Athletics and Running: How do you strike a balance?

Chivito550

An old club mate of mine wrote an excellent blog a couple of years ago about his running career. He's a man of very little, if any, real natural ability, and through hard graft, single-minded dedication managed to run a 2:26 marathon, qualify for Lake Biwa Marathon, where he ran a 2:28.

https://medium.com/@jojimori/jojis-years-of-distance-running-ee2f030f6db4

However, what's most interesting about it all, was the sacrifices he made to get to this level, and the inevitable decision to walk away from that level of commitment and competition, admitting that the sport can be very all consuming.

Here's two fascinating snippets:

So as this interest grew, I had also begun to make some pretty serious life decisions. I remember going through the following thought process “OK, so I’m now in my late 20s, heading into 30s, this is probably my last chance in a sport to get genuinely good at something”. That dream I had as a child kind of came back, that I could make something of a sport. I was working full time, so found a tiny one bedroom unit which is literally a stone’s throw away from the Richmond Harrier clubs rooms. I knew it was a nice area to live, and I wanted to be close to these club rooms. I am not sure many people would actually get a mortgage on a place and factored into the decision was that is close to their sports club and their coach, but I did just that! Then in 2010, 5 years after beginning running, I decided to go back to study. Part of this was a career choice, but there was a chunk of my reasoning which related to needing to have a bit more time to train when and how I wanted. My job at the time had me travelling interstate and therefore I would often have to do my runs at midnight after flying home, not ideal. Buying the unit and moving back to study were two extreme examples, but there were numerous other things that changed. I did not want to go out late for big nights out. It meant training 365 days a year if my body let me, including days like Christmas and just generally putting running first, even if it meant being antisocial and dull. One of the more extreme things that came out of my mouth was “I don’t care if this cuts years off my life at the other end” to which my medical friend Aparna reminds me of the insanity of such a comment. This had now clearly developed into an all-consuming passion which took a lot of my mental and physical effort.

I will be retiring from this level of competition after this race. When I think of retiring, I think of Australian cricketers giving press conferences at the end of their careers, then moving into a commentating job. But I understand retiring a bit more now. Even at my level, I am allowing myself to call it a retirement, to let myself move on to a different stage of life. Running is a wonderful sport, but it can be all consuming. I am not the best at balancing a healthy social/work/serious sports life. Like many serious athletes, we selfishly like to make everything work around our own sporting needs. Whilst I will always run to keep healthy, and probably still race, especially for the Richmond Harriers, I want to allow myself to sleep in on some Sundays. I want to be able to turn up to a friend’s dinner without being exhausted from a training run now and then, and also finally go on some long extended holidays again which I used to do prior to my running career. Especially though, I have 4 very cute nephews and nieces who are starting to grow up, beginning to talk. I feel that in the next few years as they begin to turn into little guys and girls, I would like to see them more, play with them more, get to know them. And so on a holiday to visit them, I’d rather play with them when they wake up rather than feel the need to go for a 3 hour run.

Lately, I've been feeling the same. The sport has started to feel like it has taken over my life to an extent, and many areas of life have taken a backseat, as I've put running first. I've come to the realisation that I'm not enjoying the sport as much anymore because of this lack of balance, and putting so much physical and mental energy into achieving a time goal is exhausting.

But rather than go into details about my situation, which I'll keep to my log, I thought this could be an interesting discussion, on where running fits in each person's lives.

How much of a priority is it in your life?
What sort of things have you given up to try achieve your athletic goals?
What things do you not mind giving up?
What sort of things do you almost resent running for making you give up?
How do you keep a balance with friends, family, work?
If you want to get the very best out of your own abilities, is it possible to keep a balance?

walshb

I read and browse some of the logs here and it's astonishing the amount of time and effort some put in. I often wonder where they get the time from, as well as the energy to put in the miles. I assume for married people with dependent children (particularly young children who need a lot of attention/care) it can be very difficult to do.

I run when I feel like it. I guess that's my 2 cents on it. It rarely impacts my family life or other areas of my life.

Itziger

This is an interesting one. I run 5 or 6 days a week, from 50 minutes to 3 hours, though the latter is an exception. I'm married, job and we have 4 kids; the youngest is now 8.

I do make sacrifices but not too many. An example: I was thinking of giving up the booze for a few months and cracking on at marathon training. But I drink wine with dinner 7 nights a week and the plan lasted 3 days (almost;)). I did think, is this worth it? (That and, Who am I fooling?)

