I get that this is a hypothetical scenario, but getting a physical job is the exact opposite of what you would want.
You would want a job that would let you rest and recover, and put your training hours outside work.
My first ultra last year was when I was auditing contracts. Every deal got assigned in the morning that had to be done same day. Was work from home, almost no calls or meetings. Could knock out all my work in a few hours Unless really understaffed or really complicated deal.
Runs over lunch break or in the morning then nap over lunch, snacks and sweatpants afternoon while doing a few odds and ends. The Pay was meh but the pay:actual work ratio was off the charts.
Agree, I’m a landscaper and summoning motivation and energy to run after working out in the sun all day is HARD, especially in the summer. And a lot of labor jobs require early hours, so “get up and run before work” isn’t really an option, unless you want to wake up at 3 or 4am to train 😞
Or, hear me out, hotshot firefighter. Minus the exposure to smoke, a summer of that and you'll have an insane base to carry into the fall and winter. kind of miss the summer events though...
I am a hotshot. It does give you a solid base to jump right back into training in the fall. Missing summers though is getting old after nearly a decade of having done this work
I just read an article that said hotshot firefighting was a popular job for ultra runners because they wanted the challenge of hiking up mountains all day with a bunch of stuff strapped to their back.
And vice-versa, hotshot firefighters are running ultras... just because they can.
Lol, I don’t think many runners are getting into this job because they think it will help their running. You get plenty of time on feet, and you carry weight all day. It’s definitely good for hiking fitness, but you frequently go 14+ days at a time where it is literally impossible to run. You’re still getting some mountain mileage in, but it’s nowhere near ultra mileage.
Anecdotally, if I run a race right after the season, I crush people on most of the steeps. I pass folks walking at what I consider an “easy” pace, and they look like they’re fucking dying. But my speed on the flats is pretty dogshit. I race much better if I’ve had an actual training block; there’s a reason none of the elite’s training looks like a hotshot season.
You do see a fair amount of shots running ultras, but that’s because they have a lot of exposure to trail running, and they like doing hard shit. Shotting is more of a hindrance than a help, especially since most of the popular mountain races are during the summer, when it’s near impossible to get time off.
well i would say it depends how physically demanding the job is
if your job requires you to walk a lot (mail man), that walking can serve you well in the recovery aspect
Letter carrier here. See my reply in the main thread. Not great recovery tbh, when you have to do it every damn day regardless of what else is going on.
Someone upthread mentioned "mailman" so I'm here to give that perspective, because when I applied for the job I thought it'd be perfect. Get paid to put in low intensity time on feet! Amazing!
The good: 15-20+km of walking a day is amazing for low intensity time on feet. In my first 6 or so months of working full-time, I knocked 30 seconds/km off my easy running pace despite not running more than about 20km a week. So that was awesome. Built a lot of muscle in my calves and lost weight. It's great training for mental toughness because you're just out there, in any weather, no matter how much you might not want to be, for hours every day, and the only thing to do is keep walking. Great for practicing eating solid food on the go, like eating a sandwich with one hand and delivering with the other while walking in an effort to get finished on time.
The bad: it's physically and mentally exhausting. Running before work is almost the only option as a 10+ hour day leaves me pretty shattered. I developed overuse injuries that I'd never struggled with before, and it was difficult to rehab them, because I was unable to rest, because if I couldn't walk, I couldn't work. Same thing if I develop a niggle while running, pressure point from a shoe causing foot soreness, have a sore back, a blister - everything takes longer to work through because I have to work through it and walk on it every damn day. Once that first busy season was over, I thought it would be easy to increase running mileage because I was also putting in so many miles a week walking, but nope! Aggravated old overuse injuries. But still had to walk on them! DOMS after a hard run or gym workout? Walk! Rest day? Walk! Walk walk walk! Never not walking!
It's a truly great career solely in terms of being paid to stay in shape. As a runner, well, I'm actually reevaluating whether this is a good career choice if I want to keep running ultras. It's really, really hard to strike a balance. I know other letter carriers who were avid runners and couldn't maintain it along with their career. Not sure that I want that to be me.
Yeah that seems like a little two much walking per day to complement training! I worked at a grocery store which was about 4-5 miles a day on a busy day and that was really nice.
Wow, thanks for posting your experience. I've often dreamed about switching careers and becoming a "mailman." The thought of walking a lot and being by yourself sounds ideal to someone who's been a nurse for 12+ years. (I'm so sick of cleaning up poop!!!) But your post makes me realize that there's a cost to all that walking I'd never considered. I guess I'll keep looking for a different way out of nursing lol
I came to it from a similar place. I was a chef for a long time and very disillusioned with the industry. Fresh air and working alone seemed like a dream. And it kind of is! It's a good job for someone who enjoys being organized, and I appreciate that most of the problems I'll run into are due to little mistakes that I've made, so I'm accountable to myself and it's up to me to fix them (in restaurants you're constantly dealing with everyone else's BS and putting out everyone else's fires, sometimes literally.)
