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I wish the company I worked for was this cool.
Published on 14/05/08
by Maureen
Crain’s profiles local business runners:
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/mag/article.pl?articleId=29815
A couple of my running buddies are taking place in the corporate challenge or have running clubs at their offices. One (Molex) was even featured in this article.
My company offers nothing of the sort– no health club discounts, no organized running, nothing. Fuck, it seems that it’s discouraged with the strict hours. I tried to take an two hours off before going on a business trip to squeeze in a run and I was slapped on the wrist.
But enough bitching; there’s some positive that comes out of the companies that do offer such benefits for their employees. I can’t think of a better way of getting to know your co-workers than going out for a long, sweaty lakefront jaunt. Going out to lunch together is all well and good, but you’re probably going somewhere with cheap/unhealthy foods, and you have no basis of things to start talking about. Runners can always talk about running. Some can even talk about biking, weight-lifting, swimming, spinning, beer, food, you name it.
My friend at Molex points out something else about the runs. They make everyone equal. I’m not sure the CEO of my company knows who I am, even after a year and a half of working there and much of it more or less solo on my gig. One employee describes it like this:
“On one particularly hot day, she continued to sweat even after her shower. The clerk at the cafeteria checkout line asked her if she was OK, and Ms. Martello explained that she had just been out with the running club.
Behind her in line was company Chairman and CEO Stephen Lilienthal, who praised her efforts and paid for her lunch.”
Nice.
This kind of activity can be especially important to those in creative professions. One runner notes that the lunch run means you get a fresh start in the afternoon. I like that. I can be livid and ready to punch someone by 11:30, but just 40 short minutes at Crunch or on the Lake Shore Path means I’m at least approachable by 1. I had attributed it to the shower in the past– I’ve always found myself happier when clean. But I think the blood flow and adrenaline might have something to do with it as well.
And yes, the article indicates that we may or may not be… well, nuts. I’m surprised that more women aren’t featured in the article, as I thought we might be more prevalent among social runners at this point. I was taken aback that the women interviewed preferred weight training– the wear and tear from a good weight routine outweigh running most of the time in my opinion. But we’re not nuts. I don’t think there is a more efficient way to get in shape. You can’t cheat at running like you can at most other workouts. I’ve tried, it doesn’t work. Plus the desire to get done sometimes makes you chug along a bit faster (see me in the last mile yesterday.)
I think one point the article may miss is the increased efficiency overall. I think more is accomplished when you encourage your workers to do something that they enjoy and also something that keeps them awake during the day.
Finish strong.
The run is over. Now what?
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