But I go out less than some friends, sleep in at weekends less, organize things so I can run home from work or in to work. I find I THINK about running quite a bit. "If X and family visit and we want to go see such and such a thing, I'll need to do the MLR this evening and do a short one tomorrow....."

So, I like to think I've got a decent balance. I exercise, I've lost weight. It helps me destress, but I still have a life. (Not sure how much the wife is looking forward to the weekend in Karlsruhe for Sunday's marathon. She is looking forward to NYC though)

Myles Splitz

I am kinda coming from the opposite side of things personally.

Training used to be all consuming growing up to the point that my days were School, train, sleep

In college I was burning candle at both ends and there were plenty of nights where I got to bed at 4 or 5 and could be out the door at 7.30 AM still probably drunk but got the job done. I was training hard but ultimately the recovery was the element that suffered and didnt get the gains.

I then went "hermit mode" and again training and work were the focus and got rest required but social side suffered a little, having said that i would still get out to see the friends but I was normally designated driver or ducking out an hour or two early. To be honest this didn't really bother me too much as all I was missing was the "curry runs" and fumbling to get to taxi's etc.

As I got older though I have realised how much time I had wasted doing pretty much nothing. Where I used to think I didn't have time now looking back I am asking what I was actually doing. My workload has increased (longer hours in main job, picking up a second job on top of that, training load increase and a significant increase in time spent socialising and spending time with the OH) and despite this I still have more time.

Took a while to get used to but I firmly believe that if your time is your own (kids or other factors playing a role) and you can get good at time management there is no reason why you can't achieve a very high standard without it encroaching too much. However this is if you want to make these changes looking at what your giving up rather than the benefits got is already starting the mindset on a slippery slope.

Funny enough the two biggest motivators in this mentality for me are;

Boards - Seeing the number of people who come back to the sport in their 30s and 40s here after an overindulgent adulthood after "bottoming out" so to speak. I have found something that I love from a very young age and I don't want to give it up for the sake of a few years knowing I will most likely come back to it

Friends - Growing up I have seen people drop out of the sport or battle with injuries and despite the odd mention of the amount of training or "not living my life" they still are struggling to get back to it. Seeing people who grew up with a similar mindset to me continually trying to run shows me it is something which is a blessing and that the grass is not always greener.

In terms of what I give up I am actually alot more easing going about things these days;

Drink - I haven't given it up but rather I have a more healthy relationship with it, a few drinks every now and then. The only thing I have given up is hangovers and its something that I don't miss

Sleep - No real lie ins but the consistent training actually means I am overall more energetic than any time I take a significant break from the sport.

tipping

I'm coming at it from the other side. For me with wife and 4 small kids, busy work etc.., running gives me the bit of balance I need. Life always has to come first and running a distant second but that's ok and I just have to fit it in around everything else. You get good at this after a while.

It's a good excuse for some me time and I usually feel better and have more energy after a run. Taking time for ourselves is something we are getting better at and it makes for a happier home.

PDCAT

This is something that i've been thinking alot about lately myself.
I'm married with two very young kids (2.5 years old).
I'm just a very average jogger/runner. Train 5 days a week (about 7 hours per week).

It came about last week, when my brother whose training for his first marathon himself, made the comment that i train too much and that my kids/family time must be affected by this.

I got pretty defensive about this and didnt' agree, but the thought still lingers.....

My take on this: Their are 168 hours in a week, 7 hours training is about 4% of my whole week. Doctors suggest that everyone should exercise 30 mins every day (3.5 hours per week). The 7 hours that i run now, previously would have spent either watching television or extra time in bed.
When i compare that to about to other area's of my life (Work = 23%, Sleep = 30%, Travelling to/from work = 6%)

Due to running, i'm in a much happier place. My physical health is better, mental health is in good shape, i'm fit enough to play with my two girls, my confidence & self esteem have increased immensely and i enjoy the sporting aspect of the it, trying to make myself faster.
I drink and smoke less than ever and am generally in a better place, so therefore my wife and kids have a more postive, happier person around the house.

I run early on Sat/Sun morning so i can give the rest of the day to my girls. I'm always one for second guessing my decisions and i can understand why people would question the time they give to a sport that we are not going to win medals in.

However, i think looking at the bigger picture, it is actually more than just a sport to alot of people and the benefits that alot of us get out of it are not visible for all to see.

