Everything I Used to Run-Commute to an Office With No Showers for a Week (Again)
The goal was to run as unencumbered as possible.
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The lore of my middle-school track team goes like this: Years before our time, there was a very fast runner named Greg on the team. On the days of a meet, if Greg didn’t win his race, he would run home instead of taking the bus or catching a ride.
I don’t know if Greg actually existed or whether his run home was enforced by his parents or self-inflicted in a relatable Catholic way, but I have been thinking about his run commute ever since I learned about him.
In 2024, partly inspired by Greg and as a way to increase my weekly mileage for fall marathon training, I ran to and from the office for a week straight. Not much has changed since then: I still live in the same Brooklyn apartment, I’m training for the New York City Marathon again, the offices of New York are still in the Financial District, and, most important, they still don’t have showers.
Two years later, I sought to run-commute for another week, but I didn’t want to bring my laptop or any office items with me this time — I wanted to carry as little as possible. I would still freshen up and makeshift “shower” in the bathrooms as best I could, but a secret goal was to do it all discreetly, to make my run undetectable.
Day 1
My apartment is just under four miles from the office. I don’t have anything with me except my phone, keys, and building security card. Yesterday was a company holiday, so to prepare for the runs this week, last night I dropped off a haul of items at the office: four outfits, a pair of work-appropriate shoes, a few meal-prepped lunches, toiletries, and towels, all of which fit inside my On Track Pack with ease.
I run across the Manhattan Bridge and then head south toward Wall Street. It takes me just under half an hour, and I show up drenched in sweat. It’s much more humid this year compared with two years ago.
I packed more than I would for a short vacation, but the more substantial drop-off was crucial: In addition to body wipes, I have actual face wash and body and face towels to dry off, as well as a toothbrush and razor.
After work, I run across the Williamsburg Bridge back into Brooklyn to meet my friend Grace for pizza. I run into my friend Rowan at an ice-cream shop afterward, and we briefly catch up. He says I positively do not smell, which is reaffirming.
Back home, it’s nice not to have subtle reminders of the office, like my laptop and planner, on my desk. It reminds me of how it felt to turn off my phone for a while this winter: Work is left at work. Adding the ten miles I ran yesterday, I’m at 18 miles this week.
Daily mileage: 8.52 miles
Weekly mileage: 18.67 miles
Day 2
As I run toward the Manhattan Bridge, I find someone’s passport on the street. When I get to the office, I look him up and reach out. We make plans to coordinate a handoff in the evening.
I don’t normally run with my phone. (My hot take is that no running-apparel brand has successfully made clothing that can carry a phone well.) But tucking it into the back pocket of my half-tights has proved to be the easiest option; most running shorts lack a compressive enough waistband or pocket to prevent the contents from flopping around.
To prevent my two keys from jangling, I wrap them in Velcro garden ties before each run and stash them in a plastic ID holder where I keep my cards and my lucky Pokémon card, which I take along on every run.
Drying my running clothes from the morning session is a challenge I didn’t have the last time I did this experiment (the weather that week was cool and dry; today it’s 65 degrees and humid). As I prepare for my run home, I realize my shirt is still a bit damp. Next time, I’ll bring extra running clothes.
I meet the passport guy outside a Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, and he offers to buy me some as a thank-you. I politely decline. I trust there will be more karmic chicken fingers in my future.
Daily mileage: 7.6 miles
Weekly mileage: 26.27 miles
Day 3
My legs feel a bit tired. I’m training for my fourth marathon in two years, and my previous training blocks haven’t incorporated many double sessions (a run in the morning, then again later in the day). But with my peak-mileage weeks behind me, I try to keep the bulk of these runs light and easy. I make sure to rotate my shoes throughout the week: My daily driver pair for the most easy running (Asics Megablast and New Balance SuperComp Rebel V1), a more responsive pair for track workouts and interval training and the shoe I plan to use for the marathon (On Cloudboom Strike 2), and then a max-cushion shoe for recovery days (Asics Slowcush).
