Monday, February 18, 2013

Anyone Fancy a Runch?

The other day on Twitter, a fellow blogger had asked for some tips on running during your lunch break. Since I am a huge fan of this activity, I thought I would share my tips with all of you!

1) Take your lunch hour later. On days when I plan to run, I will usually eat lunch at my desk and give it time to settle before heading out. I will usually take my "lunch" hour around 2pm or 3pm (my workday ends at 5pm). I think this just helps look a little gnarly for only a few hours of the afternoon instead of the entire afternoon.

2) Plan out your route ahead of time. If you work in the city, you know that GPS watches do not like the big buildings. That way, you'll still have a good idea of how far you've gone, even if your watch signal is a bit goofy. If you work in the suburbs, are there sidewalks the entire way on your route? Check these things out on your next drive in. I also recommend the "walk" feature on Google Maps. It notices pathways and such that are not accessible via car. (Not sure if this is common knowledge, as I only recently discovered it.)
About to head out for my planned route in the busy Chicago streets

3) Bring a few outfit options in case the weather has changed since your way to work. I hate being underprepared for a run! I won't let it stop me, but it can lead to some discomfort. (I may or may not have forgotten a sports bra on a Thursday night run. Your normal bra may "seem" fine, until you're actually moving. Oops!)
Out on a lunch break run, trying to take a selfie.

4) Pack your gym bag with a few extra items. I would say pack an extra pair of underwear or tank top (whatever you would wear under your work clothes) just in case you feel uncomfortable putting back on the same thing after a workout. It helps me to "feel" clean even if I only showered from the neck down. Fake it until you make it, right?

5) If your office doesn't have showers like mine does, I would recommend having some baby wipes or other clean wipes nearby to help with the "spot-check shower" you'll need to take. I would recommend having some sort of towel (or cotton tee) to help wipe the sweat of your brow. Extra deodorant (for before and after the workout) as well as some perfume (those free travel samples are perfect) can also help mask any leftover sweat smell that may be lingering.

6) Have some nice hair accessories in your gym bag or at your desk. Extra hair-ties, bobby pins, fancy headbands, etc. Or, a sockbun is a perfect after-workout hairdo if your hair is long enough. (Right now my hair is actually TOO LONG for a sock bun. Yikes.) It also helps to have some backup makeup in your gym bag or at your desk to reapply part of your face. I keep some in my purse

Before: hair in a ponytail, ready to run
After: bangs up in a poof and ponytail in a sockbun. Don't mind my red face

7) A little accountability always helps too. Try meeting up with a pal on your lunch break if you can. I know there's been talk of some CRBs meeting in the loop to run sometime. That would be a treat, for sure. I've even met up a fellow Oiselle team member for a lunch time run!

Do you run on your lunch break at work? If so, what are some tips that you can add to this list?

10 comments:

  1. Technically, I'm new to "runch" (my last job was so flexible that I could run during the day without having to squeeze it into a "lunch hour.") After an inaugural run last week, the main improvement I need to make is cutting down on the before-running prep and the after-running, um, cleanup as much as possible so I can maximize actual running time.

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  2. Thanks for posting this, I was so curious about how to manage this. Perhaps I'll takcle a runch later this week.

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  3. Thank you for this! I was just thinking today how I wanted to start to make this happen. Maybe soon you can show me your ways?

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  4. I so wish I could go for a "runch", but working in the 'burbs at a high school makes it difficult - along with my 22 minute lunch:) Looks like a blast, though!

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  5. I sadly only get a 30 min lunch break, if that, so running during the work day is out for me! Way to get the miles in!

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  6. Haha, I know what you mean! Sometimes I take too long stretching and shuffling around that I don't have a ton of running time. With practice, I'm sure it will get better! :)

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  7. I like the sound of this! Hopefully in the spring when it isn't so dismal out?

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  8. Yeah, I bet we'd get more people if we did it when the weather is nicer. Although, I really need to get in run today so I'm going at lunch. In the cold. At least it stopped snowing! (for the moment)

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