Full time and trying to run

7 wrote:

Anyone here have any experience trying to be moderately competitive in running (probably not on the national scene, but maybe regionally) while working 40 hours a week? I've got an hour lunch during which time I can usually scrape together about 5 miles, shower, and eat on M-F, I could probably go 6 if I cut everything else short. Saturday is usually 8-9 miles and Sunday is 12-13. Eventually I can get those weekend runs longer but I've only recently started back into training after a few years of inconsistency after college. Has anyone here gotten around 14:30ish for 5k, maybe sub 1:10 in the half with this kind of schedule? How bad is it to have almost half your miles in the two weekend days? I've got my first half in about 4 months and I'm thinking I may shoot for about 1:15ish. Possible on under 50 miles a week for 5 months?

You're creating barriers that aren't there. I leave the house in the morning at 7:40 and get back at 6:20 and still manage 80-90 on a consistent basis. Schedule is usually 3 morning runs a week (up at 6am), run every evening after work and occasionally a run at lunchtime if its an easy day. Hard session and an easy run on saturday and a long run (90-150mins) on Sunday.

I run 14:10 and sub 30 and am always trying to get faster.

Yeah, it leaves you with little time for anything else but theres no reason why you couldn't maintain a healthy life balance and run 60miles a week. Theres plenty of time in the day, you just need to get up early and sieze the day!

7 wrote:

My evenings are not free and I just plain don't want to get up to run 10 miles in the morning (already getting up at 6 for work).

Well that says a lot right there. With that attitude, it's obvious that you plain don't want to improve any, either.

That being said, however, your college 1500 and 5k PRs are better than mine. Working full-time, but getting up early in the morning for those 10 milers, I was able to pull off, consistently, mid 15s in the 5K and 1:12s in the half. When training specific, low 15s and sub 1:09.

Based on your training plan and your college PRs, you should be able to nail your goals quite consistently, as long as you focus on quality. The only change I would recommend, not that you're looking for any, but if you schedule is that swamped, then you'll have to increase you doubles to 3 times per week and sacrifice your saturday run for some speedwork.

Steve Austin was running about 14 flat and 29 flat in his 40s while working full time as a bricklayer and running about 40mpw.

I also remember reading about Rui Lopes who ran 13.36 by running 6 x 40-45mins runs and 1 x 4 x1km in 2.50 while working full time.

John Farrington ran 2.11 with 30min runs twice per day.

There are dozens of other good examples out there.

Just get out and do the work. Limitations are of your own choosing.

come on, i might have to call bs

i don't know the situation but some guy ran 2:11 by ONLY running 30 min runs exclusively?

I'm up at 4:20AM to run everyday, have a wife and 2 small kids. I'll never see 1:10 in the half, not even close. But like the guy said before, I love running, so that's what I have to do. Done it for about 8 years now. You're a puss, go wash that thing out.

With no family obligations you have all the time in the world. My wife is a very competitive runner(trials qualifyer in the marathon). We both work full time jobs and both train hard. Oh yea, we have three kids. Early mornings and late night runs work wonders. This does not take time from the family. Weak minds make poor runners!

Sun 24

Mon 6

Tue 14 am (intervals) 6 pm

Wed 6

Thr 14 am (tempo) 6 pm

Fri 6

Sat 6 am 6 pm

This is my average running schedule and I work 40-50 hours per week. 3 days a week I only have to bang out 6 recovery miles which I do at lunch. Very manageable schedule.

Tons of people do this. I work 7:45-4:00 (25 minute commute both ways with some later days) and I just run after work. I used to work 8 - 5 and just ran after work. It isn't that hard. I was doing 100 a week in doubles for a yeare on an 8-5 schedule. I just ran a short run at 6am and a longer run at 5:15.

I turn 37 this year and can run 15:00ish for 5k. I ran a 1:10 Half in the fall. I have friends who work worse hours who are faster than that.

mopak wrote:

Steve Austin was running about 14 flat and 29 flat in his 40s while working full time as a bricklayer and running about 40mpw.

