Tag: lifestyle

It’s not just a hobby anymore – training has to be a lifestyle choice

As the dial on the treadmill sped up to 8 miles an hour and the sweat dripped from my brow, I wondered what exactly it was that drove me to get on the damn thing at 9.30pm in the first place.

Parents and anyone who works, and certainly parents who work, will know that fitting in any kind of exercise class, running session, bike ride, or light stretch, need to choose times that can be utterly inconvenient.

Where a 5K Saturday Parkrun generally fits in with most family’s “free” time – training for a 237-mile multi-day event becomes more of a challenge.

So how can it be done?

For me, changing my mindset of doing exercise as a hobby was key. Exercise couldn’t be just that anymore, it had to be part of my lifestyle. I’d never choose a hobby that involved a 5.30am alarm, or intervals on a treadmill (when is this ever fun?)

Training now is something I need to make happen to ensure events I want to take part in are infinitely more do-able and therefore enjoyable.

I have an idea each week of what I need to achieve. That might be hitting a certain number of miles run, or metres of elevation, or hours of strength training; and then I must plot it in around life. 

I’m supremely lucky in that I can go out for my weekend long run and have a support network that allows that. But when it’s me at the helm, or work commitments have to be met, then the dreaded treadmill, aka DREADMILL, at 9.30pm has to be the way the training gets done. 

No, it’s not always a barrel of laughs, but it’s aiming for an end goal; seeing the bigger picture in the depths of winter when crawling from a comfy bed is literally the last thing you want to do. 

If I want to have the best time traversing the Welsh mountains, or running 50-mile ultra-marathons, or even making it past day 1 of The Dragon’s Back Race, then the leg work has to be done. And therefore, I have to do whatever it takes – after the kids are asleep, or before they’re awake; a snatched lunchbreak; whatever.

As for hobbies – there’s little time left for them!

There are a few tricks I use to drag myself out of bed or run late when I want to go to sleep. Certain mind games I use include:

• If I haven’t run by the time it’s dark, I tell myself I can either do it then, or it’s a really early start. That way my brain generally convinces myself to get out there.
• It’s an old classic, but I just get my sports kit on. Just the fact I’m ready to train makes it easier for me to do it. I’ll do the school run looking like a right gym prat, but it tends to work!
• Use a reward system to convince yourself to work out. On a Sunday, I can tell myself if I run early then they’ll be a roast dinner as a big reward.
• Take the time to do things with your children and family before or after you train. That way – if you suffer from guilt, then you can reconcile with yourself as you’ve given them your time and attention.
• Have a visual reminder as to why you’re doing the training. My Dragon’s Back Race map is never far away, so I can remind myself of the work I need to put in.
• Don’t beat yourself up when life really does get in the way. Rest days are important too, and actually might give you more motivation for getting out there the next day.