What do people do for work post-college while running seriously?

A neighbor of mine is a " professional triathlete" and I use the term very loosely as she never has and never will earn a penny by placing in a competition. She does have a few lame sponsors that she plasters all over her kit such as local shoe store, a little - known sports drink co. Etc . She is an online remote teacher. She spends most of her days training and I mean in the pool 5 days a week, 6 hour bike rides and long runs all while clocked in on the school systems dime. She does a lecture a few times a week, grades stuff and is supposed to be assesible via email etc throughout the day. She's even clocked in when she drives 8 hours to a race. I feel she's very unethical and the devil in me wishes someone would turn her in. I know not long ago she received a poor evaluation and she was upset. So that is how one person trains and works a full time job.

It is not difficult to train seriously with an 8 to 5 job if you're single. An office job provides the opportunity to sit at a desk and physically rest between runs.

Throw in a family and it gets much harder. Your kids have an ever growing list of activities to attend, and your wife just wants you to go out for dinner or stay up and watch a movie with her occasionally instead of getting to bed early for your run the next morning.

Bob Kempainen was/is a doctor.

Seriously running is an oxymoron. Literally no one could give a rats crusty azzwhole about your running. At least treat it like the trivial nonsense it is a cultivate the person of a silly court jester. Dress the part too.

OnlyFans is always an option.

Shoe fitter

No one should take it that seriously unless they are sub 14 , sub 28...

any 9-5, 40 hr a week job you can train very seriously. Bannister was in medical school when he broke 4.

I worked as a porn actor. Mostly aerobic.

That's my long-term goal, but not quite as ambitious--get to 70+ mpw someday and hold down a 50-hr. week job. I used to see guys at Accidenture do great $-wise and still run fast.

Paralegal, project manager, web design, graphic design, copywriter. Many of these jobs can be done on a regular part-time schedule or freelance basis and pay fairly well. They require highly-variable degrees of specific skills and talents, but all are attainable.

Those who talk about teaching, or "just find a true 9-to-5 job" are likely either older or privileged and don't understand how much worse working conditions have gotten for almost all laborers over the last few decades.

Running is something that you really only need 1-2 hours/day to be at your best. That can easily be done before/after work & still allow you to live a normal life/see family + friends/etc. Sure, it would be a lot easier to be a full-time pro & spend the rest of the day off your feet but that's not a reality for everyone. Find a part-time job that's remote or work at a local running store if you can do it. I think a lot of post collegiates whose lives revolved around running stop running because they're burned out or they think it has to be all/nothing. You can start your career & log enough miles to be at your best. You can also try to find less stressful work or work that you think will help you run faster. I think the stuff about being on your feet all day is a bit overblown. Maybe if you're working construction but there are plenty of jobs that work for the lifestyle.

They work in shoe stores.

My neighbor is a professional triathlete. He is a middle school teacher. He shuts down November-January but trains 5 hous per day in the summer and 3 hours the rest of the year.

While running seriously I also did exotic dancing and made a heck of a lot of money doing so.