Timings

As much as I didn't want to start obsessing it seems that even my journey to work now is going to become an opportunity for training.

I begrudge driving to work, taking 1200kg of vehicle to transport one person over 6 miles. I like to try alternatives.

The drive to work takes about 30 minutes on days when I drop my partner off at the station or 25 minutes on days when I'm on my own. Coming home can be a complete nightmare and traffic problems have led to the journey taking over an hour and a half.

Until now the most common alternative has been a two mile walk from home to Guildford Station then the train in to the office. The walk from the station to the office is very short as I can see the station from my desk, well I could if it weren't for one building in the way. The two mile walk took about 40 minutes, the train journey about 8 minutes, walk from the station to work, 3 minutes. Total time 51 minutes but that's only if I get to the station at exactly the right time to catch the train. If I miss a train it can add half an hour to the journey time as I sit on the platform waiting for the next train. When the inclement weather draws in and trains start getting delayed and cancelled, the door to door time can be completely blown out.

Option two, cycle from home to the office. This I've now done four times and I enjoy it immensely. Door to door takes about 40 minutes. The main roads between Guildford and Godalming have recently been re-surfaced so the ride is smooth and reasonably comfortable. There are showers in the office so I can get clean and changed ready for work. The cycle home can be harder but each time I do it the ride is becoming easier. I don't ride at a blistering pace, often passed by other cyclists but I leave in plenty of time to allow me to take it easy.

Option three I had tried before but not with quiet the enthusiasm of this morning. I walked the entire journey in to the office. I left at 7:02 and got in to the office at 8:45 giving a rough speed of 3 1/2 Mph. Carrying a light backpack and listening to music the walk certainly showed me how much better it is to cycle but still was fun.

If I'm going to use the days that I can walk in to work as exercise/training then I will be making note of times and so setting 1hr 43Min as my start time. Lets see if/how this improves.