Training during summer internship in NYC

Why in the world would you want to do a job where you work 70+ hours per week? Unless you love it? And I highly doubt some corporate job in New York is something you'd love. I don't think you'll be running 60-70 miles per week with that schedule, and if you do manage to run that much you're going to be injured because sleep is very important for not getting injured.

I mean if you are expected to work real IB hours than no its not possible unfortunately. You'd probably be better aiming for really low expectations like 30-60 min of running a day at the crack of dawn and go longer 1 weekend day assuming you don't work full days on the weekend too.

I'd recommend living as close to the office as possible to cut down on commute and that time could be spent towards running.

Lastly, watch what you eat. Unhealthy foods and alcohol will take away from your energy levels.

No advice on how to best manage your time, but being a former NYC-ite I do have advice on good running routes. Morningside park on the upper west side can’t be beaten both literally and figuratively.

If you want to get offered a job at the end of it you won't have enough time to run

My cousin worked at two bulge bracket firms for 8 years out of school and managed to train for marathons and iron mans.

Don’t think he was putting up 70+ mile weeks but you still should be able to get 45-60 mins in at 5:30.

Also depends on what kind of work you’re doing. Not all interns have the same time commitment.

The work will be an investment banking industry coverage group at a bulge bracket bank for context. From what I understand, the hours are quite unpredictable

Thanks, I'll definitely look into this

This is something I'm still trying to figure out. I'm passionate about financial markets and investing, and I'm generally just curious about how the world works, so I see finance as a career to feed that curiosity. It also pays extremely well. That being said, it comes at a cost.

I did a banking internship in NYC during graduate school.

Good luck finding an hour or so a day to yourself. Between working 70+ hours a week plus going to non-work events with co-workers (drinks after work, some party at a loft in SoHo, etc.), you will be lucky to be both awake and free for 60 minutes or more a day.

milesoftrialsxc wrote:

Recently landed an investment banking internship in NYC for next summer. I've been training consistently for over a year now and am worried the internship's heavy hours (have heard rumors ranging from 70-100 hours per week) might affect my fitness. Hoping to be running 60-70+ mpw by then, but not sure if that's even feasible given the extreme work requirements of the job.

I know a lot of people will say the job is more important than running, which I can do when I'm older, but I am currently in better shape than I've ever been and don't want to squander the opportunity while I still have it.

Anyone ever been in a similar situation or have advice with running in NYC / with IB internship? Is it even feasible? Would love to hear others' experience.

Let's get this straight: An internship isn't "work," nor do you have a "job." Work is something you get paid for. You'll be an unpaid slave with no life outside the office. Enjoy.

Eugene Debs wrote:

Let's get this straight: An internship isn't "work," nor do you have a "job." Work is something you get paid for. You'll be an unpaid slave with no life outside the office. Enjoy.

Actually it is because the goal is to get a full-time job and I do get paid

Yeah you certainly get paid. MBA interns make between 20-25k for the summer...I know that’s a little different from undergrad but I’d have to venture it’s in the 10-15k range and depending where you are.

Any other runners who have worked in IB or similar finance roles in NYC?

milesoftrialsxc wrote:

Any other runners who have worked in IB or similar finance roles in NYC?

There have been some pretty substantial discussions on LR about running while working "BigLaw" hours. I have family and friends in IB at bulge brackets. The hours and the unpredictability IB seem to align pretty well with BigLaw litigation jobs. One caveat is that law tends to start the day around 9:30 or 10am, while IB usually starts the day by 7 am (or earlier) to cover any developments that occur before the market opens.

Go into the internship with an open mind and seriously consider the type of life you want. In all likelihood, they will go easy on you during the internship. Expect lots of events, drinks, training seminars, and nice lunches. Internships and summer positions are a form of extended recruiting. In an actual IB or finance career, burnout is a serious problem. In competitive IB environments, you have maybe 10 years max.

Good luck!

milesoftrialsxc wrote:

Any other runners who have worked in IB or similar finance roles in NYC?

Manage your expectations. The only time you should expect to have to yourself reliably are the early morning hours of 5-8am and maybe one weekend morning. What this doesn’t take into account is that you’ll be working up until or past midnight most nights. As such, getting up at 5am to workout may be challenging from a sleep perspective. Go easy on the free dinners delivered to the office. Eating healthy is a challenge, particularity given few (if any) if your colleagues will watch their food or have interest in working out. Finally, be mindful of the fact that people in IB are always looking for a leg up by making colleagues look inferior. If it gets out that you’re less available because you need to run, count on someone trying to capitalize on that at your expense.

Good luck.

From what I've heard, most days will start around 8-9am. I would imagine BigLaw is probably a similar comparison in terms of the time demanded, but like you mentioned, the internship could affect this.

Thanks, that's insightful. Definitely need to be aware of what you mentioned, as the environment is extremely competitive. I guess the best bet will be to go in with an open mind and adapt as needed. Even if it is detrimental to training, it is only 10 weeks.

All that being said, do any runners here work in finance/consulting more generally that might be a similar career path with more manageable hours? Long-term, I've always considered entrepreneurship/the startup world but understand that can be just as bad at times.

Would be interested to hear from others with similar experiences or insight.

Related - I'll be visting NYC staying near Times Square traveling soon, any tips on running routes from there? Up to Central Park?

Consultant in NYC here. Never worked in IB, although a bunch of friends do. In terms of hours, I can't imagine that your internship would be too strenuous to the point where you'd be unable to run. Your evenings will likely be filled with tons of social events, happy hours etc. but your mornings should allow you to get a good run in. I haven't really heard of interns having to start super early.

As far as permanent positions go, you'll undoubtedly have to make significant sacrifices early on in your IB career, which means running consistently will be difficult. Things get easier as you progress, but the job still always come first. The hours in consulting are certainly better, although are very client/project-specific. What I will say is that, depending on the firm, consulting in general is far more respectful of your having interests outside of work (and for some companies that's even seen as a plus). You'll be paid less than IB, but still more than well enough. I'm currently training for an Ultra-marathon and have been able to consistently get 6 good runs in a week.

What I will say is, don't worry too much about these things initially - you'll figure it out as you go along. If you're getting an internship at one of the big firms in NYC, it means you're smart enough and with a good enough background to find something good if, for instance, you take a permanent IB position and end up hating it. Everything is temporary, and even an underwhelming IB experience will set you up for success elsewhere, if you so choose.

Central Park is the obvious answer. The outer loop is almost exactly 6 miles, but some of the inner loops are also fun to run. An alternative is to run to the West Side Highway and either head North or South from there. North will take you all the way up and through beautiful Riverside Park (if you make sure to cross over on one of the underpasses). South will take you all the way down to Battery Park and even up the East side, if you so choose. Both options are filled with runners and really make for a great running experience.

If you're unfamiliar with New York, also make sure that you're spending as much time as possible downtown. The best restaurants and nightlife are all below 14th St.