Training for Endurance Races (Marathon/Triathlon/Century Bike) in IB

Has anyone ever trained for a major endurance race like an Ironman/Half Ironman or even a marathon/century bike ride while in IB? How did you keep up with training despite the hours and the nutrition despite using seamless for dinner?

14 Comments
 
"Analyst 1 in IB - Ind" despite using seamless for dinner?

bro, I could live off of seamless - you make the healthy or unhealthy choices on there -

I was much more corporate in my 20s and didn't have as much time to train and wasn't as good of an endurance athlete. Then, I refocused in my 30s and am getting better.

You probably need to get a trainer and start using Zwift so that you can get focused workouts that don't take a ton of time. Also, doing a ride + run session (brick) is highly profitable in making gains.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

I think a full Ironman is too much training to take on for an IB schedule. A good focus could be 70.3s or Olympic / Sprint.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

There are apps to schedule your training and most runs aren’t too long. You can set it so that your longer runs fall on the weekends and some apps let you modify and recalibrate as fits your schedule. If you can’t fit in a run, spend 15 minutes doing a quick cross training or lifting session

Working out and Seamless are what you make of them. For every lazy “woe is me” type who spends weekends getting blackout or ordering every simple carb imaginable and claiming that health is impossible to maintain in IB, there is a coworker of his who follows keto intermittent fasting and wakes at 5am and goes for a 3 mile jog. Use the half hour you’d spend scrolling through Instagram to go for a run. Exercise isn’t any more time consuming than wasting your time online

 

I'm a first (soon to be second) year IB analyst and big road / mountain biker and do multi-day (four days plus) endurance bike races. In my experience, mornings and early evenings are your best friend. Then, waking up early on the weekends to get your long rides / runs in is great, plus you don't end up wasting your weekend in bed or watching Netflix.

A typical weekday looks something like this for me:

  • Wake up at 6:15am, get on the bike and be out the door by 6:30am, do a 90 minute ride , usually alternating between tempo hillclimb, interval hillclimb, and tempo flat ride

  • Home by 8am, quickly shower, eat breakfast, and change into work clothes - walk to work (fifteen minutes) and have butt in chair by 9am sharp

  • Work all day until around 6pm or when senior bankers leave - as soon as the senior bankers leave I put on my workout clothes and go to the gym in my building for a 45-60 minute HIIT workout or treadmill run (assuming I don't have any work at the time) - this workout often extends to be longer if I don't have any work around 6pm

  • Go back to the desk around 7pm, work until 10pm / 11pm or so, then walk or uber home (around 15 minutes)

And repeat the next day. Obviously late nights at work sometimes blow this schedule up, but for the most part I am able to maintain this workout schedule.

The most important thing in investment banking from my experience is not wasting a minute of your time in the day. When I'm done work, I go home and instead of staying awake for an hour or two watching Netflix I immediately go to sleep so I can wake up at 6:15am for my daily rides. Instead of spending an hour watching YouTube while I wait for my UberEats dinner order to arrive, I go and workout while the food is on the way.

 
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I have been meaning to do a post on cycling as well as an overview on buying your first bike due to all the COVID related bike interest. Ya know, maybe even get side tracked and humble brag about my carbon race bike, but I have not gotten around to it...

Anyways, I have done a couple century rides both in the US and Europe while in IB. I am heading out east this weekend for a 75 mi. Saturday loop... Can’t wait.

My advice: AM workouts.

I have found that the pain of missing evening workouts always hurt more than the pain of not being able to hit the snooze button. I get up between 5:30-6AM M-F and that has worked for me. If you try evenings, you will end up being pissed when something blows up at the office and can’t pursue your hobby. Then, that will eat away at any enjoyment you may have had in the office. lose lose.

 

My triathlon bike - Trek Speed Concept ✨👏✨👏✨👏✨😎

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My next 70.3 Half Ironman race is in September. I might get some Zipp wheels for the race - goal is 24.0mph avg for 56mi.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

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"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee

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