Running from Work

[JoaniB]

Hi, everyone,

I've decided that work is the best time for me to run - I don't get up early enough in the morning, and when I get home, it's dinnertime and other things (from my intro post: I found that little spark inside, it's just as lazy as I am). Also, a run in the middle of the day breaks up the monotony of work very nicely.

I do wonder, though, how other people do it logistically: do you buy your lunch before and let it wait for your return? Do you take your kit home every night (at least the towel, to dry it)? What about your smelly shirts? What do you say to other people on the elevator when they give you side-ways glances and edge away from your sweatiness?

Ideas? Suggestions?

[La]

If I run mid-day, I usually take an early lunch and go to the gym. I shower and change there, then eat my lunch at my desk (I bring my lunch to work, don't buy it). I take my gym clothes home with me that evening.

But I also like the "run commute" which takes a bit more planning, and depending on how far away from work you live, may or may not be practical. Running home is far easier (logistically) than running into work. And much easier in the spring/summer/fall than winter when you have to have multiple coats/boots in different locations.

[scrumhalfgirl]

If I run mid-day, I usually take an early lunch and go to the gym. I shower and change there, then eat my lunch at my desk (I bring my lunch to work, don't buy it). I take my gym clothes home with me that evening.

.

this minus the gym part - we have showers in our building and i run outside. if i run in cooler weather i can sometimes skip a shower to save time.

[turd ferguson]

We have showers at my office. I eat after I run.
The awesome thing about the towel is that every day you get out of the shower and rub it against the cleanest thing you have, which is you. So in fact your towel gets cleaner and cleaner the longer you use it.

[Lazagna]

Our gym is on the 7th floor, so if I decide to run outside, I take the stairs back up.

[CinC]

We have showers at my office. I eat after I run.
The awesome thing about the towel is that every day you get out of the shower and rub it against the cleanest thing you have, which is you. So in fact your towel gets cleaner and cleaner the longer you use it.

And if you're turd, after a year, said towel will grow legs and walk out of your office. do not follow his advice.

I'm excited since my new office is much closer to the Y, so I'm planning to take my lunch hr to walk over, run, shower (using the towel service I pay for, ahem), and then eat lunch when i get back to my office.

I also like the run home after work situation too - just a bit of planning, but can be done quite easily.

[RA.]

I run to (or out of) my gym. Who cares what other people in the elevator think. IMHO, it's no worse than being in the elevator with a group of people coming in from their smoke. Luckily for me, my office is pretty laid back, so they don't care (or even comment other than a quick "How was your run?") if I come in to work with wet hair after a run. After you do it a few times, you won't feel awkward.

Thanks for the idea - I'm going to run from work tomorrow myself.

[turd ferguson]

turd ferguson wrote:
We have showers at my office. I eat after I run.
The awesome thing about the towel is that every day you get out of the shower and rub it against the cleanest thing you have, which is you. So in fact your towel gets cleaner and cleaner the longer you use it.

And if you're turd, after a year, said towel will grow legs and walk out of your office. do not follow his advice.

I'm excited since my new office is much closer to the Y, so I'm planning to take my lunch hr to walk over, run, shower (using the towel service I pay for, ahem), and then eat lunch when i get back to my office.

I also like the run home after work situation too - just a bit of planning, but can be done quite easily.

Your new office also has a huge fountain in front which can be used to splash off / cool down.

[Joe Dwarf]

Our gym is across the street, and we have the bonus of being in a research park next to the river with it's running paths. So I just go there, change, run, shower and then usually eat my lunch at my desk while working afterward. I carry my gym bag back and forth to work whenever I run.

[Jwolf]

When I was working full days at the daycare I was lucky enough to have a gym right on site. I have to say though it was tough to squeeze in a run more than a half-hour, even with an hour lunch-break and not having to leave the building. It would take me about 10 minutes to change and get going, and then I'd have 20 minutes to shower, change, and eat before getting back to work (I was essentially punching a clock). Now I'm happy to have flexible hours. My downtown running partner has the luxury of taking about a 2-hour lunch break when we run together, so we have time for an hour run and a short lunch before he goes back and showers.

I do take my stuff home for laundry every time.

[MikeM]

For lunchtime runs I'm lucky to have a shower at work.

Run commutes are a lot trickier. I'm far enough away (22-23km) that I can only run one way. I leave my clothes and an extra lunch at work the day before. Depending on what's best for DW's schedule, she either picks me up after work the first day (and I leave my car at work to come home the next day) or she picks me up after work the next day. I've also considered biking in one direction but I wouldn't want to leave my bike at work.

