FULL TIME WORK AND TRAINING MIX

If you are 100% dedicated to reaching your running potential, work part-time and live in poverty until you reach your goals...

If you take a full-time job and still run, be prepared to have no life....don't live in a major city, because you'll have a difficult time ignoring all the shit going on...your running will suffer...the only time I ran fast post-collegiate was when I was piss-poor....

How fast do you want to run? Obviously you have to pay the bills, but beyond that, as long as you don't have a spouse who needs a lot of money, you might want to go the minimal route as far as work goes if you want to run in the Olympic Trials. As a sidebar, sitting at your desk is not very hard on your body compared to a lot of other jobs. Look at Rod Dehaven, he does a job that puts him behind a desk. He takes off from work, with his company's permission, during the most important training and racing times.

It is an easy decision really there are 2 ways in my mind that you can look at it. It is easy to work 40hr weeks and still train 100+ mile weeks, you just have to make running the #1 priority in your life, alot of people just think that they don't have time or can't find a way to get all the things they need to do done on a daily basis working FT and running FT. It is a matter of simplifying your life to a degree and wanting it bad. Alot of the people that don't want to give up going out doing alot of partying aren't legitimately serious about running anyway. There are sacirifices to be made, but understand that placing a premium on sleep and being able to keep yourself away from doing too much at nights after work that you run is key here. Alot of people say they want to be dedicated and train hard but think they don't have time. Thats because most the "other" things that they have to do are things that can easily be sacrificed for a serious runner.

I have been training for 6 years post college high miles/lifting weights and have done it with ease in my quest to chase 2:22 like many others, good luck!

Well I was a finance major working for an accounting firm in New York a little while back and found it extremely difficult to train hard and work a lot at the same time. Granted my job was a lot more than 40 per week, more like 50-75 depending on the time of year. I found that I got overtrained on mileage and intensity I could previously handle before I started in the workforce, and I also found I enjoyed running less. Running is a lot less enjoyable after a long day of work when you have to force yourself out there to do a tempo run or whatever. If you can find a low-key accounting job that is ONLY and I mean ONLY 40 hours per week MAX then I guess give it a try. Training hard and improving while working 40 a week can be done, but it isn't the easiest nor most enjoyable way. Anything more than 40 hours per week, forget about making the next jump in your running post-collegiately. My advice would be to get the bullshit job, 25-35 hrs. a week and just have fun. Run your ass off and go for it. You only live once. You'll have the rest of your life to chase a career. At 40 yrs. old, you won't regret going for your running dreams while you were young. If you get in too deep with a job, and can't or won't go for it then, you WILL regret that later on. Good luck.

so far so good, keep em coming...

i guess as a follow up though, i'm nervous about things like health insurance, particularly that i guess. my parents strongly advise me that if i must put off getting a real job that i still need to get insurance of some kind just in case i need it ya know. anything for me???

i think i'm leaning towards the part time thing pretty much because i've always leaned toward it. i mean i'm serious about training for sure and going for olympic trials in the 10k and maybe the marathon... and i just wonder when the heck you train with a full 8-9 hr work day in the peak of the day. i mean i'm not a morning person so i could never do a workout at 5am or even 7am for that matter... and even if i start work early i couldn't it being realistic to work out before 5pm... and that's assuming you live right next to your job, etc...

once again, thanks for all the input... keep it coming.

I was an accounting major, worked less than a year at a mid-size prestigious acctg firm, then left for full-time training. I was a 2:23 marathoner at the time, with big aspirations. I say these things assuming you aren't a sub 29 guy. Unless you are getting a good running contract, or have lots of cash saved, this is what I would do.

Find a decent job. I don't know if you're looking at a CPA firm or corporate. Corporate is generally easier, because you aren't working 80 hours a week from January to April.

Work there two years or so. This would take you to 2005. If you work until 2006, you have two years until the next Olympic Trials. Save a lot of your earnings, and you can train full-time until the Trials. You will be more developed, and more likely to have a chance at success.

