Time Management Tips From A Masters Runner

Recently a friend of mine decided to take the leap back into running. After making it through a few weeks of 5 a.m. wake-up calls and meeting the group she finally said to me, “I am having so much fun that I don’t know why I did not start back running sooner.”

I said, “Girl, it’s called sleep.”

When it comes to finding your running time, you have to be willing to create enough time that will make a difference in reaching the goals in your life. You have to be willing to wake up earlier or give up other precious time in the day to make room for YOUR run.

What I learned when I found a place for this, at the precious hour of 5 a.m., is that it became my quiet place. It is my quiet place before the full day of non-stop activity begins, where I can do an activity that is—well—just for me. This is a place and time where my mind can wander and find solutions and reflect. Eventually this becomes a routine, a routine that I no longer know how to start the day without, nor how to sleep late for that matter; it is indeed strangely cool ‘for me.’

So whether it is the kids, the job, the cooking, the cleaning, the driving and all the to-do things in life—you have to be willing to make space and trust that once you make this space, your world will slowly crack open to the happy and enriching experience of what it’s like to be a runner. When you find that groove you will realize it was worth every bit of effort to ‘find the time.’

Tips to find the time and stick to it:
Daily Rituals—Make the running ‘lifestyle’ a part of your daily life.
Find a Group or Buddy—Someone reliable waiting on the corner for you to run at 6 a.m. cannot be denied!
Be a maniac about running—Love it, read it, watch it, hang out with runners and the running love will spread (and running, too, will actually become easier).