How to balance 100-mile ultramarathon training with a full-time job and family

Wondering how people manage to train for an ultra while working 38 hours a week and looking after children? Here are my top 11 tips…

Life is busy. If you have children, even more so. Morning routines can rapidly turn into chaos – breakfast up the wall/searching for that errant left shoe/clock ticking/meltdowns inevitable… That 10k run you hoped to get in pre-work? Gone like dust in the wind.

But there are ways to work around this. 

I have two children who are now teens, so I’ve navigated the infant stages when juggling childcare, work and training is a complex puzzle that feels unsolveable. During that time, I’ve completed 20+ ultramarathons, ranging from 50k to 100 miles.

So here are my tips – and those of my athletes, many of whom also have children. These are tried and tested ways of making every precious training hour count.

The start of the 2026 edition of UTMB’s Arc of Attrition in Coverack, Cornwall with Storm Ingrid making the 100 miles “challenging”. Photograph: Will Harper-Penrose

1. Support from your family is key

Undoubtedly the number one key to training success. Ensuring your partner or extended family members are on board with your training schedule is crucial to avoid resentment building, relationship breakdowns and tension – if you’re not managing your share of childcare, admin and chores it will lead to major issues.

Work together – keep everyone updated with your plans and race schedule so they can flag any issues. Ensure you play your part in family life.

Being conscious of not just disappearing for entire weekends while you clock up miles is not only prudent but also unlikely to win you any brownie points when you return unable to walk up the stairs, cook meals or tidy up the house.

If you’re a single parent it can be even more of a complex struggle, relying on help from extended family, friends and childcare providers. But do not be disheartened – it is possible to with some intelligent workarounds and using what little spare time you have wisely.

2. Learn to love early mornings and late evenings

One way to ensure you’re present with your family is making the most of the darkness. No one likes rising early, but setting your alarm for an hour earlier can be key to getting an uninterrupted session in before anyone else in the house is awake. 

If you’re not an early morning person (which I’m not), evenings then become the time to train, after your kids are tucked up in bed asleep. Admittedly, this can take some extra motivation as the lure of Netflix and the sofa can be overwhelming after a busy day, but it teaches you good mental discipline for your race.

3. Don’t waste your commute

This can be key in adding volume to your week. It obviously depends on where you live and work, and the distance of the commute –but if you’re getting a train into a city, ask yourself whether you can run from the train to the office? Can you even get off a stop early and run from there to add distance?

When commuting into London, I used to cycle around 10km a day, adding 50km of biking to my week. It’s not a huge amount, but it often helped build volume, even if it was cross-training. It was also useful for aiding recovery.

4. Train with hairy folk

(By hairy folk I mean dogs not your hirsute uncle – unless he’s an experienced trail runner, of course).

When you’re training for a 100-mile ultramarathon, any time on feet is a bonus – even more so if your job is desk-bound. 

If you have a furry friend, try to think how you can utilise the daily walks: can you turn them into runs? If your dog’s not a runner (hello dachshunds, pugs and French bulldogs!), can you do the dog walk in a weighted vest to build leg and core strength as well as getting steps in? There are ways to be creative with those 30-60 daily minutes.

Equally, a family hike on a weekend is a good way to add movement to your week whiel spending time with your family (however reluctant the kids are to get out and walk!).

5. Run to meet your family

One of my favourite ways to get in more volume – if weekend plans involve meeting friends for coffee or a walk, can you run to the location? It’s a great way to get miles in when otherwise you might just have been sitting in the car.

6. Don’t stress about not going over 4 hours on your long run

I’ve rarely had time to head out for back-to-back 6 or 8 hour runs when training for a 100-mile ultramarathon. 

A case in point is the 2026 Arc of Attrition which took place in brutal storm conditions in January. The longest run I did was 4hrs 15mins (with as much elevation as I could pack in), partly due to injury, partly due to time constraints, but I still finished the race with a gold buckle. 

The same goes for travelling to a course to recce it – it’s not essential if you feel you don’t want to be away from your family. I ran Lakeland 100, Arc of Attrition and UTMB’s CCC with no recces beforehand. But I know that for many ultrarunners – especially those new to the sport – a course recce can build confidence, in which case, if you have time, I’d highly recommend it. You could even take your family for a mini-break.

If you’re worried about fitting ultra-long runs in around your life, I can show you how it’s possible to complete 100 miles without breaking yourself in training.

7. Ditch lunch at your desk

Sixty minutes of training right there, five days a week. Force yourself out of your seat and either hit some machines in the gym or the paveements for a run. Even 30 minutes of easy running – or if you’re ambitious a short interval session or tempo – still gives you time for a shower and a sandwich. 

You can fit a lot into those precious minutes, which otherwise might see you munching a tired Pret sandwich over your keyboard while staring blankly at a spreadsheet.

8. Gyms with childcare = like striking gold

Some gyms now offer this invaluable option. If yours does, it’s worth taking advantage of so you can get an hour or two on the treadmill or lift some weights.

9. ❤️ the treadmill or turbo trainer

Not a cheap option, but it can pay off if you have small children/babies as it offers a way to exercise while they’re napping, or in the evening after they’re asleep. 

You can buy folding treadmills if you’re tight on space, and a turbo trainer or Wattbike is great for cross-training.

10. Be consistent ( a cliché because it’s true)

A simple tip, but the hectic nature of life can mean one week you have a clear couple of hours on a Sunday for a long run, and the next week you barely have time to eat breakfast let alone get out for a run.

If you can, try to be consistent with sessions from one week to the next – we all want our Strava activity graphs to rise perfectly in preparation for our race, but it can often end up looking like a mountain range, with some weeks peaking and then dipping drastically when time suddenly becomes limited.

If you’re committing to training for an ultra, you’ll need to keep weeks consitent where you can, and that’s where the aforementioned early or late training comes in.

11. Aim for lower volume but higher quality sessions

I’ve rarely been able to get massive volume in when training due to family commitments, so my aim has always been to make sure every session counts, especially key weekly sessions that focus on either speed or distance. 

I’ve always tried to avoid ‘junk miles’ and keeping volume lower helps me avoid the risk of injury which can come when weekly mileage becomes unmanagable.

This method suits me, but it may not suit every athlete – if you’d like to find out more about working with me as a coach, discuss what targets you’re aiming for and how to fit training around family life and a busy job, I can build a training programme that will see you achieve your aims. Click here to find out more and book a free call with me.