I make sure that it doesn't impact on my family life - they are more important. Others looking on, might not think so when they see me running so often on the road. I still go for meals with the family, trips to the cinema, weekend breaks etc.... If i ever felt that my family were being affected by my 7 hours of exercise, well then i'd reevaluate.

Myles Splitz

PDCAT wrote: »

My take on this: Their are 168 hours in a week, 7 hours training is about 4% of my whole week. Doctors suggest that everyone should exercise 30 mins every day (3.5 hours per week). The 7 hours that i run now, previously would have spent either watching television or extra time in bed.
When i compare that to about to other area's of my life (Work = 23%, Sleep = 30%, Travelling to/from work = 6%)

Due to running, i'm in a much happier place. My physical health is better, mental health is in good shape, i'm fit enough to play with my two girls, my confidence & self esteem have increased immensely and i enjoy the sporting aspect of the it, trying to make myself faster.

Some great points here,

Looking back on my training and looked at a few other very higher mileage runners and notice that average is 6-12 hours a week training. If I wasn't training this time could easily be accounted for on watching TV, nights out, Watching sport etc or other area's

I would imagine most people are the same and the time taken out comes from aspects such as sleep, travel time (runmutes etc) or other times that do not actually correlate to increase in quality of interaction with friends or family it is just more apparent than sitting in the next room for an hour of Criminal minds/ soaps/ boards/facebook.

Chivito550

I think for me, the actual time training isn’t really the issue so much. Gym sessions twice a week range from 50-80 minutes, including warm up, depending on time of year. The track or hill sessions, including warm up and warm down are maybe 75 minutes, three times a week. Where the real time drain comes from is other aspects. Logistics.

- Getting to the location: Gym is just a 10 minute walk from me, so that’s no issue. Wednesday evening sessions in Irishtown after work then result in 2 buses to get home, and I’m usually not back until 9pm. Then you’ve got to cook dinner. Before you know it, it’s time for bed. One day a week doing this is not too much of a problem though. Saturday and Sunday mornings I tend to get a lift off a training partner. But when he doesn’t have the car, it usually involves a fairly painful commute to Santry, Irishtown, Cabinteely, and back. The whole day is gone until 3pm in those instances.
- Nights before a session: What’s the point in going to a track to do 300m reps when hungover. I’ve done it a few times, due to trying to balance social life with training, and it’s hell, so generally I end up going home early on evening’s out, or even just staying in, so I can be fresh for my session.
- There’s other things that training gets in the way off. Holidays are one. I never would let myself go away for a weekend during track season, or in the leadup to it. We train Saturday and Sunday mornings, so going away for a weekend results in 2 of the 3 running sessions being lost. I eventually decided on a rare trip, to Paris, in July, and yet there I was out in a random part of the city, doing 2 sessions on a track over my 3 days there. Another thing are sleep ins. I’m single at the moment, but I don’t intend on it staying that way. On a nice relaxing Sunday morning, imagine turning to your partner at the crack of dawn saying “I’m off to training now, back in about 4 hours”. I’m not sure those sort of sacrifices above are worth it.

I find track running has a level of logistical issues that road running doesn’t have. I need to be in a certain place, and also at a certain time, as opposed to being able to pop over to the local park anytime I want and head for a run. It makes it harder to be flexible, and it gets very frustrating constantly having to juggle other areas of life, such as study, social life, family, friends, around these fixed training times and locations.

I seemed to manage it in Australia better, even though I was training just as hard there as I have here. But logistics were easier there. Better public transport, easier access to tracks. Here getting to tracks is a complete pain, particularly when we use Greystones, which is 100% impossible without a car. I don’t have a license at the moment.

Paris made me really sit back and analyse the situation. When it feels like work, and there is very little enjoyment coming from it, you need to access the situation and make changes. So many non running friends are amazed at the amount of time and commitment I put into it, and can’t understand why. I dismissed them as “not capable of understanding, because they don’t run”, but I’ve started to take a look at it from the outside, and there are elements of what they say that make sense. I don’t think the levels of sacrifice to chip another 1 second max off my 400 time is really worth it, being brutally honest.

I think 30 is an awkward age in terms of dedicated athletics training. Most people my age are long out of the sport, and it’s a few years before others come back, or enter the sport for the first time. I think when you are 20, you have no responsibility, and acres of free time. When you are in your mid 40s, your kids are probably old enough to do their own thing. But at 30, you’re at the stage where certain parts of your life will change over the coming years, and demanding X amount of time for training could almost be self-depriving of other good things in life.

