How to Train as an Ultrarunner Parent or With a Busy Schedule

Author - Mathew Stuckey 19/11/202319/11/2023 0 Comments

Pursuing ultrarunning excellence while juggling parenthood or a hectic work schedule poses steep challenges. The heavy training demands of ultra distances often clash with other life responsibilities.

But with smart strategy, creative thinking, and commitment, you can adapt your training to thrive as an ultrarunner despite limited time.

This comprehensive guide provides tips and guidance for busy parents and time-crunched runners seeking to tackle their first ultra or reach new distances. I’ll cover:

Evaluating your schedule realistically
Optimising workout timing
Prioritising key sessions

Maximising time efficiency
Squeezing in training creatively
Making smart sacrifices and trade-offs

Sharing the journey with family
Leveraging support systems
Maintaining motivation and focus

Handling feelings of guilt and isolation
Progressing strategically to ultras amid life demands
And more!

Commit fully to the journey, get creative, lean on your support crew, and victory over the time-management beast is possible! Let’s dive in.

Assessing Your Schedule Realistically

First, objectively analyse your current schedule and identify potential training windows. Some key questions to ask:

What hours are completely dominated by work and family?

Where do small pockets exist for potential workouts? Early morning? Lunch break? After kids sleep?
How many days per week can you carve out 1-2+ hour training blocks?
What lifestyle factors might allow scheduling flexibility? A remote job? Flexible childcare options?

Avoid illusions of finding vast untapped free time if your schedule is truly packed. But remain open to discovering small training opportunities that collectively add up over the training cycle.

Crafting your training plan requires building it around the schedule you actually have, not the hypothetical one you wish for. Accept this reality, then optimise what’s genuinely possible.

Optimising Your Workout Timing

With limited time, carefully timing training segments is crucial.

Prioritise Mornings

The mornings before work and family activities tend to offer the most flexible training time. Wake up early to capitalise on this peace and productivity.

Schedule Key Sessions Midweek

Place your most important weekly sessions like long runs and intervals on weekday mornings when you have more energy. Save weekends for the family.

Leverage Lunch Breaks

Can you fit in a run or strength session during an extended lunch break? This 30-60 minute middle-of-day training boost is invaluable over time.

Be Opportunistic Late Nights

Seize those rare late nights when the family is otherwise occupied with social events, sports, etc. Late night training productivity quickly adds up.

Coordinate plans with your partner to optimise taking turns watching the kids in the evenings to create occasional solo long run opportunities.

Prioritising Key Ultra Training Sessions

With limited training time, you must prioritise including these most essential ultra sessions:

Long Runs

The sine qua non for ultra endurance
1 long run per week, building up to 20+ miles

Schedule at least 3 hours to fully complete

Tempo Runs

Build speed and efficiency

2-6 miles at comfortably hard pace
Insert into midweek mornings

Hill Repeats

Develop strength and efficiency
10-15 x 30-60 second bursts
Tack on after shorter runs

Recovery Jogs

Recover without losing fitness
4-6 easy miles

Insert brief sessions early/late in day

Devote 80% of training time to these critical sessions first. Then fill remaining pockets of time with supplemental training as possible like weights, yoga, and cross training.

Maximising Your Limited Training Time

With such restricted training windows, make every minute count through enhanced efficiency:

Streamline gearing up – Perfect quick transition routines changing, fueling, applying sunscreen, etc.
Stash gear – Keep shoes, clothing, fuel near the door for grab-and-go simplicity.
Drive to trails – Drive 5-10 minutes to trails if needed to maximise trail time and minimise transit time walking in the neighbourhood.

Use treadmill – Run long on home treadmill if nearby trails require lengthy warmups and cooldowns.
Skip the gym – Forgo driving to the gym by doing yoga, core or strength training at home. Or incorporated into runs via hill sprints or trail resistance.
Join running groups – Group runs provide camaraderie, safety, route planning and inspiration to maximise precious training time.

Cook in bulk – Cook large batches of nutritious training foods on weekends to optimise healthy convenient meals all week.
Streamline recovery – Limit lengthy icing, self-massage to quick essentials post-run so you get back to family faster.

Maximising efficiency ensures every precious minute invested contributes to your ultra goals.

Getting Creative With Training Scheduling

With ingenuity, you can discover training time in unusual slots:

Lunch break runs – Scope out nearby office running loops to pound pavement on 30-60 minute lunch breaks.
Workout commutes – Run or cycle to/from the office for training before and after work.

Exercise en route – Park farther from destinations to add walking mileage. Opt for stairs over elevators.
Family activities – Make family outings do double duty with a weighted vest hike or jogging stroller run.
Morning workouts – Wake early to exercise before the household stirs.

During kids’ activities – Fit in strength training or a trainer session during their practices.
Late nights – Seize rare kid-free nights for evening long runs.
Nap time – Use afternoon naps as opportunities for a quick additional workout.

Look for opportunities to multitask training with other aspects of life. Small fitness gains made during pockets of time collectively transform your ultra readiness.

Making Strategic Training Sacrifices and Trade-Offs

The reality is you’ll likely need to make hard sacrifices as an ultra parent or busy professional. Common trade-offs include:

Skipping ancillary training like weight routines, yoga classes, or secondary sports. Keep training ultra specific.

Rarely racing shorter tune-up races, since they involve travel and tapering. Only race ultras.
Limiting long run routes to minimise transit time even if less scenic. Remember the end goal.
Forgoing ideal recovery practices like extensive stretching, icing, self-massage to get home quicker.