This will give you experience, which will help you when you are done running, and could help you get good part-time

work if you want while training full-time.

Good luck

For all of you out there that say that you can't train full time because you work 40 hours per week, you are a bunch of babies. If that is truely all you have in your life is to work and train and you can't get it done, you have a laziness problem.

Even if you are working 40 hours per week and running 140 miles per week (about 16 hours at 7 min pace) and 8 hours of sleep per night that is only 112 hours per week. Last time I checked there are 168 hours in a week. That would leave you 8 hours per day to still get in your eating, showering, watching your TV that seems to be so important, etc.

I guess I am the exception or so I have been told. I have a lot more in my life than just my full time job and my running and I managed to run 2:22.

Hey. Glad to hear others are out there striving to be the best they can be in their given situations.

I work, at a minimum, 51 hours/week, and 56 on a full week. I work M-Saturday, and get mosts Sunday's off managing a store. Bottom line is to get your quality workout in the morning. Be it a track workout, or a tempo run, or a long run. By the PM we're all pretty dead and with food in the stomach and usually hotter weather in the PM, makes that run a doozy.

I hit 120+ miles/week on average. It's amazing how the body acclimates to the training schedule. I've even lost a few pounds I never thought I could (I was already at 130 and now I weigh 125lbs!), because my body is adjusting to less sleep and more work!

Just find a routine that fits your work. Also, a best bet is to schedule/plan your training months in advance so you don't have to think about what to run everyday. Make a "God Schedule" as Ron Dawes used to say. Take the time to plan and then don't deviate. However, keep in mind you do have to be flexible when odd-ball situations do occur (just had one the other day).

Best of luck, and press on...

Coming from one who delayed working until I was into my 30's (not because of running), I think that if you really want to run, you should run (and not work full time).

However, if running is the ONLY reason that you want to avoid full time work you should be realistic about your goals and your lifestyle. Do you train at a consistent, high-level right now? Have you been consistent for a long period of time? Are you still improving? How much do you realistically think you can improve?

The reality is that an extra year or two is not going to turn an average runner with an average work ethic into a national class runner (not suggesting that you are average).

If you honestly believe that by not working full time you will have a reasonable chance at hitting your running goals (whatever they may be - there is no requirement that these goals be especially lofty, they just have to be right for you), and if you honestly believe that meeting your running goals (or at least trying) will be worth the downside of being behind financially and career wise, then you should not work full time.

All of that being said, there may be a number of other reasons that you don't want a full time job - running might just be the easiest justification.

At some point you will probably have to let the student lifestyle go, but if that time is not now, and you are cool with the possible financial repercussions down the line - do what you want - who cares - lots of time.

Jimmy Herald has a full time job and is fine.. You can do it if you want to!

I live in a city and work 40 hours a week and I'm able to train 90-100 miles per week at my highest without any distractions from city life. When I'm training this much, I have no social life. I sit at home and watch movies on the weekends and I'm in bed by 10 on most nights. But to me it's worth it because I'm doing things right and able to run well, especially as of late. I can go out and enjoy what the city has to offer when I am in a recovery mode and not running as much. It all works out.

I think you can work full time and train at a high level. It's all about prioritizing and time management. However, I do think it depends on what your job entails and how much time you spend there. I can see it being difficult to get the most out of your running if you work 60-80 hours per week or have a job that is physically demanding and you don't have as much time to do all the right things and take care of your body.

You can do it no problem working full time, as long as the job is fairly sedentary and LOW-STRESS. I work 40 to 40+ hours as a grad student, but the pressure here is pretty high and a lot of days I know it affects my training. If you can find a full-time, low-stress job, why not? You'll still have plenty of time to train at a high level.

First you'll have to get over that morning thing. I was never a morning person either, but if you can't get easy mileage in at 6 or 7am you're going to have a serious problem. You really need 7-8 hours in between workouts, so if you don't run until 10am look how late you'll have to do your second workout....