RayCun

Chivito550 wrote: »

- Getting to the location: Gym is just a 10 minute walk from me, so that’s no issue. Wednesday evening sessions in Irishtown after work then result in 2 buses to get home, and I’m usually not back until 9pm. Then you’ve got to cook dinner. Before you know it, it’s time for bed. One day a week doing this is not too much of a problem though. Saturday and Sunday mornings I tend to get a lift off a training partner. But when he doesn’t have the car, it usually involves a fairly painful commute to Santry, Irishtown, Cabinteely, and back. The whole day is gone until 3pm in those instances.

Getting a bike could save you a lot of time. You wouldn't be cycling home fast, but it is a lot faster than two buses from Irishtown. You wouldn't be dependent on lifts to get there on the weekend. Won't help get you to Santry, but Cabinteely is fairly handy to Marlay park on a bike.

Chivito550

RayCun wrote: »

Getting a bike could save you a lot of time. You wouldn't be cycling home fast, but it is a lot faster than two buses from Irishtown. You wouldn't be dependent on lifts to get there on the weekend. Won't help get you to Santry, but Cabinteely is fairly handy to Marlay park on a bike.

Yeh true. I'm strangely a very very poor cyclist though, and find I am exhausted from climbing the mildest of hills. Had thought about the cycle option before, but reckoned I'd tire myself out for the session, and then be too shattered afterwards to cycle back.

average_runner

My situation is as follows:

I have 2 kids (2,5 year old). I train 5 days a week and i work it around the family.
Monday run is to work after I drop the kids off
Tuesday and Thursday is club night( so i miss the kids that night)
Wednesday run to work or during lunch
Sat 7.30 am run while wife gets the kids ready, I return the favour on Sunday, i get up early with them and she has a small sleep in.


To make it easy for my wife on the Tuesday and Thursday night, i will cook 2 dinners on Monday night, so something is ready for Tuesday and then use a slow cooker for Thursday or something else I made that we froze. I get home before the kids so I get a chance to cook.

Dinner is always at 9pm for the wife and I, just when you get the kids to bed, tidy up etc.

average_runner

Chivito550 wrote: »

I think for me, the actual time training isn’t really the issue so much. Gym sessions twice a week range from 50-80 minutes, including warm up, depending on time of year. The track or hill sessions, including warm up and warm down are maybe 75 minutes, three times a week. Where the real time drain comes from is other aspects. Logistics.

- Getting to the location: Gym is just a 10 minute walk from me, so that’s no issue. Wednesday evening sessions in Irishtown after work then result in 2 buses to get home, and I’m usually not back until 9pm. Then you’ve got to cook dinner. Before you know it, it’s time for bed. One day a week doing this is not too much of a problem though. Saturday and Sunday mornings I tend to get a lift off a training partner. But when he doesn’t have the car, it usually involves a fairly painful commute to Santry, Irishtown, Cabinteely, and back. The whole day is gone until 3pm in those instances.
- Nights before a session: What’s the point in going to a track to do 300m reps when hungover. I’ve done it a few times, due to trying to balance social life with training, and it’s hell, so generally I end up going home early on evening’s out, or even just staying in, so I can be fresh for my session.
- There’s other things that training gets in the way off. Holidays are one. I never would let myself go away for a weekend during track season, or in the leadup to it. We train Saturday and Sunday mornings, so going away for a weekend results in 2 of the 3 running sessions being lost. I eventually decided on a rare trip, to Paris, in July, and yet there I was out in a random part of the city, doing 2 sessions on a track over my 3 days there. Another thing are sleep ins. I’m single at the moment, but I don’t intend on it staying that way. On a nice relaxing Sunday morning, imagine turning to your partner at the crack of dawn saying “I’m off to training now, back in about 4 hours”. I’m not sure those sort of sacrifices above are worth it.

I find track running has a level of logistical issues that road running doesn’t have. I need to be in a certain place, and also at a certain time, as opposed to being able to pop over to the local park anytime I want and head for a run. It makes it harder to be flexible, and it gets very frustrating constantly having to juggle other areas of life, such as study, social life, family, friends, around these fixed training times and locations.

I seemed to manage it in Australia better, even though I was training just as hard there as I have here. But logistics were easier there. Better public transport, easier access to tracks. Here getting to tracks is a complete pain, particularly when we use Greystones, which is 100% impossible without a car. I don’t have a license at the moment.

