Running on Vacation
I’m going on about a week’s vacation with my husband, starting tomorrow. As the photo suggests, we’re going up to Wyoming. We don’t have any definite plans of where we’re going to stop, other than to visit his aunt who lives near Cody, but I imagine we’ll end up in the neighborhood of Yellowstone and the Tetons.
I almost always bring my running shoes and clothes with me when I travel - you never know when you’ll find a great place to run. However, sometimes I find it hard when traveling with family or friends to fit it in - after all, it’s vacation and I want to spend time with the people I’m with.
This coming week’s going to be easier than usual. Since I just raced last weekend and I haven’t started training in earnest for my fall marathon, I’m just going to take it easy, maybe wake up early a couple of times and fit in a short run, but not worry about it too much if I don’t. After all, we’ll probably be doing some hiking so I’ll get in some exercise - and skipping a week really isn’t going to hurt my fitness level that much.
So, I’m curious - what are your best tips for fitting in your workouts while on vacation? Or, when you take a vacation, do you also take a vacation from running?
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May 22nd, 2008 at 7:37 pm
I never leave home without my workout clothes! Just take 2 sets and wash them in the hotel. We were in Jackson Hole last summer and had a blast. Run up the ski slopes. Great place to live, work, and be fit.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Hmmm.. vacation tips, or at least what works for me…
1) Forget the recovery runs… you can get the same benefit romping in the pool or the ocean…
2) Run early, so it doesn’t get in the way of family stuff…
3) If there’s a local race and it doesn’t get in the way, DO IT for the experience.
4) This all worked for me, except when we were at Disney… I took an O-fer those six days and didn’t mind at all.
M
May 23rd, 2008 at 1:07 pm
@Rachel - Two sets sounds about right - that way you’re not overpacking, but you can make sure you always have a clean set of clothes ready to go.
@Marcus - I went to Disney about a year or so ago with my sister and her kids. Didn’t run at all for the 3 days we were there, but we walked almost all day long so I felt like I still got in plenty of exercise.
May 24th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
KCH, thanks for your comment on my blog. For some reason, I didn’t have you in my Google Reader, but you’re added now. Great blog, by the way.
I enjoy running on vacation for fun…purely fun. No worries about what’s on the training schedule or anything. It’s simply a fun way to see and explore a new place. Enjoy WY. My wife’s from MT, so it’s definitely a perk to vacation in beautiful places like that.
May 27th, 2008 at 10:11 am
1) Always pack the running gear
2) Fit in fun run early in the morning, I’ve been known to still get up before the family to get ‘er done.
3) Scrap key runs and just take it easy. That way you are not too tired for vacation activities but still feel like you are keeping with the running.
May 27th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
I just get up a little earlier than everyone else. That way I can get my run in and then have the whole day ahead of me, and not have to worry about it. i usually run four days a week, so last summer whaen we went away, I made it my goal to do three, but I still ended up doing my four days. Good Luck and have fun
May 31st, 2008 at 11:35 am
I find that I generally have to get up early to get the run out of the way. It’s also great to have a Garmin when traveling, so you always know your distance. Sure you can run via time, but sometimes at lower altitude or higher (when I head to the mountains) it’s hard to gauge distance.
Have a fun trip!
June 4th, 2008 at 4:00 am
One of the best things about running is seeing things from a different angle or discovering new places so a definate yes to running when away.
A good tip (pre satnav & garmin days) is to just turn left at each junction and (eventually!) you will be back to where you started from…