To run or not to run on vacation, that is the question. Well, to us it’s not a question, but to you it might be! Seriously here, SLRC staffers have collectively travelled all over for all different kinds of vacations. On occassion, we all have had a vacation or two that was just that, kick up the feet for couple of days, eat, recover and chill out. But there are many vacations where running has only made the trip more memorable (or bearable) by still getting in some run time. Here are some tips given up by staff members that will give you some great ideas on vacation running.
WHAT TO BRING
- Your Shoes!
- New shoes, so you will be motivated to run.
- Old shoes and old run clothes, so you can leave them behind, not have to bring them home and/or give them to someone who needs them more than you.
- Lightweight trainers. They take up less room
- A GARMIN! That way, you will always know how far you have run not matter where you go.
WHERE TO RUN
- On a treadmill…Yeah right! Your on vacation!
- Check with the hotel concierge for ideas. Some hotels have running maps
- Call the local running shop. Surely they can give you some great ideas. And stop into the shop too and buy something with a logo on it. Start a collection of running store apparel from the places you visit.
- Check the city website for possible park, trail and run maps
- Run through the non-tourist parts of the city. A very cool way to see what it is really like(especially in Venice or small french villages).
- Pick a common tourist route and run it instead of using the normal tour methods. This past September I had the chance to visit Boston for the first time. We had a little bit of down time so we looked into a few tours. $$ is all I can say. We found out about a tourist path that wound through downtown Boston which connected all the major historical sites in the city. We got a group of people together and picked up a historical map from the concierge at the hotel and ran the route, stopping at the sites to read the signs then moving on to the next location. We even stopped to take a tour of Old Iron Sides. In of 25 years of running this is one of my top 3 all time best runs, and I had no idea where I was going or how long it would take. It was a great way to see the sites and get a workout in at the same time. (Did you not finish in the north end for some of the best italian pasta EVER! Come on Travis…we expect more of you than this!)
- Go to Garminconnect.com or other running websites and look up routes that other runners have done and try to follow them. If you have a Garmin you can download the route to your devise and just follow the signals, but if you don’t you can still get a map of a run or two to help you orient yourself to a new environment.
- The Nike Plus website lists running routes too.
- Find a route that takes you by something that gets you excited. This may be a historic site(s), something scenic, and or a surface that you love (i.e. trail, sand, or whatever), basically something that you don’t get to experience very often.
- Find an event ahead of time to go do while you are there.
THE RUN
- Wake up and run early to enjoy the peaceful side of your destination.
- Take a cell phone in case you get lost.
- In some places, it is best to always run with someone and not alone.
- Forget all your normal running routines and just be spontaneous. Run as slow as you want, as short as you want, different terrain, different time of day, no heart rate monitors. Give yourself extra credit just for going.
- Make sure to run on days you start feeling a bit cranky. Sometimes your vacation will go a lot better if you are still taking care of yourself. That includes still eating fairly well. 4-5 days of way too much bread, cheese and chocolate can actually start getting on one’s nerves. Who woulda thunk?
- When traveling with family, be considerate. They won’t ever remember your Tempo Run that you just had to get in, but they will remember if you missed out on family fun.
- On the flip side, make sure you run when needed so your family still loves you.