Whether you're training for a marathon or a long distance ride, or are just looking for tips and tricks to balance your daily life with the demands of training, Shane Finn and Sunglass Rob are here to share their expertise to get the most out of your days. Find the time to be who you are and manage your life responsibilities without sacrificing doing cool things with your body. Shane is an ultra-athlete from Ireland who completed 24 marathons in 24 days last year. This year he is ultra-running and ultra-biking across America in 36 days to raise support and awareness for spina bifida. Follow along on his instagram as Shane runs and bikes across the US to raise money for spina bifida. If you want to sponsor Shane and his run across America you can donate on his website. We could all use a little more time and work life balance, watch the video below or keep reading to find some awesome tips to get you started.
Table of Contents
Shane’s Life and Training Tips
1. Be Selfish with Time
2. Win the Morning
3. Keep Gear Ready to Go
4. Short Run is Better than No Run
Sunglass Rob’s Life and Training Tips
1. Being Flexible
2. Open Communication with Wife
3. Take Care of Self First
Shane’s Life and Training Tips
Shane balances training with a busy schedule of traveling and being an entrepreneur. When you are an entrepreneur or just starting out a new business, it can take over your life and put everything else in the back seat. Keep reading to learn more about the tricks that he uses to keep himself on track.
Be Selfish with Time
When you are able to be a little bit selfish with your time, you give yourself the ability to focus on what is important. If you aren’t selfish with your time, it will get eaten up by other things that are not necessarily a priority. If your excuse is that you don’t have enough, then you have to take a serious look at your time and reevaluate what your time is going toward. "Everyone has 168 hrs in a week" is a quote that has shaped Shane when he was struggling to find the time. There is enough time. We all have the same amount of time, it's how you spend it that matters. Be selfish and prioritize the important things to your life.
Win the Morning
One practical way that Shane uses to stay balanced is to “Win the Morning” by waking up early getting a workout in first thing. By starting off the day with a run or ride, you start the day off with a win, thus freeing up the rest of your day to be dedicated to your other life responsibilities whether it's family, business, or work. This is how Shane starts 5-6 mornings a week, that way he has a consistent time for training and if he needs a second workout he can do it in the evening. When you don’t work out first thing you end up chasing it for the rest of the day.
Keep Gear Ready to Go
Always have your gear with you and have it ready to go. Since Shane frequently travels, it is not always possible to have his bike and bike gear with him. He can, however, always bring a pair of running shoes, shorts and a shirt wherever his travels take him. Running is such a great way to explore so much of the world, you can always run. If some time presents itself during the day, you are ready to seize the moment and get a workout in.
Short Run Better Than No Run
Life happens. The day’s plan can get messed up and get off track from your original intentions. That being said, it is way better to get in a short 20-30 minute jog than no run at all. A quick jog is a great opportunity to get your heart rate up and clear your mind. Get out there and run even when it seems like it may not be worth your time. Moving your body helps give you energy and improve your ability to handle stress.
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Sunglass Rob’s Life and Training Tips
When your schedule is not your own, it can be difficult to plan the exact time when you will train. He is juggling family life of two kids, SportRx, wife and his own personal training. Before kids, Rob got in 30 miles each way in commute to work on his bike. Now, Rob drops the kids off before heading into work, so he must find other times to train. With changing life conditions, it's key to make time and space to be the best version of yourself. Check out Rob's tips below on how he balances life and training.
Being Flexible
One of the biggest things Rob uses to get in training time is being really flexible with timing. Since he doesn't know when his next ride will be, he keeps his bike clean and oiled up along with a bike kit with everything he needs for a spur the moment ride. By having everything ready to roll, he ensures that there is little time wasted when he gets ready.
Open Communication with Wife
Rob's wife is a triathlete, works full-time and juggles the kids and their activities. She is also training for a marathon, and thus needs time for intense training. By keeping open communication, they are able to manage the family schedule as a team. By take turns with the kids on the weekend, they both move toward their goals while not sacrificing time spent with the kids. One of them takes the kids to soccer games while the other works out then they switch for the afternoon and the kids go to their next activity. They make time for each other to get their training goals done. Win. Win.
Take Care of Self First
When you work really hard, try to be a good father and good husband, it can be really easy to put yourself last. When in reality this puts everyone else into last too. Important to take care of yourself first. How can you be the best version of yourself? Do that. For Rob, being on the bike makes him a better human. So, he makes sure to get the time in that he needs. It is curtail to make sure to allocate time to train. When you take care of yourself, you are able to be a better version of yourself and changes your ability to be in all aspects of your life.
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For more Tips with Shane, check out his Nutrition ProTips for Marathon Training, to help fuel your marathon training game. If you are also looking for tips on how to train for your first marathon or how to improve your endurance training, check out Shane's Marathon Training Tips to get you started.