Paris made me really sit back and analyse the situation. When it feels like work, and there is very little enjoyment coming from it, you need to access the situation and make changes. So many non running friends are amazed at the amount of time and commitment I put into it, and can’t understand why. I dismissed them as “not capable of understanding, because they don’t run”, but I’ve started to take a look at it from the outside, and there are elements of what they say that make sense. I don’t think the levels of sacrifice to chip another 1 second max off my 400 time is really worth it, being brutally honest.

I think 30 is an awkward age in terms of dedicated athletics training. Most people my age are long out of the sport, and it’s a few years before others come back, or enter the sport for the first time. I think when you are 20, you have no responsibility, and acres of free time. When you are in your mid 40s, your kids are probably old enough to do their own thing. But at 30, you’re at the stage where certain parts of your life will change over the coming years, and demanding X amount of time for training could almost be self-depriving of other good things in life.

Maybe invest in a slow cooker, put it on in the morning and it be ready when you get home. Prepare some dinners the night before so you can just heat it up on the Tuesday, ie do a chilli on the Monday night, so on Tuesday put the rice on, get your shower and then get the dinner.

Its a long trek for you though.

kit3

Chivito550 wrote: »

Yeh true. I'm strangely a very very poor cyclist though, and find I am exhausted from climbing the mildest of hills. Had thought about the cycle option before, but reckoned I'd tire myself out for the session, and then be too shattered afterwards to cycle back.

You'd get used to the cycling fairly quickly. I started cycling to & from work this time last year and would have felt it in the legs/been tired etc at the start. Now it's just something I do & don't really notice it. I do find that it clears my head in the morning after the rush of getting everyone out.

kit3

Getting back to the original question as to how you strike a balance I think from the replies so far that it very much depends on what stage of life you are in. For me, I have a full time job & 3 kids (14, 11 & 9). The main drain on our time kids-wise is their activities. They all play sport & music and there is something on every evening. Throw in school teams/matches etc from time to time & it starts to get complicated. That's without even mentioning the weekends which seem to be fully taken up at this stage, often with 2/3 things per day. I only started running after having the kids so I never had the luxury of unlimited time. I work around family stuff - either cycling or running to & from work when I have to commute anyway and I also use my lunchbreaks to run. It falls down a bit when I have to do other stuff at lunchtime but generally works. The problem I'm encountering now is when to get a long run in. I have no problem getting up early but last weekend, for example, we were meeting for matches both Sat & Sun just after 9 which doesn't leave enough time (would have to be home in time to get them up/ready etc).

In short, I don't run as much as I plan to or want to. I admit that I probably could manage my time a bit better but I am on the go from 6.30 each morning till about 10.30 each night (when I sit & chill instead of going to bed like I should ). I know I could go out after work but, having been out at work all day, I don't like to disappear again. Having said that, I enjoy doing the bit I do & still hope to finish a training plan some day :rolleyes:

pconn062

Chivito550 wrote: »

- There’s other things that training gets in the way off. Holidays are one. I never would let myself go away for a weekend during track season, or in the leadup to it. We train Saturday and Sunday mornings, so going away for a weekend results in 2 of the 3 running sessions being lost. I eventually decided on a rare trip, to Paris, in July, and yet there I was out in a random part of the city, doing 2 sessions on a track over my 3 days there. Another thing are sleep ins. I’m single at the moment, but I don’t intend on it staying that way. On a nice relaxing Sunday morning, imagine turning to your partner at the crack of dawn saying “I’m off to training now, back in about 4 hours”. I’m not sure those sort of sacrifices above are worth it.

What you need is a long term girlfriend, I'm only 27 but have been with my girlfriend for nearly 9 years and I can't wait for Sunday mornings to get away from her and go training! :pac:

Chivito550

pconn062 wrote: »

What you need is a long term girlfriend, I'm only 27 but have been with my girlfriend for nearly 9 years and I can't wait for Sunday mornings to get away from her and go training! :pac:

Haha. Brilliant!

