Where do people do their mileage when they have full time jobs?

When I was working I did a 9 mile run at 530AM before work on the roads, then a 5-6 mile run at lunch break around 130PM on grass fields near work. Easy ......very doable.

I run from work. There's a gym there and a shower, and I have to pay a little to be a member, but it's not a big deal. The running from my house kind of sucks at night.

During the week, I run 4 days and take 1 off. 1 day on the treadmill (something tempoish for 10-30 mins plus warmup/cooldown). 2 days I meet running groups around town at 6:30ishpm. 1 day I meet a track group at the track at 7pm.

Winter running does suck.

I'd run at noon except it's kind of difficult for me to work after my run.

I hate sidewalks too, for the reason you state. I've got a full-time job and try to get in 70-80 miles week. Yes, headlamps and reflective/blinky clothes are a little hobby jogger-ish, but they'll help keep you healthy (and alive). All the serious runners I know have them.

There have been a lot of good ideas in this thread, but I haven't seen much about treadmills. Given where I live and my schedule, there's no way I could get in the mileage I want without a treadmill. Especially in the winter. Yes, they're boring, but putting a TV in front helps. Also, treadmill workouts can actually be better than outdoors such as never-ending hill climbs. They're a solution to the hard concrete surface problem too.

Bob Sacamano wrote:

I run in the dark every single day year-round, and have never owned a headlamp, or run with a flashlight, or any such silliness. Honestly, where do you people get these notions?

My medium size suburb is pretty dead at 4 a.m., except for the paper delivery guy and an occasional dog walker. Most everyone else is still asleep. You people are creating problems where they don't exist.

Get up early. Go run. Repeat the next day. No big deal.

My situation and my solution are similar to yours, except that I don't start until 5 am. However, give the OP and others a break. Not everyone is fortunate enough to live in a place that is "pretty dead", even at 4 am. My neighborhood is quiet even at 6 am and in most areas I can run on smooth asphalt roads without much trouble. But it's tougher if you live in a city with crazy traffic at all times, or out in the boonies where the only roads are 2-lane highways with no shoulder and moderate traffic.

I don't know how common my problem is, but I cannot run on a treadmill. I am too clumsy. I step off the front or back or sides, or smash my hands into the side rails or the console. It requires absolutely every bit of mental energy and focus to stay on the doggone thing for any length of time even at a very easy pace. I have tried many different treadmills and some are worse than others, but none allow me to get any reasonable workout at a sustainable level of mental effort.

Thank goodness I now live in a place where it doesn't snow. Total darkness, 25 degrees and dry air at 5 am is not optimal, but entirely doable.

Could any females chime in about how they manage running in the dark?

I'm afraid of going running in the dark by myself. Is it safe in the early hours of the morning in the suburbs?

I leave home at 5:25 am for work and don't arrive back at home until 5:30 to 5:40 pm four days a week.

I try to run 3 to 4 days a week. On working days, I get up at 3:45 am to run. If the weather is good outside (not below 20' wind chill, and no snow/ice on the road), I run a loop course through the neighborhood. Otherwise I run on the treadmill for one episode of NCIS re-run.

On off days, I still often start in the darkness in order to finish the run before lunch time.

That how I maximize my family time.

I run in the dark 4-5 days a week in the winter. I manage it by going outside and going for a run just like I do the rest of the year.

I know some women who won't run by themselves in the dark. I respect their decision and obviously they should make whatever choices they need to be comfortable, but I think it's unfortunate to live your life in fear like that.

I am a lady 34 work full-time run 50 miles/week in the winter and live in the middle of nowhere all trails, no shops, streetlights for 5 miles. Starts getting dark at 4ish now. I have just started going out after work with a headlight and have had many discussions about the dangers of this with friends etc.

Personally running in the dark I feel more alert and safer than on summer evenings - odd. Could be a false sense of security of not being able to see anyone/anything...I do wear high vis, headlight and tell my husband route as a precaution.

The female perspective wrote:

Could any females chime in about how they manage running in the dark?

I'm afraid of going running in the dark by myself. Is it safe in the early hours of the morning in the suburbs?

I'm a 58 year old woman who has been running outdoors, almost always alone, regularly for over 35 years. I have lived in big cities, small cities, and suburbs. I have been the object of countless uncouth comments, but I have never had a physical encounter or near-miss with a criminal. I realize that bad things can happen to women out alone, but I think that the danger of being hit by a car, or even of being attacked by a vicious dog, is much greater.

