Alternative Commuting

Normally you set out to have an adventure. But sometimes, the adventure comes to you.

If you're in the Philippines and haven't been living under a rock in some remote island, or just awoken from suspended animation, you are probably well-aware of Metro Manila's transport woes. Almost everyone you'd talk to will say that getting to and from work is getting worse every day. 

must bike to work more often to spare me from the hellish traffic

Since I moved residence last year, daily commute is pretty much unpredictable. On a good day it takes me an hour to get to work. On hellish days, the travel time doubles. Taking the MRT is definetely out of the question. That's one contact sport I don't want to play.

Last Monday I went to work a bit earlier than usual, hoping to arrive on time for once. Because of an accident in C5-Bagong Ilog, I was stuck in Katipunan Avenue for nearly an hour. I was already late, and it looked like I still have an hour's worth of driving ahead. So I turned back and filed for half a day's leave. The funny thing was, I had an inkling to just bike to work that morning, but was too lazy to push through with it. Of course I ended up bike commuting anyway. It still took me almost an hour to weave through Katipunan traffic.

At least on the bike, you know you have a way to escape being stuck on the road.

We had our trip briefing scheduled at ROX last night . Since it was a Thursday, I can't drive my pick-up to work because it's coding. Biking would be the obvious choice, but pedaling home late at night through EDSA or C-5 is not very wise. So I decided to run the 7 kilometers from Ortigas to Bonifacio High Street.

Pasig River, as seen from C-5

I've ran from work to home before, but didn't feel it was a good workout as it had too many variables/hazards that need attention in order to arrive in one piece. It was a fun commute, though.

Last night was the same. I felt sluggish from the get-go. I couldn't get my running rhythm until a third of the way--past Lanuza--but even then I couldn't sustain it. I was too preoccupied with looking out for cars, holes on the sidewalk (still being careful not to sprain my ankles again), and weaving through other pedestrians. Maybe I only ran 75% of the way. I got to ROX all wet from the fleeting rain showers and sweat, but nothing a quick towel wash and change of clothing couldn't fix.

I wouldn't recommend run commuting to work daily, but this might be a fun alternative, especially if you live nearby and your office has a shower facility. It was interesting to experience our traffic-clogged highways on foot; getting closer to my destination a stride at a time, having no trouble moving forward while the cars on the road are at the mercy of the other cars in front of them. I felt like the Flash in slow motion; passing cars using just my legs.