Getting a run in while working 12 hours a day

You may be surprised to learn that there is 24 hours in a full day.

If you sleep for 7-8 hours my rudimentary math shows some extra time.

Yeah, look to SMJO. He trolls letsrun 17 hours a day. So stop whining about your wimpy 12 hour work day.

Not motivational, but..

I work 7-3, so a little different than your situation, but I get up at 4am and start a 9-12 mile run at 4:20am before my 40 minute commute. I do a run at this time so I can get a second run in the same day after work.

I get tired earlier in the evening than when I slept in later. I also have a tough time running as fast that early in the morning. I would like to add 4:00am really sucks when it's 10 degrees outside.

I will motivate you from the other direction. I got into the same situation and this was a stand around job not a sit on your butt your job. I got lazy it was easier to just crash and watch espn. The fat returned. Don't get fat.

Believe me I know that even after a mere eight hours of work the last thing I want to do is go out on a ten mile run, that's why I know I'm going to have to do it before work.

Lunch hour? 7:01 PM? Maybe really big days on weekends, say four runs covering 35-40 miles total?

gettin' things straight wrote:

Yeah, look to SMJO. He trolls letsrun 17 hours a day. So stop whining about your wimpy 12 hour work day.

I aspire to achieve your 24/7 abilities but sadly I no longer live with my mom.

Trying to keep running wrote:

Believe me I know that even after a mere eight hours of work the last thing I want to do is go out on a ten mile run, that's why I know I'm going to have to do it before work.

If you do decide to go after work. Change at work and get the run over with before you step a foot into your house. Once you are home it will be very hard to get started. This is especially true if it's after 7pm. I suggest mornings with a long run on the weekends.

Why in the hell would you work for 12 hours a day? You couldn't pay me enough to work that much.

I work 12+ hour days 5 days/week. Sometimes I leave for work at 6:30 AM and don't get home until after midnight.

I find that if I don't run in the mornings, it is far too tempting to skip running.

I get up between 4AM and 4:15AM daily. This gives me enough time to get 7-10 miles in, shower, and walk the dog before work. It's dark, but you get used to it and it's very peaceful knocking out miles while the rest of the world is sleeping. Check your clock before going out the door though. Once I got up at 1:30 AM and almost went out the door before I realized. Wear a head lamp or something reflective.

I occasionally double, and on these days I schedule the easier run in the evening. I schedule long runs on the weekends(Tempo Sat./Long Sun.)and typically take Wednesday as an off day b/c my motivation is lowest mid-week.

The trick is just to make it a habit and get out the door before you think about how tired you are.

Your running performance will suffer if you don't get enough sleep. Unfortunately, this is sometimes unavoidable. Try to eat healthy and get extra sleep on the weekends.

If you want it badly enough, you will find a way to squeeze it in. Limiting your internet time will help significantly. Don't skip socializing with real people though. It's important for your mental health.

Good luck. It's not easy, but it does make you feel pretty badass when you're not too exhausted to function.

Inspiration:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/28/sports/striving-immigrants-find-long-distance-running-far-from-lonely-in-new-york-city.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCgmhIZ6kPQ

In order to do this your run has to be your "fun" during the week. Even at 3:50 am. Once you resign yourself to the fact that your nights will consist of get home, eat, brush your teeth while watching TV, go to bed to get 7 hours... It will all go smoother.

What do you do?

The glaringly obvious thing to me is to cut down your 40 minute commute.

If you could turn that into a 5-minute commute, you automatically gain 70 minutes every day.

Now, if you're like most people you will automatically launch into all the reasons why you can't cut down your commute. Inverse your thinking, and rack your brain for how you can cut down your commute. Or move close enough where you could run commute. Something. But wasting 80+ minutes commuting, when you're already working 12+ hours a day is not optimal.

Besides the running time, there's this:

After college I moved home and worked at a local factory. This was 3rd shift 6:00pm-6:00am - 6 nights a week- Sunday night - Sat Morning. That was a tough year of my life. I really didn't have time to race or do the workouts I would've liked to, but I somehow stayed dedicated to the running. I would come home and head out at 7am for my run. Usually an 8 to 10 miler. I was usually exhausted right after work, but in my situation, there was no way I could wake up and run before I had to go in. I felt dead when I would wake up at 4 or 5pm.

Alot of those were cold and snow runs down dark country roads. I would usually see a good sunrise at times too. It actually became my only relaxing time of the day...I think that's why I looked forward to it. Well, that....and the fact I would chug down a six pack right after while my girlfriend was getting ready for work at 8am.

You can do it. Maybe even invest in a solid treadmill for those days where you are so unmotivated to head out. Throw on the morning news or good show and tear it up. Sounds like wussing out, but at least your putting the miles in.

I don't work this much, but it can be tough to get in runs. Those of you that work so much inspire me.

It's possible, but it will wear on you. I've been doing something similar for about a year and a half now since I graduated. I usually work 7-5, but then have class Mon-Thurs after work from 5-8 usually, sometimes longer. I've been able to get back into almost the same shape I was in when I was racing my fastest, but it's nothing like being in college. The only light I have for me at the end is that in another 1.5 years I'll be done with my Masters and only have to worry about work. However at that point I'll be 24-25, and at the rate my motivation has gone in the last year I'm not sure how I'll feel towards being competitive anymore.

It's just not there anymore, I still race but I've lost a lot of the desire to actually compete.

What is the job?

That's a heck of a work schedule. You'd better love the work (be honest with yourself) or be learning a truly valuable skill that you can soon turn into a better position, or that job will grind you up because you're not going to have much free time.

I'd suggest you sit down and calculate how much time you'll actually commit to the position (including commuting, getting ready and work itself), how much money you'll truly spend commuting (car miles, eating on the road because you have no time to cook, etc) and what the real hourly salary is based on those numbers. (Read the classic Your Money or Your Life for detailed instructions.) I can tell you from experience that this can be a startling calculation for a job with a huge commute. You might find that the pay isn't actually that great.

Can you take public transportation to the job? You could ride home in with your running gear (or to work if they have a locker room) and get off the train 10-15 miles from your house four nights a week. Then rest on Fridays and bring the week's worth of work clothes home with you. Public transit is infinitely better IMO for a long commute. If you like to read, you can do a ton of it.

There is just about always room to make time for what you want. And with running, that saying could not be more accurate. It is so easy to lace up the shoes and get out there if you want to, despite your schedule.

I work some long weeks (60-80 hours maybe 10 weeks a year) and most others not so long (40 hours). Still always able to find some time to sneak away for a run if I need to, even if it's just a 4-5 miler. I'm not running 80-90 mpw, but I'm a competitive age-grouper.

Lunch hour? Evenings? Late afternoons? Mid-mornings? Are you honsetly chained to a desk for a straight 720 minutes? Even if that's the case, you'll make time, especially if you are sans kids with no one to take care of but yourself. Many, many others have worked your hours and pulled it off with success.

The hardest part with getting up that early to run is how much you want to lay your head down on your desk at at 2PM in the afternoon and sleep. I've been doing it for years and have struggled to be productive from around 2-3:30 in the afternoon no matter what time i go to bed.

I struggle with the same situation. If you can't find it in yourself to run early in the morning, bring your running gear to work and change into it before you leave for home. Don't even go inside your house, unless you have to drop stuff off so you won't be tempted to plonk yourself down on the couch. Plan your running route before you leave work.