Running to work - Advice?

Son of Dad wrote:

Yeah, that's all you need to cement yourself as the biggest douchebag in the office... a small pack from Pata-gucci to tell everyone you're a homo.

Look: wake up early and do your run like the rest of humanity. Or run when you get home from work.

Our image in the eyes of the public is fragile enough that we don't need you at your desk sipping from a sport bottle, with small beads of sweat coming through your Van Husen shirt and knit tie and because you think it's cool to run to work. Or rummaging through your fanny pack for a clif bar while a company meeting is going on.

Hey I hear ya, but I feel like more of a douchebag relying on the bus (public transportation in Seattle is sub par at best.) My husband leaves for rounds at the hospital at 4:30 AM, so I would have to leave the house at 3:30 AM to run before he leaves because we can't leave our 3 year old home alone. I could do that, but I'm trying to explore other options.... such as, running to work as a creative, sustainable attempt to juggle the morning parent duties (chores, bringing my son to daycare), commute on an often late bus, make the most out of the workday in the office (read: avoiding a run at lunch), get home to pick up my son, have dinner on the table by the time my husband gets home, grab any remaining minutes of the day for quality family time, complete evening chores, and last but not least have ample energy to take care of any and all of my husbands needs in the bedroom (I mean, if nothing else, you can support that priority, right?). I love to run, I run to stay in shape, I run to stay skinny... just trying to try out different options here. The commute has always been kind of a drag, for many reasons. I want to use it as an opportunity, not a black hole for precious time.

Thanks for all the advice and encouragement. I will try the bare necessities in a ziploc bag (I've actually carried stuff in my sports bra between my shoulder blades) and if that doesn't work I'll consider the backpack and risk looking like an idiot.

Don't run with a backpack. Either keep work clothes at work or run with a plastic bag. Running with a plastic bag is much easier than a backpack.

I used to do this on a daily basis.

Alan

i feel for you cookie. if you want any time after work, the lunch run rarely an option if you work somewhere where 8hrs is the minimum. if i had to run at 3:30 AM i don't think i could sustain it.

I've been biking to work for years and have often thought about running to work since it would mean i could get a bit more sleep more or more miles than i do when i run at 5:00am before work. the food issue is where i get stuck.

i usually pack a lunch every day. but, i have a fridge at work and i think a run commute could work 2x a week if i planned correctly.

i could ride in on a monday with 1 breakfast and 2 lunches and clothes for 2 days. run in on tuesday and bring everything home on the bike on tues night and do the same thing over again on wed for thurs or thurs for fri.

if you are driving in, you can carry more stuff but not having the car at home may be tough. but, you could do a double day where bring 2 days worth of stuff in on monday, run in and home on tues..

For many years I relied on either cycling or running to work. At one stage I'd cycle in on the first day of the work week, then run home that night. Run back in and run home the next day. Run in then cycle home, cycle in, run home and then run in and cycle home on the fifth day. Of course you need a place to stash your bike at work to do this. I'd take in a few days woth of clothes on day one and 2 days worth on day 4. On day 3 and 5 I could bring stuff back home.

I didn't read through all the responses, so this may have been mentioned. One option would be to alternate between driving and running. Drive to work Monday with your running gear and an extra set of work clothes in the car and then run home in the afternoon. Run to work the next day and drive home.

I ran to school a few times last year. I put blue jeans, a shirt, socks, extra pair of running shorts, deodorant, and a bannana in a small hiking bag. I didn't take a shower when I got there either. But it was about 25 degrees so I didn't need too.

I have this ASICS backpack and it works great. I can roll a shirt, undershirt, underwear, socks, work pants, wallet, and cell phone into the bag. The final weight of the bag, fully packed is 5 lbs. It has a chest strap and waist strap so I barely feel it. I leave my work shoes in my office and I also leave my work clothes in my office after I wear them so I don't have to carry clothes on my run home.

http://www.asicsamerica.com/products/product.aspx?PRODUCT_ID=240008918&TITLE_CATEGORY_ID=250001577

Could someone please describe the plastic bag method.

I've been running home from work with only my cell phone wrapped in a zip lock bag. I've been leaving my entire wallet at work. At night, when I need to buy something, I use my wife's credit card. Last night at Winn Dixie, I was buying beer and they wanted to card me, and I said I had no id and that I'm 31. The guy let me. I'm sure I seemed shady as hell with no id and a credit card with a female's name on it. hahaha. Just goes to show how easy it is to underage drink and commit credit card fraud here in FL.

New concept wrote:

Could someone please describe the plastic bag method.

Take work clothes to the office the day/weekend/whatever before. Leave the cell phone and/or blackberry at home or at the office the night before.

Take your house key off of the ring. Get your driver's license, your work ID, your credit card, your cash card, and your bus/train card (if applicable). Fold up a $20. Stack the cards together with the $20 and house key in the middle. You can fasten the little stack (probably about 1/4" thick, maybe 1/3") with a rubber band, but it's optional. Put the stack in a cheapo sandwich bag -- the kind that costs $4 for 200 at the store. Do not use a "real" Ziplock bag -- it's expensive, and the "zipper" is bulky and kind of awkward. Put the now-waterproofed stack of cards, money and key in the secure pocket in the back of your running shorts.

Voila.

you are a liar or are ignorant as to what Admiral Byrd took or both.

Do you feel superior now?

One more question...

Those on the board who have done this in Seattle traveling south, would you be willing to share the route you chose to take you into downtown? I live in Wallingford/Greenlake directly north of Gasworks and I'm thinking the Fremont Bridge to Dexter.

I live Green Lake/Greenwood area and my standard route is as follows:

Linden until I hit the zoo

Dirt path between the zoo and Aurora, then wrapping around the Rose Garden

Fremont all the way down and across the Fremont Bridge

After crossing the bridge, left onto Westlake

Westlake all the way in to downtown

Westlake is a bit longer than Dexter, but until you hit Valley at the south end of Lake Union, there are no cross streets at all, which provides for less interuption to running. Once I hit Denny, I will usually criss-cross on the streets to keep moving as opposed to waiting for lights.

stinkyOralCavity wrote:

don't run w/backpack. destroys your form.

No it doesn't, exactly the opposite. It forces you to keep your trunk stable so the bag doesn't swing. After a while you barely notice it's there.

Errrr..No wrote:

No it doesn't, exactly the opposite. It forces you to keep your trunk stable so the bag doesn't swing. After a while you barely notice it's there.

I agree, so many people are dissing the backpack but if you have a solid running pack, it works great.

I have also tried both, and trying to take clothes, shoes and everything beforehand is a huge pain in the ass. Plus, I always found that I needed something I had not taken in, which screwed everything up all the time. That is when i got a running pack.

My pack weighs fewer than 5 pounds with everything in it. It is hardly noticeable and I find that my form is more upright when I wear the pack.

I could see if you tried with a traditional backpack, it might screw you up though.

Get a camelback or something, you only need a small pocket if you keep your shoes at the office.