Five Training Tips for Vacation

Byangela @marathonsandmotivation
18 Comments

Happy Friday and welcome to the Friday Five! Are you currently training for a big event and have a Spring vacation scheduled?  I am in the midst of Ironman Lake Placid training and recently spent a week traveling with my family. We had a wonderful time and I was able to get in some workouts while on the road. I learned a few things that I would like to share, here are five training tips for vacation.

Five Training Tips for Vacation

1. Safety First: Before heading out for a swim, bike, or run make sure to check and make sure the area is safe. Many resorts are wonderful only to find out once you leave the resort itself, there are areas known for "pick-pocketers" or other types of dangerous activity. If you are headin
g into the open water, ask about water safety: is the area know for any swimming dangers, such as riptides?
2. Use your Surroundings: Make the most of your destination by using the surroundings to train in after checking for safety. Go for a run along the beach or hop in the ocean for an open water swim!3. Cross Train: Sometimes while traveling, there just isn't an option to do certain training. On our recent family vacation, I was not able to do any bicycling, so I opted to do extra swimming. I also did some hiking with my family around the island instead of a run to maintain my fitness.

Hiking at the Bath National Park in the British Virgin Islands was a fun family workout!

 

4. Be an Early Bird: For me, this works best all the time, but particularly on vacation. Get up a little earlier than everyone else to squeeze in a run or swim, so you have the rest of the day to enjoy with your family!5. Relax & Enjoy: Take a break from training and just enjoy your time! Missing a few days of exercise is not going to damage your plan if you have been sticking to it before your trip. Unless, you are a professional athlete or heading to the olympics, let it go and relax for a few days. Your body will thank you for the down time!Are you training for a big event this season and have a vacation scheduled? Do you train while on vacation? What is your favorite type of cross training? Where is your favorite place to train away from home? As always, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.

Have a Great Weekend!

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18 Comments

  1. It's so important to know your surroundings when traveling to stay safe. Your open water swims looked amazing. I would be so scared to go alone.
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  2. Since my vacations are almost always racecations, I'm usually tapering & not running too much. :) But I am exploring! I used to be scared about doing that before a race & it's probably not a good idea if you're fairly new to running, but now I find it works well for me & helps me acclimate if I'm in a warmer climate (which I will be in a few weeks). I do love to swim. And I don't get to do it often enough!
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  3. I actually love to workout while on vacation. I like using exercise as a way to explore new locations, safely of course!
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  4. I tried hard to maintain my training when we went to Cape Cod last year. It was more difficult than I expected because I was really unfamiliar with the area and just didn't feel safe running solo. My son and I ran a couple times together but very short distances. It was nice to take a few days off, though. This year I'll be traveling after my marathon so I won't have to train at all if I don't want to. :)
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  5. In each of my 10 marathons, part of my training has been done on vacay. It can definitely work if you think it through, plan it out and are flexible. This summer I'll be in Dubai and Greece while training for Berlin. That should be interesting.
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  6. I always think of a vacation as a chance to do some cross training! I love to run in a new city so I will try to get one run in and then there is usually so many new things to try that a person can stay pretty busy. I am with you- relax too- it does a body good!
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  7. I was training for a marathon when I went to Europe last fall. I did research on good, safe running routes in each city before I left. It was amazing to explore new cities by running!
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  9. I'm looking forward to running on my favorite Florida island! But I always run on vacation. Like MB said, I look at as a chance to explore a new place!
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  11. I love to run on vacation, but when we went to Ireland, some of the places we stayed did not have safe roads to run on - windy, barely one car wide with no shoulder = I did not run as much as planned. But I'd rather be safe than not.
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  12. I know we'll be traveling during the early phase of my marathon training for Chicago. I'll probably wake up a lot earlier than everyone to get a run in, but like you said don't make a big deal out of it if I can't get a workout in.
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  13. I love working out on vacation and especially running to explore a new area. These are great tips- getting it in early is key!
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  14. Great tips! I love getting in workouts on a trip! The difference scenery helps motivate me to stay on top of my training!
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  15. I love running early when I'm traveling, it's such a great way to see the land and explore. Though I'm causious of my surroundings ansd who's around me.
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  16. I pretty much always plan to get in some workouts when we are out of town. It's usually a great way to explore the area, although sometimes it's necessary to hit the hotel gym. No reason not to stay active when you're on vacation, right?
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  17. The hubby and I are big on getting up early on vacation to get our training in and done so we can focus on other adventures with the family during the day. When Mini Me was younger, we would switch off who went earliest so one of us was in the room with her. We always made sure we knew where and what the other was doing and how long the training workout would be for safety reasons. That really is key when you're in unfamiliar areas.
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  18. In order to keep up with my training while we're away next month I'll be getting up early. Not only do I want to make sure that I get all of my planned runs in, but I can't wait to enjoy the sunrise at the beach!
    Reply

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