How to Fit Running into a Busy Schedule

Many of the guys I used to run with in high school and college have settled into the working world and added pot bellies and double chins to their previously wiry frames. They talk about trying to get back into running, but many of them have a similar excuse: they just can't find the time.

It's an understandable complaint. Many jobs require more than the typical 8 hour day, and when you throw in commuting, as well as any work you might do from home-well, let's just say the days go quick. Who can manage to get workouts in with so much to do?

You're not going to be an Olympic contender when you have a full time job, but there's no reason to let yourself go completely to pot just because your schedule is a little hectic. Here are some tips to squeezing the most out of yourself and maintaining decent fitness.

1) Run on lunch break. Here is an hour that you may otherwise spend not doing anything important. No showers at your workplace? No problem, just buy some baby wipes and do a quick scrub down afterward. As an added bonus, if you run during lunch break, you will be less likely to spend your time chowing at the nearest fast food joint. Make sure to pack a healthy post-run lunch.

2) Get it over with early. Too many people try to work out after their regular job. It's really tough to do this. Many times, you just want to come home, eat some dinner and vegetate in front of the television. If you can coerce yourself into getting up out the door before work, you'll be much better off. Once you get used to it, getting in a run at 5 am feels great. You feel like you can accomplish anything afterward, and on the plus side, you might be more productive at work.

3) Do the key workouts. Ok, so maybe you can't run every day. Or despite your best efforts to work out before the crack of dawn, you sleep in. Try to do the "hard" workouts such as intervals, fartlek, and tempo runs. That way your recovery days will naturally be off days. Hard workouts also typically take less time than an average aerobic run and yield better fitness results.

4) Use the weekend wisely. If you have a typical Monday through Friday job, try to at least be consistent on the weekends. There's no reason that you can't get in two runs between Saturday and Sunday, with at least one of them being a harder workout. That way if you only run twice during the week, you still managed working out 4 days that week, which isn't bad.

5) Invest in a treadmill. Treadmill running can be fatally boring, but if you are truly dedicated, having one can help you run during odd hours, such as at night when you might be afraid to venture out on the road and just opt to relax.

For many people, finding the time to run is more an easy excuse than anything else. Doing some running is better than doing nothing at all, and the more you do it, the better you will feel about it and the more natural it will be to make time to do so.