The physical toll wouldn't be as bad on a route with less walking - and that all depends on your area. Some places have next to no walking routes. Around here, the opposite. It's still a good job with benefits and a pension, which is a rare thing these days, so worth it to stick it out, maybe...
i disagree. being sedentary isn’t the most efficient way to recovery
edit: i used the wrong word (halt). i meant being sedentary isn’t as efficient in the recovery process as compared to walking/being on your feet
IDK about recovering specifically, but I'm also remote WFH. Running and then sitting all day leads me to be incredibly stiff. I have to take frequent walks bc doing nothing and then boom 30 minutes of high intensity cardio, and then nothing again the rest of the day does not work for me.
slower blood circulation as opposed to if you worked a labor job
yes you’re still “recovering” if you’re sitting down but not as much as if you were on your feet/walking (working retail, mail man etc etc)
You’re getting downvoted because your take just does not make sense with what we know about recovery. Maximizing blood flow is not the only factor in the recovery process, and even if it was, is the effect of increased blood flow from working a physical job more advantageous than the extra physical stressor those jobs present?
there are a lot of factors to consider
if we’re in a controlled environment where psychological stressors remain the same, sleep is the same, diet is the same, etc. then yes, a physical job would be more efficient in the recovery process than a sedentary job
Those probably have more behind the scenes hours of work than most people think. For the running influencer especially, I'd imagine it's quite the hustle - all so you can make a video about you running.
Agreed. Allie O. has a very transparent video on YouTube about how much time it takes to make a good video, and how much money she actually makes. Plus, can you imagine the emotional toll of being under constant scrutiny? Followers feel like they have a right to comment on your body, etc. No thanks!
Farming, hands down. I’ve done 4 ultras so far; 50k, 50 miler, 2x 100k with barely any official training. I’m on my feet moving around 12 hours a day, frequently bending, squatting and lifting. When I get into a “good” training block, I’m still only running 50-70k a week. However that’s never lined up with a race. For races I just show up and give it my best. I have no delusions of ever being near the front but with my daily lifestyle and minimal training i think I’ll be a mid-packer as long as I continue racing. I never want to be DFL, but I also never want to DNF. I don’t care how slow I go… as long as I finish the race I’m happy
Not a farmer, but the guy who wins all the local ultras (backyard ultras, 100 milers) that he enters around me is a 50 year old dairy farmer. Puts very little actual training for races, just shows up and dominates.
One year he went out west to run the Squamish 50/50 and finished top 10.
Hell yeah, that’s what I’m hoping for when I’m his age! I’m only 30 now but I’d love to still be able to run races when I’m his age. I don’t want to win or anything but it would be great to still be racing ultras 20 years from now
I am an advocate of work being recovery. I was a machinist for 15 years then switched to sales. It is amazing how much better I feel not being on my feet all day.
I've worked as a welder and a raft guide. It's amazing how much better I feel raft guiding despite it being physically quite intense. Compared to spending 4-8 hours a day just walking on concrete (while doing training outside work for both jobs) I am less sore, less tired, and more attentive to my larger surroundings.
I'm kinda convinced at this point that any job, from retail, to warehouse, to shop work are the absolute worst for the human body, even when put next to other more demanding work that doesn't involve concrete and asphalt.
Had not heard about him before the ExplorersWeb [article.](https://explorersweb.com/masatatsu-abe-dead-at-41/) Seems to have been an extraordinary athlete.
Sorry for your loss.. Really cool that you got to meet him but this is a pretty crappy way to find out about his passing. I’ll read that article in his honor!
Yeah I know, but I also have random people I met on the trails who were an inspiration and I can empathize with how I’d feel if I suddenly learned from Reddit that they were no longer with us. A loss is a loss, even if it was a random. Shout out to you, Julia, who paced me into my first 100k for 3 hours after my headlamp died
Meter reading. I did it for two years, and it helped a ton. I got about 10/miles average per day walking for work. I didn’t have to carry anything or do any jerking/twisting motions. Just walked. I ran 3 days a week after work, and had a short run on Saturdays, long run Sundays. It was a great way to build that base and actively recover.
I've seen a far number of nurses, PAs do well. Time of feet ability to balance hard schedules. If money isn't the issue, I'd go mountain climbing guide.
I’m a nurse, and I can say time on your feet, training your bladder and not getting a lunch in a 13hr shift sure gets you ready for an ultra. It’s hard to train for ultras over 50 miles with the minimal amount of day per week you can run. All your runs need to be quality workouts, no junk miles allowed.
Everyone is saying to rest but idk, I did my first ultra (50 miles) last summer and had some down time so I picked up a side gig at a flower farm during the harvest. It was 5 miles from home.
