UPDATE: Commuter Running

After three weeks of running home from work - or away from work, your choice of phrasing, I have learned a lot and most has been positive.

I have learned:

1. To minimize and be prepared.  I bring everything I will need food wise on Monday morning - snacks and fruit.  It reduced what I need to carry daily since I am still limited with my backpack.

2. I can run faster than I thought I could - my Garmin has become my coach up those hills*.

3. Afternoon runs in the summer heat might pose too much of a challenge - I will start considering 5:30am runs to offset the heat - really not sure I'm okay with this.  I still will not change back to a purse, I've grown to love the backpack 

4. A little preparation in the evening is a really good thing. Every night I put my runners back in my pack and switch in the next day's clean running clothes for whatever I have taken home.  That means next morning, not only am I not struggling to get everything I will need pack up, I also cannot talk myself out of it.

All those positives aside I have found that the hilly-ness of my route home to be incredibly challenging and often too freaking difficult despite the short distance of it all.  I might be re-tailoring my route in a week or so to a flatter course or considering alternative running locations due to the heat.   In the end I would strongly encourage those who can run home to consider it - I have found it frees me of the stress of transit and I get my run in sooner and have a longer evening to myself.

For another perspective check out: The Run Commuter

*Speaking of those hills - MapMyRun has a great elevation map feature - this is what the run home looks like, and I think you can figure out why I don't run to work:

Photo