Summer is kicking off and people are getting ready for vacations, weekend getaways, and increased travel. This post applies to any time of the year, but in the spirit of summer travel its a good time to bring up running while traveling!
Many people I talk to think vacation is a time to forget about fitness and take a break from running. This may be true, especially if you body needs the rest, but no time is a time to forget about fitness! And for those who just cringe at the thought of wasting vacation time on running, or those who don’t like running outside of their routine and finding new routes…think about it this way; running while traveling is a great way to explore and see new sites! It gives you an opportunity to cover more ground and get to more places. If you go early, you can see beautiful sites and touristy places before they get busy and swarmed with other people. There is nothing like a monument set against the dawn void of photobombers or famous buildings bathed only in lamplight. If you are like me, the photo ops alone can be enough to get you out running early while on a trip. I am a sucker for sunrise shots! So, if I’ve piqued your interest, let me lay out how I go about preparing to run on trips, vacations, and generally away from home!
First, packing! What do you need to bring? Don’t worry too much about the extra space in your luggage, if you are running during the summer it won’t take up much extra space anyway. If during the winter you are probably checking your luggage. And you don’t have to pack an outfit for each run (because I am not talking about running every day of your trip friends, that would be excessive), you can always bring a tiny Febreeze to spray down your clothes and hang them over a balcony, out in the sun, or in the bathroom to dry and then reuse them. Its your own sweat anyway!
The Essentials
1) Your running shoes (given, and they fit so easily in suitcase front pockets)
2) Running socks
3) Sports bras
4) Running outfit(s) (check weather.com before you go to decide what types of outfits you will need, whether shorts and tank top or tights and a pullover)
With those four things you can go for a run and you are probably saying “duh, great insight genius.” But, I want a few more items, especially if I am doing any longer runs like the ten miles I did in Madrid or the eight in Lisbon. “The Additionals” are the items I easily forget but always want.
The Additionals
1) Sunglasses
2) Sunscreen in the summer (gotta protect your skin!)
3) Headband, Hair tie (you were probably bringing these anyway)
4) Foam Roller (mine is hollow – see the gear page – so I just shove the extra sports bras, socks, and shorts inside of it!)
5) Nuun Electrolyte Tablets (hydration is usually even more key when traveling, due to the change in routine and the increased indulgence in alcoholic beverages)
6) Handheld water bottle with pocket for keys, hotel room key, ID, cash, etc.
7) iPod Nano or whatever music device and headphones (if you run with music)
8) Your camera, or iPhone with camera. (I have gone on 6-8 mile runs with my Nikon because of scenery and photo ops that have arisen during runs!)
9) GPS watch – super key if you map out an out and back course.
10) Jelly Belly Sport Beans- unless you save the airline peanuts you may not have snacks lying around and need some fuel before you run
11) An air freshener and mini-Febreze
Second, Route Planning! Because now you are like, I have all this stuff packed and I am ready to run but how do I know where to go, what routes there are, and what areas are safe to run in.
Well, first, you don’t have to run long routes. You can always find a close by hill and do hill repeats. Jeremy and I did this next to our hotel in St. Maarten several days that we were there. You can also look up a high school or community track and do a speed workout. But, I did emphasize the joy of exploring while running so lets talk about that!
There are two approaches you can take to longer runs while traveling. The first is simply setting a mileage goal, taking your GPS watch, and wandering down an out and back on an established path such as a river walk, path around a resort or hotel you are staying at, or in the Air BnB’s neighborhood. This works best on well-established trails/paths or if you have a GREAT sense of direction. For example, I used this approach in Lisbon, Portugal where Jeremy and I did an eight mile run and ran out four miles and back on a paved trail along the Tagus River. It would work well in Washington, DC too where there are many distinguishable monuments, wide streets, and paths i.e. the National Mall or along the Potomac River. This does not work as well in older cities and downtowns with lots of confusing non-linear streets. The only research required for this method is finding the trail and the general direction to run to get to it.
The second is mapping out a distinct route, again based on mileage, or making it to a specific landmark or site in the city or location where you are staying. You can use Gmaps Pedometer or Map my Run , draw out a route and save it on your phone or print it out. I typically use the phone method since I carry it anyway for emergencies or photos while I am travel running. The best part about this method is that you can easily find pre-established routes on running forums, blogs, travel sites, you name it! I personally enjoy the challenge of looking at a map, reading a little about safety, and creating my own route based on landmarks, etc. I did this in Madrid with a ten mile route that was based on running to and through Retiro Park and in Edinburgh with a route based on running to and up the Salisbury Craggs (the post’s photo). That may be in the Army in me, but the alternative is perfectly fine and guarantees you a safe pre-established route.
With either method, you can find great suggestions in guide books and on blogs, especially from the people that live and run in those cities. You will always have to tweak a little depending on where you are staying, especially if you don’t have a car as is often the case in foreign cities. If you are staying too far from a certain landmark but you would love to run near it, bring some cash or a credit card and hop in a cab or on public trans to a more viable starting point. Or, once you get there, snap your photos and run back to where you’re staying!
Third, handling your stinky running clothes! This is brief (pun intended). If you don’t have access to a washer this is where the air freshener and Febreze come in. Lay your clothes out to dry even if you don’t need them. Balling up a moist shirt = mold and weird smells later. Then acquire a hotel laundry bag, garbage bag, or souvenir bag. Febreze the clothes once more, stick them in the garbage bag, stick the air freshener in with it (little car size ones are great), stick the bag in a separate pocket. Voila!
I hope you are sold now! However, if you are still making excuses for why you don’t want to run when you travel (unless you are injured) please throw your wrench or excuse at me. I will give you some options, a rebuttal, or a solution…unless you are going to a dangerous violent place, an uninhabited jungle, or something unreasonable. I even ran on the deck of a cruise ship one time so being at sea can’t stop you!
Travel Running can be a ton of fun and keep you active while on vacation or visiting family. Your run won’t be boring because it will be new! You can enjoy the extra sangria, bier, scotch, or whatever it may be because you burned a few extra calories and you probably got some awesome photos in the process. Now, go see where your legs can take you and what they lead you to discover!