Myles Splitz

pconn062 wrote: »

What you need is a long term girlfriend, I'm only 27 but have been with my girlfriend for nearly 9 years and I can't wait for Sunday mornings to get away from her and go training! :pac:

Woah Woah Woah, your same age as me? Why was I always the butt of the childer jokes

On a serious note Chivito if the logistics are the issue then you need to look proactively at things

- As mentioned a bike or car could help reduce the commute
- Change club or housing location
- Do early morning gym sessions. This usually saves time not only in terms of freeing up the evening but also reducing commuter time by beating the morning rush hour traffic
- Opt to train on your own or with others at more suitable time once a week on flat nearby surface. I know you are a track athlete but even the Glen Mills and Steve Francis sprint groups in Jamaica train on grass fairly regularly up until March/April every year as do plenty of sprint groups in this country without access to track
- Don't be afraid to swap around days to suit your lifestyle

Sure it might not be optimal in your eyes but if small adjustments can be the difference between training hard and giving it up then the small changes can be the determining factor in overall success and improvement more than the specificity of track or benefits of training with a group every day of the week.

Chivito550

- As mentioned a bike or car could help reduce the commute

Yeh the car situation won’t be changing anytime soon now that I have a repeat exam in December, but will look at learning after Christmas. Of course this is no short term solution, and you can’t drive on the motorway for 6 months after becoming a qualified driver. It is sad that it comes to needing a car to make life easier, when you look at home good and easy public transport is in other countries, but that’s a discussion for a different thread. Bike is an option.

- Change club or housing location

Just moved into a lovely place, after months of torture looking, so won’t be giving that up. Changing clubs is not something I’d want to do to be honest.

- Do early morning gym sessions. This usually saves time not only in terms of freeing up the evening but also reducing commuter time by beating the morning rush hour traffic

It’s an option occasionally as I can use a commercial gym nearby. But the gym I generally use is a local GAA gym, which is about 10 times better equipped and less busy than the local commercial gym (which is fairly crap to be honest, with long queues for the one squat machine during peak hours). This GAA gym is only open when the clubhouse opens, at 6.30pm every night. Making early morning sessions a regular occurance would cost me a fair bit, as I am a lifetime member of the GAA club, so pay zero for a far superior service.

- Opt to train on your own or with others at more suitable time once a week on flat nearby surface. I know you are a track athlete but even the Glen Mills and Steve Francis sprint groups in Jamaica train on grass fairly regularly up until March/April every year as do plenty of sprint groups in this country without access to track

Yeh this is a good option, and one I have been thinking about for next season. Scrapping the Sunday sessions with the group, for winter anyway, and use the excellent hill right by my new place. It’s a really great hill for all kinds of hill sessions, and I can use it at my own convenience, at a time that suits on a Sunday.

- Don't be afraid to swap around days to suit your lifestyle

Yeh this is something I’m going to give myself the option of doing next year too. Again it would mean more solo running though.

Sure it might not be optimal in your eyes but if small adjustments can be the difference between training hard and giving it up then the small changes can be the determining factor in overall success and improvement more than the specificity of track or benefits of training with a group every day of the week.

Logistics aren’t the only issue. I guess I’m a bit sick of the 400m. A year doing the shorter stuff and some jumping, along with the above changes, could be enough to stay competing at a good level (for me). My fear is that I may not be able to find the middle ground. I’d worry that I’m an all or nothing guy. And if I am not taking it 100% seriously, and making the necessary sacrifices, I wouldn’t be bothered. I’m hopeful that I can find a balance, and start enjoying the training, and not take it as seriously, while still have some challenging goals.

pconn062

Myles Splitz wrote: »

Woah Woah Woah, your same age as me? Why was I always the butt of the childer jokes

On a serious note Chivito if the logistics are the issue then you need to look proactively at things

- As mentioned a bike or car could help reduce the commute
- Change club or housing location
- Do early morning gym sessions. This usually saves time not only in terms of freeing up the evening but also reducing commuter time by beating the morning rush hour traffic
- Opt to train on your own or with others at more suitable time once a week on flat nearby surface. I know you are a track athlete but even the Glen Mills and Steve Francis sprint groups in Jamaica train on grass fairly regularly up until March/April every year as do plenty of sprint groups in this country without access to track
- Don't be afraid to swap around days to suit your lifestyle

Sure it might not be optimal in your eyes but if small adjustments can be the difference between training hard and giving it up then the small changes can be the determining factor in overall success and improvement more than the specificity of track or benefits of training with a group every day of the week.

The beard makes me look older!

average_runner

Chivito550 wrote: »

- As mentioned a bike or car could help reduce the commute

Yeh the car situation won’t be changing anytime soon now that I have a repeat exam in December, but will look at learning after Christmas. Of course this is no short term solution, and you can’t drive on the motorway for 6 months after becoming a qualified driver. It is sad that it comes to needing a car to make life easier, when you look at home good and easy public transport is in other countries, but that’s a discussion for a different thread. Bike is an option.

