running 90-100mpw is easier when you work 9-5

Cool but 6-2 hours are better

Well, thats just like, your experience man

how are you getting in the morning run if your work starts at 6? lets think about the important things here

Agreed. I was never a morning person. I ran at noon and again at 7pm. I did 90-160mpw year round.

I got a job working 9am-2pm monday-friday and it helped me become a morning runner. 13km there and 13km back. Luckily I could catch a bus at 6km if my legs were dead.

Some days I would go out with such dead legs or so tired I wouldn't ever think I could run but I had some pretty good runs.

For the first time ever I actually felt awake to run a 5k race at 9am.

I had to run 13km, I couldn't cut it short and the bus was a last resort so it forced me to slow down which kept me injury free.

It was like having no commute, I loved not having to sit in traffic.

I took a blender to work and would buy bags of bananas everyday and sugar. This allowed me to have 1500 calorie banana smoothies 13 bananas, early in the day then jog home. Because I finished at 2pm I could have a nap upstairs in the warehouse for half an hour before my run home.

I have a different job now working weekends 8am start and after 1.5 years I still can't be motivated to go to bed early monday-friday.

Banana and sugar smoothies? This is a cool story.

160mpw is crazy

I'm unemployed at the moment and just lethargic all the time.

A short, slow jog actually makes me feel much more energized.

I start at 6 and have a 50 minute commute. You can't really run that early unless your getting ready for work time is like 5 or 530. A pe teacher with a 5 minute commute could do it. To run before my 6 am job, I'd have to be running around 4 am when needing to shower, clear the car of ice, etc. is considered. Anything is doable, but I found its better for me to just try to run longer after work. Running in the daylight in winter is nice. I'd probably lose even more motivation if I had to run in the dark for 4 months.

I do find that when my work schedule is well defined, my mileage is higher. It just makes life easier to not have as many choices when it comes to "when should I run."

If you have to run before work, then you run before work. If you have to run right after work because it is getting dark, then you get it done. But if I have all day to "decide" when to run, my workout often gets pushed around by other things I have to do (or want to do).

That said, if you can find a way to run while it is still daylight, that is the most important thing. The idea of running with a headlamp for two straight months of Winter is never inspiring. I'll do it, because that is the only option, but I don't prefer it.

what you have described are not facts.

This is one isolated case - an example or anecdote.

Facts would be if you were citing a group of number (like 40% of runners who work 9-5 actually find they run more when working fulltime).

In the 90s I ran 150-200 km/week while working full time in a paper mill with night shifts.

You can build the ability to organize yourself and use your time for the things that are most important to you without the structure of having someone else do it for you, but it can take some serious work.

A sample of one lacking motivation when he has a flexible schedule vs a more rigid schedule doesn't prove much of anything.

I think the OP was indicating some "facts" as they pertain to him. I think a few other postings since have indicated that some others agree with him. I agree as well.

When I had a well-structured in-the-office start time of 7am, I found it easier to get my butt out the door at 5am for my daily 5 miler. Now that I'm retired my flexible schedule has me sleeping in more mornings and moving run times around based on other activities.

I agree with OP. I find it difficult to maintain my mileage on holidays because there is too much time to procrastinate. With the job, I have no choice but to get my run in before work and doubles during lunch. (I'm not an evening person.) 6 AM runs are always beautiful, getting your mileage in while the world is still quiet.

Found the insecure academic

Fixed that for you.

I ran 90-100 mpw from the mid 1980s until early 1990s as an accountant, part owner in running store and grad student. Easy morning run should start within 20 minutes of waking up. Evening run shortly after getting home from work or school. Login your miles, sleep and alcohol consumption daily. Set goals and try to run the same races every year (easier in those days to win prize money around New England). you can get better and improve if you put in the work. Grind it out and review your training logs to see what works best for you.