One of my philosophies is “work hard so you can play hard.” That is why I bust my butt all day working, training and caring for little people and hairy animals, then I plant myself on the couch and drink wine and eat popcorn every night starting at 8:00 p.m. That is my version of “play.”
The same goes for vacations. I like to work out while on vacation so that I can also play around a lot. I also work out on vacation because – call me crazy - I love to experience different climates, routes, gyms and extras while traveling. Such as this luxury toilet I found at the top of Boreas Pass in Breckenridge:
It’s one thing to run while you’re traveling. That’s fairly easy to do. Just pack your shoes, shorts and shirt and get on Map My Run to find favorite routes in the area you are traveling to. It gets more interesting, however, when you need to incorporate swimming and biking. It’s not like you can stowaway your bike in your suitcase very easily. Maybe they should invent an inflatable bike for travelers.
Monday morning I’m going to Phoenix and then onto Las Vegas (yes, we are the only family who travels to the desert at the end of July). Although Ironman taper starts on Monday (this is one taper I am really looking forward to), I still have 9 hours worth of workouts for the week.
Given this, here are my tips for tackling your complicated training while travelling:
1. Book hotels that have lap pools and/or fitness centers. Our Phoenix hotel doesn’t have a lap pool but our hotel in Vegas does (Vdara). They both have nice fitness centers. Better yet, stay on the beach and swim and run there (below is the lap pool at a place we stayed in Mexico. Do you see me?).
2. Stay hydrated and bring snacks. I am always hungry. I feel like I constantly have stuff in my mouth that I am chewing. I have water bottles strewn all over my car, garage and home. Traveling will be no different.
3. Wear compression socks in the car/on the plane. Keep your blood moving and be vigilant about recovery!
4. Sleep. Just because you are traveling doesn’t mean you give up rest. I’m taking earplugs and an eye mask.
5. Don’t stress about moving stuff around. I’m usually a slave to following the plan exactly, but when life gets in the way, you can’t be all anal about it. Fit it in where you can (see how I did that? No sweat).
6. Pack lightly and KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). I bring one pair of running shorts and one sports bra and rinse them out. I don’t care if I smell. I’m never going to see any of these people again (or in this guy’s case, just bring your tuxedo speedo):
7. Be aware that traveling is a stress on the body, so don’t overdo it.
8. Cut yourself a break. If you have to miss a work out to spend the day playing blackjack or riding the High Roller, so be it.
9. Fill in your travel companions. Let people know you are going to be training so that they don’t freak out because you leave the room at 5 a.m. for a run.
And, this has nothing to do with training, but I loved this article on “35 Genius Travel Tips that Will Change Your Life Forever.” I can’t say my life is changed forever, but there are some good hints.
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Do you run/train while on vacation? Do you have a training travel tip?
What’s one thing we should do while in Phoenix? We are touring ASU, but we’ll have some extra time.
SUAR
