Running at work (Lunchtime)

well worth it if you are stuck in an office job 9 till 5, a few years ago i had a call centre job. i would get my morning run out at 7:30, then in my hour lunch break i would get 9miles or a rep session in. Lucky i had a big park near by so would run 10mins to the part then run 1kms, 2kms or 3kms reps 20-30mins worth- then jog back. Quick shower and i would be sitting back at my desk at 2pm. The rest of the office would come back from their pizza hut buffett lunch or macdonalds! i felt so much better and then could chill out at home when i got back at 7ish. If you can get it done and it makes the morning and afternoons go quicker as well!

good luck jt

www.jamesthie.com

When I used to work in London there was a good group going out most lunchtimes along the Regent's Canal. We did a mixture of sessions along the towpath and steady runs. It was an easy way to get training in for the day without getting up ridiculously early or home very late.

jackass wrote:

The rest of the office would come back from their pizza hut buffett lunch or macdonalds! i felt so much better and then could chill out at home when i got back at 7ish.

Well, now don't you feel special.

ya jackass.

Personally, when i run twice a day I find that I have to run in the morning and evening (luckily I seem to operate OK at 6am so that works out OK) because I need a decent recovery between runs.

When I run once I sometimes do it at lunchtime but with showers etc. it takes more than my lunchhour normally so I couldn't get away with doing that every day.

A real good thing in the winter months though as it allows me to avoid the roads on a couple of runs during the working week.

Got some funny looks at first but people are used to the sight of my lycra (or naked legs!) now!!

I use to regularly run during my lunch break. It was a great way for me to get in a second run in for the day. I have a 45 min lunch break and it is in the best intrest of my employment to be punctual, so I usually only got in about 5 miles. I would stretch for about 10 or 15 minutes before going back to work. I loved it.

In order to maintain my 75-85 miles per week,it is necesssary for me to take an easy run of say 10k around the park near work. I jog from office in 4 minutes which i use as warm up session and warm down at end.Others in ofice cant believe that i have energy or dedication to my sport and say that i am mad, when they relax in pub!. At least it keeps my coach happy and i am putting in hard work as well. This compliments my evening training as i can complete my track reps, interval and hill sessions at this time. Keep up good work and good luck.

Do you shower, or just towel off when finished? I would be squeezed to shower, so I was wondering if it was norm just to dry off and throw on some deodorant.

Wet-wipe sponge bath in a bathroom stall.

When training for my last marathon I got in the habit of coming to work a bit earlier on Friday and then doing my long runs during an extended lunch hour. Not much happens on Friday afternoons so it didn't matter if I was in a semi-coma for the rest of the day. That meant I then had the weekend to enjoy knowing I'd done the hard work. You obviously need a forgiving boss (or in my case be the boss) to get away with this...

I get close to a 1 1/2 hours for lunch. The gym is 10 minutes away and I can run from there and take a shower when I get back. I bring a lunch most days and eat at my desk when I get back. It's a great way to break up the day.

On those rare days when I don't run and go out to eat with someone, I feel like a total slug. The afternoons also drag.

I have been running at lunch for most of the last 29 years. When I was younger, I ran 10 miles every day at lunch. I had a group of 2 to 5 others that I ran with every day. It was an ideal situation for me.

Over the last several years I have been able to recover from several surgeries and am now at a point where I run close to an hour a day. As I get back into condition, I will continue to stay at that level. I usually run 75 and between 90 and 120 minutes on my weekend runs.

Glenn

When I was tied to an office, I used to run at lunchtime once in a while. By the time I changed clothes, drove to the metro park, ran 7.6 miles (two laps of 3.8 mile loop) drove back and showered, it usually was more than an hour, but then I'd just stay a little longer that day or make up the time another day.

Now that workwise I'm on my own, I can run whenever I want, as long as I want. Pretty much don't want to though too much. Cronic calf problem is making me stick to weight lifting and Orbitrek for now.

I'm another one who does a morning run and then a supplemental lunch run. I usually do 7-10 miles and that will sometimes put me over my allotted hour, but everyone knows what I'm doing and tolerates it. I used to feel guilty about it, but then I see the other guys go out for 3-5 smoke breaks a day on top of their lunch break, and I don't feel so bad anymore.

It definitely helps break up the day...although just like anything, it is something you have to get your body used to doing.

I run at lunch a one or two days/week, usually to do a workout. There is a gym in my office building and it takes me 4 minutes to run to a park. I'll usually get to the office a little early and leave a little later if I run at lunch.

Yes, breaking up the day into two parts - with a run in the middle - is another benefit. I like to think of my work day as two x 5 hrs (I work 4 days a week) instead of one long 10 hour day.

My wife works evenings so running on my lunch hour is many times my only option. When I started working my mileage up to 70+ miles a week I would do 7 in the morning and 5 or 7 at lunch. I, too, used to feel guilty but not after our CFO started join me on my easy days. And yeah, after seeing the lazy bums coming back from their McDonalds, I think I'm actually doing the company a favor by not sponging off the health insurance.

Have got this session down to fine timed art-

1pm finish work for lunch

changed and on road to park

5-6 miles lapping edges of park

1.40pm jog back to work

1.45pm Shower and change at work

1.55pm take quick snack/drink

2pm start back to work in office

FWIW, leaving a little earlier than normal seems to keep the critics at bay.

I think you will find that most people don't really care, but there will always be someone who comes up to your desk and asks, in a very loud voice, why you have wet hair. Another might run up to you looking stressed and ask where you were b/c they looked everywhere for you. I have had my share of these people, and they are usually the fat smokers who always act like they are overworked and underpaid.

Anyhow, I find that leaving at 11:30, for instance, catches people off guard, and when you are back at work at 12:45 - 1:00 (and they are still out eating or whatever), they are less likely to notice you were out for more than an hour.

It is the getting back at 2:15 crap that usually ignites a flame.

Anyway, try that if you can.

Another thing, talk to the CEO about it - or whoever is top dog around there. They will usually love the idea, and then you have their buy-in. It is like being "made."

Here's my daily workday routine. (On Friday's I run directly afterwork and eat lunch with a co-worker instead, same routine though):

Noon: Head to locker room in basement of my office building. (Very lucky to have weightroom w/showers.)

12:10: Dressed, lightly stretched, and beginning my 5 mile run. (about 3 times per week I make this a quality tempo paced run)

12:40-12:45: Back to the weightroom for brief core stregthening.

12:50-12:58: Showered and completely dressed and ready to go back to work.

1:00: Back in the office with sack lunch ready to eat at my desk.