The Reach Out: Bill Karins
Rain or shine, the NBC News meteorologist trains for marathons and triathlons (and now at a normal hour!)
Bill Karins is a certified broadcast meteorologist for NBCUniversal’s Climate and Weather Unit. For fifteen years, he could be seen bright and early on MSNBC's Way Too Early and Morning Joe.
Karins recently switched to an afternoon/evening schedule, where he reports for all NBC News platforms, including MSNBC Live, CNBC, NBC News and NBC News NOW.
I spoke with Bill Karins about how he maintained such an intense workout routine even while waking up very early for morning television.
I read that you train for marathons and triathlons. How were you able to maintain a workout routine while waking up so early?
Things really changed for me just in the past month. For 15 years, getting up at 2AM required me to exercise whenever I possibly could. I usually worked out when I got home from work — between noon and 2PM, before my kids finished school — which, in the summer, meant that I was training during the hottest time of day. I do not enjoy doing long runs or rides in that kind of humidity, so sometimes I ran after the kids went to sleep and didn't get back until midnight. I definitely sacrificed a lot of sleep, but I'm blessed that I can get by with five hours a night and feel just fine.
You must be really enjoying your new work schedule (noon to 8PM).
It is definitely a lot easier in terms of maintaining a proper workout routine. Sometimes I wonder how I trained for an Ironman when I was waking up that early, especially now that I've experienced what a normal sleep schedule feels like.
I enjoy being able to run with other people and train with a triathlon group. We meet up at 5:30AM to do our workouts and it's really nice to not always train alone. I'm hoping for some really good race times and better finishes.
Are running, biking, and swimming your main workouts?
Yes, but I also try to throw in something different once a week, like playing basketball. When the weather is nice, I’ll play tennis with friends. I like to do something that can be instantly competitive versus duration training, which can get a little monotonous and tedious.
Did your workout routine change at all during the pandemic?
If I’d still been commuting to work, I honestly don't think I could have completed an Ironman. Working from home gave me a lot of extra time to train — I was up to 14 to 16 hours a week. And with everyone trying to minimize contact during COVID, what's better than biking, running, and swimming outside?
When the indoor pools closed down, where did you do your swim workouts?
I'm lucky that my town has a kind of pond-lake type of facility for rec swimming. It’s the equivalent of about three lengths of a pool, so it was great practice for the big river or lake swim in a triathlon. Swimming outdoors also meant that I didn't have to worry about being around a lot of other people during COVID.
Where does your motivation for being so active come from?
It’s the way I'm wired. I grew up playing sports, including high school baseball, basketball, and football. I've never not been active — I just feel better and healthier when I exercise. I guess there’s a bit of an exercise addiction there, or maybe enjoying the adrenaline rush.
I’m also very goal-oriented and numbers-driven, which has helped me in my training and my career. Reporting on the weather means studying a lot of numbers, and so does training. I love the analytical parts of workouts — heart rates, nutrition, calories, sodium intake — it’s what my brain likes to focus on. So I set goals and come up with a plan to achieve them.
My goal for the last couple of years was to do a full Ironman, which I did last summer in Lake Placid. I also did the Atlantic City Half-Ironman. I'll be doing my fourth marathon in November and my goal is to break 3:30. I want to keep breaking my time each year. I know it gets more difficult as we age, but so far, I'm three for three, so hopefully I'll do it again. Another goal is to run a 5K in under 20 minutes. After any race, I'll typically give myself a week off before starting on the next challenge.
As a numbers guy, you must love wearing a fitness monitor.
Yes, I’m one hundred percent Garmin, but fitness trackers can become really addictive, so I always include one “no watch” run each week. I call it my “run as you feel” workout. It’s important to enjoy your workouts and not obsess about why your heart rate might be a little higher one day. I recommend that people put aside the tracker now and then.
What do you listen to while running or biking? Music? Podcasts?
I'm a “news of the day” kind of person, so I'll listen to The Daily, but I also like fantasy football podcasts. If I’m looking for humor, I'll put on the Daily Show podcast. When I'm training on my bike in the basement, I'll binge-watch shows or movies. I never ride outdoors with anything in my ears.
Is there any sport or fitness activity that you want to try?
Once I achieve my running and triathlon goals, I'm going to take a break from the endurance activities and get into tennis. I've always thought I could be decent at tennis. We have several tennis clubs in town and a lot of my friends play. I’ve told them that I'm going to be there playing tennis sooner or later.
I laughed when Karins said his new workout time is 5:30AM — even though he no longer wakes up at 2AM. Once a morning riser, always a morning riser.😀
Thank you, @BillKarins
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