[tinyterror]

Running at lunch just isn't practical since I only take a half hour, but I just started with my plan of running home from work last week. I find that after I walk the 2k to get to the streetcar (that's the point where it starts moving faster; prior to that it's so stuck in traffic I literally walk faster), sit for almost a half hour in the sweltering streetcar, by the time I get home I just want to flop on the couch with a cat or three. If I'm organized in the morning I can manage everything I need (no towel because I just shower when I get home ) in a mini backpack which isn't too uncomfortable to run with. The distance between work and home is 7.5k so the distance is perfect. I'm still working on the getting organized in the morning part

[daddy_runner]

I'm lucky that I have a shower at work, and we have towel service so fresh towels every day! I normally pack a lunch, eat half 1 hour before my run, have my run, shower (which is usually no more than a perspiration rinse & cooldown), and eat the other half of my lunch. I've found that if I don't get a little something into my stomach before 12, I'd be struggling during the run.

[Pat29]

I generally run home from work. I take the bus in the morning and run home in the evening. It works out great for me since my office is about 8 km from my house. I can easily map out 8-10 km routes.

[BJH]

I run at lunch occasionally. I have a gym near work and will go there to run on the treadmill or I will change in the washroom and run in the nearby cemetery. I use wipes to clean up, I work in a pretty casual office.

I'm a fan of the run commute. I have a great running backpack that will carry a change of clothes and a jacket. In the mornings I will run 10k, shower at a branch if my gym and hop on the subway for the rest if the way to work. In the evenings, I will either run part way home or the whole way (18k).

[La]

Sometimes I wish I lived a little further away from work - my run commute is just a little over 4K. I can take a "longer" route to make it a little over 5K. I'd have to take a major detour to make it longer than that.

[scrumhalfgirl]

Sometimes I wish I lived a little further away from work - my run commute is just a little over 4K. I can take a "longer" route to make it a little over 5K. I'd have to take a major detour to make it longer than that.

When I've wanted a longer run in the morning, I've sometimes done a run in the neighbourhood, then swung by home, grabbed my bag and run the rest of the way to work. For me, it means more sleep than if I got up, did the whole run, showered at home, then took the bus in to work.

[RA.]

Sometimes I wish I lived a little further away from work - my run commute is just a little over 4K. I can take a "longer" route to make it a little over 5K. I'd have to take a major detour to make it longer than that.

When I've wanted a longer run in the morning, I've sometimes done a run in the neighbourhood, then swung by home, grabbed my bag and run the rest of the way to work. For me, it means more sleep than if I got up, did the whole run, showered at home, then took the bus in to work.

Hmmm. That's an idea. That would probably work better than my other thought of running to the gym, dropping the bag, and continuing from there.

[Jwolf]

Sometimes I wish I lived a little further away from work - my run commute is just a little over 4K. I can take a "longer" route to make it a little over 5K. I'd have to take a major detour to make it longer than that.

When I've wanted a longer run in the morning, I've sometimes done a run in the neighbourhood, then swung by home, grabbed my bag and run the rest of the way to work. For me, it means more sleep than if I got up, did the whole run, showered at home, then took the bus in to work.

Hmmm. That's an idea. That would probably work better than my other thought of running to the gym, dropping the bag, and continuing from there.

I used to do that (run to work and drop the bag off there) when I was working regularly at the daycare, which is only 2.5k from my house. I'd either continue the run from there outside or finish it on the treadmill at the gym.

[jes]

My run commute is a bit long (22k), but I've done it a few times. But I usually have Joe meet me at a pre-determined time and location about 6k from home, making it a much more manageable distance for after work.

[erinmcd]

We have showers at my office. I eat after I run.
The awesome thing about the towel is that every day you get out of the shower and rub it against the cleanest thing you have, which is you. So in fact your towel gets cleaner and cleaner the longer you use it.

do not follow his advice.

It's amazing how often people are warned about following Turd's advice.

[VeloCarrie]

We have showers at my office. I eat after I run.
The awesome thing about the towel is that every day you get out of the shower and rub it against the cleanest thing you have, which is you. So in fact your towel gets cleaner and cleaner the longer you use it.

do not follow his advice.

It's amazing how often people are warned about following Turd's advice.

I also wouldn't drink out of any cups in his office either . . .

[JoaniB]

So, Turd... that weird funky smell on old towels is actually the smell of cleanliness?

My run home is a bit long for me at this time (11k), though it would get me to bed earlier. I used to commute-run in Ottawa when I only lived 5k away and I miss the feeling of 'running away from work'.

Thanks for the responses, everyone!

[akajb]

I've been walking to/from campus (only 2.5k each way). I'd love to run home, but I take my laptop with me and can't figure out a good way around that. Don't really want to have it bouncing around on my back.

[tinyterror]

Running at lunch just isn't practical since I only take a half hour, but I just started with my plan of running home from work last week. I find that after I walk the 2k to get to the streetcar (that's the point where it starts moving faster; prior to that it's so stuck in traffic I literally walk faster), sit for almost a half hour in the sweltering streetcar, by the time I get home I just want to flop on the couch with a cat or three. If I'm organized in the morning I can manage everything I need (no towel because I just shower when I get home ) in a mini backpack which isn't too uncomfortable to run with. The distance between work and home is 7.5k so the distance is perfect. I'm still working on the getting organized in the morning part

See, now today I forgot my pants. What did I say about getting organized in the morning?