jobs for runners

Well, I think the question is how good can you realistically become. If you can't seriously see yourself becoming at least national class, go get a real job and run as much as you can.

I'm in that situation. Being 24 and having run for 10 years, I know the only thing I can realistically qualify for would be the Olympic Trials Marathon. I have no hope of ever taking my running farther than that. So, I've made running a priority, but I also hold a good full time job that is a higher priority than running. And just because you work full time, doesn't mean you're less dedicated to running and training.

But, you don't have to listen to me. Any type of government job will be good. They usually have flex time, great benefits, only 40 hours a week, somewhat decent pay. Working 40 hours a week leaves plenty of time for training, especially if you're willing to get up before work and run.

A job that not many people seem to know about or think about is being a newspaper delivery person. I have done this a number of times and it is actually pretty conducive to training. Granted you have to be able to get up early (330-4) but then you have all day to run and sleep. Depending on how much money you need, the income can suffice for a while. As I said, I did this more than once (college summers) and found it very easy to train twice a day. Couple of negatives: 1)it is seven days a week (could be a positive, because you get paid for seven) but finding a substitute on race weekends can be difficult 2)you won't have much of a life b/c you will have to go to bed at 8 or so to get enough sleep (if you want to run fast and not work much, this is a worthwhile inconvenience). I would be interested to hear other jobs as well.

If you just need enough to survive, one possibility is substitute teaching. Only work about 6 hours a day with no lesson plans to prepare or papers to grade. Take time off whenever you need to. Many teachers just have you pop a video in the VCR and babysit.

Just a little point to make:

I agree that you can be a dedicated runner and still hold a full-time job. I don't think though that you can be as dedicated as a person who is a full-time runner. You said so yourself that your job has a higher priority - that means that when the chips are down your job will win.

Nothing wrong with that attitude brother. That's the attitude I take. Just thought I'd pass that along in a civilized way before someone else went ballistic on that point.

ditto Stepay.

That is sooo true! I can recall getting off work and being soooo tired from the high demands of work I was like RUN? Whatever! After wearing a heavy carpenters belt and steal toe boots for 9.5 hours all you want to do is rest. I believe there should be more for the post college runners who did not get a sponsor but was still is capable of running great times and have a hardcore desire run fast!

example the Hansons and Bob Shul.

double ditto, Stepay.

Just to get us back on topic, I agree with you Stepay. You can be a dedicated runner and hold down a full-time job--last week I worked 40 hours, and hit 90 miles. How about that?

I'm just looking for ideas here. Not trying to say you can't be successful or dedicated to running and hold a full-time job at the same time. It's all priorities. Mine is running.

I would say that you need to be more dedicated if you have a full time job. How hard is it to wake up at 6am and go for a run if you know you can take a nap mid-day? Not very, but if you know you'll be working all day, it takes some serious dedication. How hard is it to run a speed workout/long run/whatever after having layed around all day with plenty of time to eat, sleep, do all the right things? Not very, but if you worked all day, those things take serious dedication and will power and time management. How hard is it to get a good night's sleep after just having run twice a day and not worked? Not very...get my drift.

Granted, I'm assuming that the job a person is working is primarily a desk job (computers, management, whatever).

I do all the above things while working a full time job. I certainly think that for some, just running full time is a great idea. But to me, it isn't worth it to train full-time and run a 2:19 marathon when I could run 2:21 and work full time. I've realized this and I think that a lot of people could benefit from this attitude.

Flame Suit On.

Rod Dehaven seems to do all right working a real job (computers). He went to less hours around the Olympics, but was full time before that. I recall an interview where he said he'd rather have work to do besides running.

steve jones ran a 2:07 marathon and worked full time as a fighter plane mechanic, he had a routine of running 7 miles to and from work each weekday, plus the occasional speedworkout at lunchbreak...

if you want it badly enough, anything is possible.

you will be tired training and working, but as time passes your body adapts to the routine and you just get used to it- plus it makes you mentally tough.

Even though I have never been much more than a regional-level runner (save for one good year in UK), my high school teaching-coaching job has allowed me to train anywhere from 70-120 mile weeks. If you can set your class schedule to start mid-morning you can put in a decent 10-12 before first lessons. Then, come afternoon, you are basically paid to put in more miles with your team! Sure, you stand around some days with a watch, but when you hit your 40s, the kids start dragging YOU around the track. If you find a posh school, you have the training grounds right there at work: playing fields, xc course, and track.