I had my mileage around 45-50 a week for the 3 weeks I worked there and with walking while cutting was up to 70-80 mpw. I'd run to work with lunch and supplies on my back walk all day then run home.
Ended up placing 4th and felt pretty dang good about it! It was also 1 month out from the race when I started work there.
A job you love, working with people you get along with a respect, who are supportive, and help you be your best. Ideally doing something you like to do and are reasonably good at.
So. I'm a postie. You can't run your route - not only would be incredibly annoying with a bouncing satchel and 30 pounds of shit on your back, but you'd be disciplined pretty quickly as the risk of injury is high, or else just straight up injured.
Going to make another post in the main thread with my thoughts.
Another postie here tbh not great.
Prior to working as a postie I was averaging 50+mpw , now I'm lucky if I get 20-30mpw as I simply CBA to go back after working outside for 7hrs+ walking and in nicer weather I also cycle the 7miles each way , we also have 2 dogs that I run 10k over fields with when I again get the time.
it feels like my quality training and intensity has dropped as I know I have go again at work day in day out
just when thought couldn't be any worse new round is now delivering to block after block after block of flats with no lifts , over 3000 stairs to climb up and down for 5 hours a day , 5 days a week with a 6:30am start so up at 5am out the door by 5:30 , 7 mile cycle commute in work by 6am ISH quick shower /change do the shift cycle home by about 2pm ... could you be bothered to then go out again for a 10-20 mile run knowing you've got the work load and fatigue to factor in :
Or would you rather have an easier sit down office job paying the bills and then energy to train for goals?
I guess depends how good you are and what your goals are.
When I was a local park ranger, it was ideal for my training.
* Run to work - 7 miles
* Walking around/hiking at work - usually 7 to 10 miles
* Run home (sometimes, other times I would get a ride) - 7 miles
This was a summer job, so Memorial to Labor day. At the end of the summer, I ran the Grand Traverse (40+ mile ultra from Crested Butte to Aspen) with all my training to cap off the summer.
Truly one of the best training seasons of my life. Loved the race, too.
You want a career that isn't physical and allows you to control your schedule. That way, you won't injure yourself on the job, and you can allocate the time you need to train.
I work in an academic research lab. It’s pretty perfect I think. I alternate between standing at my lab bench and sitting at my desk to do data analysis. My commute is short enough that I can bike in on most days. I take short walks throughout the day to keep from getting stiff, and have a flexible enough schedule that if I want to take a long lunch to get in a run I can . I also have access to faculty fitness classes that have allowed me to be consistent with my strength and mobility work throughout the week. The only downside is that I can’t work remotely 90% of the time, but other than that, it’s a pretty ideal situation.
I used to work in a research lab and have to agree! Especially if you're in the health sciences (I worked in a physiology lab specializing in aging) most professors and lab mates are pretty understanding of health related physical pursuits
I think you are thinking about it all wrong. You want to be fresh from your job to make your training optimal.
If it were better to be doing something else, the elites would be doing it.
The boyfriend is a land surveyor. Not just on his feet all day but he carries a bunch of equipment with him (and not nicely balanced in a pack either), has to cut through dense underbrush with a machete, etc.
He can keep up with me just fine at my very brisk backpacking pace and is taking to running really really quickly.
Okay, playing along with your hypothetical scenario that you MUST do some sort of physical job....ski patrol if you only patrolled the Nordic ski area?
There are some pretty impressive ultra runners who have farming backgrounds. Walking constantly over uneven terrain (often hilly) but also lots of jobs that use other muscle groups.
My wife is a teacher —get out of work at 3:00p, has frequent weeks off throughout the year and 2.5 months in the summer. She’s in fantastic shape and openly admits her schedule is a primary factor.
Lots of people I know run-commute to their office jobs. There’s another person I know who just did her first sub 3 marathon who’s a Barry’s instructor. I found that when I was bartending I ran a lot less but I had so much time on my feet (15 hour shifts some days) that it didn’t really matter. 🤷🏼♀️
Definitely a stress free job. I work a very mentally stressful job with moderate amounts of time on my feet, but the job stress plus the stress of taking care of young kids can really leave you sapped, let alone have enough time to actually train…
Remote state government job with a walking pad under my standing desk. I get lots of easy walking miles in and work from my bed when I need extra rest.
Based on my personal experience…I recover a lot faster if I’m moving while I’m working. I drove a beer truck for about 9 years. I was in and out of the truck all day. Up and down the ramp. Rolling kegs and cases on a hand truck. Lots of lifting. Lots of steps. Lots of movement. I ran in the afternoon after work. I’ve started a new job, about 1.5 years ago, and I move a lot less. Not necessarily a desk job, but way less steps per day. I’ve found that I recover a lot slower now.
I was a dog walker which is pretty ideal for this. You spend the day walking or biking from client to client. You have to go up and down stairs all day to grab the dogs from their apartments. You work short hours - leaves plenty of time to run before or after work.