Most of the time I've had a flexible schedule. But have had a number of years where that wasn't the case. I remember doing hill reps and 8-10 milers under the starlight at 0 F in rural Minnesota, at 7 or 8 at night. Fun times. Otherwise, running early on city streets. Now I use a treadmill a lot, the area isn't really conducive to running at dark (poorly lit streets but with enough traffic to make it dangerous. This time of year I do some runs at the end of work near my office before it gets dark.

You made it! Welcome to adulthood!

The female perspective wrote:

Could any females chime in about how they manage running in the dark?

I'm afraid of going running in the dark by myself. Is it safe in the early hours of the morning in the suburbs?

My wife has had more "creep out" moments running in the day (cars doubling back for a second stare, slowing down to talk to her, etc.). I assume it's because most of the creepers are asleep at 5am and she can go unnoticed in the dark.

finished college wrote:

One is that I'm alone, but I'm ok with that and like it for convenience, but, it's dark in the morning before work and dark after work which is a real problem.

Get a dog and take it with you.

Bob Sacamano wrote:

I run in the dark every single day year-round, and have never owned a headlamp, or run with a flashlight, or any such silliness. Honestly, where do you people get these notions?

.

in 30 years of running, I never used a headlamp until last winter. One reason is that i don't see as well in the dark anymore. my eyesight is actually great but i need glasses for biking and driving in the dark. If i want to check splits, a light makes this much easier. another reason is that sometimes, i have to take a dump on the trail in the morning. having a light allows me to find a nice spot. the final straw was that all of the bike commuters on the trail have 200+ lumen headlamps so without one, i was blinded.

Teacher/Coach/Father to active athletic kids. During fall XC I can do some runs with my teams.. makes it easier. Rest of school year many runs at 5AM in dark.. Head lamp always... Last year got a great llbean hat with a built in "head lamp" two real small bulbs looked like a reading cap, the lights worked surprisingly well.

Also while winter running can suck. The right temperature and trail conditions can make runs in snowmobile trails some of my favorite runs of the year. During the week un the dark with clear sky and a head lamp the light reflects off the snow well. On the weekend in the AM just after dawn it can be great running and most snowmobilers aren't on trails until mid/late morning to afternoon. When the trails are softer also XC skiing is awesome on the trails. I love where I live!!!

I try to make it out the door at 5 AM, which means the alarm is going off at 4:30 AM. After work never seems to be possible--work runs long, friends and or clients want to meet for dinner/drinks so the morning works best for me. And it is on the roads in my suburban neighborhood, though sometimes I'll head out to the river or run a couple of loops around a park, but 80% is on asphalt. Watch out for sidewalks; depending on driveway design, you can easily trip.

Morning runs clear the cobwebs, make you feel ALIVE, keep you from drinking too much at night (most of the time) and during the summers, you'll witness beautiful sunrises.

I wear a headlamp--I know every inch of the road, every pothole, every crack, so I really don't need the light, but most importantly, most of the commuters at that hour are half asleep and the headlamp may save your life.

For the ladies, my wife ran with our 90 pound lab/hound dog mix for years and nobody ever bothered her. If she didn't bring the dog, she ran with friends, and since the dog passed away a couple of months ago, she started carrying mace. Just know how to use the mace, you don't want to shoot yourself.

The female perspective wrote:

Could any females chime in about how they manage running in the dark?

I'm afraid of going running in the dark by myself. Is it safe in the early hours of the morning in the suburbs?

yep. been running in the dark on the local bike path for a long time. i had one incident with a man but it's possible i freaked out and he was doing the standard "lets try run with the woman" thing.

it takes motivation to get out of bed that early. do you really think someone who wants to attack a woman on the bike trail would have the motivation to actually get out of bed at 5am, drive to a trail, then walk out there, and wait for someone to come by... when it's cold? those types are still passed out after the bars closed at 2am.

the only attacks on the trail in my town on runners have happened between around 11 am and 5pm. so i actually feel safer running in the morning alone than in the daylight hours.

also, think about this, if someone were to come after you, it's not like the movies where they can chase you all day. that one incident i had. all i had to do was yell at him to get the #$% away from me, take off in a short sprint then settle in at 7:30s. i heard him yelling "i was just trying to run with you". but he was in pants so i was still freaked out.

Q: Where do people do their mileage when they have full time jobs?

Me: Where ever I want.