- Change club or housing location

Just moved into a lovely place, after months of torture looking, so won’t be giving that up. Changing clubs is not something I’d want to do to be honest.

- Do early morning gym sessions. This usually saves time not only in terms of freeing up the evening but also reducing commuter time by beating the morning rush hour traffic

It’s an option occasionally as I can use a commercial gym nearby. But the gym I generally use is a local GAA gym, which is about 10 times better equipped and less busy than the local commercial gym (which is fairly crap to be honest, with long queues for the one squat machine during peak hours). This GAA gym is only open when the clubhouse opens, at 6.30pm every night. Making early morning sessions a regular occurance would cost me a fair bit, as I am a lifetime member of the GAA club, so pay zero for a far superior service.

- Opt to train on your own or with others at more suitable time once a week on flat nearby surface. I know you are a track athlete but even the Glen Mills and Steve Francis sprint groups in Jamaica train on grass fairly regularly up until March/April every year as do plenty of sprint groups in this country without access to track

Yeh this is a good option, and one I have been thinking about for next season. Scrapping the Sunday sessions with the group, for winter anyway, and use the excellent hill right by my new place. It’s a really great hill for all kinds of hill sessions, and I can use it at my own convenience, at a time that suits on a Sunday.

- Don't be afraid to swap around days to suit your lifestyle

Yeh this is something I’m going to give myself the option of doing next year too. Again it would mean more solo running though.

Sure it might not be optimal in your eyes but if small adjustments can be the difference between training hard and giving it up then the small changes can be the determining factor in overall success and improvement more than the specificity of track or benefits of training with a group every day of the week.

Logistics aren’t the only issue. I guess I’m a bit sick of the 400m. A year doing the shorter stuff and some jumping, along with the above changes, could be enough to stay competing at a good level (for me). My fear is that I may not be able to find the middle ground. I’d worry that I’m an all or nothing guy. And if I am not taking it 100% seriously, and making the necessary sacrifices, I wouldn’t be bothered. I’m hopeful that I can find a balance, and start enjoying the training, and not take it as seriously, while still have some challenging goals.

Maybe you just need a month or so off from the track, just relax a bit and concentrate on your exam.

dna_leri

pconn062 wrote: »

What you need is a long term girlfriend, I'm only 27 but have been with my girlfriend for nearly 9 years and I can't wait for Sunday mornings to get away from her and go training! :pac:

Ha, wait until you have been together for 30 years!
Scary thought, that makes me old enough to be your father. :eek:

Itziger

pconn062 wrote: »

What you need is a long term girlfriend, I'm only 27 but have been with my girlfriend for nearly 9 years and I can't wait for Sunday mornings to get away from her and go training! :pac:

Yeah? That's nothing. Been married for 20 years. Sure at this stage when I come in from a Longie on Sunday the wife'll say something like, "Oh, you going out for a run then?"

rainbow kirby

Chivito550 wrote: »

On a nice relaxing Sunday morning, imagine turning to your partner at the crack of dawn saying “I’m off to training now, back in about 4 hours”. I’m not sure those sort of sacrifices above are worth it.

You need a running girlfriend who would take that as a sign they should get out for their own session :pac:

I'd agree with you too btw that early 30s is a bit of a funny age for this sort of thing - a lot of life stuff happening that can get in the way and priorities do start to change a bit.

average_runner

rainbow kirby wrote: »

You need a running girlfriend who would take that as a sign they should get out for their own session :pac:

I'd agree with you too btw that early 30s is a bit of a funny age for this sort of thing - a lot of life stuff happening that can get in the way and priorities do start to change a bit.

Wait till you get close to the 40's

Krusty_Clown

average_runner wrote: »

Wait till you get close to the 40's

Why? What happens when you get into your 40s? (Apart from the obvious nostril and ear hair :eek:). I have found the 40s to be liberating from a running perspective, as the kids are grown up, are more self-sufficient (don't need as many lifts), your partner is likely to have their own preoccupations (also running, in my case) and you're still young enough to be pretty committed. The only down-side is the greater and greater levels of commitment to your job/career, which becomes increasingly more taxing and stressful.