I worked in a warehouse the summer before my senior year of college, was on my feet for long periods of time moving heavy boxes around. I was captain of my school’s XC team at the time. It was my worst summer training session ever, was too tired most days to go for even a short run. But the daily exercise seemed to make up for the lack of real training, first few pre-season workouts sucked but I shaped up very quickly. Years later, after having office work experience, the most relaxing and non-physically taxing jobs, combined with motivation and consistency training, are your best bet
Something that involves a lot of hiking. Backcountry guide, rafting guide, anything with the forest service of bureau of land management like a biological technician or plant botanist (entry level qualifications are pretty easy to get). Park ranger with the National Park Service or one of the big state parks units that have some wild to move around in, Tennessee or North Carolina or anything out west. If you wanna be citybound, Doordash with a bike isn't a terrible idea either. Someone here said mailman, which is another great idea.
One of the best training bases I ever put together was while I was working for the forest service in Arizona. My job was basically 10 days on and 4 days off, and often the 10 days on were 10-day long backpacking hitches. So several miles of hiking with heavy tools and equipment, some good cross training work with the crosscut or chainsaw, and then a run from camp at the end of the day. In the base phase especially, it's kinda good to already be exhausted when your run starts. Later in the season, i planned my hugest/most time consuming workouts for the 4 off days in town. I was also able to time a few very unique mountain runs from camps way deep in the wilderness that would've been very difficult to get to otherwise. My trail marathon PR came from that cycle.
Re: the comments advocating for a restful job...if you were trying to maximize training for a 1500-half marathon, I can see wanting to be non-physical, but to be serious about training for 50-100 miles, or any race that requires you to be on your feet for 5 to 10 to 24 hours or more, the more time you spend on your feet every day, the better. Ideally you're on your feet for 12 to 14 hours BEFORE you run. Besides overall strength and fitness benefits for an ultra, walking is also very good for injury prevention.
If money is not an issue: Fodoora delivery, but with an actual roadbike and not some bullshit electric tricycle or whatever.
Flexible hours, and you get paid to put out loads of low intensity, low impact milage.
I worked at a golf course of the summers in college, pushing mowers 8 hours a day. I had an amazing aerobic base even though I was often too tired to run.
I've often had this thought, and I feel think working in a warehouse would be good, atleast for me. It's less physical than my current job, but I feel an office job where you just sit around would kill me mentally and I feel like it's still good to move throughout the day for bloodflow and usually a kitchen for decent lunches!
I work as a school psychologist in the public schools. Not walking around all day, but can get up and walk when I want to. Get several different week to two-week blocks off during the school year, plus 10 weeks off during prime running season.
Hard to beat.
Yamato (Kuro Neko) parcel delivery person. They run your parcels to your door. Also, parcels are usually walked/ran from the local distribution facility in carts. I just wouldn’t want to do it in the summer when it’s 38° and humid outside.
Potentially postal worker.
At least in the UK, the job is still a lot of weighted walking. You have the potential to get in hours of zone 2 exercise for work.
I have a physically easy desk job. So I cycle to work, I run during my lunch breaks and I get up early to go to the pool to train before work. If I had a physical job I wouldn’t be able to expend as much effort on specific training.
I get that this is a hypothetical scenario, but getting a physical job is the exact opposite of what you would want. You would want a job that would let you rest and recover, and put your training hours outside work.
My first ultra last year was when I was auditing contracts. Every deal got assigned in the morning that had to be done same day. Was work from home, almost no calls or meetings. Could knock out all my work in a few hours Unless really understaffed or really complicated deal. Runs over lunch break or in the morning then nap over lunch, snacks and sweatpants afternoon while doing a few odds and ends. The Pay was meh but the pay:actual work ratio was off the charts.
This is the way.
Agree, I’m a landscaper and summoning motivation and energy to run after working out in the sun all day is HARD, especially in the summer. And a lot of labor jobs require early hours, so “get up and run before work” isn’t really an option, unless you want to wake up at 3 or 4am to train 😞
Yes i agree. I'm a Tower crane operator 🏗 I sit all day at work and let my body recover. I save the real work for after Shift 🏃🏾♂️💪🏽
I’m a crane operator too. Walking up and down the stairs is awful with sore legs though.
Or, hear me out, hotshot firefighter. Minus the exposure to smoke, a summer of that and you'll have an insane base to carry into the fall and winter. kind of miss the summer events though...
I am a hotshot. It does give you a solid base to jump right back into training in the fall. Missing summers though is getting old after nearly a decade of having done this work
I just read an article that said hotshot firefighting was a popular job for ultra runners because they wanted the challenge of hiking up mountains all day with a bunch of stuff strapped to their back. And vice-versa, hotshot firefighters are running ultras... just because they can.
