7 Tips for Running Around Your FY1 Rota
1. Pick one goal and book your races early
Unfortunately, an FY1 rota is not entirely compatible with improving every single aspect of your running. You’ll have to choose a specific goal and work towards that. You’ll struggle to hit a PB in both your 1000m time and your cross-country performance. So goals and booking races early are key. That way you can plan your training block around your rota.
For example, I thought the wisest and most reasonable goal to set for myself as a lifelong 10K racer was to run a first marathon during my first year of working as a doctor. What made me think this was a good idea? … I’m not entirely sure.
2. Build your training block
When training for a race in the middle of your busy work week, planning is everything. I say this as someone who struggles to make plans more than nine hours in advance. But here are some things I would highly recommend you take into consideration when building your training block.
Work backwards from your race date. Book your race months in advance so you can then ask for days off accordingly. Decide what your goal is. It’s OK if that changes every race. Decide if you’re going for a specific time, or you just want to complete a certain distance. Then work backwards from that. Taper weeks are so important! So schedule that in, and don’t be tempted to get in a last-minute run or two. Actually use your taper week to taper and rest; fresh legs will carry you further than a last-minute run. Schedule your last long run a week before that, and work backwards so you have a weekly progressive overload planned.
Have two “key” sessions each week. Look, realistically, things will go wrong. You will have really tough days at work, or need to stay in longer for reasons outside of your control. It’s nearly a guarantee that you will miss some sessions, and that’s OK. Set aside two sessions a week that are non-negotiable. Again, that depends on your goals. For my first training block, that was a long run and an interval speed session. Anything extra that happened during the week I treated as a bonus.
Put your hard runs on your easier days. Don’t leave your long run for the day after you come off a seven-day stretch of 12-hour shifts (yes, you’ll have those). Plan your runs around your rota and keep the hard runs for the easy days and vice versa. If you’ve had a really hard week, it’s OK to say no, it’s OK to make yourself a nice dinner and stay at home. One missed session won’t affect your progress, I promise.
Prepare your kit and route the night before. When you’re coming off work and going straight into a run, you want it to involve as little thinking as possible. Keep your running clothes laid out before work, have your route planned, even have your playlist picked. This way, when you get home from work, all you have to do is go, and that takes the load off a little.
Keep track of your progress. It’s easy to fall into a bit of a sporadic pattern when working shifts and training. I know myself that for a few months I’d just run whenever and whatever. As long as I was getting my runs in I was counting that as a win. And it is a win. To come back after a full day’s work helping people feel better, going out on a run is irrefutably a win. But I wasn’t seeing much progress. Keep an eye on your progress, keep an eye on how your times are changing week to week (P.S. you don’t have to get faster every week), and monitor how long your long runs are.
3. Rely on discipline when motivation runs out
You’ll have those weeks where everyone is nice at work, your patients remember what medications they take, you’ll get every cannula you’re asked to do and the weather is beautiful. But not very often. On those great weeks, you’ll be so motivated to go for your runs, you’ll have a spring in your step and the concept of tiredness is something that isn’t quite tangible. But every other week, you’ll have to drag yourself out of the house, in cold, soggy English weather, after a day of really long discharge letters, your patient not opening their bowels in six days and you not having time to pee the whole day. On those days, motivation will be dwindling, morale will be low. You have to rely on discipline on those days. You have to remember why you want this, and go after it.
4. Treat rest like training
Sleep and rest are a currency of their own, worth their weight in gold. It’s very easy to try and overload your week with training if you see your times are not going down, or you don’t feel like you’re improving at the rate you expected. I remember having a race booked and having an expected time to complete it in, and every day after work I’d keep running until I’d hit my pace targets. By the end of that week I was fatigued and stressed, and I just hated running. By the time race day came around, I was just ready to be done. Whereas the weeks that I prioritised my rest, getting adequate sleep, feeding myself well and allowing myself to relax, I showed up to training and races with fresh legs. Those carry me much further. Sometimes it’s about quality, not quantity.
5. Don’t compare yourself to others
Run your own race! If you’re in the running world, I’m sure you’ve heard this mantra. But it’s definitely one of the more important ones. Everyone is on their own path; no two stories are the same. The one thing that will put you down is comparing times and progress with someone else. Comparing your Tuesday to someone else’s race day is a recipe for misery. Your times are yours. The leaderboard doesn’t know about your night shifts. When you’re on the track, it’s a race, but outside of that it’s not. Outside of that we’re all just trying to be the best version of ourselves.
6. Change your plan if it isn’t working
If something isn’t working, it’s OK to abandon it and change. If your training structure isn’t working, change it. If your usual route starts filling you with dread, change it. You’re not in school any more, there’s no coach yelling at you that things have to be a certain way. There are no rules any more. Part of this journey is about trying new things, failing, getting back up and finding what works for you.
7. Don’t forget to have fun
I know that’s a long list of dos and don’ts, but this point is arguably the most important one. Remember why you do what you do. Remember the feeling you get when you hit a goal you’ve been chasing, hold on tight to the smile you get when you know you gave it your all. Remember that you’re a fighter, remember that your prime isn’t over yet, remember that you are good at what you do and you’re happy to do it.
But I also want you to remember to not always take yourself too seriously. That you do this because you love it, not because you have to. You choose this life as a reward, not a punishment. Your best times are the miles you ran with friends and a smile.
Final Thoughts
It’s a hard path ahead. The odds may not always be in your favour. But if you hold on tight to the reasons you turned to sport and what it means to you, the mornings don’t seem that early, the air doesn’t bite as cold, and the distance doesn’t seem as long.
Being a doctor and an athlete at the same time is difficult. But I know that one version of me wouldn’t exist without the other. If you’re just starting out on this path, or if you’ve come a long way already and you think your best days are behind you, I want you to know that you’re not alone. There are many of us out here, running our own races, together.
Want to get in touch with Tani? Contact us and we’ll put you in touch.