Coincidentally, earlier this week a brand called Zip Running reached out to me asking if I wanted to test its packs, which are made specifically for run-commuting. They sent me two, and I decided to test the smaller one, the FKC, for tonight’s run home.
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On the way, I decide to go uptown to the Empire State Building. It’s one of those tourist attractions I never got around to visiting, but I’ve always wanted to see the view from the observation deck. The FKC pack’s shoulder straps fit snugly across my chest, like a trail-running vest. I don’t have much inside — just a hat, water bottle, T-shirt, and packet of Welch’s Fruit Snacks.
The exterior has the shiny, durable finish of a Patagonia Black Hole backpack, but the TPU-coated polyester is much lighter than those travel-specific packs. The bungee-cord straps cinch securely across my chest, and there’s no bounce. I don’t feel it impacting my stride or form at all, but I can imagine that might not be the case with a heavier load like a laptop.
The view from 86 floors above Manhattan is incredible. I stay for half an hour before running home across the Manhattan Bridge once more.
Daily mileage: 8.40 miles
Weekly mileage: 34.67 miles
Day 4
On average, it has taken me about 30 minutes to run to the office each day this week. Normally, it takes me 25 to 30 minutes to commute via train, door-to-door and with no MTA delays. I realize I’m not saving much time, but the view from the bridge makes it worth it.
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My colleague Jacob regularly run-commutes to the office too. His trick is that he showers at a gym near the office and keeps a change of shoes (both running shoes and work-appropriate pairs) in his desk drawer. He tested the larger Zip running pack on his commute today.
“I ran about nine or so miles with it and found it comfy the whole time,” he says, adding that the backpack rides really well with its bungee-cord-like system (as opposed to buckles). Much like the smaller version of the pack I tested, this one sits higher up on the back, which Jacob also appreciated. “Usually, I have a big problem with backpacks messing up my shirt, and I find that a raw piece of plastic has eviscerated my lower back into a chafe that my girlfriend calls ‘the red scar.’ And I sort of half scream in the shower after running. Today: no screaming,” he says.
I pack up the things I’ve left at the office for the week and head home.
Daily mileage: 3.84 miles
Weekly mileage: 38.51 miles
Days 5 and 6
It’s the weekend. While these aren’t run-commute days, I realize I’m carrying more with me on these longer weekend runs than during the week because of my various gels and fuel. I’ve changed my fueling significantly over the past two years and started having simply more carbs before and during my runs.
My favorite gels are the GU Liquid Energy, which is more drinkable than a typical thicker gel. I like that I don’t have to take these with water, and that comes in handy especially during races. But sometimes my stomach agrees with something a little more solid, in which case I’ll pack some Gu Salted Lime and Precision Fuel gels.
When snacking throughout the day, I like to have PB&Js and yogurt and granola, but when I have to eat quickly before a run, I like these SaltStick sour gummies, which have more sodium than a typical gummy snack. I’ve also found Trader Joe’s fruit crushers (which are really just applesauce) have a decent amount of carbs per packet (16 grams), about half the amount you’ll find in a typical gel.
This weekend, I do an easy ten-miler and then a 14-mile run with some marathon-pace miles thrown in the middle. It’s my final long run before race day in two weeks.
Weekend mileage: 24.3 miles
Weekly mileage: 62.81 miles
Day 7
It’s a new week. Without the beginning-of-the-week haul, this is my first day of bringing everything I need with me on my run (minus the laptop, which I left at the office over the weekend). I pack a change of clothes into the FKC pack: a shirt, pants, underwear, socks, and loafers (which, surprisingly, are my lightest pair of shoes). When I get to the office, one of my co-workers asks if I ran here today. I tell her I run-commuted all of last week; she tells me she didn’t even notice. Before I run home, I leave my work laptop at the office. I plan to keep it here all week.
Daily mileage: 7.54 miles
Total mileage: 70.35 miles
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