This may sound trivial, but try to find a job near a good place to train. My office is 5-10 min. from miles of gravel trails, I change in the restroom and go do my p.m. run, then I drive home without dealing with rush hour traffic(which is a very good thing being 30 min. from NYC). I would suggest living in a less crowded part of the world and avoiding the club/bar scene altogether (except after a trials qualifier etc.).

would you rather make money and be successful in the view of the public, or chase your dream and be successful in your own eyes.

too many people give up on dreams. live yours.

Do both.

I think that the job stress has a lot more to do with it than the time thing. If your job is very low stress, it makes it so much easier to train. However, if you are killing yourself at work for 40 hrs a week, it makes it a bit tougher. I find it pretty easy to do my training and work full time, but my job is pretty low key. (My job still pays pretty well though, so I guess I've got it good, and thats probably something that you need to find.) I also recommend living close to work or as someone else suggested to live somewhere near a good place to train. Commuting far to work sucks big time.

I work full-time (significantly more than 40hrs/wk), and I train hard. I run sub-14 5000m, and am hoping to go much faster. I did spend about 14 months after grad school (when I was 25) running full-time, living with my parents, doing a little tutoring for cash. My running didn't improve the way I'd hoped it would, but it was definitely a great year in many ways.

Some points (most of which have been made above):

a) Depends on the job. Mine is very flexible. I work big hours, but I spread it over seven days. So on Tues and Thurs I come in late after my morning runs, then leave for 3 hrs in the afternoon to go to workout. But I'm in for four or five hours on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

b) I work and run, but I do NOTHING else. It's very difficult sometimes. But it's hard enough serving two gods, three is out of the question.

c) Prioritize. Right now (racing season) I wouldn't miss a workout for anything. Even if it meant looking bad at work. In September, on the other hand, I'll bust my hump a little more at work, because base training will be a little more low-key in terms of specific workouts being vital.

d) THough I work full-time, I have to say that the point "Joe Shmoe works full-time and is fast, therefore everyone who doesn't is a pussy" is stupid. Of course if you're running full-time (or close to it) you can focus more on extra recovery, stretching, weights, and so on. Of course, you probably can't afford massage. Which bring up...

e) There's a lot of pressure when you're running full-time, and you spend your last nickel to get out to Stanford or wherever. With a job, I feel more relaxed about running, which helps me race better. If I fly somewhere and race poorly, at least the money is no biggie.

f) Oh yeah -- never compromise on sleep. "Your body learns to do with less sleep etc." is bullshit. With a job, you're probably not getting an afternoon nap, so a good night's sleep is vital. You need a bedtime!

Overall, I'd say it depends on where you're at. If you're 21-22, have decent potential, and (most importantly), want to give it a shot, I'd say go for it. You've got plenty of years to work full-time later. I'm 27 now, which makes me say to myself "be realistic" when I think about taking a year off to prepare for the trials. But if I were 22 again...

If you want to be a bum and have time to run around, you better find a rich broad to take care of you or some career chick that just wants to be taken care of. Then you can run all you want. The problem with that is you won't have time to run because she'll have you at home "earning your keep".

Another option is live like a bum, paying rent on some cheap place, eating ramon noodles and drinking cheap beer because you don't have the money to buy the good stuff.

Do like I did and find a couple of other bums so you can split the rent and pool your beer money. You still don't have to work, but then you'll spend all your time drinking cheap beer with your roommates instead of running. Then you can be like Joe Falcon; sitting around not doing a thing, you're not worth a damn, but you remember when you were. I hope this helps.

I think Travbo was my old roommate. That lazy bastard would sit around on his fat ass talking about running, but the only exercise he got was whipping his wire and pounding beers. Oh wait, that was me.

Anyway, you could run a 3:53.43 and move back home to hang out with your high school coach after signing a monster deal with Nike. They may be on to that trick by now, though. Good luck.