I enjoy the mix of academic and athletic stimulii.

Phil Coppess worked in blue collar factory job as a single father & still ran 2:10:05 at Twin-City back in 1985 without an altitude tent & some cake/fake job. Think about over by there.

I don't think that the particular kind of work matters as much as the regularity of your hours. If you know you don't have to be there before a certain time and will be done by another certain time, you can figure a way to get your sessions in. The regularity will allow you to get into a routine. I would try to avoid a job where you have to stand in one place all day.

I'm a guy that would love the flexibility to cut back on work hours to spend more time running, lifting, and getting physical therapy. I am in the same dilemma alot of you are in-I have no potential beyond maybe being able to qualify for the Marathon Trials as well, but I would kill to even be able to lace them up in a race like that. For those of us without the ability to take advantage of opportunity that a few programs like Hanson's offers, my idea is pooling things together as much as possible, and living together with like minded individuals. I could care less if there were 10 guys in the house I rent living with me, its just less expense for everyone involved and allows everyone greater flexibility and freedom to train without as much cost out there. I think A problem is that there are alot of us in this same dilemma with legitimate ability and desire-but each of us is trying to do it alone. I think getting together as much as possible with like minded individuals would not only help cut costs, but allow greater motivation from people with similar goals.

Don't underestimate your ability to do both. I ran fulltime for 3 years after college then started working fulltime and was so unaccustomed to training after 9 hours on my feet that I let my running slip and fizzle out. Plus it was pulling teeth to get any body to switch with you when you want to travel to a race. I just gave up thinking I could do it. Then a started working in a factory and didn't even consider serious running for about 3 years.

I started back up doing the local 5ks and training when I felt like it and was running 16:00 for about a year. This was around the age of 33. Soon I found I adapted naturally to a routine and started 90 mile weeks. I was working 4 to 12a.m friday, sat, and sun. and midnight to 8 tuesdays and wedsndays. I got back into decent shape(no goals or expectations) and broke 2:20 for the marathon, 50 for 10 miles , ran 1:38 for 30k. And I would never even considered training for anything while working this type of schedule before. I probably could have ran a little faster without a job, but not fast enough to survive on any race earnings. It canb be done, just don't expect to not miss a lot of workouts from time to time, or travel to every race you want.

If I could pick the best jobs to train and work I would say computer programmer(a la DeHaven) then high school teacher next. Especially with the summers off.

I worked 3rd shift (11pm to 7am)over the summer for 3 years. 6 days a week plus overtime, I probably put in about 50-60 hours a week of work and still had plenty of time to run 100 miles a week. When you get out at 7am you're wide awake to do a speed session, tempo run, or just get a long run in. Waking up at 8pm to head out for another run is a little more difficult but you still avoid the summer heat. On the 4th of July this summer, I did a speed workout at 7am when it was still relatively cool (90 degrees I think?)and still had plenty of time to party all day (I took July 5th off) beacuse the workout was out of the way.

~MP

Heres a field to stay away from: Law Enforcement.

Not that I was going to threaten any world records as it was, but going into police work was one of the worst

things I could have done and still have any hope of running somewhat decent. I'm sure I dont have to spell out the reasons why. I was recently assigned as a school resource & DARE officer; Now anyone that suggested teaching as a good caeer choice for runners is right on the mark. Reasonable

daytime hours (your typically home in the mid to late afternoon, plenty of time to train, plus not having to be to work at 5am can mean getting in morning runs), weekends off (always good for racing), acceptable physical & mental stress levels, decent pay & benefits as well as the opportunity to coach. Again, the WR's are safe but

not working 12 hour overnight shifts walking a beat in combat boots has done wonders for my legs.

Another quick suiggestion: Fireman. 1 day on, 3 days off,

great benefits and where I am the firemen get more time off than the cops and are allowed to work out (at the station) while on duty. Fringe benefit beside your sub 2:20 attempt: Everyone loves you and you get to drive a nifty truck.

No limit,

That was done in the old days fairly regularly. We had an apartment outside of DC that we called "Marathon House" and it always had a fair number of runners crashing there. Usually they were in grad school or unemployed, but there was the occasional employed guy. And there was a legendary trailer in Boulder that had five or six guys living there, Garry Bjorkland was one of them for a while. They had one job among them, as a janitor at a women's dress shop if I recall correctly, and they shared it.