Back on the original topic - personally, I don't feel a need to strike a balance. I'm driven by what is essential (family/work) and by what motivates me (running improvement), what I enjoy (family and hobbies like beer, food, motorcycles not at the same time!)). I don't think it's necessarily a question of striking a balance, but more of a question of 'where is your motivation'? If your motivation is strong enough that you spend all of your time running - then that is balance. If you are looking for reasons to do less running, then your motivation has dipped, or your motivation to do something else has increased. But life balance shouldn't be an excuse to run less. Choosing to do something else is a perfectly good reason to run less, but 'life balance' just seems like an easy cop out. It's largely semantics, but if you replace your training with 'nothing', you may end up with a slightly less balanced life.

I do occasionally worry that running has become this all-consuming hobby and should it come to a premature end (as it inevitably will, given my training patterns), how will I react, and what will I fill the void with? I will suddenly find myself with an extra 12-15 hours per week that I didn't have to spare previously. Then I think about all of the beer I haven't drank this year.

TRR_the_turd

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

I do occasionally worry that running has become this all-consuming hobby and should it come to a premature end (as it inevitably will, given my training patterns), how will I react, and what will I fill the void with? I will suddenly find myself with an extra 12-15 hours per week that I didn't have to spare previously. Then I think about all of the beer I haven't drank this year.

"Krusty's mircobrewery". May need to work on the name/marketing but there's a ready made venture for you

Chivito550

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

I do occasionally worry that running has become this all-consuming hobby and should it come to a premature end (as it inevitably will, given my training patterns), how will I react, and what will I fill the void with? I will suddenly find myself with an extra 12-15 hours per week that I didn't have to spare previously. Then I think about all of the beer I haven't drank this year.

Interesting post. You obviously love the act of running, so I can’t imagine you just stopping running cold turkey. A bit like Sonia O’Sullivan. She has never stopped running, just stopped competing at a high level, and now runs recreationally. But when you get to the stage where you aren’t improving anymore, and your performances start to naturally decline, how do you see yourself reacting to that? Would you bust your ass with 15 hours of hard training a week to run a marathon 10 minutes slower than your best?

When on the upward curve it’s easier to stay motivated. But once improvements start to stagnate, level off, or even drop off, it becomes harder to justify the amount of high quality training put in for me personally. This is the first time I haven’t improved from a previous season, and didn’t even come close to improving really, despite putting in probably even more commitment. I know that I wouldn’t be bothered putting in so much hard training just to slow a decline, or to keep running in or around the same times.

average_runner

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Why? What happens when you get into your 40s? (Apart from the obvious nostril and ear hair :eek:). I have found the 40s to be liberating from a running perspective, as the kids are grown up, are more self-sufficient (don't need as many lifts), your partner is likely to have their own preoccupations (also running, in my case) and you're still young enough to be pretty committed. The only down-side is the greater and greater levels of commitment to your job/career, which becomes increasingly more taxing and stressful.

Back on the original topic - personally, I don't feel a need to strike a balance. I'm driven by what is essential (family/work) and by what motivates me (running improvement), what I enjoy (family and hobbies like beer, food, motorcycles not at the same time!)). I don't think it's necessarily a question of striking a balance, but more of a question of 'where is your motivation'? If your motivation is strong enough that you spend all of your time running - then that is balance. If you are looking for reasons to do less running, then your motivation has dipped, or your motivation to do something else has increased. But life balance shouldn't be an excuse to run less. Choosing to do something else is a perfectly good reason to run less, but 'life balance' just seems like an easy cop out. It's largely semantics, but if you replace your training with 'nothing', you may end up with a slightly less balanced life.

I do occasionally worry that running has become this all-consuming hobby and should it come to a premature end (as it inevitably will, given my training patterns), how will I react, and what will I fill the void with? I will suddenly find myself with an extra 12-15 hours per week that I didn't have to spare previously. Then I think about all of the beer I haven't drank this year.

My kids will be 6 and 4 when i hit 40, so only starting off with their sports!!
I did my party in my 20's when hangovers fail to hit me.
Go out now on the beer and it takes 2-3 days to recover

RayCun

Chivito550 wrote: »

When on the upward curve it’s easier to stay motivated. But once improvements start to stagnate, level off, or even drop off, it becomes harder to justify the amount of high quality training put in for me personally.

Distance runners tend to stay in the sport longer, I guess partly because so many of their events are mass-participation. So even if people don't keep up 10-15 hours training a week they continue to train and race.

Track runners/field eventers seem to be more likely to either
drop out,
become coaches, or
become distance runners