Teacher wants to run to school.

I run to work most days (have been doing so for about 5 years). I have cycled through various running bags and by far the best one I've found is this:

http://missionworkshop.com/products/bags/backpacks/hydration-packs/hauser-14L.php

It's not necessarily a "running bag" but is durable and waterproof and sweatproof (even in downpours my stuff doesn't get wet). I've had it for about 2 years now. It also is pretty ergonomic.

My system is as follows: put all work clothes in the bag other than shoes (I leave a few pairs in the office) and suit jackets (which I need couple of times a week, also keep them and ties in the office). Everything else clothing wise I put in my bag and shower at a gym across the street from my office. Every once in a while I need to bring stuff to and from the house to the office or vice versa (say shoes or an extra belt i keep in the office in case I forget).

Also, most of my dress shirts now are wrinkle free. Not the greatest quality but obv helps given that I stuff the shirt in the bag.

How will you take all the endless work home with you in the evenings? I guess you could juggle while you run.

Ignore the haters. Use the first week as a test period. Try it on the first Friday after you've taught for a few days and know the routine.

You'll still need a pack regardless of whether you keep clothes at school because of wallet, phone, etc. etc.

This is by the easiest way to double as you don't even question it. Not a bad way to train, even if you do need to get back into the car and drive back over the weekend to switch clothing, etc.

Yes, sometimes the weather will suck but you'd be running anyway.

I will parrot the other post and advocate for being creative. Start with taking in clothing over the weekend. Get creative from there.

To the guy suggesting teaching in the " dressy polyester tech clothes" in which he ran to school... I don't even know where to begin.

That made me laugh too!

I ran to work for several years and am starting to get back into it again.

When I started, my schedule was to drive to work and drop off clothing and supplies on Sunday or early Monday morning. I ran to and from work Monday-Thursday. On Friday, I ran to work, packed up my things at the end of the day, and my wife picked me up on her way home. At that time, we had just one vehicle and I wanted to leave it with my wife during the week. Now, I drive on Mondays and Fridays and run both ways just three days per week.

Occasionally, someone offered to give me a ride home during bad weather or if I had to work late, but I only rarely accepted. If I really wanted or needed a ride home, I called my wife to come get me.

When I started, I had both a laptop and a desktop for work. I made the desktop my primary workstation and kept the laptop at home for when I was on call. Then, I carried a few things to work in a small fanny pack. My pack generally held my ID badge, my phone, and any goodies that my wife made during the week (scones, muffins, cookies).

Now, I have only a laptop. When running to and from work, I try to leave it in the office as much as possible. When I do need to take it home, I have an Osprey Talon pack. I think it is the 22L size. Whatever pack you choose, I recommend selecting the smallest size that will meet your needs. I like that it has a frame that allows some airflow between my pack and my body during hotter weather. It also has an integrated rain cover that I can use during wet weather. The downside is that it does chafe sometimes and most runs I find myself adjusting the straps throughout the run. That is why I leave my computer at work if possible and minimize what I commute with.

For me, doing laundry at work would not help so much since I also resupply with food each week. It might be nice if I could wash my running clothes right after I arrive each day. Instead, I wash my shorts and shirt with soap in the shower and hang them in my cube to dry so that they won't be stinky and wet when I'm heading home. My cube is set up so that my laundry is not obvious to all passersby.

runtowork wrote:

I have cycled through various running bags and by far the best one I've found is this:

http://missionworkshop.com/products/bags/backpacks/hydration-packs/hauser-14L.php

It's not necessarily a "running bag" but is durable and waterproof and sweatproof (even in downpours my stuff doesn't get wet). I've had it for about 2 years now. It also is pretty ergonomic.

Really? It looks like a really high quality bag, but it doesn't look well designed for running. Typically running packs sit very high on the back. Have you ever tried using one of those "vests" that ultrarunners use? For example:

.

Uber or a cab.

Or if you are not a complete idiot, you could look for extreme weather conditions the night before and then drive in if its going to be a monsoon or blizzard and drive to school those days.

