Jim Linville
Jim Linville, a software support analyst for University of Missouri Health Care lives in the Trails West subdivision, out by Midway Elementary School. He works east of Hwy 63 on LeMone Industrial Boulevard. The distance from his house to work is 14 miles one way. He is not a bike rider and the city bus does not go his direction, yet he still wanted to make active commuting a part of his life. Linville decided to think outside the box and found a way to make it work.
Linville’s hobby of long distance running was his real motivation to begin his active commute. “Long distance running demands a lot of time and staying in condition for events is a challenge while working a 40-hour week,” said Linville. “Making the commute one day a week lets me get a couple of 14 mile runs in.” He explained that last year at this time he was struggling to get in a 4 mile run. “My event times were slow all year last year, so I was trying to figure out how to stay in condition when a couple of friends suggested I could foot commute.”
New to this type of commuting, one less car trip a week is Linville’s goal right now. To accomplish this he drives to work the first day with a change of clothes. He then runs home. Sometime within the next couple of days he will run back to work, change into his ready clothes and then drive home at the end of the day. “I may end up driving my wife’s car once in a while,” said Linville “but I don’t consider it a full commute until I have managed to make the full circle.” It takes him about four hours to make the 14 mile run. That often means he leaves home at four in the morning or doesn’t arrive at home until nine pm. That has made for some interesting experiences. “One morning I was four miles into the run before I had seen more people than deer,” said Linville. He has also been able to run down the middle of an deserted Stadium Boulevard and once had a foot race with a field mouse across the I-70 bridge at Perche Creek. “The mouse won, but he took a detour thorough the down spout to get to the finish line,” joked Linville.
Bad weather days have not stopped him either. “They just take more planning and more commitment,” he said. “The other day, it was about 18 degrees when I left home at two a.m. I had four layers of bottoms and five layers of tops. I had a gator, a balaclava, a hooded sweat shirt, a doo rag and a stocking cap. Then there were 2 pairs of gloves,” he explained. “The thing about layers is that you can put them on and take them off as you go to regulate your temperature.”
Linville does not just foot commute to work, he has been long distance running to various events for several years. “ For instance, I ran to the Sustainable Living Fair, The Jingle Bell 5k and I ran to a family reunion last year. That was in Boonville,” he explained.
A longtime member of PedNet, Linville has even planned his own running events. Once a heavy smoker, Linville organizes the annual Smoker’s Run to encourage other people to give up smoking and take up running. He has also volunteered at many PedNet events.” It is organizations like Pednet that gives us all a place to get our heads together and share the joy of active transportation,” said Linville.
Linville downplays his active commuting accomplishments, but does admit that “there is a unique thrill in being at the edge of where your comfort level is. Foot commuting takes me there. The more I do it, the easier it gets.”
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