My favorite thing about being a college cross-country runner was how my entire day revolved around my run. My sleep, food, and class schedule were perfectly curated to maximize my running and recovery. For five years, I dreaded graduating and entering the “real world,” where I would have to hang up my Hokas and focus on a corporate 9-to-5.
When the time came and I realized how much time I would need to factor in for banal things like commuting, blow drying my hair, and post-run stretching, I was sure that my training would suffer. My alarm would blare every morning at 4:50 a.m., and I would groan and roll out of bed, dreading the dark run and long day sitting in an uncomfortable office chair. After a few weeks, though, I was fully adjusted, and I started to notice subtle changes in my running.
Yes, my easy runs became slower. Mostly because I was tired from a new sleep schedule and watching my footing in the dark. But my workouts and overall run routine became more efficient. In the past, I would take my time with my warmups, stopping to chat with my coach or find any excuse to delay the run. After starting a job, I had no time to mess around. If a run needed to be finished by 6:30 a.m., I had exactly 75 minutes to get everything done that needed to be done. There was no time for stressing about paces and my running began to thrive. Workouts were faster, easier runs were kept truly easy, and my race times began to drop.
I also stopped procrastinating runs and pushing them off to the afternoon. In the past, I could run whenever I wasn’t in class, and sometimes that would be in the heat of the day, after too heavy a meal. With a strict work schedule and commute, that is no longer an option. Now, I’m more consistently running in the mornings, skipping fewer runs, and feeling better overall.
My work schedule has also made me value my time for training more. In college, it was my whole world and entire day, so I took it for granted. Now, I find myself more mindful and grateful for what my body can do and the privilege of being able to train for a marathon with a packed schedule. I find myself getting outside after work, too, to take more walks with my husband or do some cross-training to move my body after a long day of being sedentary.
Since I first entered the workforce a few years ago, my commute has been slashed in half and I have the privilege of a hybrid schedule where three days of the week I work from home. While this extra hour of time in the morning is perfect for marathon training, I find myself still gravitating toward an early morning schedule. Once I get my run done for the day, I feel like I can better focus on my work, my friends, and my family rather than having to worry about carving out an hour for my seven-mile easy run in the afternoon.
My schedule has allowed my marathon training to thrive, and I could not be more grateful for how busy (and tired) I am when that predawn alarm goes off.
Liv Paxton is an eight-time Boston Marathon qualifier, content creator, and avid fundraiser. She's worked in the running space for four years as a coach, fit specialist, sports announcer, and writer. Paxton is a former conference champion for both the College of William and Mary and Winthrop University. She can be found running the roads of Charlotte, North Carolina, and signing up for every marathon and charity 5K she can afford.