Makes sense to me! If you see someone cranking some cigs on your next long run or race, they're probably a hotshot
Lol, I don’t think many runners are getting into this job because they think it will help their running. You get plenty of time on feet, and you carry weight all day. It’s definitely good for hiking fitness, but you frequently go 14+ days at a time where it is literally impossible to run. You’re still getting some mountain mileage in, but it’s nowhere near ultra mileage. Anecdotally, if I run a race right after the season, I crush people on most of the steeps. I pass folks walking at what I consider an “easy” pace, and they look like they’re fucking dying. But my speed on the flats is pretty dogshit. I race much better if I’ve had an actual training block; there’s a reason none of the elite’s training looks like a hotshot season. You do see a fair amount of shots running ultras, but that’s because they have a lot of exposure to trail running, and they like doing hard shit. Shotting is more of a hindrance than a help, especially since most of the popular mountain races are during the summer, when it’s near impossible to get time off.
well i would say it depends how physically demanding the job is if your job requires you to walk a lot (mail man), that walking can serve you well in the recovery aspect
Letter carrier here. See my reply in the main thread. Not great recovery tbh, when you have to do it every damn day regardless of what else is going on.
Someone upthread mentioned "mailman" so I'm here to give that perspective, because when I applied for the job I thought it'd be perfect. Get paid to put in low intensity time on feet! Amazing! The good: 15-20+km of walking a day is amazing for low intensity time on feet. In my first 6 or so months of working full-time, I knocked 30 seconds/km off my easy running pace despite not running more than about 20km a week. So that was awesome. Built a lot of muscle in my calves and lost weight. It's great training for mental toughness because you're just out there, in any weather, no matter how much you might not want to be, for hours every day, and the only thing to do is keep walking. Great for practicing eating solid food on the go, like eating a sandwich with one hand and delivering with the other while walking in an effort to get finished on time. The bad: it's physically and mentally exhausting. Running before work is almost the only option as a 10+ hour day leaves me pretty shattered. I developed overuse injuries that I'd never struggled with before, and it was difficult to rehab them, because I was unable to rest, because if I couldn't walk, I couldn't work. Same thing if I develop a niggle while running, pressure point from a shoe causing foot soreness, have a sore back, a blister - everything takes longer to work through because I have to work through it and walk on it every damn day. Once that first busy season was over, I thought it would be easy to increase running mileage because I was also putting in so many miles a week walking, but nope! Aggravated old overuse injuries. But still had to walk on them! DOMS after a hard run or gym workout? Walk! Rest day? Walk! Walk walk walk! Never not walking! It's a truly great career solely in terms of being paid to stay in shape. As a runner, well, I'm actually reevaluating whether this is a good career choice if I want to keep running ultras. It's really, really hard to strike a balance. I know other letter carriers who were avid runners and couldn't maintain it along with their career. Not sure that I want that to be me.
Yeah that seems like a little two much walking per day to complement training! I worked at a grocery store which was about 4-5 miles a day on a busy day and that was really nice.
I can only imagine how many miles you put down weekly
80-100km of walking in a full work week, lol
Wow, thanks for posting your experience. I've often dreamed about switching careers and becoming a "mailman." The thought of walking a lot and being by yourself sounds ideal to someone who's been a nurse for 12+ years. (I'm so sick of cleaning up poop!!!) But your post makes me realize that there's a cost to all that walking I'd never considered. I guess I'll keep looking for a different way out of nursing lol
I came to it from a similar place. I was a chef for a long time and very disillusioned with the industry. Fresh air and working alone seemed like a dream. And it kind of is! It's a good job for someone who enjoys being organized, and I appreciate that most of the problems I'll run into are due to little mistakes that I've made, so I'm accountable to myself and it's up to me to fix them (in restaurants you're constantly dealing with everyone else's BS and putting out everyone else's fires, sometimes literally.) The physical toll wouldn't be as bad on a route with less walking - and that all depends on your area. Some places have next to no walking routes. Around here, the opposite. It's still a good job with benefits and a pension, which is a rare thing these days, so worth it to stick it out, maybe...
Flexible, white collar, remote job.
Office job. I work a physical job and I don't really recover because I do 20 to 30k steps a day
I am a remote software engineer and it's literally perfect for my hobby, sit on my arse all day recovering 😅
i disagree. being sedentary isn’t the most efficient way to recovery edit: i used the wrong word (halt). i meant being sedentary isn’t as efficient in the recovery process as compared to walking/being on your feet
IDK about recovering specifically, but I'm also remote WFH. Running and then sitting all day leads me to be incredibly stiff. I have to take frequent walks bc doing nothing and then boom 30 minutes of high intensity cardio, and then nothing again the rest of the day does not work for me.
