Greetings from beautiful south central Pennsylvania! As a novice run commuter and a brand new contributor to this blog, allow me to tell you a little bit about how I came around to embrace run commuting:
The decision to start running to work gained traction as a result of the 2012 in 2012 challenge. The goal is to travel 2,012 human-powered miles during the course of the year. Dedicated participants are biking, running, paddling, and walking their way through the challenge as we speak. My goal is to travel the bulk of the miles by foot, as it seemed too easy to click away 2,012 miles by bike, and my main goal for this year is to improve my running performance.
While pondering this challenge during the champagne-soaked revelry of New Year’s Eve, I did some quick math and realized that I need to average about 5.5 miles per day to hit the target. It just so happens that my office is 2.52 miles from home. After stumbling upon the fine folks here at The Run Commuter, switching from bike to run commuting seemed a natural fit. Add a long training run on the weekends, and viola! 2,012 miles.
Admittedly, I am in an enviable situation for run commuting. In fact, it couldn’t get much better. The Capital Area Greenbelt is just four blocks from my abode, and I can enjoy the sunrise over the beautiful Susquehanna River with mergansers, great blue herons, red-tail hawks, as well as the cadre of destitute folks napping by the river, all the way to the front door of my building. I work in a small office with a private bathroom/shower, and I rarely have to wear a suit (but keep one in the closet in case of emergency). Despite these alluring conveniences, I’ve only flirted with the idea of run commuting on a regular basis. Sure, I’ve run home from work a few times, but I was always coerced into it by a flat bicycle tire or a sudden downpour during a stroll home. Starting Monday, February 6th, I will be deliberately transitioning to run commuting as my primary form of transportation. It’s exciting to be joining such an elite group of physical commuting prowess.
I am tracking my 2012 in 2012 progress over at runtheburg, and am delighted to share my experiences with run commuting as a contributor to this blog.