Run Commuting - I'm Not A Virgin Anymore

I'd heard about run commuting before. I've seen articles about it and I thought it sounded good I just didn't know how I could do it. It seemed like the people who did it were hard core runners and I didn't put myself in that category. I live 5.5 miles from work (as the crow flies) but my safest route is about 6.2 miles. I knew I could run to work. But could I run home from work too?

I have been putting in a lot of miles though and I thought I could do it. I just needed to figure out the logistics. It rained today and I didn't want to ride my bike to work in the rain. It's not that I mind riding in the rain so much. It's more the cleanup after and the mess it makes (since I keep my bike in my apartment). I have to wipe my bike down, lube the chain, dry off my helmet & dry out my shoes, gloves, jacket, etc. I especially don't like doing it when I get home from work. Not my idea of relaxing when I get home. And while there is some clean up after running in the rain, it's not as bad. When you have a lot of shoes and running gear, it makes it a lot easier. See, I knew those purchase would pay off. Ha! ;)

So the rain was a great incentive to try it. I dropped off clothes and food at work on Sunday. Figured out how I could use my Nathan Hydration Pack to carry the rest of my stuff to work. Knew what route I would take. I was good to go.

The best part of the run commute was that I got to sleep in until 5 am! Woo! Got up, took care of business, showered than did a warm up and a Myrtle to loosen up. Loaded my pack, and headed out. It was still dark and there was a light rain but not as bad as it was on Saturday. The morning run was pretty uneventful. I felt good and the pack was pretty comfortable. I have to say that it was a LOT less stressful running to work than riding, even with part of my commute on the bike trail. The personal spiffing up when I got to work wasn't anything I wasn't used to from my bike commutes. I wasn't tired either, just hungry. :) So the morning half of the commute was a success!

I made sure I ate really well during the day. The bean & cheese burrito for lunch might not have been the best idea but the bike trail was empty so I don't think I offended anyone. Oops! ;) But the good news is that I felt good for my run home and it was uneventful too. I think being able to say that means that I'm ready for them, don't you?

Before I left, one of my coworkers said "Have to run home, huh? Bet you don't feel like doing that at the end of the day?" Gotta love negative people, eh? But I said no, it wasn't any different than riding my bike home after work. And it really wasn't. Except it took longer, of course. I started running in the morning because I didn't really have motivation to run after my ride home from work. It was much easier to get it done in the morning without the temptation of ditching it because I was tired. But it isn't so bad running at night when it's your only option to get home!

Would I do it again? Definitely. In fact, I probably won't wait for the next time it rains. I might start doing this once a week. Maybe a couple of times a week as I train for my 50 miler and then my 100 miler. So I'm not a run commuting virgin anymore! I think my first time was a success and I look forward to many more. :)

P.S. Have you ever heard Poe...the singer not the poet? I love her stuff. I like to run to her songs and they are great fun on road trips. Um, they might be better for women only road trips. She has this song called Not A Virgin from her album Haunted which is fun/funny.

I'm not a virgin anymore
I just thought you should know
Darlin' I've been around
Yeah, I've been up and down your block
In fact, I have been all over town...

This always makes me smile especially when I hear it on long runs, because yeah...I have been all over town. But note to self: Don't sing this song out loud when running by a group of guys. That's why you get strange looks sometimes. Sigh. ;)