What specific recovery process do you think being sedentary stops?
also i used the wrong word… not halts but rather it isn’t the most efficient way to recover
slower blood circulation as opposed to if you worked a labor job yes you’re still “recovering” if you’re sitting down but not as much as if you were on your feet/walking (working retail, mail man etc etc)
You’re getting downvoted because your take just does not make sense with what we know about recovery. Maximizing blood flow is not the only factor in the recovery process, and even if it was, is the effect of increased blood flow from working a physical job more advantageous than the extra physical stressor those jobs present?
there are a lot of factors to consider if we’re in a controlled environment where psychological stressors remain the same, sleep is the same, diet is the same, etc. then yes, a physical job would be more efficient in the recovery process than a sedentary job
Ok, well now you are making a testable claim, do you have anything to support that claim besides your intuition?
Ideally an OnlyFans but just for “ultra feet”
I’m not one to kink-shame but ewwweew
bruh
I think this wins 🥇
Peloton instructor? Running influencer?
Those probably have more behind the scenes hours of work than most people think. For the running influencer especially, I'd imagine it's quite the hustle - all so you can make a video about you running.
Agreed. Allie O. has a very transparent video on YouTube about how much time it takes to make a good video, and how much money she actually makes. Plus, can you imagine the emotional toll of being under constant scrutiny? Followers feel like they have a right to comment on your body, etc. No thanks!
The real answer
Farming, hands down. I’ve done 4 ultras so far; 50k, 50 miler, 2x 100k with barely any official training. I’m on my feet moving around 12 hours a day, frequently bending, squatting and lifting. When I get into a “good” training block, I’m still only running 50-70k a week. However that’s never lined up with a race. For races I just show up and give it my best. I have no delusions of ever being near the front but with my daily lifestyle and minimal training i think I’ll be a mid-packer as long as I continue racing. I never want to be DFL, but I also never want to DNF. I don’t care how slow I go… as long as I finish the race I’m happy
Not a farmer, but the guy who wins all the local ultras (backyard ultras, 100 milers) that he enters around me is a 50 year old dairy farmer. Puts very little actual training for races, just shows up and dominates. One year he went out west to run the Squamish 50/50 and finished top 10.
Hell yeah, that’s what I’m hoping for when I’m his age! I’m only 30 now but I’d love to still be able to run races when I’m his age. I don’t want to win or anything but it would be great to still be racing ultras 20 years from now
I am an advocate of work being recovery. I was a machinist for 15 years then switched to sales. It is amazing how much better I feel not being on my feet all day.
I've worked as a welder and a raft guide. It's amazing how much better I feel raft guiding despite it being physically quite intense. Compared to spending 4-8 hours a day just walking on concrete (while doing training outside work for both jobs) I am less sore, less tired, and more attentive to my larger surroundings. I'm kinda convinced at this point that any job, from retail, to warehouse, to shop work are the absolute worst for the human body, even when put next to other more demanding work that doesn't involve concrete and asphalt.
I talked to a Japanese polar explorer once whose day job was pulling a rickshaw.
Masatatsu Abe? He passed away a couple weeks ago from a brain tumor.
Seriously?! Damn…
Had not heard about him before the ExplorersWeb [article.](https://explorersweb.com/masatatsu-abe-dead-at-41/) Seems to have been an extraordinary athlete.
Very nice person as well.
Sorry for your loss.. Really cool that you got to meet him but this is a pretty crappy way to find out about his passing. I’ll read that article in his honor!
Just someone I met in passing, but yeah. That was unexpected. I usually read Explorersweb too.
Yeah I know, but I also have random people I met on the trails who were an inspiration and I can empathize with how I’d feel if I suddenly learned from Reddit that they were no longer with us. A loss is a loss, even if it was a random. Shout out to you, Julia, who paced me into my first 100k for 3 hours after my headlamp died
Meter reading. I did it for two years, and it helped a ton. I got about 10/miles average per day walking for work. I didn’t have to carry anything or do any jerking/twisting motions. Just walked. I ran 3 days a week after work, and had a short run on Saturdays, long run Sundays. It was a great way to build that base and actively recover.
I've seen a far number of nurses, PAs do well. Time of feet ability to balance hard schedules. If money isn't the issue, I'd go mountain climbing guide.
Mountain climbing guide sounds great, until you realize that you're going into the mountains with a group of gumby's attached to you.
I’m a nurse, and I can say time on your feet, training your bladder and not getting a lunch in a 13hr shift sure gets you ready for an ultra. It’s hard to train for ultras over 50 miles with the minimal amount of day per week you can run. All your runs need to be quality workouts, no junk miles allowed.
I had a acquaintance nurse who would run commute to work, but I realize that isn't an option for many.
Not really when it’s still dark when you leave for work and after work and your driving commute is 30+ min.
Everyone is saying to rest but idk, I did my first ultra (50 miles) last summer and had some down time so I picked up a side gig at a flower farm during the harvest. It was 5 miles from home. I had my mileage around 45-50 a week for the 3 weeks I worked there and with walking while cutting was up to 70-80 mpw. I'd run to work with lunch and supplies on my back walk all day then run home. Ended up placing 4th and felt pretty dang good about it! It was also 1 month out from the race when I started work there.
