I'm a 30 yr old mom of 4 kids, ages 11, 9, 5, and 3. What I have been doing is running around 15 miles a week on average, with 30-40 minute weekday runs on my home treadmill in the mornings or sometimes around the neighborhood - while the kids are still asleep. Husband is home all the time for now (currently unemployed but is searching for new work). On weekends I'll go out Saturday morning and run 5-6 miles while the kids stay at home. Sundays I usually run around the neighborhood or at our local park while my 11yr old rides her bike - she really loves when we do that:) I have competed in several races, but none lately. I ran my first and only (so far) marathon in 2003, some 5k's, 10k's, and half marathons. I'm probably going to run a 5K on Memorial day since I have the day off from work (yay !!).

I found a health club with an amazing childcare center. It's open 24 hours per day although I never go during the wee hours of the morning! Anyway, my 4 year old twins love going to the "gym-park" as they call it. You might keep that in mind for the future. I'm running around 30 miles per week now, whereas before I couldn't do that because of full-time work/kids!

I run in the evenings instead, either outside or on the treadmill.

Something else I've done, though am not doing currently due to scheduling difficulties, is take my running stuff to work and go for a run as the last thing I do before I go home. I'm timeboxed that way, but I can cut out the primp time necessary for getting back into work mode.

I squeeze runs in whenever I can. I joined a gym near work so sometimes try for a lunch time or end of day run. I sometimes meet a neighbor at either 5:00 am or 9:00 p.m. to run the neighborhood. Thanks to a supportive husband I always get a long run in on the weekend. It's tough, but everyone (me, husband and kids) are happier when I'm running. Good luck!

If you truly don't want to run in the early a.m., a jogging stroller is key. But, you might want to give the morning a try - once you've gotten into the routine, it's not hard to wake up early (be sure to go to bed a little earlier so you're not sleep-deprived).

I have a 1-year old and have been training for an Ironman about 20 hours/week since he was 6 months (I also work fulltime). I treasure my early a.m. training time - it's the only part of the day that I own.

I work full-time and my kids are now ages 9 and 12. I run in the mornings, before anyone else is up -- it's the only way I can fit it in. As your child gets older, it will get easier to get up early in the mornings. I recall how tired I was when the kids were younger -- I spent a couple of years then walking in the morning (instead of running), which seemed easier to get up for at the time.

My child is currently 2 and I just recently went down to a 30-hour work week. I, however, spent the first year and a half of her life working full-time and trying to squeeze in running whenever I could. I ran thoughout my pregnancy and just wasn't ready to give up marathon training after my daughters birth. I kept my gym membership because they have free childcare (YMCA rocks!) and I ran on the treadmill when it was my only option. However, I learned to run late at night. Once your baby settles into a schedule you will find that he/she can go to bed around 8:00 PM if you plan things out. Our daughter went to bed at 8:00 and then I would meet with my running partners around 8:15. We would typically run 5-7 miles at least a couple of nights a week. I managed to run a marathon just 5 months after her birth and set a PR. I did most of my house cleaning from 9:30-10:30 PM after returning home from running with a new burst of energy. It's very difficult and through time I have realized that running is still important, but never as important as my child. I now only run about 30 miles per week and try to stay in half-marathon shape constantly. I throw in hard speed workouts to make up for the lower mileage and have managed to increase my half marathon speed by almost 10 minutes this year. Keep running! It's what keeps mothers sane. Friends that will run with you are also priceless. They are usually flexible if they value the running friendship. I couldn't live without the 3 gals I run with.