You could also try alternating driving and running. Example drive in on Monday, run home Monday night then run into work Tuesday morning. Repeat as necessary. This gets ride of the running two hours a day thing (that is a lot of running). It also gives you a way to take home papers/grading etc. a couple of times a week. As others have said you will need the time if you are a new teacher. I've been a teacher for 4 years and the first two were ROUGH in terms of having enough time for everything.

Come on...what changes every year in English, history,etc. If you've got the answer book what's the big challenge. I'm tired of hearing teachers bitch. Try working in the private sector for a while.

juggle it wrote:

How will you take all the endless work home with you in the evenings? I guess you could juggle while you run.

I'm wondering this too. Teaching isn't like other jobs where you leave work at work (I guess you do one day every few weeks or so). I've had times when I've had to carry a box with stuff I needed to take home. It would be pretty unprofessional if I passed back 600 crumpled pages that had been bouncing around in a book bag or crumbled up classroom decorations to get in a bag before putting them on the wall.

HipsterDoofus wrote:

Come on...what changes every year in English, history,etc. If you've got the answer book what's the big challenge. I'm tired of hearing teachers bitch. Try working in the private sector for a while.

Have you ever been a teacher? Have you ever had a close family member who was a teacher? There is so much more to it than just looking in the answer book, Have you ever tried to get 20 or 30 teenagers to all do the same thing at the same time when whatever you want and need them to do is exactly the opposite of what most of them want to do? Have you ever thought of 6 different ways of explaining things to someone who just can't get it? In the private sector if you are a boss and an employee doesn't do what they need to do you can fire them. Students cannot be fired no matter how much they don't do what the teacher asks of them. I'm not saying that teaching is the hardest profession in the world it certainly has its perks, but I do get tired of people in the "private sector" shitting on the profession of teaching just because they think they know what it is all about. If it really is so easy then go do it. Observe a teacher for week and see how much they actually do both in and out of the classroom.

I often run to work.

This is the backpack I use (never had my clothing get wet--if I know that there is going to be rain I'll line it with a plastic bag):

http://www.arcteryx.com/product.aspx?language=EN&model=Aerios-10-Backpack

I'm a woman, so I keep heels and some blazers at work and run with a small dress or skirt/top in the bag. I also pack an apple and energy bar, wet wipes, some travel size makeup, and light ballet flats just in case.

I often stop at the gym for a yoga or other workout on my way into work. If I don't have time for that I keep a towel and toiletries at work and will catch a shower at the office shower. On the rare occasion when I don't have that option (like if I'm going to another office) I use the wet wipes and deodorant.

This set up works really well for busy days. I find I can even do tempos with the backpack on.

As a long-time (former) high school teacher, there are a couple solutions to the issues you might have which were brought up by others.

For the papers, you can just stay disciplined and make sure you don't leave school until you've finished grading and planning. Good luck with that! (The reason I left teach is because I was tired of all the work I took home that had to be done on nights and weekends.)

As for the computer, use your school computer at school, and then just sync your files in Google Drive so you can access them at home. That way you can plan and have all your necessary resources accessible no matter where you are. I've also heard of people running with MacBook Air laptops (you need a SSD hard drive)

For keeping your clothes neat, you might look into this:

https://iamrunbox.com/

along with a running backpack.

I'm actually thinking of running to work some days for my new job (~5 miles from home) and have looked at

http://theruncommuter.com/

and Reddit for tips.

As a teacher, I was lucky in that my school was a mile from a lake with a 5k loop around it. So, I would try my best to do my runs from school rather than go home and try to do it.

Best of luck your first year of teaching and squeezing in your runs! Teaching is hard, but very rewarding. I left because of the lack of work-life balance that I had (the breaks of teaching AP), not the kids. The kids are awesome! I'm sure they'll get a kick out of seeing their teacher running to and home from school.

