The morning run

Avid readers of this space will know that I like to run. And after months of saying I was going to do it, and days of almost doing it, I finally did it.

I ran to work.

I think it is about 4.75 miles. That isn't very far for me to run, well, it is a medium distance I suppose. During the week, I run anywhere from 2 miles in the winter to 5 miles in the summer. On the weekends, I run from 4 to 9 miles.

Normally, I don't have all of my work clothes strapped to my back, so adjusting to that took some doing. It was actually a bit easier than I was expecting. My back wasn't nearly as weary as I thought it would be.

I have learned some important lessons though. The first is to really get your clothes nice and tight on your back. It isn't very pleasant to have them bouncing side to side while you are trying to run forward. The second is to separate your shoes from your nice dress shirt in the bag. After my shower at work, I was a little disheartened to see scuff marks here and there across the front of the shirt where my shoes had been rubbing it. The third, and I can't confirm this as I haven't yet tried it but I suspect it is true, is to take side streets. Almost the entire distance was a cloud of choking fumes, and the smell coming off the back of a van carrying hot tar was especially nice at 7.30am.

I also need to hammer out the logistics of it all. How do I pack the bag, how much clothing should I keep at work, how do I keep the smell of my running clothes that I stuff into my bag and the end of the day from infiltrating my work clothes that I may pack the next morning? Disinfectant? Deodorizer? The possibilities are endless.

Technorati tags: commuting, London, Running