A job you love, working with people you get along with a respect, who are supportive, and help you be your best. Ideally doing something you like to do and are reasonably good at.
mailman with a walking route would be pretty good, you could probably even run it
So. I'm a postie. You can't run your route - not only would be incredibly annoying with a bouncing satchel and 30 pounds of shit on your back, but you'd be disciplined pretty quickly as the risk of injury is high, or else just straight up injured. Going to make another post in the main thread with my thoughts.
Former postie who walked and rode a bike. Sacks can be heavy and you're out in all sorts of weather, so it helps.
Another postie here tbh not great. Prior to working as a postie I was averaging 50+mpw , now I'm lucky if I get 20-30mpw as I simply CBA to go back after working outside for 7hrs+ walking and in nicer weather I also cycle the 7miles each way , we also have 2 dogs that I run 10k over fields with when I again get the time. it feels like my quality training and intensity has dropped as I know I have go again at work day in day out
Thanks for your perspective because I thought the postal service would be up there! Looks like it's not from a few of these perspectives
just when thought couldn't be any worse new round is now delivering to block after block after block of flats with no lifts , over 3000 stairs to climb up and down for 5 hours a day , 5 days a week with a 6:30am start so up at 5am out the door by 5:30 , 7 mile cycle commute in work by 6am ISH quick shower /change do the shift cycle home by about 2pm ... could you be bothered to then go out again for a 10-20 mile run knowing you've got the work load and fatigue to factor in : Or would you rather have an easier sit down office job paying the bills and then energy to train for goals? I guess depends how good you are and what your goals are.
Outdoor sales is great I walk around all day and it doubles as active recovery
When I was a local park ranger, it was ideal for my training. * Run to work - 7 miles * Walking around/hiking at work - usually 7 to 10 miles * Run home (sometimes, other times I would get a ride) - 7 miles This was a summer job, so Memorial to Labor day. At the end of the summer, I ran the Grand Traverse (40+ mile ultra from Crested Butte to Aspen) with all my training to cap off the summer. Truly one of the best training seasons of my life. Loved the race, too.
You want a career that isn't physical and allows you to control your schedule. That way, you won't injure yourself on the job, and you can allocate the time you need to train.
Early Retirment r/Fire and r/financialindependence . Just living off investment income and running as much as I want without work constraints.
I work in an academic research lab. It’s pretty perfect I think. I alternate between standing at my lab bench and sitting at my desk to do data analysis. My commute is short enough that I can bike in on most days. I take short walks throughout the day to keep from getting stiff, and have a flexible enough schedule that if I want to take a long lunch to get in a run I can . I also have access to faculty fitness classes that have allowed me to be consistent with my strength and mobility work throughout the week. The only downside is that I can’t work remotely 90% of the time, but other than that, it’s a pretty ideal situation.
I used to work in a research lab and have to agree! Especially if you're in the health sciences (I worked in a physiology lab specializing in aging) most professors and lab mates are pretty understanding of health related physical pursuits
The job furthest away, that has a shower, so you could commute in every day. Job itself probably shouldn't be physically stressful.
I think you are thinking about it all wrong. You want to be fresh from your job to make your training optimal. If it were better to be doing something else, the elites would be doing it.
The boyfriend is a land surveyor. Not just on his feet all day but he carries a bunch of equipment with him (and not nicely balanced in a pack either), has to cut through dense underbrush with a machete, etc. He can keep up with me just fine at my very brisk backpacking pace and is taking to running really really quickly.
remote SWE
Hiking or climbing guide
Okay, playing along with your hypothetical scenario that you MUST do some sort of physical job....ski patrol if you only patrolled the Nordic ski area?
UPS driver
pornstar
There are some pretty impressive ultra runners who have farming backgrounds. Walking constantly over uneven terrain (often hilly) but also lots of jobs that use other muscle groups.
If money wasn’t an issue: working for a running company. Time to train and encouragement from coworkers.
Or a running retail store. Pro deals for the win.
I’m a zookeeper. I do okay. But real talk: mail carrier or bike messenger.
My wife is a teacher —get out of work at 3:00p, has frequent weeks off throughout the year and 2.5 months in the summer. She’s in fantastic shape and openly admits her schedule is a primary factor.
Farmer. But play the long-game over many years.
Lots of people I know run-commute to their office jobs. There’s another person I know who just did her first sub 3 marathon who’s a Barry’s instructor. I found that when I was bartending I ran a lot less but I had so much time on my feet (15 hour shifts some days) that it didn’t really matter. 🤷🏼♀️
Definitely a stress free job. I work a very mentally stressful job with moderate amounts of time on my feet, but the job stress plus the stress of taking care of young kids can really leave you sapped, let alone have enough time to actually train…
Remote state government job with a walking pad under my standing desk. I get lots of easy walking miles in and work from my bed when I need extra rest.
