Running to work - Rules for the Road
I realize it is not feasible for everyone to run to work. Some live too far, others do not have the means to get ready once they get to work, but I have a perfect situation.
I live 7 miles from work, which is at a university. The ride to work is small but nice streets with sidewalks.
Next to my building is the university’s recreation center and I have a locker and shower facilities at my disposal.
It is a great opportunity to take advantage of this situation, get in my miles in a unique way, and to SAVE time.
Here is a little math for you:
- It takes me 55 minutes to run 7 miles to work.
- To get in my car, drive the 7 miles with traffic lights, and then park and walk to my office usually take 30 minutes.
- Once I arrive to the rec center I need to shower, but I would have had to shower anyways if I drove to work. (Yes, I shower before going to work.) So it might add an additional 5 minutes for inconvenience.
- 55 minutes run - 30 minute drive + 5 minutes it might take extra to shower at work = 30 minutes.
Therefore, it takes a net 30 minutes out of my day to run 7 miles! Not to mention the way home, which is about the same and you now have ran 14 miles in 60 minutes, which saves me 60 minutes in my day.
That sounds like a great reason to RUN to work. Also, it really is fun.
Rules for runner:
If you plan on running to work, there is a lot of preparation ahead of time that is involved.
Food and Clothes for work?
Obviously, you need to have food and clothes ready for you once you arrive at work. That means on a previous day, you will need to drop off some stuff for yourself. Since I do not run everyday to work, I bring extra clothes and food on the days that I drive. I have a spot for clothes and a refrigerator that I can put food into.
Misc. stuff for work?
You obviously need your phone, keys, a jump drive, papers, and anything else that you could imagine for work. How do you get those items there, especially when you need them everyday? You learn to be leaner in what you need to bring home and I am learning that I do not need to bring everything home with me every night. I bring my key for my office (leave the rest of my work keys in my office), I bring my jump-drive, and phone and that is it. If it is a document, I probably have an electronic copy and as a professor, I have my students turn all of their assignments in electronically so I do need to bring home additional papers. This makes me very lean on misc. stuff from work.
Weather?
I live and die by weather.com. I am definitely a wimp when it comes to running in the rain, so if it is going to rain all day, I make adjustments. I have learned that it is okay to be flexible in how you get your miles, as long as you do get your miles. If you run on Tuesdays and it rains, see if Wednesday work work instead.
Runner Etiquette
The worst part about running is dealing with cars. When you get to an intersection, I used to try to get across the street as fast as possible so I did not have to stop my watch. How silly is that! I am doing a lot better these days and know that a somewhat busy intersection is a good place to stop “LOOK BOTH WAYS” and then proceed. Cars will creep ahead and get in your way. When they do, just go around the BACK of their car.
I think it is great to be able to get to work and do one of the things that I love most, which is to run. The same rules could apply to a biker and a biker could get away with not having to shower and can go a lot farther. Why not get in some exercise and do some productive at the same time.
March 26, 2009
Tags: jogging, run, run to work, Running Posted in: Running, Uncategorized
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