Sam Pictor: Tight for time, avoiding public transport, or maybe it's simply quicker, easier,
and cheaper. Either way, these are all good reasons on why you can build your training
run into your commute. You might just be surprised at how effective it can be. Today we're going
to take a look at how you can nail that run commute. For many years, I classed myself
as a bit of a pro nailing the run commute. During my early triathlon career, my job meant
I worked in many different offices across the city, meaning lots of different commutes.
During this time, I learned many useful lessons on how to fit my training into my commuting.
Obviously, this is going to be different for everyone depending on where you work, what
job you do, and what facilities are available to you, but I hope that I can pass on a few
useful hints and tips on how you can get the most out of your commute.
[music]. Many people think that commute is simply too
far to run. That doesn't have to be the case as you might not have to run the whole way.
There are plenty of good public transport options that can take you part of the way.
Be this at the beginning or at the end, there is nothing wrong with running the first part
and then jumping on a bus or a train to take you the final stretch. If you've got the option
to lift share with friends or colleagues, when it's not your turn to drive, get them
to meet you halfway, perfect. Another good option can be to make use of
the city's pack and ride facilities. You can drive to the edge, pack, and then run in.
No way to public transport, and you get to stretch the legs before work. You also don't
have to run every day of the week. It might be that you don't have any morning meetings
on a Tuesday, or you can leave a little bit earlier on a Wednesday. Just pick the days
in the week that work best for you. Having said that, I often found that running my commute
was much quicker than sitting in traffic or waiting for public transport. It can be time-saving
in more ways than one. [music].
Have a bit of a think about the route that you're going to run. There are plenty of good
route planning websites out there such as Komoot and Strava Route Finder that will help
you plan a fun and interesting route into work. Also, give yourself a bit of extra time
on the first couple of commutes as it always takes a little bit longer. After a couple
of runs, it will soon become second nature. [music]
In my experience, packing your bag the night before is usually the best and easiest way
to get out the door in the morning. All you need to do is put your running kit on, grab
your bag, and go. I used to eat my breakfast before I run, but I know a lot of people that
will pack their breakfast and take it with them to eat at work. Even better, if you can
leave your breakfast at work and it's one less thing to carry.
[music] Most of you are going to need to transport
things to and from work each day. It may be that you can take most things in on Monday,
leave them at work, and then run without a bag for most of the week. If you do need to
run with the bag, then here are a few things that you can look out for. Try to find a bag
that matches the amount you want to carry or has adjustable straps to make it smaller
in size as any loose items will be moving around when you run making it uncomfortable
on your back. One hack that I used to do particularly in
the winter was to put a small down jacket in the back to fill any loose space and stop
things moving around without making the bag any heavier to carry. Another critical part
of the bag is to have a good chest strap as a chest strap reduces the strain on your shoulders
and also further reduce movement of the bag while you run. A further point to look for
in a running bag is to have separate compartments to separate objects from one another to stop
them bouncing into each other damaging each other while you run.
I once ran 10 miles across London with a banana and a laptop in the same compartment, and
while the banana came off worse, the USB port on my laptop was never quite the same again.
Something I'm not massively a fan of but I know a lot of people do like is a waist strap.
I find they can rub but depending on the quality of this, it can also help stop the bag moving
around when you run. Then finally, I'd say if you can get a bag
with reflective strips on, this will help especially in the winter when it might be
dark, but you can get good bag covers that are fully reflective as well as waterproof
which helps protect your clothes and work equipment. You can also fit a light to the
back of your bag, and this can just be a bike light and that just adds to the visibility
when you're running in the dark. Trousers and shirts can be rolled up easily
enough to fit into your bag and often look pretty respectable when unrolled at work.
To help with this, a tie can be worn to distract from any creases, or a non-iron shirt can
often withstand the wrinkles and survive the commute a bit better. If your work has a casual
dress code, then this makes it even easier. I used to enjoy it in winter because I can
just wear a smart jumper on top of my shirt and that way I wouldn't even need to think
about ironing in the first place. [music]
Okay, so five final tips that might be worth thinking about for you to nail your run commute.
Number one, if you've got a desk or locker or some other place at work where you can
store things, consider leaving a spare shirt or pair of trousers rolled up just in case
you get to work and realize you've forgotten the essentials. Hey, it happens to the best
of us more than once. Number two, a small dry bag can be really useful for containing
wet or smelly kit during the day, and your co-workers might thank you for this one.
Number three, the day before you run, think about what you can leave at work to minimize
the amount you need to carry in the morning. Number four, give yourself plenty of time
the first few goes as this will just take the stress off. You don't need to worry about
getting lost and most of all you can enjoy it. That brings me on to number five, enjoy
it, explore new routes, race the bus, and don't be too smug when your colleagues tell
you about how much they've been stuck in traffic. Get out there, enjoy it and let us know how
you get on. [00:06:35] [END OF AUDIO]