Who's consistently run 100 mpw with a fulltime job?

I averaged 130mpw in my early 20s while working 40hrs per week as a journalist. At the time I was a sub-elite chasing an Olympic Trials qualifying standard. I had a 1-hour commute to and from work, so I had to be out of the house each morning at 8am, and I didn't return until 6pm.

I awoke each morning between 4:30am and 5:30am, depending on the length of that day's workout, and I trained again in the evenings. I took one day a week off. I was single at the time, but had a (thankfully supportive) girlfriend.

This kind of lifestyle is doable, but it's extremely monastic and requires dedication and focus, and the realization that you're not going to be doing much else besides training, working, eating, and sleeping. I tried to get to bed each night by 10pm, but the exigencies of life sometimes made that impossible. I always felt like I was in a rush, and even simple things like grocery shopping or getting a haircut required advance planning so they didn't cut into training time, or rest, which I never seemed to get enough of. Every minute counted. When I returned home from work in the evening I would start undoing my tie and the top few buttons on my shirt as I neared my house, just so I would be able to get out the door for my second run that much faster. I reached a point where getting up at 7am felt like "sleeping in."

I don't mean to emphasize the negatives, but it wasn't easy. However, running was extremely important to me at the time, I loved it, and prioritizing it was something I wanted to do, so I found ways to do it. I never reached that Oly qualifying standard, but I have no regrets about trying. You only live once.

Try pre-cooking some meals on fri/sat/Sunday nights etc.

Ghost of Igloi wrote:

I ran about 110-145 miles a week 1973-1974 while working full time. At age 54-55 (2005-2006) I averaged 70-100 miles a week while working full time. It would be tough doing it for lengthy periods without sacrificing other parts of your life.

Igy

How did it work out for you at 54-55?

I work 50 to 55 hrs a week in a pretty physically demanding job, working from 6 or 6:30 am to 4:30 pm and have been consistently at 80 to 100 mpw for quite some time. This means waking up at 3am to be out the door at 4am to get solid runs in the morning and for the most part having no time for anything else during the week. To put it in perspective, I am not married and have no children so I can get away with being this selfish though it may be hard for someone who does. Here is a typical week:

Monday: am 8 miles/pm 9 miles

Tuesday: am 6 miles/pm Track workout (10 or 11 miles)

Wednesday: am 10 miles/pm 7 miles

Thursday: am 8 miles/pm 9 miles

Friday: am 10 miles/pm 5 miles

Saturday: am Workout (intervals or tempo)

Sunday: am Long run (16 to 20 miles)

Wow you guys are a bunch of fvcking losers! Anything above 50mpw or so is giving you marginal performance benefits as hobby joggers, yet you choose to spend all that extra time running. You can't think of anything better to do with that extra time?

Two word: RUN COMMUTE. Seriously, run commuting saves a lot of time for those who can manage it and even if you must drive to work, drive somewhere that's 4-8 miles from work and run from there.

Get up, brush the teeth, load belt, run 8-10 to work, do core, shower, be at my desk at 8:30. Leave at 5:30, run 5 miles home, maybe some strides during the run, shower, good to go by 6:45.I use Tuesday and Friday workout days to constantly rotate clothes, food, towels, etc. from my drawers at work.

If I did not run commute, I would have to waste 45 minutes each way on the subway or much longer in traffic.

Steve Jones ran faster than Mo Farrah while doing just this. He had two kids as well.

HRE,

I ran 2:57 marathon at age 54, 18:02 5,000 on the track at age 55 which was the top time that year for my age group (also 5:16 mile and 10:24 3,000m). Excellent base I ran off for several years.

Igy

Psychologist wrote:

Wow you guys are a bunch of fvcking losers! Anything above 50mpw or so is giving you marginal performance benefits as hobby joggers, yet you choose to spend all that extra time running. You can't think of anything better to do with that extra time?

Like...?

chuck norris

People coached by Lydiard.

My coach used to run 140mpw while working 60+ hours every week in manual labour. Has run 13:20 something for 5000.

runner person wrote:

There's not a whole lot of time difference between 70 and 100 mpw. 30 miles works out to around 3.5 hours or an extra 30 minutes per day.

It's not so much the time difference as the number of runs.

You can easily do 70mpw in singles, maybe choosing to throw in 1-2 doubles a week.

At 100mpw+ you will be doubling several days, maybe more days than not.

Getting up and running an hour before my wife and kids are awake isn't disruptive at all to my routine with the family, work, etc. Doing a second run during the work day or in the evening is.

OnePieceToe wrote:

Married and have a full time job.... as a teacher. I didn't quite hit 100 mpw during the school year, but usually have a decent base during the summer months when I'm off of work.

I notice you don't mention having kids, which is what really makes a difference.

But good work running a lot during your vacation!

A typical week of one of our locals. He is a married primary (elementary) school principal with no children. His last marathon was a 2.21.

M. 30/01/17. 05.56. 16.1 km @ 4.24

T. 31/01/17. 06.13. 8.2 km @ 4.26.

16.55. 7.4 km warmup 4.9 km @ 3.03 (400m reps 200m floats) 6 km @

4.27.

W. 1/02/17. 05.26. 21.5 km @ 4.12.

18.42. 9 km. @ 4.18.

T. 2/02/17. 08.06. 8.1 km @ 4.06. 7.9 km @ 3.23 hill circuit. 7.4 km @ 4.28.

17.37. 8.5 km @ 4.17.

F. 3/02/17. 05.49 12.1 km. @ 4.30.

17.35. 12 km @ 4.28.

S. 4/02/17. 08.52. 7.1 km warmup 5 km with 2 x 1 km 2.49 and 2.47 and 5 x 400 m. 63 to 65. 6 km jog.

16.40. 5.1 km @ 4.32.

S. 5/02/17. 0700. 28.3 km @4.14.

ecin wrote:

Outside of running, work and being at home with my wife...I don't do a lot else (which wouldn't change if I ran less).

I really don't find the 100 miles a week hard with work and family. Perhaps that changes with kids but it's hard for me to see why some people see this as so hard to do

Guy, if you don't have kids, you aren't aren't doing this "with work and family." You don't have "family," you have a young wife at home.

Put two toddlers in the mix and get back to me. In the meantime, enjoy playing house.

I run to and from work a few times a week, knock out a medium long run and long run on the weekends, run with the kids on bikes once or twice and get out early a few other days a week plus a few miles in the evenings occasionally. In this way, it is not that invasive of family or work time to average 16 a day. Why pursue marginal benefits when there may be no money in it or not that much? Because you test yourself to your limits and maximize your potential so that you use some of your brief time on earth to do your best. Why bother spending all the time to run 50 mpw or so and run significantly slower than you can?

That's a really quick time

It can be done, there is a guy from Belgium called Willem van Schuerbeeck that's a 2:12 marathon runner and he has a normal job.

He's a fulltime sports teacher and combines his job with a running carreer

Made it to the olympic games this year in the marathon.

Training upwards to 200 km or 120 miles a week.

Running 12 / 13 miles to work every day ( 5 days a week ) around 20km.

Then also a training in the evening and doubles on saterday and long run on sunday. Building up to 40 km.

So yes it's possible with great results

Obviously the importance of recovery increases with more mpw. I found it hard to hold 90 mpw with three kids and a full time job. If you have a job which allows to run to/from work or during lunch hr then you can maximize your time. But with a family and work the training is the easy part, its the logistics and recovery that make it hard to maintain. It can be done though with planning.

good luck.