Microsoft VP incorporates running and the bus into his "exercise commute"

David Treadwell runs to catch the bus — and with purpose. It's part of his "exercise commute."

A resident of Queen Anne and a vice president at Microsoft in Redmond, Treadwell faces a long daily commute over the car-choked and pedestrian-unfriendly Evergreen Floating Bridge. That makes him seem like the unlikeliest of candidates to choose running as his favored mode of getting to and from work.

Yet, he does it. The bus gets him across the span — but running several miles to and from the bus makes up the exercise portions of his commute.

He started doing this two years ago and has since persuaded a few other commuters to incorporate exercise into their commute at least once or twice a week.

Now, with the time for making New Year's resolutions upon us, he's hoping others will at least consider creative commuting as a way to make good on that perennial promise to "exercise more."

His advice for those willing to try it is to tap into whichever aspect of the workout motivates them most.

As an engineer, Treadwell, 42, enjoys working through the necessary logistics that might seem daunting at first but today are second nature to him. For him, it's also about multitasking — he stays healthy while he commutes.

There are also times when it's faster.

"Once when I hopped on the westbound bus, the driver asked, 'was that you that passed me back there?' "It is kinda fun to be going eight miles an hour when the cars and buses are doing two."

On most workday mornings he runs four miles to the Montlake Freeway Station on 520 near the western start of the bridge. He hops on a bus there and rides across Lake Washington, sometimes to within a half a mile of his office, then jogs the rest of the way.

Treadwell breaks his five commuting days into 10 legs and figures he will spend six of those mainly running. His typical daily commute amounts to about 12 miles of running, but that varies based on the particular routes he chooses from day-to-day.

Some days, he drives one way and runs and takes the bus the other. He tries to car pool when he does drive. And he rarely hops on the first available bus.

"I seldom do a full bus commute these days." he says. "I would rather be running than sitting on a bus." Depending on the route he chooses at night, the commute generally takes him about an hour and 20 minutes, about 30 minutes longer than if he drives. But if he drives, he has to find time to exercise when he gets home, so he figures he saves time by exercising as he commutes. And his weekly commuting accounts for about two-thirds of the 65 miles he usually logs in a week.

Married and with two children, Treadwell says his wife, Lynn, appreciates his combining exercise with his commute because it means he's home more.

He also varies his commute home. This time of year, with long hours of darkness, he runs about seven miles to the 520 bus stop at Yarrow Point. He resumes running once past the lake.

He also sticks to routes with sufficient street lighting, wears reflective clothing and a cap with a blinking red bike light attached to it. If the bus is crowded and he is sweaty, he stands upfront near the driver.

What dissuades most able-bodied people from doing this? He believes it isn't the physical effort required, but the planning.

"It takes some effort to figure out the whole process and get a real system in place," he says. "Once someone has figured it out, however, they usually realize that it is exceptionally efficient. Being an engineer, I like to call it a great 'life optimization.' "

Another plus: When snow struck recently, paralyzing the city's transportation network, Treadwell made it to and from work without a hitch. Run commuting "works just fine," he said, "even in this kind of weather."

The trickiest part is not being able to haul much stuff. He carries only a wallet, cellphone and keys in a snug fitting waist pack when he runs. Driving allows him to transport a laptop, files, and, of course, clothes. On days he needs to tote stuff, he simply doesn't run.

Treadwell emphasizes the importance of being flexible, and those who have followed his lead have done that, tailoring their exercise commute to fit their particular circumstances.

Susan Ashlock, a software engineer at Microsoft, occasionally uses the run-bus method for her Ravenna to Redmond commute.

She can make it as easy, with 45 minutes of travel time, and 3.5 miles of running. Or she can shape it to include 10 miles of running and 90 minutes of commute time.

Treadwell introduced her to the method and to her it made sense. An avid runner, she believes in alternative modes of transportation and hates wasting money.

"Lately I've been van-pooling to work and run-busing home," Ashlock says. "When I run, I just carry my card key and some cash and a house key. I leave my cellphone at home on those days. It's sometimes tricky to keep track of where my clothes and shoes end up since I leave clothes at work when I use that approach."

Treadwell also introduced Frank X. Shaw, an executive with the public-relations firm Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, to the commuting idea. Now, Shaw does it once, sometimes twice, a week, occasionally hoofing it with his laptop in a backpack.

The bus-run combination can get him from work on the Eastside to his home in Madison Park in about 50 minutes.

His schedule precludes him from doing it more, but he sees the value of occasionally taking the winding road:

"Running is highly relaxing. Driving is intensely stressful."

Richard Seven: 206-464-2241 or rseven@seattletimes.com