Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is simple.
I keep my clothes at work, take shirts in to the laundry near work. Keep suits, work shoes etc at work. no need to ever take them home.
Pare down wallet to bare minimum (one credit card, i.d.) and then run with it and cell phone. Lazik to obviate need for glasses.

That's not a viable approach for me. (1) My circumstances don't permit me to run into work in the morning, so I can't leave all work clothes at work indefinitely. (2) Even if I could run in, I don't want to be the person with stinky running clothes hanging all over my office all day long.

I don't understand your problem. If you are not running in in the morning you don't need to leave stinky running clothes hanging around the office. You can still keep your work clothes at work.

Radio shack (or REI, etc.) has armbands for carrying a cell phone. I use one when I want to have my phone on me while I run. There are key holders that you lace through your shoelaces that could also hold an ID and cash. It does sound like you might need a small backpack, though, if you want to carry a purse/wallet/etc.

That stuff and glasses could fit in a fanny pack if you want to be the fanny pack runner.

Anonymous wrote:It is simple.
I keep my clothes at work, take shirts in to the laundry near work. Keep suits, work shoes etc at work. no need to ever take them home.
Pare down wallet to bare minimum (one credit card, i.d.) and then run with it and cell phone. Lazik to obviate need for glasses.

That's not a viable approach for me. (1) My circumstances don't permit me to run into work in the morning, so I can't leave all work clothes at work indefinitely. (2) Even if I could run in, I don't want to be the person with stinky running clothes hanging all over my office all day long.

It is simple.
I keep my clothes at work, take shirts in to the laundry near work. Keep suits, work shoes etc at work. no need to ever take them home.
Pare down wallet to bare minimum (one credit card, i.d.) and then run with it and cell phone. Lazik to obviate need for glasses.

This is so interesting I was just talking to DH about doing this. I have a 6 month old and have zero time to work out. Except I think I'm going to run to work and shower at my gym next to my office. I can only do it a few times a week max, and I'm going to bring my work clothes in the day before. I will need to still run with a backpack, unless I invest in another pump which I don't really want to do.

OP again. I'm trying to think of a way not to use a backpack, but it seems very difficult.

1. Work clothes. I guess I could leave these at work most days, and carry them home all at once on one day when I don't run. That seems reasonable.

2. Work shoes. That's harder because I can't bring in a new pair of work shoes every day. I guess I could wear my running shoes to commute into work, and then change into work shoes once I get to work. Maybe a little dorky, but maybe manageable.

3. Wallet, keys, cell phone, glasses, etc. What about these? I guess I can stuff most of those in pockets of my running shorts, but perhaps bulky. Maybe I can just limit my wallet to ID/metrocard/$20/creditcard. Maybe I get just a fannypack. Hmm.

This is proving complex on planning.

I used to run home from work all the time. Its a very efficient way to get a run in! I used a small camelback backpack, made for women, and just took out the water bladder. It was comfortable and I could fit my work clothing, wallet and phone in, no problem.

I didn't use a back pack. Instead, I found a place at work to stash a week or so of clothes and did Metro/drive once a week to restock. For a while, I just took my clothes to a cleaner near my office and had them launder everything.

maybe you could leave all your clothes at work for a week and bring them home one day a week that you're not running? (like on a rainy day.) It's not that great for your joints to run every single day anyway - a rest day where you do something else (elliptical, weights, etc.) would be a good idea.

You could run on other streets, but then cut over to 16th for the final stretch. That's probably what I would do. 18th St one day, Connecticut another, 14th St. another day.

I second rcp. Easy trail, no traffic threats. You could cut up at blagden (I know that's spelled wrong). And then take Arkansas over.

Anonymous wrote:What do you need to carry home from work? I personally hated running with a backpack, so I would probably save anything you need to bring home for the days when you're not running.

16th St. is ok for running - I've done it - but there are a ton of stoplights and plenty of car emissions. You might want to shake things up by going different ways, like Rock Creek Park trail and the Capital Crescent trail for a longer run.

OP back.

Yeah, I'm not wild about the backpack. I've never run with one before, and I cannot imagine liking it. But I am hoping to run home every day, so I will need to get my clothes home. I also have various keys, cards, cell phone, etc to carry, and usually at least a few papers. I think I'm going to have to suck it up on the backpack, although I take your point that I should minimize wherever I can.

I'm focused on 16th because it seems less likely to be plagued by stoplights than other smaller streets. RC Park trails would be great, but they seem like they'll add a lot of distance that I don't want. I guess I should try to map those to make sure. I'm secreting hoping someone will post an unknown street that runs parallel to 16th, but with nothing but trees and cheering fans! Only in my head, I guess ....

Would it be safe to run Kansas Avenue or New Hampshire Avenue through Petworth, and then go north through Brightwood? I don't really know that area well.

Thanks for the encouragement!

What do you need to carry home from work? I personally hated running with a backpack, so I would probably save anything you need to bring home for the days when you're not running.

16th St. is ok for running - I've done it - but there are a ton of stoplights and plenty of car emissions. You might want to shake things up by going different ways, like Rock Creek Park trail and the Capital Crescent trail for a longer run.

I'm sure you know about this but Map My Run can help you find different ways to run that route. I'm also sure you realize that is a totally uphill run.-- So go you!

I used to run home from work in Silver Spring to my apartment in Adams Morgan. In terms of logistics, just make sure you have a decent backpack and also a place to store stuff in your office that you don't want to lug home. In terms of route, assuming you are not looking for the most direct route out, I'd take the paved path in Rock Creek Park as far as you can. It's been a while since I've run there, but I'm sure someone else on the board can tell you if you can take it as far as 13th and Arkansas. Enjoy!

I want to start running home from work instead of taking Metro. Any tips? I found a few sites online with useful info. Seems like I ought to buy a backpack.

Bonus question: I'm going to be running from Dupont Circle to Silver Spring/Takoma Park area. GoogleMaps suggests heading straight up 16th Street, and then cutting over to 13th on Arkansas or Colorado. Any better ideas on routes, or suggestions on running websites where I might ask for route ideas?

TIA. All advice appreciated.