Run to Work – the ultimate commute

Run to Work – the ultimate commute
Littleton, Ma March 2009
Many local commuters have come up with ways to combat high gas prices by sharing rides or riding their bicycles this year but Chris Russell of Littleton recently went over the top. He ran to work. Before you say “So what?” you have to understand that Chris lives in Littleton, 17.5 miles from his office in Burlington, Ma., and he didn’t just run to work, he turned around and ran home for a 35 mile total commute.
Why? “Well, I’m in training for the Boston Marathon already and my long runs are around 20 miles for that so I figured I’d see if I could run to work and just use it as a part of my training.”
But why turn around and run back? Isn’t that over doing it? “I’m in decent shape and I have some experience at what’s referred to as the “ultra” distance (beyond the 26.2 miles of a standard marathon). I ran the Vermont 50 Miler in September, so I knew theoretically I could cover the distance. The first time I ran in to work one way in February and has my wife give me a ride home and I felt great, so I figured I’d have a little adventure and give the whole round trip a try.”
Chris, who will be running his 11th Boston Marathon this year, is also one of the race directors for the Groton Road Race coming up in on April 26th of this year. “I had a great idea to wear some sort of advertisement for Groton on my shirt to call out the website www.grotonroadrace.com, but I couldn’t figure out how to do it.”
How long does something like that take? “My usual commute takes around 40-45 minutes depending on the traffic. I go down Route 225 through Westford, Carlyle, Bedford and Burlington. When I ran in to work, it took me around 2:24 and about 2:30 to run the other way. One thing I realized is that it’s downhill from Littleton to Burlington. So I had to run up hill to get home!”
At the end of the run Mr. Russell said he was “a little wobbly” but ok. Chris also noted that people who want to run on Route 225 during commuting hours because the roads are quite narrow in places and people don’t expect you to be there. He recommends running into traffic and being prepared to jump out of the way when someone isn’t paying attention.
Chris Russell lives and trains in suburban Massachusetts with his family and Border collie Buddy. Chris is the author of “The Mid-Packer’s Lament”, and “The Mid-Packer’s Guide to the Galaxy”, short stories on running, racing, and the human comedy of the mid-pack. Chris writes the Runnerati Blog at www.runnerati.com. Chris’ Podcast, RunRunLive is available on iTunes and at www.runrunlive.com. Chris also writes for CoolRunning.com (Active.com) and is a member of the Squannacook River Runners. ChrisRunner@runrunlive.com
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