely helps me stay on top of it. I have to get up at pretty much the same time either way, so I may as well get the running done.
Swimming is the hardest for the obvious reason: access to a pool where I can do laps. It’s tricky, since mine is in my neighborhood and I can go there only when my daughter is either at school or with her dad. I usually get to do that during my lunch break when I work from home. I occasionally try to do it in the evenings, but that’s crazy: there is a swim team, lessons for little kids and one or two laps for adults who’d like to do laps. It’s not easy to swim when it’s that crowded. For now, I know I can easily swim 1.9km. It may not be fast, but I can do it and jump on a bike. I will work on the pace after my upcoming marathon.
I have a feeling a lot of you have noticed what is not in my schedule: social life and relaxing on the couch. For the just sitting around: I spend a lot of time on the train and I find it to be sufficient down time for reading and relaxing. I also have a desk job (exercise ball instead of a chair for life!), so I have my rest and recovery then. As to my social life: I am a loner, so afternoons of every other weekend feel just about right for me. For the chores, I have my own coping mechanisms: my house is clean, but not pristine. I do laundry while telecommuting and when I put laundry away, I plan outfits for the week, so I don’t have to think about it again (it goes for both sports and work clothes). I cook very simple food, usually for multiple days at a time.
Will this approach work for everybody? No, there is no panaceum to busy schedule and we all need our own coping mechanism. Does it work for me? Yes. Is it perfect? Again: no. If anybody has better ideas, I am happy to talk. Ideas for improvements are always welcome.