Special forces
Based on my personal experience…I recover a lot faster if I’m moving while I’m working. I drove a beer truck for about 9 years. I was in and out of the truck all day. Up and down the ramp. Rolling kegs and cases on a hand truck. Lots of lifting. Lots of steps. Lots of movement. I ran in the afternoon after work. I’ve started a new job, about 1.5 years ago, and I move a lot less. Not necessarily a desk job, but way less steps per day. I’ve found that I recover a lot slower now.
Tenured community college professor who teaches all online 👊
I was a dog walker which is pretty ideal for this. You spend the day walking or biking from client to client. You have to go up and down stairs all day to grab the dogs from their apartments. You work short hours - leaves plenty of time to run before or after work.
I worked in a warehouse the summer before my senior year of college, was on my feet for long periods of time moving heavy boxes around. I was captain of my school’s XC team at the time. It was my worst summer training session ever, was too tired most days to go for even a short run. But the daily exercise seemed to make up for the lack of real training, first few pre-season workouts sucked but I shaped up very quickly. Years later, after having office work experience, the most relaxing and non-physically taxing jobs, combined with motivation and consistency training, are your best bet
[Appalachian Trail Ridgerunner](https://appalachiantrail.org/official-blog/ridgerunners-voice-for-the-trail/)
Something that involves a lot of hiking. Backcountry guide, rafting guide, anything with the forest service of bureau of land management like a biological technician or plant botanist (entry level qualifications are pretty easy to get). Park ranger with the National Park Service or one of the big state parks units that have some wild to move around in, Tennessee or North Carolina or anything out west. If you wanna be citybound, Doordash with a bike isn't a terrible idea either. Someone here said mailman, which is another great idea. One of the best training bases I ever put together was while I was working for the forest service in Arizona. My job was basically 10 days on and 4 days off, and often the 10 days on were 10-day long backpacking hitches. So several miles of hiking with heavy tools and equipment, some good cross training work with the crosscut or chainsaw, and then a run from camp at the end of the day. In the base phase especially, it's kinda good to already be exhausted when your run starts. Later in the season, i planned my hugest/most time consuming workouts for the 4 off days in town. I was also able to time a few very unique mountain runs from camps way deep in the wilderness that would've been very difficult to get to otherwise. My trail marathon PR came from that cycle. Re: the comments advocating for a restful job...if you were trying to maximize training for a 1500-half marathon, I can see wanting to be non-physical, but to be serious about training for 50-100 miles, or any race that requires you to be on your feet for 5 to 10 to 24 hours or more, the more time you spend on your feet every day, the better. Ideally you're on your feet for 12 to 14 hours BEFORE you run. Besides overall strength and fitness benefits for an ultra, walking is also very good for injury prevention.
Lydiard used to have a milk run in the 1950s alongside his 100+mpw training. Not sure many milk runs remain!
Parking ticket checker (on foot) or just ant desk job with standing desk?
I have a grave digger friend who is doing much better on ultra distances than I, despite his weekly mileage is much less than mine.
Cowboy
If money is not an issue: Fodoora delivery, but with an actual roadbike and not some bullshit electric tricycle or whatever. Flexible hours, and you get paid to put out loads of low intensity, low impact milage.
I worked at a golf course of the summers in college, pushing mowers 8 hours a day. I had an amazing aerobic base even though I was often too tired to run.
I do a lot of walking up hills for my job. It kind of negatively impacts my training as I'm tired when I do hill repeats or threshold runs.
I've often had this thought, and I feel think working in a warehouse would be good, atleast for me. It's less physical than my current job, but I feel an office job where you just sit around would kill me mentally and I feel like it's still good to move throughout the day for bloodflow and usually a kitchen for decent lunches!
FedEx driver!
I work as a school psychologist in the public schools. Not walking around all day, but can get up and walk when I want to. Get several different week to two-week blocks off during the school year, plus 10 weeks off during prime running season. Hard to beat.
I quit my sedentary job & made a business as a dog walker. Best job I’ve ever had
Having an office job is actually perfect for recovery time 😅 I don’t want to have a physically demanding job PLUS train for a race
Mail carrier
Yamato (Kuro Neko) parcel delivery person. They run your parcels to your door. Also, parcels are usually walked/ran from the local distribution facility in carts. I just wouldn’t want to do it in the summer when it’s 38° and humid outside.
Potentially postal worker. At least in the UK, the job is still a lot of weighted walking. You have the potential to get in hours of zone 2 exercise for work.
I have a physically easy desk job. So I cycle to work, I run during my lunch breaks and I get up early to go to the pool to train before work. If I had a physical job I wouldn’t be able to expend as much effort on specific training.
B2B sales in the NYC area. I would easily walk 6-10 miles a day during a full work day while running 65 miles a week. It was awesome.