(And my first #runningproject post!)

Doh! I forgot to include #runforsteem, which was the original point of all of this! Click here to get all the information on the weekly Run For Steem challenge

A few days ago, as a result of the amazing power of #steemendipity (or is it #steemchronicity, or #steemidence?), I met my new buddy @chelsea88. Chelsea posted a short but sweet piece and tagged it with #communication. I was just perusing the tag because I would like to find more people who like to post and read about it, but what made this even more lucky is that Chelsea told me later she almost didn’t use the tag. Well, I consider it lucky partly because she also introduced me to #runningproject, which had nothing to do with our initial interaction.

So here I go . . .

Today I laced up the running shoes (I’m already lying. I never untie my shoes, which is a topic for another post, so I don’t actually lace them up) and ran to work. I first began running to work a few years ago after being super inspired by the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougal. It’s a little bit of a wacky idea, but once you get the hang of it, and start to really enjoy its benefits, it’s not really that big of a deal.

Today’s run was short. I have many, many options for routes as I live in South Jersey and take a light rail train into Philadelphia. I take the train to various stops depending on my mood, and sometimes just run the whole 8.5 miles, but definitely not today.

Here are my Strava reports; two since I ran to work and home again.

The photo in the first pic is at the newly renovated Love Park, and that metal frame is where the freshly painted, iconic Love statue will be placed again. It just so happens that they are reinstalling it today after months of renovations.

Well, it was 2.4 miles combined today, but I’ve taken some time off lately due to weather, illness, blah, blah, blah. I might have put it off another couple of days, but thanks to @chelsea88 and #runningproject I am back!

More on the Run To Work Concept

I included in the title that running to work is part of my sustainable approach to fitness. I take this very seriously. As an aging man who waited a bit to get married and have kids, I really, really want to stick around for my wife and kids. But just like everyone else in the world, working exercise into the daily routine can be a challenge. But after reading Born to Run I had a genuine epiphany. I spend about two hours every day commuting to and from work. It is 8.5 miles each way. The only reason I wasn’t using that time and space to exercise was because of the idea that I have to look a certain way at work. Well, not even that really. I also realized I have access to showers and a locker room at my job, so there really was no excuse. For a few months I would stock up on fresh clothes now and then and store them in my locker, and after running to work I would shower and change into my teacher clothes, and then go back to the locker room when it was time to go home.

Fast forward a few years and I am totally over all that extra effort. Now I just wear running shorts under hiking pants (they are just as comfortable to run in as fancy running pants, but have pockets! Duh). Most days the weather is cool enough that I don’t really get that sweaty, but even if I do, I just don’t care. I keep some shirts in my office, and when I arrive I change out of my running shirt, or not. Today I didn’t. My students could care less.

There are two things about a running to work practice that I think are completely revolutionary. First, when I really get into shape after some consistency, I can log up to 50 miles a week, and not only do I not have to fit that running into my schedule, but I actually shorten my daily commute time by about 20 minutes! It’s like cheating the Universe.

The other thing is that I am using my feet as a primary form of transportation, and making daily movement just part of my routine. Movement is key. Hardly anyone gets enough in the day as I truly believe we are designed to be in motion almost constantly, with short breaks to feed ourselves. But that’s just the half of it. My practice has led to some really deep insights into how I approach fitness, and how I sustain it consistently throughout the year. When I first started I mostly ran, and I took pride in getting faster and being able to go longer. More recently I have found myself transitioning to more walking, and I love it! This can be hard for a hard core runner. Our ego gets wrapped up in our accomplishment, and I have heard people really rail on walking, as if it’s a sign of weakness. Well, I have found it helps keep me motivated, as it simply adds variety. Some days I set out from my office to go home, and I begin by walking, and I end up never running. A few times this past fall I just walked all the way over the bridge to Jersey and then took the train home from Camden. I don’t care what anyone says, an hour of brisk walking is great exercise on any day. Some days I run and some days I walk.

That’s it for now. I’m sure I will share more about the practice as I make posts for #runningproject.

Happy running!