7 Ways to Balance Running With a Busy Schedule

Work deadlines, family commitments, household chores, social plans — sometimes it can feel as though there simply aren't enough hours in the day. When life gets busy, running can easily become one of the first things pushed to the bottom of the list.

The good news is that fitting running into a busy schedule doesn't necessarily mean finding hours of extra time every week.

One of the great things about running is its simplicity. You don't need to travel to a gym, book a court or wait for a class to begin. Put on your running gear, lace up your shoes and you can be out of the door.

With a little preparation, some flexibility and a willingness to make the most of the time available, running can become part of even a very busy lifestyle.

Here are seven ways to make it work.

1. Be Ready to Run

Sometimes the opportunity for a run appears when you least expect it.

A meeting might finish early. You might have a longer lunch break than usual. The children could be at an after-school club. Suddenly, you've got 30 minutes to yourself — but your running shoes are sitting at home.

A little preparation can make those unexpected windows of opportunity much easier to use.

Try keeping a spare bag containing your running shoes and some basic running clothing in the car or at work. If you regularly run during your lunch break, pack everything you need the night before so you're not searching for kit while trying to get out of the door in the morning.

Removing these small obstacles can make a surprisingly big difference.

When time is limited, being ready to run means you can spend more of it actually running.

2. Remember That a Short Run Still Counts

It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that if you don't have time for a long run, there's no point running at all.

But a 20-minute run is still a run.

Rather than focusing purely on how long or how far you can run, think about what you can realistically achieve with the time available.

On some days that might mean an easy run around the neighbourhood. On others, a shorter session could include hills or periods of faster running if they are appropriate for your fitness and training.

Not every run needs to be a big training session.

Over the course of a busy week, several shorter runs can help you maintain the habit of running and keep some consistency in your training. More importantly, they are often far easier to fit around everything else going on in your life.

Don't allow the run you don't have time for to stop you doing the run you do have time for.

3. Turn Your Commute Into a Run

If travelling to and from work already takes up part of your day, could you occasionally turn some of that journey into training time?

Run commuting can be an effective way of combining something you need to do with something you want to do.

Whether that's practical will obviously depend on where you live, how far you travel and whether you have somewhere to change or shower at work. But you don't necessarily have to run the entire journey.

You could drive part of the way and run the remaining distance, use public transport in one direction and run home, or simply get off the bus or train a few stops earlier.

The same principle can apply to shorter everyday journeys. Instead of automatically reaching for the car, consider whether you could occasionally cover the distance on foot.

Once you start looking at journeys as potential running opportunities, you may discover that finding time to run doesn't always require finding additional time at all.

4. Make Running Social

A busy schedule doesn't just mean balancing work and exercise. Most of us also want time for friends and family.

So why not occasionally combine the two?

Instead of always meeting a friend for a coffee or a drink, suggest going for a run together. It doesn't have to be fast or competitive. A comfortable conversational run can give you the opportunity to catch up while getting some exercise at the same time.

Running with a friend is a great way to combine exercise with time to catch up.

Running with somebody else can also give you an extra reason to get out of the door. Once you've arranged to meet someone at a particular place and time, it's much harder to keep putting the run off.

If you prefer something more organised, joining a local running group or taking part in a regular event such as parkrun can add a social element to your running too.

Running doesn't always have to compete with your social life. Sometimes it can become part of it.

5. Get the Family Involved

For parents, finding time to run can be particularly challenging. Your free time isn't necessarily your own, and even the best training plan can quickly unravel when family life has other ideas.

Rather than always trying to separate running from family time, there may be occasions when you can combine them.

Older children might be able to run or cycle alongside you on an easy route. Younger children may be able to come along in a suitable running buggy. A trip to the park can even provide an opportunity for a short run while the rest of the family gets outside too.

It won't work for every family or every training session, and sometimes your run will need to remain your own time. But getting the family involved occasionally can make staying active easier while also showing children that exercise is simply a normal part of everyday life.

It might not produce your fastest run of the week, but that doesn't mean it isn't worthwhile.

6. Plan Your Running Week

If running is something you hope to squeeze in whenever you happen to have some spare time, there's a good chance that spare time will never appear.

Instead, look at the week ahead.

Where are the genuinely realistic opportunities to run?

Perhaps Tuesday morning is relatively quiet, Thursday offers a longer lunch break and Sunday gives you enough time for a longer run. Once you know where those opportunities are, you can begin to build your running around them.

Putting runs in your diary can help too. Treating them as planned appointments rather than vague intentions makes it less likely that something less important will automatically take their place.

That doesn't mean your running schedule has to be rigid.

Plans change. Work overruns. Children get ill. Life happens.

The aim isn't to create a perfect schedule and then feel guilty whenever you can't follow it. It's to give your running a place in your week while remaining flexible enough to move things around when necessary.

7. Think About the Bigger Picture

When you're tired after a long day and staring at a pair of running shoes, staying on the sofa can seem considerably more appealing.

That's when it can help to remember why you run.

Maybe you're training for a race. Perhaps you want to improve your fitness, spend more time outdoors, relieve some of the stresses of everyday life or simply enjoy having a little time to yourself.

Whatever your reason, running is about much more than a single workout.

There will inevitably be weeks when you run less than planned. Missing one session doesn't undo everything you've achieved, just as completing one huge session doesn't create long-term fitness overnight.

What matters is what you do consistently over time.

Finding Time to Run Is About Making Running Fit Your Life

Balancing running with a busy schedule isn't about somehow creating more hours in the day.

It's about making better use of the time you already have.

That might mean running for 20 minutes instead of an hour, turning part of your commute into a workout, arranging a run with a friend or planning your sessions at the beginning of the week.

And sometimes, despite your best intentions, life will get in the way.

That's okay.

Running should complement your life rather than become another source of pressure. Be prepared, stay flexible and make the most of the opportunities you have.

You might be surprised how much running you can fit into even the busiest week.