There are few things worse at 8am than being shoved on to an overcrowded tube by fellow commuters – but that was my old journey to work. I endured the notorious Northern Line “ride of doom” – the stretch from Clapham South to Stockwell where one, two, even three tubes would pass me by before I squeezed on.

But these days, I’ve swapped my Oyster card for running shoes – and I’m not alone. Running to work is much more common than it was 10 years ago. Joshua Woiderski, editor of the US running website The Run Commuter, says his website’s traffic and comments over a three-month period show there is a flourishing community of runners in London, with 11% of the sites traffic coming from the UK. Andrew McDonald, a retail property consultant who has a popular blog about running to work, says the hashtag #runcommute has also seen a significant upturn. He has also noticed more people out there pounding the pavements. And Gordon Lott, founder of the website Run2Work, says that while there is no city in which run commuting is really thoroughly established, so far London is a pioneer of the movement.

Today’s run to work day has been organised to celebrate and promote the trend, with similar days running monthly until October. Data on its overall popularity is still lacking: the 2011 UK Population Census asked if people cycled to work, but not if they ran. The Sport England Active People survey doesn’t ask either.

But with many people feeling a squeeze on both their budgets and their time, running to work seems to be the perfect way to save money, combining exercise with commuting. This was one of the biggest draws for McDonald, who points out that running to work frees you from dependence on unreliable public transport.

“It’s also an excellent way to clear your head for a day at work, and de-stress after work,” he says. And you might indeed be surprised how good it feels to let off steam by running home after a particularly horrendous day. There are drawbacks, of course – one of the biggest being that it can be exhausting, and when you finish late or have to be in the office at the crack of dawn, running in can seem very unappealing.

There are, of course, offices that simply don’t have showers – so why not run home instead? You can also organise yourself in advance, and leave clothes at your work ready for your arrival. When I started running in to work I bought a light running bag filled with my stuff for the day, but found I had too much to carry and it hurt my back. I soon swapped my morning run in for a bag-less jog home, leaving my clothes in the office. The only problem then is remembering what you have left behind – I have managed to lock myself out after leaving my door keys in the office.

If you can overcome the logistical challenges, this is a good way to start the day and might even improve your work. Professor Andy Lane of the University of Wolverhampton says it raises your energy levels and gives you a sense of achievement, and “people in a good mood tend to be more creative and perform better”.

Admittedly, Lane does say that running to work can mark you out to colleagues as being a bit different. “This can be a good thing – but some people would prefer to avoid this. If being seen as odd puts you off, then the likelihood is running regularly will be difficult.”

Why not try, then, and involve your colleagues, at least those who live near you. As Lane points out: “Companies are always looking to develop teamwork and create a sense of cohesion; running to work and looking out for each other does this.”

Tempted? Why not just give it a go and see if you can fit it around your routine. If you like it, try to vary your route, so you continue to challenge yourself. And remember – even if run-commuting does become a bit routine, it certainly beats being squished up to a stranger’s armpit in an overcrowded tube carriage.

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