Fitting it all in.

I realized yesterday that it had been far too long since I had written here. In all fairness, I have not been able to get as much writing, or running, as I would like in lately. I started a new job three weeks ago, and have been sorting out my schedule ever since. I realize that I have joined the majority of American writers and runners who have to make time in their lives for their passions as well as their work. There are the lucky few for whom those two match up perfectly, but for most it is a constant challenge.

For now, I will focus on the challenge of running, and otherwise keeping fit, while working and, if you are like most of the country, commuting. My new job is reasonably close to my apartment, but still far enough away that the commute is significant: half an hour or more in a car and around an hour by bus. I have chosen to take the bus for a variety of reasons, the most pertinent being expense, the lack of stress, and my general philosophy.

The simple math is this: I spend two hours a day on the bus, or waiting for a bus, and approximately eight hours or more at work. This schedule leaves much less time for running than I am used to having. I am not willing to sacrifice my running time for work, so when do I fit it in?

For the first week and a bit, I tried running first thing in the morning, right after I wake up. This failed for a variety of reasons. The first reason is that I am almost always stiff and sore immediately after I wake up, which does not make for a great run. Second, I usually wake up to a grumbling stomach, which leaves me with little fuel for a run longer than about three miles. Running in the morning also tends to make the whole morning that much more hectic.

So I thought I would try running after I get home from work. I found more problems with this method. Again, by the time I get home from work, I generally am ready to make and eat dinner as soon as possible. A half-hour run and subsequent shower push dinner to seven at the earliest. By the time I would be ready to run after dinner, it could be as late as nine at night, leaving me to run right before bed.

Fortunately, I work in Boulder, Colorado, a rather unique place in several respects. There seem to be more runners per capita in Boulder than anywhere else I have experienced. This means several things. There are far more trails in Boulder than most cities, whether you prefer bike paths or, as I do, more technical trails. Wherever you happen to be in Boulder, there is a trail within easy running distance.

The number of runners in Boulder, and athletes in general, also means that people expect you to be an athlete. My office is equipped with a changing room and a shower for those of us who choose to exercise from work. And that is just what I have begun to do.

Most days, I run around lunch time. This allows me to get much of my work done in the morning, when I am at my best mentally. Similarly, it allows me to get outdoors at lunch, refreshing myself in the middle of the day. I also seem to think and work better after I run, which in turn allows me to get more done in the afternoon than I might otherwise.

This system is working so well for me that, far from not getting enough running in, I am now at risk of running too much too soon and injuring myself. I have had to cut down on the length of my runs in the past few days so I do not overdo it.

That is my solution to the question of when to fit my running in. As for my writing, which is also very important to me, I have not found a good solution yet. I find myself wishing that I had actually gotten the smaller version of the MacBook Air, so that I might get writing in on the bus and during downtime at work. As it is, I always bring two books with me to help pass the time.