Running on your lunch break is totally possible to fit in. Reap the mental and physical benefits!
With a little planning, you can be out the door for a quality run and back in less than an hour—with time for a shower and a quick lunch. Running on your lunch break can also be a great way to break up the day, the mental benefits may outweigh the physical!
Of course, working from home takes a whole new dynamic. You’ll have the luxury of having all your kit at home ready so removes the barriers that come with working from a place of work.
1. Get Organised
Get organised! You’ve got precious minutes so prevent procrastination and decisions by preparing in advance.
Firstly, block out regular time in your calendar for your lunch break, time to prevent others booking meetings in. This is not always easy but helps to make it routine, especially if you’re staring at a computer screen all day. Be clear on how much time you have so you know how long you get can out for, then to get washed, changes and eat. Over a typical hour lunch break this may consist of 30 to 40 minute run.
Secondly, decide on the basics of your run. What route are you going, what distance will you be doing, what type of run (more covered on this in point 3)? This all sounds basic but if you are clear on the where, what and how you’ll be able to get out the door with clear goals in your head.
Thirdly, if you are working in a place of work, can you prepare in advance? Pay attention to the weather the night before so you can pack the right gear and not get caught out. Can you wear any of your kit underneath to speed up getting out? All questions to ask yourself and prepare to remove all those barriers. 😎
2. Warm up
Whilst you will want to make the best use of your running on your lunch break, make sure you warm up. Don’t go sprinting out the blocks, that’s a sure-fire way to pull a muscle 🙂. If you can ahead of your lunch break look to do some dynamic stretching to prepare your body better.
Aim to set off gently, increasing your heart rate and get your muscles ready for going fasater or harder efforts. How fast you move is up to you: Some days, you’ll be ready to run from minute one; other days you might need to ease into your workout a little more gradually.
3. What types of runs?
You’re limited with time so make the best use of it! Studies have shown that running on your lunch break is great, when you’re most most away and least fatigued. Before that afternoon fatigue sets in, you’ll get more energised for the second half of the day.
Aim for 30-40 minutes of movement, including warmup and cooldown. Be clear on the type of run you want to do. These include steady, tempo, progression or interval runs. Which one may be determined by the day of the week and other training you’re doing around this.
If you’re targeting a form of interval session see my previous posts on how to use the Garmin interval training and custom workout features. These will help structure your sessions and remove the need to think as your watch will tell you what to do. You’ll still need to put in the work though! 😀
4. Cooldown
Lastly, make sure to run some easy pace at the end. This is particularly important if you’ve just pushed your body with hard efforts. This also includes not forgetting to stretch when you’ve finished your run. you may have a good routine but don’t negate dynamic and static stretches. This is ultra-important, especially if you’re going to be sitting straight back down for the afternoon after a hard interval session.
Perhaps aim to finish a few 100 metres from your finish point so you can walk it in to bring the heart rate down further. You want to recover strong and feel good for your next run. 😎
Running on your lunch break summary
Running on your lunch break can be really effective in breaking up your day. It can have big physical and mental benefits for you so take advantage. With a little planning you can maximise this time so hopefully I’ve given you some food for thought to help. 🏃♂️
