WFH running with my wife

Time to get serious. Bag the midday run and start doubling. With no commute, should be easy to run before and after work.

Just in case this question comes up, I'm running a marathon in the Fall regardless of whether or not it gets cancelled. I'll just do a solo run if I have to. Maybe I can get one of my kids to bike along next to me and hand me water.

Plodding along at 11:00 pace is a gigantic waste of time if you're shooting for a sub 2:40 marathon.

If you're trying to improve at all, why are you 1. taking up your entire lunch break each weekday by running with your wife, who you're with for the other 23 hours of the day now that you're working from home, and 2. not running in the mornings or evenings when your commute is now walking to your kitchen table.

How mad would your wife by if you didn't run with her every day?

I would mix it up. Some days just make it some intervals or a fartlek at the end. Some days, drop her with a mile or so to go and hammer out 4 miles at 6 min pace or faster.

Use the extra time as someone else mentioned. Assuming you save about an hour a day on commute etc, use that in some way. Core or plyometrics, added miles, or a bike or something

well...... wrote:

How mad would your wife by if you didn't run with her every day?

I would mix it up. Some days just make it some intervals or a fartlek at the end. Some days, drop her with a mile or so to go and hammer out 4 miles at 6 min pace or faster.

Use the extra time as someone else mentioned. Assuming you save about an hour a day on commute etc, use that in some way. Core or plyometrics, added miles, or a bike or something

That's good advice. Thanks @well...

I like adding in the cross training suggestion. I prob have the space to add in some plyo by my desk in the basement for a few minutes before work.

In response to your first point, she'd be pretty upset :). She's usually going nuts with the kids by early afternoon, so it is nice to get outside together and have a break. I enjoy it, too.

big HONKING birds wrote:

Plodding along at 11:00 pace is a gigantic waste of time if you're shooting for a sub 2:40 marathon.

I realize 11 min miles will do nothing for my speed, but even slow miles build endurance. Do they not? I'm genuinely asking.

I'm surprised 11 minute miles aren't actually painful for you to run. It throws off your form and encourages shoddy mechanics. That's just my opinion though

Look at the bright side. You get a 5 mile warm up. Mileage is mileage regardless of pace. Add on some intervals / tempos and you’re good.

Lots of ideas:

- instead of running straight, run in a figure-eight pattern around her as she runs, may be able to double or triple your distance this way

- intervals back and forth to her, jog at 11:00 pace on 1 minute recovery

- run (hop) on one foot for a minute, switch

- high knees / butt kicks / jog-lunges type drills @ 11:00 pace

- run backwards holding her hands, this is great for hamstring strength AND romantic

- crab walks, at 11:00 pace this will be hard

- use extra ankle weights or weight vest

- pull her with a resistance band

- ask if she wants to roller blade or bike some days

- carry her for part of the run

- bring a wheel barrow, jogging stroller, or rickshaw along, occasionally let her sit in it while you increase the intensity. if you don't want to bring it the entire run, you can leave it at your house and do some short out-and-backs

- try to convince her to double. Run 15 minutes yourself before, pick her up at the house for 30 minutes together @ 11, then 15 minutes yourselfafter in the morning. Then repeat in the evening. This way you get 1 hr at your own pace, and 1 hr at the slow pace, and you both get two breaks in the craziness of these times.

All said, enjoy the time together and that she wants to go together with you.

semi_pro wrote:

big HONKING birds wrote:

Plodding along at 11:00 pace is a gigantic waste of time if you're shooting for a sub 2:40 marathon.

I realize 11 min miles will do nothing for my speed, but even slow miles build endurance. Do they not? I'm genuinely asking.

Good advice is to read what Big Honker has to say and then do the opposite. Running, politics, life, whatever he says, do the opposite and you'll be fine.

There will unfortunately be no fall marathons to train for.

Is your wife insisting that you run with her? I've never had a girlfriend or wife that would expect that. Sometimes we would go somewhere for a run, do or own thing and meet when we were done.

SDSU Aztec wrote:

Is your wife insisting that you run with her? I've never had a girlfriend or wife that would expect that. Sometimes we would go somewhere for a run, do or own thing and meet when we were done.

She did more than her own thing. So thanks man.

The OBVIOUS solution is to triple. Five miles in the morning at regular pace. Five mile shuffle with wife over lunch. Regular workout after work. Easy way to a 2:35 marathon.

That is really nice of you to run with your wife, especially at 11 min miles. I’m a female runner, and I don’t think I’d ever run 11 min miles with my husband haha. You are a better person than me. I’m sure she appreciates your run dates so much, and I’m sure you are helping her reach her goals. Sounds like you are enjoying the time as well together. You will still be able to reach your own goals. Mileage is mileage. As long as it doesn’t make you hurt to run slower than your body is used to running, then you are okay. I think you are on the right track and I would focus on doing two 15 min tempos or fartleks two times a week after your lunch runs with your wife. It should feel really good to settle into your own pace and let loose. Then on the weekends, definitely do your own runs. If you find yourself getting frustrated over time though, and missing your solo lunch runs, maybe compromise and run 2-3 times/week with your wife during lunch, and other work days agree to run separately. Or don’t run 5-6 miles together every time. Maybe run 3-4 miles sometimes, then you can run a 3-4 mile workout while she finishes 1-2 miles on her own. I’m sure she also supports your goals. Good-luck!

Carry her piggy back the last mile, just call it strength training.

If OP is indeed trying for a sub 2:40 marathon why the hell is he running 7:00 pace on non workout days?

This reminds me of what they told us ~50 years ago: "The most painful marathon ever will be the one you run with your wife."

Time with your wife is precious, regardless of how slow she might run. I believe with a little creativity you can make it beneficial not only for your relationship, but also for your running performance.

I would start with doing a quick stride for maybe 200 meters at your mile race pace once every 5-10 minutes, and then turning around and running back to her at your normal easy pace. This way your HR will stay in a decent range while your brain will have the memory of running fast with good form. I believe that once you have finished an interval, you are still running it in your mind for a few minutes, and it is not just your HR and breathing. You are reliving running fast which is training you even though most of your running is still at 11:00 pace.

As you watch your response, you may want to adjust the length, the speed, and the frequency of those pickups. But the idea is to break up the monotony by injecting the experience of running fast.