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

HenkG wrote:

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

His name is John Downes. Used to work on a building site in London during his prime. PB's are 3:42/7:54/13:29. He's a contradiction in more than one way, no one would think he was an athlete as he also weighed in at 165lbs at only 5,7/5,8 during his best days. He made a comeback a couple of years ago in his late 40's and managed to run 32 minutes for 10k after only a few months training before retiring again.

I ran plus 100 for years while working. At first I was a teacher and had no family responsibilities. By 1994, I was into a very demanding teacher/principal role working 50+ hours a week. Surprisingly, I ran my best race during this time (11th at IAAF WC marathon).

I would get in an easy run in the morning before school (5 miles) and then a run in the evening. I made the most of my weekends with a hard fartlek on Saturday and a long run on Sunday. Long runs were done at a decent clip (marathon pace +30"/mile) on soft surfaces. Mondays were very easy 5 miles and a massage. Tuesdays were hard sessions. I used a heart rate monitor for easy runs. Often I was more mentally fatigued after work and the monitor showed me when I was slacking off.

Trick was staying healthy. I found that extra protein (red meat) helped. Having the summers off helped prepare for big championships.

I stepped away from teaching for a few years and took on easier contract work. Having more time to train didn't really correlate into better perdormances.

When I went back to full time work, I ran to commute. Every weekend I would pick up my dirty work clothes and drop off clothes for the next week. Logistically it was a big deal, but by then I had a wife and kids and this was the best way to minimize the impact on my family. Weekends were HARD!

For a few years in the seventies I ran about 110 mpw,taught full time in newark nj 8th grade and attended law school at night 5 days a week. I was married with one child at that time.. I wanted to be good and I wanted to compete and that is what you did. I ran some decent times and my key was following the advice of Tom Fleming and Fred Best-run every step at 6 min per mile pace dropping down to close to race pace on certain days for a portion of the run.. This is not as hard as it might sound-your mind toughens along with the body and yes it took me about 3 yrs after undergraduate to be able to do this.. Everybody trained like this in that era. We even got the iconic Hugh Sweeny to buy in. I know there are naysayers who will say this is an old guy rant but I wish you had been there- Boston Billy,Shorter,Fleming,on and on-today is a desert compared to that time.

Cooking several meals at one time is helpful, as someone else mentioned. I cook a bunch on Sunday nights to make it easier to get up and go during the week. My wife likes this habit. Also, I notice that, like me, most people are talking about Sunday for their long run. I've found that moving my long run to Friday morning frees up my weekends for family time and recovery. This reduced A LOT of conflict and helped give me a line of credit to do what I want during the work week.

cerutty,I agree, at that time the mileage was what you did. I would work and run not much else went on. Good times.Igy

2 WORDS:

PETER SNELL

3 MORE WORDS:

THREE OLYPMICS GOLDS

4 FINAL WORDS:

TODAY'S ATHLETES ARE SOFT

110 mpw while working in biglaw. No kids, though, but I didn't find it that difficult. Just don't watch TV.

800 dude wrote:

110 mpw while working in biglaw. No kids, though, but I didn't find it that difficult. Just don't watch TV.

You spouse is so used to the 60 hour work weeks, what's another 15-20 hours away from her while running?

TimeManagement wrote:

Curious to hear some anecdotes about how people have managed to train 100 mpw with a fulltime job, family, cooking, social life, etc.

100mpw with full time job: Easy

100mpw with full time job and happy marriage: Difficult

100mpw with full time job and happy marriage and kids: Very Difficult

Your subject is too short. You bring up the other stuff in your first paragraph, but those are the key challenges.

Did Sweeny write a story about you that ended up in Runner's World? Well, I recall a story of his in Runner's World that described a guy doing exactly what you describe here and in the same part of the world.

Are you sure that's in Dutch and not Flemish? It's a Belgian website and the guy is in Brussels.

I'm a teach High School and coach cross country and track . Have PR's of 19:06 and 39:20 and run 100 miles a week during the summer and maybe 80-85 during the school. My PR's are pretty good for my age ( 37) . I can improve my times without running more? Advise

HenkG wrote:

http://www.sport.be/running/nl/nieuws/article.html?Article_ID=729197

This is a move about it, it's in dutch but what i understand.

he runs 2 times to work

3 times from work home

The day they fill he works from 8:00 - 16:00

Runs towards work almost 20K

Has 2 hours between parent contact and end of classes.

and runs just over a hour in between.

Pretty impressive, but there are probably more people that are doing this.

Don't know if they are as fast though

Yuki's "way" fast ....

I have to wonder how productive at work anyone can be if that person holds a full-time job while running 100 mpw. I suspect that a lot of those who manage this combination have jobs where basically all they do is show up for eight hours a day. Or maybe your supervisor doesn't care if you're half dead from all the fatigue and really can't get much done.

What is a bar? wrote:

Sara Palin wrote:

If you are running 100mpw, you either pick family or social life. You can't do both. Once you have a kid expect your partner to not let you out.

Agree.

I have 2 kids and run 100 mph quite regularly. I have no real social life except running. My life is family, work and running. Nothing else. Is it worth it? I think so.

I can guarantee that you're not running 100 mph on a regular basis.

Suck it up buttercup!

Lol!

Jerome Drayton of Canada 2:10.09

cerutty wrote:

I ran some decent times and my key was following the advice of Tom Fleming and Fred Best-run every step at 6 min per mile pace dropping down to close to race pace on certain days for a portion of the run.. This is not as hard as it might sound

It sounds pretty hard, you really mean 110 per week all at 6:00 or faster? Even on flat nice surfaces that sounds like it would take at least 28-low or 2:12 type of fitness. I guess not doing any particular hard days or workout days would help.

TimeMgmtIsYourFriend wrote:

I've consistently run 100mpw with a full time job and a kid. Getting up early is key, a typical week would look like (run starting by 5am done by 630)

Mon 10 AM / 3-5PM

Tues 10-12 AM (intervals) / 3-5PM

Weds 10-12 AM / 3-5PM

Thurs 10-12 AM (tempo) /3-5PM

Fri 10-12 AM / 3-5PM

Sat 12 AM / 4-5 PM

Sun - Long Run 18-22 miles

You can skip some doubles and or stretch the morning runs out to 12 and still come out at 100.

If you can run at 10am and 3-5pm during the week, you definitely don't have a real full time job,