Last week, in the sprit of my Gavin Gets Garang back-to-fitness mindset, I decided to try running to work. Say what? Run to work? I can almost hear you think that I'm mad. Yes, running to work, and I don't mean running for or from the bus or train. Like you, I'd also heard of the mythical human creatures that make the commute to the office on two feet at running pace. Like you, I wasn't sure such creatures existed — you'd hear about them, but you never seemed to be directly acquainted with such a person. I half suspected these myths were part of a viral word-of-mouth campaign thought up by eco-freaks out to reduce automotive carbon emission levels.

But these strange people who run to work do exist. I can say for a fact that I've come across a couple of them recently. And in knowing that this seemingly ludicrous mode of commuting to work was possible, I decided to give it a try myself.

On a Wednesday morning, I donned my running gear, packed my change of clothes into a Deuter backpack designed for cyclists (you know, the kind with a support frame and air mesh pocket) and ran to work. It took me about 40 minutes to get to my office in Genting Lane, Macpherson, from my home at East Coast (off Telok Kurau). A 40 minute commute, whatever the medium, seems reasonable.

According to the Adidas miCoach Pacer I had worn for this commute, the distance was about six kilometres. I had figured the journey to be further than this from my daily commute by car, and this was a little surprising. All things considered, I found that running to work wasn't as difficult or as unfeasible as I had previously imagined it to be.

That said, there are some conditions that have to be met before you can consider running to the office a viable commuting option. First, the distance between your home and office probably shouldn't be more than ten kilometres if you're not an advanced runner, given the average runner will probably take between 45 to 90 minutes to run ten kilometres. Personally, I feel a half hour commute to be ideal, and how much distance you can cover in this time will be relative to your running ability. So if you live in Katong, and your workplace is at Tuas, running to work probably isn't a very good (or sane) idea.

If you need to find out the distance from your home to your workplace, you can try one of the many pedometer tools online, like Google Maps. Just remember to track the actual route you'd likely cover, taking into consideration pedastrian crossings and paths, instead of just measuring the direct linear distance between the two points — unless you have superpowers that allow you to run through walls and buildings.

The next thing you'll need in order to run to work is the availability of shower facilities at your office. I arrived at my workplace destination soaking in sweat, and you will too. If you have any consideration for your co-workers, you'll take a shower. Even if you're all too happy to force your co-workers to endure with your post-run stench, you should at least consider the discomfort you'd be putting yourself in for the rest of the day by not taking a shower. And anyway, it's the hygienic thing to do.

This brings me to the last thing you'll need — a deodorant preferably with anti-perspiration. I learned the hard way that a shower will not stop you from perspiring long after you'd towelled off. For the first couple of hours at my cubicle, I was still perspiring like a guilty man facing a lie-detector test. This in spite of the meat freezer temperatures provided by my office airconditioning.

For those who decide to also run back home (yes, don't forget about the commute back like I did), you'll also need a place to dry your running attire, or to bring another set of running attire (this latter option will add weight to your running load, which you'll want to keep at a minimum).

If all these conditions can be met, then I'd say you're good to go. Just give it a try one day — you might find that you might actually enjoy running to work. Sure, it leaves you a little sweaty, but you'll also find yourself more energised for the rest of the day. You also won't have to sacrifice valuable leisure time trying to fit in regular runs, you'll save a load on transportation expenses, and yes, you'd also be reducing your carbon footprint. How often you decide to commute this way each week is entirely up to you, but it's clear that the benefits of running to work are many. Besides, your boss will probably find it easier to forgive you if you're late — "...But boss, I ran to work..." Now which unsympathetic tyrant who likely commuted to work in the opulent air-conditioned luxury of an expensive continental automobile would still continue to take you to task after that?

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Read about Day 00, or what Gavin Gets Garang is all about.