5 Tricks to Marathon-Training – While Working Full-Time and Raising a Family

People often say to me, “I could never run a marathon. The longest run I’ve ever done is four miles.” And I always tell them the same thing: if you can run four miles, you can run twenty-six. It’s certainly not easy, but it truly is do-able!

I will admit however that training while working full-time and raising two small kids did force me to embrace running in the wee morning hours with a headlamp (two things I never thought I’d do!), but crossing that finish line makes it all worthwhile.

Here are my top five tricks to staying sane, married, and employed during marathon training:

Sign up Early, but Choose Wisely. Signing up far in advance of the race has two benefits: one, you have more time to plan your training schedule (see trick #3) and two, you usually get a discount. But don’t be rash with your decision—take a look at your calendar for the last month of training to make sure you don’t have any big events that have the potential to derail your training. In other words, is your cousin getting married on one of the weekends when you’re scheduled to run twenty miles? Is your team having their annual all-hands meeting in Europe the week before the race? You can certainly work around these events and still run your miles, but it may not be easy, especially if you’re contending with jet lag.

Get your Spouse/Partner on Board with Your Training Schedule. Do your relationship a favor, and do not skip this step. You will be spending a lot of time on the road, and if you take my advice (see trick #4) to heart, also in the gym. Plus, you will likely take a few afternoon naps after your long runs; it takes a lot out of you, especially in the hot weather. So…with your increased time away from the house, your spouse/partner will need to pick up more of the household work. If you talk about it early on, hopefully you’ll avoid any issues when you’re in the thick of your training. Marking your long runs on a shared calendar also helps.

Bring Out Your Project Manager Skills. Get yourself a good training plan that feels reasonable to you, and that is not too ambitious from where your running base is today. Either keep the plan open on your computer (many of them are in Excel) or print it and tape it up on your wall.

Then, make notes on it each day (this is really helpful if you decide to run another race the next year!), and look ahead to the weekend each week to plan for your long run. Also look at both your work schedule and your personal schedule for when your miles are at their peak so you can plan for them. I remember training one summer when my son was playing baseball across town on Saturday mornings.  The goal was not to miss seeing him do that, so I’d plan my long run route to end up at his game.

Book Time for Strength-Training Wherever and Whenever you Can. Keeping up a strength-training program is the best way to keep your body strong through the rigors of endurance running. For me, it was the difference between icing my knees after every run (first marathon) and running pain-free (second marathon). There are few things worse than training for a few months, and then having to bow out of the actual race because of an injury. If you’re having trouble finding the time, put fifteen minutes on your calendar as a recurring appointment, and use that time to do some leg lifts and squats. (Note: You can also use the office stairwell for this!)

Always bring running gear when you travel. Running in a different city can be a lot of fun, and if you get tips from the concierge, you can usually find a good course. If the weather’s bad (or you’re not in the best part of town), you can still get your miles in at the hotel gym. But get there early—the treadmills always fill up earlier than you think.

Training for a marathon can be tough—especially on those cold, rainy days or the hot and humid ones—but there are few things more rewarding than crossing that finish line, and having someone drape a heavy medal over your neck. It is incredibly gratifying to accomplish something that you thought you could never do. Or even better—something that someone told you would be impossible, given your busy life. I promise you that you’ll think about that person during mile 25!