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Runner’s World November 2003
By Jeff Galloway

It’s a Date
Sometimes the hardest part of your run is finding time for it in the first place. Here’s how to book it.

There are lots of things you just know will happen without advance planning: the sun will rise, the seasons will pass, the dog will jump up on the couch as soon as you leave the house. But the rest of life takes a little more forethought. Most of us know that the key to successful running is consistency, but what’s often left unsaid is that consistency doesn’t happen without planning. If you just sit back and wait for a time slot in your day to magically open up for a run, it’s unlikely you’ll ever maintain a consistent running routine.

Many beginning runners quickly drop out of the sport because they don’t habitually plan their runs, which usually leads to an inconsistent, then nonexistent, running program. And lots of veteran runners never achieve their full potential for the same reason. Try these five planning strategies for taking control of your running routine.

1. PENCIL YOURSELF IN. Just as you write down other important appointments, you need to literally pencil in a time for your run. The process itself is empowering. In the few seconds it takes to scribble “run” into a time slot, you make running a part of your life. Once you know you’ve made time for a run, you can relax. It’s no longer a question of if or when you’ll run. It’s already in the book.
Some runners prefer to schedule a week’s worth of runs at a time, setting aside a few minutes on Sunday night or the first thing Monday to scan the week ahead and enter the days and times for runs on their calendars. Others find it easier to schedule one run at a time, usually noting it on their daily calendar the night before. Adopt whichever scheduling method works best for you.

2. STAY FLEXIBLE WITH YOUR LONG RUNS. Long runs are arguably the most important component of your training. They build endurance, burn lots of calories, and help you to run faster and easier during other workouts. But true to their name, these runs take longer than other runs. Plus you need to sandwich them between easy days or days off. All of this means you should schedule your weekly long run at least a couple days ahead of time.

Most training plans have you doing your long run on a weekend morning, presumably when you have a little extra time. But if you work on the weekends or find your weekends are too jam-packed with activities, be open to scheduling your long runs on another day that suits you better. And don’t automatically rule out workdays. Some runners like to do their long runs after work on Friday to get it out of the way before the weekend begins, or early Monday morning before the start of the work week (hey, everyone else in the office is tired on Monday’s, too).

3. ALTERNATE RUN AND REST DAYS. Trying to force daily runs into a busy schedule can be frustrating, if not impossible. Running every other day give you much more flexibility, leaving your nonrunning days wide open. At the same time, leaving 48 hours between your runs allows your muscles to recover and rebuild for maximum running performance.

4. SHOOT FOR 10. To maintain conditioning, you only need to run for 10 minutes at your normal training pace. So on extra busy days, just schedule a 10-minute run. Once you start looking for that 10-minute pocket of time, other larger pockets of free time might become apparent. If not, 10 minutes will still do the job.

5. LIFE HAPPENS, SO BE PREPARED. Sure, there will be days when unexpected events rob you of the time for your planned run. And the Earth won’t stop revolving as a result. But if you leave a bag full or running gear stashed in your car, you may be able to sneak in a run during other unproductive pockets of time later in the day, such as when you’re waiting for the kids’ soccer practice to break up. So, when your schedule changes-and it will- just change with it.