Running both ways to work (6 - 7 miles)?

If and when you begin doubling to and from work, I suggest doing the 12-14 miles 5 days a week and then an easy 5 miler on Saturday with Sunday off. Once you’re adjusted to this mileage add a long run on Sunday (15-20 percent of weekly mileage).

The next phase is to add workouts once or twice a week. This is when you won’t double to and from work. On off days, recovery days, or workout days take the bus and do the running closer to home.

I’ve been doing this for some time; it worked out fairly well for me! Doing the doubles is great for aerobic fitness; however, after a while I found that I began to get stagnant. Switching-up your training is key! Good luck.

One way to ease into it with this scenario is to add a warmup and cooldown walk on one of the legs to shorten the running distance. Walking a mile or two of the distance won't add all that much to the total time.

If and when you begin doubling to and from work, I suggest doing the 12-14 miles 5 days a week and then an easy 5 miler on Saturday with Sunday off. Once you’re adjusted to this mileage add a long run on Sunday (15-20 percent of weekly mileage).

The next phase is to add workouts once or twice a week. This is when you won’t double to and from work. On off days, recovery days, or workout days take the bus and do the running closer to home.

I’ve been doing this for some time; it worked out fairly well for me! Doing the doubles is great for aerobic fitness; however, after a while I found that I began to get stagnant. Switching-up your training is key! Good luck.

"Good idea"?? Its the best. Here is what Geb has to say about it (2:50-3:05):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRqJYt8WSo0&feature=related

I have done this many, many times over the years (7.2 miles each way). If you have good shower facilities at work, and you have a way to stock your clothes supplies on both ends, it's great. The only thing you may (or may not)need to worry about is the terrain. For me, my commuting run is pretty hilly. I can handle it twice a week, or even three times some weeks. But if I do it five times a week my body starts to rebel.

how involved is your job? You don't feel like your energy levels will suffer as a result of all the running?

what kind of work do you do? Is it office work? Do you have a place to shower and change? Are you carrying stuff with you?

Kudos to you for doing it. I remember reading about the potential for biofuels as an energy source. The big roadblock to using biofuels is the technology to break plant material down into a useable fuel. A bunch of R&D is being done using enzymes. I remember laughing thinking that we already have a highly efficient way to break down plant material and its totally free - the human body. Just eat food and use that fuel to run, bike, or walk to work.

Thanks for all advice.

Some answers:

* I work in front of a computer all day and don't think my energy level suffers from a morning run - rather the opposite.

* My employer will pay a gym membership card next door where I'll shower. I'll probably use a runners backpack to bring clothes and parts of my breakfast, while keeping a pair of shoes and some durable foods, like oatmeal, in the office.

* It is a bit hilly, but my morning run is mostly down hill. 75% asphalt, 25% dirt, depending on which way I choose.

I think I'll start with the schedule Yummy proposed. If 6+ miles in the morning becomes too much, I'll probably walk/bike for a few and run from there, doing an extra loop in the afternoon.

I think this is a good way to get some good, uncomplicated training done. If you're currently doing 65mpw, it shouldn't be too hard getting accustomed to 12-14 miles 5 days a week. It's only 60-70mpw, basically what you're doing now. Just make the weekend running optional, if it's too hard at first. Once you get use to it, throw on 12-15mies in one run on Sunday and you'll be running 70-85mpw in 11 runs. That's a good schedule. You don't need to be doing workouts, seeing what your goals are. I suspect that naturally some of the runs will be progression runs, offering enough in that department.

In short, go for it. Imagine yourself a young Ethiopian school boy destined for greatness.

-STS

I used to run to work pretty regularly and it was great. Until you get used to it, the advice to take it easy on the weekend is very good as it's a lot of running when you have a job. Also if you get tired consider biking as that will make it easier. If you have a place to store a bike, you can bike to work Mon morning, run home and run to work Tue morning and then bike home Tue evening. It'll be easier that way. You may be tired the first few weeks but you probably will adjust to it with a little patience.

I also used to do this and I got very fit doing it. My commute was shorter, so at first I did 4/10-12 (doing a longer route in the evening - I was a 100mpw runner), but I actually found later on I ran better off more 7/7-8 type doubles on my easy days.

I ran in+out on my workout days too, I just took a detour through a park and did my workout there - it sometimes meant a 5-6mi warmup and 4mi cooldown but once I'd built up to it that was fine and it was still worth it in time saved.

I used to take the bus in monday morning, leave clothes for the week and anything else I might need in work, run every other time and take the bus home friday evening with my washing etc (so 2 days where I only had to run once, but I sometimes ran twice anyway).

Showers in work are great if you have them, but if you're discreet and not a big sweater you can also wash up pretty well in the bathroom with soap, a cloth and a towel. I was lucky in that any work I needed to bring back and forth could be put on a usb key, so all I had to carry was a pack with keys, phone, usb etc.

Do give yourself some time to build up to this if you don't already

a) run doubles

b) run on the roads a lot.

This is a great idea! I've massive respect for people who can run big mileage and also commute to work, but I'd never have been able to do it.

Ryan Foreman wrote:

Kudos to you for doing it. I remember reading about the potential for biofuels as an energy source. The big roadblock to using biofuels is the technology to break plant material down into a useable fuel. A bunch of R&D is being done using enzymes. I remember laughing thinking that we already have a highly efficient way to break down plant material and its totally free - the human body. Just eat food and use that fuel to run, bike, or walk to work.

Not to get picky but humans cannot digest cellulose (fiber). We can only use starch from plants. Most research is going into looking at enzymes used to break down cellulose (cellulases) in other animals, fungi, and bacteria. If we could break down cellulose that would be great because we could just eat tree bark and get loads of energy. I get what you were going for though. :)

Sair wrote:

I used to take the bus in monday morning, leave clothes for the week and anything else I might need in work, run every other time and take the bus home friday evening with my washing etc (so 2 days where I only had to run once, but I sometimes ran twice anyway).

That's a great idea! That way I can leave the backpack, which I don't enjoy running with, at home.

Thanks.