I am a big fan of biking to work. Commuting via bike can seem perilous on busy city streets, but new research show that the more people ride bicycles on city streets, the less likely they are to be injured in traffic accidents. It seems that motorist drive more safely in the presence of cyclists and pedestrians as well. Yay!
This increase in road safety did not help Jim Litz, of Missoula, MT. Biking to work, he "T-boned" a black bear as he crested a hill going 25 mph. Luckily, Litz escaped with minor injuries — a cracked helmet, a bear scratch, and a few bruises. Talk about a crazy commute.
It seems that as the length of the average workday increases, the commute pulls double duty and has transformed into a workout for some of us. Even the folks at Runner's World are promoting the notion of running to work. I would like to hear your stories about your commute and how you pack in exercise as you go to and from your job: bike, run, skate, or walk. Do you stand on the subway to work your core? Any other bear accidents out there? Tell me in the comments section below.

Goldsmiths
Karen Millen
Rick Owens
I live blocks away from where I work, so I usually walk. But I always bike to the grocery store. Biking here in Portland is a common thing, though, and quite easy as long as you stay out of the way of the yellow spandex wearing, $2000 bike riding elitists that yell at you if you don't go fast enough.
1I live in the city (NYC), so I walk to and from work, 30+ blocks and a few avenues, everyday - rain, sleet, snow or sun! I love it!!
2I also live in NYC and walk 8-5 avenue blocks depending on the train I catch first. It is about 1/2 -1 mile one way (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=23rd+street+and+6th+Avenue&daddr=4...).
So I can walk 1-2 miles everyday. I also stand on the subway because I rarely get a seat.
3I live outside of DC and work 35 miles from where I live. Unfortunately, I cannot bike 70 miles a day everyday. My commute fuels me to go to the gym though, because I go after work every day to avoid the traffic on the beltway. I walk to the grocery store near my house too since its only 2 blocks away/.
4I take two flights of stairs each way to work. Love it in the winter, not so much in the summer...
5T-boned a black bear??? And the guy teaches at TARGET RANGE Middle School???
6I live a good 20 miles from work, so I drive there, which bums me out. I used to work just a few blocks from my house and I used to walk every day. At my current job, I go out at lunchtime and walk around the walking trail at the hospital to get some exercise in. Usually, I go out there with the senior citizens that live in the nursing home attached to the hospital...it's fun to chat with them and let them get a bit of fresh air.
7I too live in the DC area and about 30+ miles from work, so I commute via train and metro. I must say that it does make me walk a lot more just in terms of to the station, and to work. And I've been climbing the escalator that's really really long up to work. Plus I walk for 30 minutes on my lunch break. So I squeeze in a lot of activity.
8I live a little over a mile from work in Boston and walk to and from everyday...add in the steep hills of Beacon Hill and it's quite a workout!
9i enjoy biking as well and it's true, people are very careful, especially here in London. I know that in some other places they do not recognise our write to the road and yell to go on the sidewalk, beep and just put you in dangerous situations. and the more people bike with me the safer i feel.
10danzerdrea7 you can totally bike! i have a friend who does that every day. though you gonna have to start step by step, but i bet you're too lazy to do that
right? i'm myself thinking if i can make my 30 miles commute to university every day. i know
i could do that when i was in shep - did that from home to beach and back in midday sun, cause had to leave the beach at 10.30 before the harmful sun set in. and bikinf after sunbathing is
really difficult.
11I walk about half a mile to work now, but where I used to live I walked about 4 miles every day to work, sometimes back as well. Even in winter. That was only after my bike was stolen, though because it was uphill it almost seemed easier to walk.
12OMG fuzzles, I didn't even notice the name of the school...that's priceless!
13commute like the Danes in a true stylish way...see www.velorbis.com for more info
14I've thought about biking to work, but what do you do if you get there and you're all sweaty?
15That and it seems the best two ways to get there are not very bike friendly... one is a major highway (no bikes allowed) and the other is some back roads with no shoulder and blind turns that people take WAAAAAY too fast
16xfuchsiax - My concern is the sweat factor, too. I sweat so easily, even when it isn't 95 degrees with 95% humidity here in Atlanta. I couldn't imagine biking the 12 miles to work and having to deal with my sweat-funk all day! (The distance doesn't scare me in the least, but the weather and the roads definitely do.)
17I bike, but not when it's in the 90s. I bike 4 days a week at the most (one day I week my CSA box is delivered so I drive that day), but sometimes no more than 1 or 2.
As for the sweat thing... yeah, it sucks. Luckily, my ride into work is easier than the ride home. So I coast a lot, and take it slow. I also get to work really early, so I can have plenty of time to change clothes & cool off. A quick shower would be great but... not possible.
It makes me feel really good about it on day I do bike.
OH, and I forgot to mention, I'm a mere 2.6 miles form work. It doesn't take very much longer to bike than it does to drive, because I live in a city & it's all stop & go.
18I am a substitute teacher, so I work all over my city. I bike if it's less than 6-7 miles one way, give myself plenty of time to get to school, and bring a change of clothes with me. I also sweat a lot, and sometimes bring those make up removal cloths in individual packets to clean up a little before I start work. It takes some preparation, but I love zipping home after work knowing that I have already gotten my workout for the day!
It's nice this time of year, I don't know that I'll keep it up in January...
19I live in NYC too--sometimes I take the bus because the subways don't go my way. Every now and then, I feel so inclined to ride my bike. Those are always interesting and regretted instances...
20i think that it's a great alternative to driving if you're able to bike to work - but i live in NYC and there have been WAY TOO MANY close calls that would really keep me from biking if i didn't take the subway. i've seen bikers get hit by cars/doors when they are opening and well...it's just dangerous all around since people don't always drive safely in the city.
i like the thought though that the more riders the safer it will be - so we'll see how trends change over the coming months/years.
21I finally work somewhere that has showers in the office! Also, my gym is right across the street, so it's really easy. I actually haven't run to work yet, but it's about 6 miles away from my house, and I want to make sure I have enough time to run that distance. I wouldn't want to be late to work because I didn't pace myself correctly!
22I live 9 miles from work and love to bike it. It is a great workout as I live in West Virginia so the terrain is anything but flat. I bring a set of clothes with me and change into them once I arrive at my office. After work I change back into the clothes I rode in wearing, for the return journey.
23Not only is it better for the person safety, but it is also better for the environment. Plus, I would do it for the exercise and also I walk to work and every where else I need to go within walking distance.
24I bike to school on the days that I go (I'm a college student), it's about 20 miles each way. It saves me so much time. I don't have a car so if I don't bike I take the bus. I bike there faster then the bus gets there, and I don't have to go to the gym. (Basically it adds two hours to my day!) I LOVE IT!!!
25Post New Comment
Please share your opinion with our community, but make sure it is on topic and follows our Community Rules. We moderate comments and prohibit personal attacks, threats, spam, lewd images, or the promotion of your personal website.