A Runner’s Guide to Balance

Last weekend, I sat down to observe Timothy (Tj)  Niles as he got ready for his afternoon run. Tj is an avid runner, college running coach, supervisor in social work, and foremost a father, husband, and stepfather. Tj began his running career his sophomore year of high school, where he attended Poland High School. After continuing his running career as a collegiate athlete at Northeastern, Tj was sure he would include running in his life forever. That is why, straight out of college, Tj became a running coach at Lewiston High School for 10 years, whilst balancing his new career working at a home for troubled boys. After jumping around coaching gigs, from Saint Dominic Academy, and Hall-Dale High School, to Central Maine Community College, Tj landed his current position as head coach at University of Maine at Augusta. During this time, Tj met and married his wife, Jasmine, became a stepfather, and then had a child of his own. 

When I sat down with Tj, during his routine static stretches before he headed out the door for an 8 mile run, he was ecstatic to share his experiences. We began our conversation talking about his work life balance. He stated that “I make sure to prioritize my running. Obviously not over my paying positions, but when I don’t run, I get cranky. My whole family knows that. It’s a way for me to relax and focus. I always work till 2pm, go to practice, come home, run, shower, then make dinner. ”  He also went on to say “My stretching routine has changed a bit over the years, but the general idea is still the same. Static stretching before and dynamic stretching afterwards.” He claims that this has been the best order possible for him, because “…you get to stretch out without getting exhausted, but at the end still end up with that crucial muscle fatigue to make your endurance stronger.”

Even though I myself have a history of running, heavily inspired by Tj, I often question his sanity when it comes to running long continuous distances. I asked how he was able to keep his morale and discipline intact after such excruciating workouts and many miles, to which he replied how “I have been doing this for a while, I even went to college for it. And when you become a Division 1 athlete, your body gets used to putting in the work. Having those disciplined backgrounds and kind of what keeps you going. Especially on days when you’re tired, busy, or when it’s almost sub 0 degrees and snowing. You have to push through to get anywhere. Obviously you can’t start at running 10 miles a day, but its also about consistency.”

On the homefront, Tj has always been a great support for my own experience with sports. Turns out, he also enjoys watching tennis. I didn’t learn this fact until I told him that I would not be running track and field, but instead was going to play tennis. Besides sports, Tj often spends his free time helping out the family. He talked about how “Its difficult to find time outside of my career to do much, but I really like being able to do fun activities with my son and family, or even just stay home and try to clean the house. It makes me feel productive.” 

Tj nowadays always seems to keep himself busy. But through our conversations, and how well I know him, I can safely say that he is also a man who is constantly educating himself and finding ways to prioritize his time. I still get confused on how he manages to juggle it all, but it seems to me like he has it all figured out. 

“Running or…” by lgh75 is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.