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Malindi Elmore’s daily routine

How the Canadian record holder is balancing running, working and parenting

Canadian marathon record-holder Malindi Elmore is a mom, runner and coach at UBC’s Okanagan campus. Her breakout race came in January at the Houston Marathon, where she shattered her own personal best and Rachel Cliff’s Canadian record of 2:26, running a 2:24:50 to finish third overall.

RELATED: Malindi Elmore shatters Canadian marathon record in 2:24:50

Like everyone else, Elmore’s days look a little different right now, but here’s a glimpse into how she fits in training with work and being a mom. This is what her Monday through Thursday schedule looks like (Friday to Sunday she fits in more work time when her husband is off to watch the kids).

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RELATED: Malindi Elmore on staying in love with running

5:30 a.m. – Wakeup call from youngest son

Elmore says most days start between 5 and 5:30 a.m. with a wakeup call from her youngest son, Oliver. “Our toddler doesn’t like sleeping. He’s usually up and looking to get my husband out of bed as well. We move downstairs and make coffee.”

7 a.m. – Family breakfast

The family moves downstairs and has their day going by the time Charlie, their five-year-old son, gets up at around 7. They eat breakfast together before Elmore’s husband, Graham, moves upstairs to the office for the day. Then it’s time to make the kids’ beds, brush their teeth and get ready for school, which happens in the basement. “Basically school involves a couple hours a day of reading and writing. Charlie’s in kindergarten so it’s not too structured.”

10 a.m. – Snack time and hike

Elmore jokes that, like everyone else, her day is punctuated by a lot of snacks. “I give the kids something to eat before we go for a hike. I try and make the hike last around an hour and then we come back for lunch.”

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11:30 a.m. – Lunchtime and run

Lunchtime is just before noon, after which Oliver goes down for a nap. He sleeps for about two hours, so this is when Elmore fits in her run. She says her training has some structure right now, but the volume has been significantly reduced.

“I’m no longer doing double runs and I’m running at about 70 per cent of my normal training volume,” she says. “So that means I’m doing about 70-mile weeks.” Tuesdays and Thursdays are her workout days, and beyond that, she aims for 70- to 80-minute off-day runs and one long run on the weekend.

She says her favourite workouts right now are 1K repeats and short intervals on the track, which let her work a different system. This is where Elmore’s days as a 1,500m runner become evident. “Last week I did last week I did 30x200m, for example, and this week I’m doing 20x300m. I like the track stuff, it’s fun and it’s something I don’t get to do as often during peak marathon training.”

2 p.m. – Back from run

Elmore gets back from her workout around 2 p.m., which is when Oliver should be waking up from his nap. Then it’s snack time again.

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3 p.m. – Play in the backyard

After snack, the kids will play outside while Elmore putters around the backyard. Around 4 p.m., her husband finishes work and goes for his own run.

4:30 p.m. – A little more school

While Elmore’s husband is running, she’ll do a little more school work with the kids before dinner.

6:30 p.m. – Dinnertime

Elmore’s husband makes dinner. After dinner it’s time for a walk or some TV.

8:00 p.m. – Kids’ bedtime

Elmore says the kids have their third snack of the day before heading to bed around 8. Once the kids have gone to sleep, she’s got some time to catch up on email, read or watch TV. Then it’s lights out for her and her husband, before doing it again the next day.

RELATED: A look inside Malindi Elmore’s five-month marathon build

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