Hey everybody! Bryan and I just got back from a very relaxing anniversary trip to Clearwater Beach Florida. I know what you’re thinking…Florida in July?? We knew it would be super hot, but there are palm trees and beaches and pools! Seriously, we had an amazing time relaxing and disconnecting with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law.
…so many selfies…
While relaxing by the pool did take up the majority of our days, Bryan, Chris and I are in the throws of a new training season so we had to figure out a way to fit in all of our runs. Here’s how we tackled our vacation fitness…
- Make a schedule: We decided ahead of time the days we were going to run and how many miles we were going to cover. We also planned our runs for first thing in the morning. Not only was this important as far as heat was concerned but we knew we were far less likely to get out and run if we were lounging on the beach or hanging out at a restaurant over lunch. Get out there and get your run done then you have the rest of the day for fun!
- Plan a route ahead of time: How many times have you just gone out your door and not even thought about where you’re going. We tend to run on autopilot much of the time I think. It’s tough to do that in a new environment so take a couple minutes and pull up a map on your phone so you can figure out what route works best. We had to fit in a 4 mile run, a 5 mile run as well as a 9 mile run. We ended up doing a 4 mile out and back one day and then a 5 mile out and back in another direction the next day. When it came time for the 9 mile long run, we just combined the two!
- Prepare for the elements: Southern Ontario in July is hot and humid, no doubt about it, but Florida in July is off the charts! Make sure you have the necessities such as a water bottle. This is the one I usually carry but I didn’t want to pack it in my carry on so we made a stop at a drugstore and picked up a few bottles of a sports drink to carry with us.
- Address the stink: No matter where you are, a run is going to create some unpleasant smelling clothing and that is not something you want to pack into your luggage with your clean clothes! If you’re lucky, the hotel you’re staying at may have some laundry facilities that you can take advantage of but if not, here’s a great idea from my sister-in-law…”Wear the clothes in the shower and lather them up!” I always travel with shower gel because I hate the tiny bars of soap they give you in hotel bathrooms. I’ve also started bringing along a shower puff so it makes it really easy to give your gear a quick sudsing then just ring it out and let it dry. This method goes along way towards keeping your luggage from acquiring that gym bag smell 😉
- Try something new: We discovered a paddle board rental store a block away from our motel so on one of our run-free days we rented a couple of 2 person kayaks and paddled an hour north to check out a state park. It was awesome and it was a nice workout for our upper body!
The bottom line is there’s always a way to fit in your fitness routine even when you’re out of town it just takes a little planning!
Where’s the last place you ran that wasn’t in your hometown?
How has the summer weather been where you are?