Avoiding later weekday social engagements that restrict coveted early morning training time.
Taking fewer hot baths or saunas for recovery since they dominate family time. Quick showers instead.
Reducing extensive gear organisation/maintenance during the week. Do thorough organisation together as a family activity on weekends.

The right sacrifices reinforce your ultrarunning focus without overly compromising family and work.

Sharing the Training Journey with Family

A rewarding way to balance ultrarunning amid life’s demands is making your family part of the journey:

Cultivate a “Team” Environment

Frame training as a shared family goal requires sacrifice and commitment from everyone. You’re all in it together.

Assign Specific Support Roles

Give each family member tangible ways to contribute – crewing, scheduling assistance, gear preparation, etc.

Plan Celebrations Around Key Benchmarks

Make big training milestones like completion of the first 50 miler a celebration for the whole family.

Include Family on Easy Runs

Bring kids on short jogging stroller runs or wide trails where they can join on bike/foot for portions. Make fitness an adventure.

Conduct Strength Workouts Together

Do core and strength workouts together at home. Make it fun with music, games and creativity.

Cook Nutritious Meals Together

Engage family in preparing energising ultra-friendly plant-based recipes packed with nutrients.

Share Training Stories

Frequently share all the hilarious, beautiful moments of your training journey to highlight the rewards.

When your family emotionally invests in the process, they become your biggest supporters.

Building a Support Crew From Friends and Community

In addition to family, construct a community support crew:

Running Partners

Shared training miles with those on a similar ultra quest provide huge motivation, accountability and wisdom.

Work Colleagues

Co-workers who are fellow runners can cover during urgent family situations that conflict with key sessions.

Fellow Parent Runners

Other parent ultrarunners uniquely understand the challenges you face and provide empathy and advice.

Ultra Training Groups

Groups focused on your goal race provide training guidance, route advice and camaraderie.

Online Community

The online ultra community and groups provide inspiration, wisdom and problem-solving daily.

Coaches

Coaches provide structured guidance, accountability and troubleshooting when motivation lags.

It truly takes a village. Surround yourself with as much support as possible from those understanding the unique rigours of your journey.

Staying Mentally Focused and Motivated

The heavy training demands of ultrarunning amid a chaotic life already leads to plenty of stress. Here are tactics to maintain a focused, positive mindset:

Ritualize training – Follow set routines around key sessions to reinforce their importance.
Set process goals – Set specific weekly goals for consistency, nutrition, recovery, etc. to maintain focus.

Train with purpose – Begin each session by stating what you want to accomplish. Avoid distraction.
Make time for self-care – Don’t become so depleted you lose joy. Prioritise activities that rejuvenate you as a person.
Rely on your mantras – Repeat motivating mantras during tough miles to redirect your mindset.

Envision the finish – Frequently visualise what crossing the finish line will ultimately feel like.
Monitor stress – Watch for chronic fatigue, irritability, or fitness plateaus signalling excessive stress. Adjust accordingly.

The greater the life demands, the more important routines, goal-setting and mindfulness become for maintaining perspective.

Handling Parent Guilt and Isolation

Despite your best efforts sharing the journey, feelings of guilt and isolation emerge for parent ultrarunners:

Guilt

Accept guilt is natural given your priorities as a parent

Frame training as setting a healthy example
Focus on being fully present when with family vs absent physically/mentally
Appreciate their sacrifices teach life lessons on commitment

Isolation

Understand isolation is typical for the parenting ultrarunner journey
Seek empathy and wisdom from the parent ultra community

Share your experience to help those following your path
Remember it’s only temporary until the race finish

Be compassionate and patient with yourself. These feelings mean you care deeply. Your family ultimately wants you happy and fulfilled.

Modifying Expectations and Progression

Parenthood or a busy professional life requires modifying ultra expectations:

Expectations

Limit races to focus energy on key ultras

Avoid rigid time goals susceptible to disruptions
Celebrate consistent training and benchmark accomplishments
Focus on process vs outcome

Progression

Take measured steps up in distance based on life factors
Ensure adequate time to train for new distances

Be flexible adjusting goals if needed as situations change
Appreciate every step along the journey vs fixating on the summit

Adjusting progression and expectations prevents frustration and burnout by harmonising ultrarunning with dynamic life responsibilities.

Integrating Family Needs and Responsibilities

Successfully blending ultrarunning and family over the long-term requires integration, not compartmentalization:

Involve family in your journey as much as possible
Collaborate to align schedules and share responsibilities

Split chores and childcare fairly based on training demands
Communicate feelings openly and compromise
Ask directly for what you need regarding home duties, emotional support, etc

Show gratitude and appreciation for their sacrifices
Never neglect core family responsibilities
Model grace and patience during conflicts between family needs and training

With open communication, creative collaboration and compromise, you can nurture a thriving family dynamic alongside ultrarunning success.

Conclusion

Adapting to the heavy demands of ultrarunning amid a packed schedule requires unwavering commitment, creativity, efficiency and support.

But by optimising your limited training time, involving your family in the journey, tapping social support, and staying focused, you can achieve your ultra dreams despite life’s constraints.

Approach the process with flexibility, patience and compassion. Alignment between family, work and ultrarunning is certainly possible with the right strategy tailored to your unique situation.

You possess everything needed to thrive as an ultrarunning parent or busy runner if you trust the process. Now lace up, get creative, and make it happen! You’ve got this.