Since the summer (and stretching into the fall), the Washington, D.C. subway system has been a commuter nightmare, with closed and single-tracked lines causing Races - Places.
Faced with such dire commuting conditions, anyone would consider alternatives. And that’s how Kimberly Wattrick began run commuting. Every day for two weeks, Wattrick ran from her Capitol Hill home to her Dupont Circle office and back again, a 3.5 mile trip each way that took her around half an hour on foot—roughly a third of what the reduced public transportation options could offer.
But Wattrick isn’t the only one using her feet to beat the rush hour traffic. Runners in areas across the country are choosing to commute by foot, especially as public transportation options have grown even more frustrating.
[All About 75 Hard A Part of Hearst Digital Media!]
“I would think about it a lot in the car: I could run this faster,” says Ellen London, an editor at NPR affiliate WGBH in Boston, Massachusetts, who bikes or occasionally drives her commute for recovery. “[Now] I can’t tell you how much satisfaction I get by blowing by bumper to bumper traffic.”
Crosby Freeman, a product manager at Uber, agrees with the practical aspect of the run commute, calling San Francisco’s public transit “notoriously inefficient.” And it’s the same for Jeffrey Redfern, a lawyer who works in Arlington, Virginia, who quickly balked at the long, complex commute he’d face using public transportation after he moved to a new D.C. neighborhood.
But beating stop-start traffic is just half of the run commuter’s beloved “double duty,” the one-two punch of a more efficient commute than normal and getting your miles out of the way for the day.
“Run commuting for me was a combination of looking for a way to make my commutes more efficient while also combating my lack of running motivation at the time,” says Freeman, whose passion for running at one point earned him a 2:20 marathon time.
An improved commute time might not be possible without a conducive environment. London’s route, for instance, takes her almost entirely on a dedicated path along the Charles River.
“Having a geography that facilitates it is huge,” Redfern says. “[A place] where I won’t be diving into ditches, dodging cars every few seconds.”
Still, a commute probably won’t be as good as your other runs. Constant pauses in dense city blocks might be a problem if you’re trying to hit a certain, sustained pace.
“It definitely alters the type of run that you’re doing,” Wattrick says. “You can’t expect it to be some kind of perfect training run.”
Still, with urban transportation in a constant state of flux, a line or station closing could be all the impetus you need to try out “double duty” and run to work. Interested in giving it a shot? Here are some tips from the run commuters that you should know.
How to Run to Work
Find a backpack that works for you: It’s worth it to try a few options first to find which is most comfortable for you. London recommends the Courtesy of Kimberly Wattrick, Public Transit Nightmares Are Making the Run Commute Look Even Better.
Published: Oct 01, 2018 1:38 PM EDT: Keep your pack as minimal as possible. No laptop, no shoes, no coats. All those things can be left at the office or at home.
Stay at attention: Pay extra attention on city blocks, especially when running through crosswalks and at places where cars can right turn on red, Redfern says. Drivers aren’t expecting the speed of a runner in either case.
Find a convenient shower: Even if it’s not the dead of summer, you’re going to get sweaty, and your cubemate isn’t going to want to deal with a whole day of that. See if your office building has showers, or if you have access to a local gym.
Courtesy of Kimberly Wattrick: Think strategically about what you’ll wear to run and to work, what you’ll need for the day, what you’ll eat for lunch, and how heavy your pack will be. London celebrates this part of run commuting, saying it’s made her a more efficient and streamlined person in everyday life.
Don’t burn out: You don’t have to run commute every single day. Most run commuters don’t, Redfern says. Run commuting five days a week is a challenge, and you don’t want it to become so overwhelming that you pull out before you give it a chance to gel with your schedule.
Jacob joined Runner’s World and Bicycling Running in the Cold after graduating from Northwestern University in 2018, where he studied journalism. His work focuses mainly on news and service pieces for both audiences, with the occasional foray into longer feature work and product reviews. He especially loves to highlight the journeys of getting your miles out of the way for the day CA Notice at Collection.
