Stories from the run commute: Running Toronto’s waterfront

The run commute has become a favourite way to get to or from work every day. Many runners praise it saying it saves time and is more productive than sitting in the car. Runners from all around Canada have been proving that lacing up and running to work is the way to go. That’s especially great on country roads or scenic trails, but what about downtown Toronto?

Stephen Layton gets in a lot of mileage running through the country’s busiest city. He works downtown and runs home along the waterfront to where his home in Toronto’s beaches, a route of about 14K.

“I usually head south on Spadina until I hit Queens Quay and then get to follow a scenic and amazing runner-friendly route east right along the lake front for the first leg of my run,” he says.

This is something he started after a career change. Before he moved to this office, he used to telecommute, making it easier to get in his runs. When that changed, he felt time was wasted taking the subway. “I saw the run commute as way to make usually unproductive time spent underground in the dark subway a more rewarding, stress-reducing and mind-clearing time to commute home,” he says. Sometimes he gets home faster than if he took transit.

Layton chooses not to run to work in the morning because his work has no shower facilities and he has early morning meetings. Running to work in the mornings on hotter summer days is something he wishes he could do.

As for working out the other logistics, he chooses to run with a waterproof pack. It needs to be roomy for his electronics, laptop and work outfits. At his desk he keeps nutrition essentials: bars, electrolyte mixes and snacks. The run home means he has to avoid run-wrecking foods during the day.

This has become routine for Layton. The big win for him is that it gives him a mental boost. He likes being outside and getting fit rather than spending the time on transit. Plus, it helps with work. “I have found that when actively thinking about an issue that was going on that day, the solution to the issue just pops into my mind mid run,” he says. “I find the result is a more creative solution in many cases than if I were sitting at my desk.”