Just get out and do the work. Limitations are of your own choosing.

Go Stone Cold! did he pound two beers after he ran 14flat or before? 40 years old on 40mpw 14:00 & 29:00? I guess he found the WWE more lucrative.

OP, maybe you should get dreadmill so you can run hard when its dark. Do some 4am or 11pm tempos on the damn thing. Thats what I do in pinch.

Dude, truth be told, Ron Clarke used to run @ 150 miles a week while working full-time and raising a family (granted, it was probably his wife raising the family). He ran sub-28 for 10k on this hectic schedule. The problem is that in America, full-time usually means 50-55 hours per week, not 40. You may only have a productive 40, but bureaucratic window dressing eats up the other 10-15.

am i the only person who works 60-70hrs a week? i think i'm getting screwed. i don't have a family and can run up to an hour a day no problem.

This is pathetic. Most people have 40+ hour per week jobs. I would probably say 90% of the people that are running the times you list have full time jobs. Make some sacrafices and get to training.

paigiemo21 wrote:

Just wake up early. I have to be at work by 7am, so I get up at 4am. Then after work or at lunch I get my second run in. Just go to bed early (I hit the sack at like 9), and get in naps when you can like before dinner or on the weekends. You'll get used to it :)

How do you have any kind of social life with this, though? Do you get to see your friends? Genuine question. I used to train so much I could only see my friends 1 or sometimes 0 times a week. It was a really crap way to live my life, meaning it didn't suit me, especially as I live on my own.

Mr. R wrote:

am i the only person who works 60-70hrs a week? i think i'm getting screwed. i don't have a family and can run up to an hour a day no problem.

Same here. This guy needs to take his skirt off and quit whining.

Honestly, as long as you don't have a family, you can make time for just about anything unless you are a new associate in a law firm or a medical intern. However, once you have a family, time and fatigue become much bigger challenges. Some people say they can still run 100 miles a week while raising a family, but based on personal experience, I just simply don't think that is fair to the family. Either the wife or the kids or both get short-changed and the relationships will ultimately suffer. To maintain one's running goals while raising a family is about the most selfish thing a person can do.

two words: JOE LEMAY

For the original poster: Without adding more boring play-by-play war stories, it happens all the time.

Best to stop thinking so much and stop worrying about how to reach XXX times. Just try to make yourself a better runner every day and see how good you can get.

anEconomist, John Farrington used to run 6mls in 30mins at lunch time and a dozen 400s in the evening. He did longer runs at the weekend.

He ran a number of fast times 2.11- 2.14 in the 70s.

Thanks to those who gave good replies. I'm going to train how I originally planned to do so (around 50 miles a week), since I came here asking how those who share a similar schedule / training were affected by it, NOT asking for someone to tell me how I should be training based on my schedule and goals. I got some very good insight from you guys.

Also, thank you to the narcissistic egomaniacs who posted on how I SHOULD be training. I never realized I was a whiny pussy until now. In fact, I didn't know that asking about people with similar schedules was whining and I didn't know that running 50 miles a week was being a pussy. As I stated in my original post, I'm not trying to tear the nation apart with my times (or even PR for that matter). I spent my college years being devoted to the sport, now I'm just doing what I consider to be recreational running. 100mpw may be right for you or what you need to get those times, but it's not for me and I don't think I need it to get those times. But thanks for the input and thanks for reminding me why I only glance at the forums here for a few minutes a day a few times a week, rarely post, and never (until now) put any information about my own life on here. I have a lot of things to be thankful for: not being obsessed with running to the point of trying to tell someone I know nothing about that his training is bad, insisting that I know exactly what someone should do, and letting my life revolve around a website to name a few.

I won't be making any sacrifices to train this way. Why? I guess either I could be a whiny pussy, or I don't feel the need to train as intensely or be as competitive as I was in college, hence recreational training, recreational times. If I wanted to shoot for what I would consider to be fast times for myself, no offense, but I wouldn't be seeing how people on this message board did it.