I've read in various forums recently people asking how on earth do people like me manage to work full time and train for a marathon; and also the other school of thought along the lines of 'they all managed in the old days - all runners are soft these days'. I see both sides really. Yes, it's impossible to do all the things a professional athlete would do if you work full time; but also I don't feel my training is compromised greatly by my work. After all, isn't getting the training done the core if it all?

Runners are lucky in that they can step out the door and be training. We don't have to go to a swimming pool, or get in a boat along a river. We can train on our own and can set our own training times. Yes we need a track/park/hill/road loop now and then for sessions but this can be improvised most of the time and is 2-3 times a week at most. I can even train as my commute to my work, how many other sportsmen can do that?! Arguably cyclists can but I bet they couldn't in London! 

How do I find the time? It's easy really. I dedicate 2 hours a day to training. This is more on Tuesday nights when I make the effort to train in a group and sometimes at weekends I'll try and train with someone too but I make sure I have enough time by not working late hours at work, and ensuring my commute to and from work isn't too bad. It's 45mins on the tube, and so very runnable as well. People happily spend an evening in the pub. I may do this, but after I've trained and these days I rarely do anyway, unless running is on a downtime.

How do I train properly? Again, pretty easy. Steady runs are just about stepping out the door and going for a run. This would be the same even for professionals! Sessions require a bit more structure, but I live 800m from the biggest hill in London. I'm also within running distance of a track, and fast flat canal towpaths uninterrupted by cars! I base my sessions around these 3 surfaces. The only difference I would make if I was full-time is to meet up with a group more. I currently train with others once a week really, and no doubt my tempo runs would be quicker with some others, but it's all relative and I get the benefit still. Some would argue that tempos should be 'relaxed' and based on effort anyway so should be done alone where you can judge your own exertion.

How do I recover? I would say this is the major factor where work impinges on my athletic timetable. I don't have time for much core/gymwork, nor regular massages and physio. I also quite often run and have to dash out the door to work, so don't get instant water/carbs or a stretching session. I still get 7-8 hours sleep a night. Arguably 8-9 would be better for me. Does all this make any difference? Who knows. It could be psychological, it could be physiological. I still manage to eat well throughout the day and drink plenty of fluids. I rarely get big injury issues that require lots of maintenance so don't need constant gymwork and I'm very lucky in this respect. There's also the work stress factor: I wouldn't count my job as the most stressful ever, but there are pressures. I'm in charge of a team and am responsible for the amount of money that team brings in. I quite like the distraction from running but no doubt it could affect my sleep and general recovery if I'm under stress and not fully focussed on my running.

What about training at altitude? Work allow me special dispensation to train away a few times a year. I'm extremely grateful for this. A few weeks focussed running at either altitude or warmer climes do raise the quality of the training and recovery a bit as well as having more people to train with, which makes things easier. You could argue that if I did this all year round I would be a better runner. I probably would, but by how much? I reckon it's mainly psychological and the benefits you DO get are probably pretty small. I'm not saying it's not worth it but when you weigh this up against earning actual money, it's not an easy call! 

In summary, if I was 'full-time' I think I would be a better athlete, but not by a massive amount. There are negatives to being full-time as well in my opinion: there's added pressure to perform, and also the potential to greatly overdo the training load as it is now your 'purpose' to train. The main benefits would be in ensuring full recovery and being able to train with others more often, which raises the quality of the hard sessions and also makes passing the time generally easier on steady runs!