If you have access to a shower at school, then this is very easy. I've run about an hour a day each way to and from school on teaching and meeting days for years now and it became far easier when I found a shower I could use. I actually rinse out my running clothes while in the shower and then hang them up to dry in my office after I change. I leave a few sets of clothes, plus dress shoes in the office and sometimes come by on weekends or if I have to drive to replace the clothes. It takes me about an extra 20-25 minutes each way over the commute and looking for parking, walking to the car, but that means that I am getting almost 2 hours a day of running in with only about 45 minutes over and above what my car commute would be, so it makes a minimal impact on the family and I think that I also tend to run faster than on typical easy days because I have somewhere I have to be. I also get to sleep in and help the family get ready for work and school and then head in. I avoid most of the crazy drivers in my area as well. Much recommended.

zola buddd wrote:

Leave a bunch of clean clothes at work, run to work , shower/change, repeat. I also leave a bunch of food/bottles of water in my room so I don't have to carry food etc... this makes it WAY easier.

if you haven't taught before, be ready to be extremely tired on your run home... especially if you are teaching elementary school. This will be my 7th year teaching and I'm almost always dead-tired on my second run after working with the kids all day. I'm talking real tired. You can't comprehend the feeling of exhaustion running-teaching-running leaves you with.

Oh please. Teachers who give me the "it's so exhausting" line are such whiny pussies. A couple of friends of mine are elementary school teachers in New York and they seem to have plenty of time on their hands and energy to burn. Plus the 2 month vacation in the summer they so badly need for being "so exhausted"

I fly over 100 times a year, work very long hours and carry responsibility for the performance of a large team of people and the revenue of a mid-sized biotech company, yet I run every day and don't cry about how exhausted I am. Yes, I know I'm a dick, but tired teachers just need to STFU or get another job.

solobyotch wrote:

Oh please. Teachers who give me the "it's so exhausting" line are such whiny pussies. A couple of friends of mine are elementary school teachers in New York and they seem to have plenty of time on their hands and energy to burn. Plus the 2 month vacation in the summer they so badly need for being "so exhausted"

I fly over 100 times a year, work very long hours and carry responsibility for the performance of a large team of people and the revenue of a mid-sized biotech company, yet I run every day and don't cry about how exhausted I am. Yes, I know I'm a dick, but tired teachers just need to STFU or get another job.

I have a friend who is now an engineer who works long hours, but used to be a teacher. He says, "The toughest job I ever had was when I was a teacher."

And thanks for sharing your work responsibilities. We all now think very highly of you. Maybe a recruiter who reads LRC will reach out to you because your accomplishments are so stellar. And congrats on accumulating all those airline miles!

You are not a dick. As a teacher I completely agree with what you say. I NEVER work myself to the point of exhaustion. Too many teachers trying to "save the world" instead of just doing their jobs and then going home and having a life. I run marathons and my first priority is me and my own self of well being. I have no compassion for teacher who are always"exhausted". It's self inflicted. BTW, I've been teaching for 12 years and I teach 4th grade.

yes I tried those ultra bags; they are a little too small, also not nearly as durable for the weight I carry (ultra runners carry some food, headlamp, etc. I have clothes, maybe some papers--much heavier). The bag does sit high (just a longer pack than most). It is essentially a hydration running pack, so is designed for running. You are supposed to put a camelback thing in there, but I obv don't do that.

800 dude wrote:

runtowork wrote:

I have cycled through various running bags and by far the best one I've found is this:

http://missionworkshop.com/products/bags/backpacks/hydration-packs/hauser-14L.php

It's not necessarily a "running bag" but is durable and waterproof and sweatproof (even in downpours my stuff doesn't get wet). I've had it for about 2 years now. It also is pretty ergonomic.

Really? It looks like a really high quality bag, but it doesn't look well designed for running. Typically running packs sit very high on the back. Have you ever tried using one of those "vests" that ultrarunners use? For example:

https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Direction-Ultra-Large-Gunmetal/dp/B00GNXLM64/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1470770800&sr=8-16&keywords=running+vest

.

If you can't figure this out for yourself you should not be teaching.