Comments on: Boring Running Commute No 2

By: Roads

Roads — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 21:35:11 +0000

I can really, really relate to those commuting journey nightmares.

In the days before remotely organised cycling, there were still many pieces of my old road bike which were not yet new. If you see what I mean. Namely because they had not (yet) failed and been replaced.

The day my derailleur failed was also, quite auspiciously, the one day in four years on which I had decided to cycle to work in Crawley. Only 27 miles.

I made 17 before there was a clunk followed by a metallic mashing sound as the errant cogs ripped out a couple of spokes in their death agonies.

After uncoupling said stainless steel spaghetti, I made a further miserable half mile in my one remaining (bottom) gear before the same happened, all over again.

Then had to wait an hour for the only taxi which was a) free in rush hour and b) big enough to fit a bike inside.

A lovely trip, all told. 2 hours late (3.5 hours door to door) plus £35 taxi fare. Not to mention the bike repairs (aka rebuilding) and general guffaws as I arrived halfway to lunchtime and plastered in oil.

So much for the de-stressing alternative journey plan.

And, funny you mention it, since I swallowed a fly whilst running last week, as well…

By: kathy

kathy — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 11:37:09 +0000

There was a warrior woman who swallowed a fly
I don’t know why she swallowed a fly
When she ran by.

Next time I think I’m having a bad run I’ll remember this! I hope your next running commute is more successful.

By: jason

jason — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 11:23:43 +0000

Not forgetting fly-proof too;)

By: Betsy

Betsy — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 13:49:53 +0000

Although it doesn’t quite compare to your “adventure,” my worst run was one last year. My husband and I were planning on running a little over 3 miles. For some reason we started sniping at each other from the get-go, which put me in an evil mood. Then at about a half-mile in I tripped over a root and fell head-first onto the trail. Cut up both hands and seriously bruised my right rib. Although the pain wasn’t too terribly bad, I burst into tears (I think it was more from our fight). Needless to say our run ended there (fortunately we were very close to home).

Hope your next run is a little less “adventuresome”

By: No wetsuit girl

No wetsuit girl — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 09:46:00 +0000

When’s your birthday? I think I’m going to send you a waterproof/sweatproof/rainproof (wait, nevermind, you have an umbrella!)/grapefruitproof guide to the greater London public transportation system for your birthday. Hopefully you won’t have to use it. I don’t know what you have worse luck with, running or public transportation! Keep at it, eventually you’ll get the whole way home, and then you’ll wonder what all the complaining was about!

PS Flies suck, but why are there so many in London?! It seems like all your commenters are swallowing more flies than air!

By: jason

jason — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 15:16:13 +0000

I swallowed a fly too whilst kayaking up the Thames the other day! I mean please, I was almost paddling backwards;) I can’t for the life of me understand how much of an irritant those tiny little things can cause…and this was just one! There are literally millions of them along the rivers tow-path this time of year, especially in the evening and my god do they sting when you cycle into a herd of the bastards;) They’re deadly! I can hear & feel them smaking against my cycling glasses and cycle helmet. I try breathing through the gaps in my teeth, but they still manage to get in. I think I will have learn how to cycle backwards in future;)

By: Kieron

Kieron — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 09:09:42 +0000

I swallowed a fly this morning too. I’ll be coughing for the next two days – and to make things worse, I’m vegan! Sorry, you had such a bad run, but I’m sure you don’t really mean you feel like quitting. That’s not allowed.

By: warriorwoman

warriorwoman — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 06:35:54 +0000

I’m not doing it gain – ever!

By: jogblog

jogblog — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 06:32:21 +0000

Oh dear, sounds like you enjoyed your running commute as much as I did. Running commutes just don’t do it for me, maybe they’re not for you either?

By: celeste

celeste — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 00:18:45 +0000

I can soooo relate to swallowing a fly. It puts you off for ages, doesn’t it? I’ve also done the whole water bottle thing, and then wished I hadn’t. Apart from the references to A40 (is that a road?) and public transport, I could have written this post myself from Karratha!!!!!

Count this one as a write off – but it still counts as a mental run because you had to go to a lot of effort just to get out there.

Is there any way you can catch a bus part of the way home first, then get off and finish the run for the last 10-15km? Just a thought.