Running Commute Update

Okay, I've now done my commute to work on foot three times -- and I've driven 3 times, and been picked up by hubby once (and I'm driving home tonight). 

Thus far, it's good. 

3.75 miles. 

Uphill almost all the way to work.

Downhill almost all the way home.

I haven't synched my garmin lately, so I don't have exact elevations, but it was noticeable last night running home (I was flying!) and then this morning (dragging!).

But these are Dallas hills.  It's not really much of a hill either way.  Maybe 150 feet of elevation change total?  If I had to guess...

So far, the only issue has been my dress watch -- if I drive home from work on Monday night wearing it, then when I run to work on Tuesday morning, it's not there, so I need to tweek that plan.

All I am carrying with me is my phone, a credit card, my house key, and my work building access card. 

I need to get some reflective things to wear and/or a light.  I don't know what I did with the stuff I took to run Hood to Coast. 

When I run home from work, I need to make a major effort to leave earlier. 

Work is so busy, I usually work frantically until the moment hubby calls and says he's given up and he is going to eat without me.  I tell myself that I'm leaving when he calls to say he's leaving work, when he calls when he's driving past my office, when he calls to say he's home, and when he calls to say he's hungry.  It's just the "I'm eating" call that actually gets me to shut-down.

Well, last night, that's what I did.  I failed to realize that it was going to take 30 minutes to get home when he called to say that.  He was already upstairs, getting ready for bed, and it was after 8:00 when I got home. 

It's very dark to be running alone at 8:00 at night.

Don't get me wrong, I'll do it.  I feel like I have a very good handle on risk and crime -- I know the chances of something like kidnap or rape or murder are negligible.  The more real risks are being hit by a car (still unlikely) or falling and getting hurt (more likely) or getting so worn out and tired that I need to walk (most likely).

I'm running in the city (not downtown, just residential, university, and running trail), through fairly nice parts actually.  In terms of running commutes, I can't imagine something much safer! 

From the office, I run through a strip mall parking lot.

Then about 1.75 miles south on a residential street.  I cross one intersection with a light.  I have a bunch of stop signs, but rarely any cross traffic at any of those.  Last night, I'd say about 10 cars passed me (going south or north) on that street, so really very little traffic.

After that residential street, I'm in the university area.  Lots of construction.  Some parts closed to vehicles.  A fair number of other pedestrians, sometimes even other runners.  This part only takes a few minutes.  I run past the outdoor track and next to the indoor aquatic center.

Then I have another traffic light. 

Then I'm running for a couple minutes on another residential street, then I turn to the running path.

In some ways, particularly at night, this is the "scariest" part of my run.  The southern 80% of the running trail has lots of foot traffic from about 5 a.m. until about 10 p.m.  The northern 20% has significantly less, and that's the part I'm running on my commute.  And a runner claimed she was "attacked" there within the last month.  The only time something like that has happened there in many years.  So I'm sure as time passes, this won't freak me out at all.  It's a trail I run all the time, sometimes alone. 

Anyway, after the trail, I get onto my street for about .75 miles.  In the morning, I run with traffic, which is illegal and unsafe, but not so bad since it's not a busy street and it's light out.  At night, I'm running into traffic, and it feels much better. 

Then one more traffic light and I'm home. 

Not a bad way to commute.  Kills two birds with one stone. 

Since I basically haven't been running much since we went to China for vacation (I'm just trying to forget about running the San Antonio marathon!), I decided I should be careful about building up my mileage. 

Since I love the idea of commuting on foot, I have decided that I will not run with my friends on Tues or Thurs mornings until January probably. 

Right now, the plan is Monday boot camp.  Tuesday sleep in and run to and from work (7.5 miles total).  Wedneday boot camp and run to and from work.  Thursday sleep in but maybe run the long way to work and then get a ride home.  Friday boot camp and then work from home. 

Eventually I'll add in my regular Tuesday and Thursday miles.  But my current schedule gives me about 20 miles of commuting runs, and that's a lot to just tack on to a regular workout schedule.  Don't want to get hurt, especially since 2013 is going to be my year of running. 

In December I'll work on gradually making the Thursday run to work longer, and then in January I'll add Tuesday/Thursday runs with friends and go back to the shortest running commute possible (3.75 one way). 

That's my plan.

Now that it's in writing and published, I'm declaring it official.