Usually, when we are out of town, I leave my sneakers at home. I figure that a few days off won’t hurt and our schedules are generally so packed that we don’t have time. However, this time, five days from home with a very flexible itinerary, and with ZOOMA Florida on the horizon, I thought it would be prudent to get in some training.
Mornings were the perfect time for my attack. I’m usually up with the sun, while Mr PugRunner prefers to sleep in, so I picked two mornings to lace up and head out, while he lounged around.
The first time I went out, I was extremely distracted. For some reason, my Garmin wasn’t picking up correctly, so I tried to do intervals on the clock on my phone. Of course, that never works as well as we think it might, so I just kind of ran and walked around for a while. There were so many little paths to explore and so many things to see.
About halfway through, I thought I would go down to the beach and give sand-running a shot. To be honest, it wasn’t my favorite. The sand was super soft and difficult to maneuver. I managed a very uncoordinated hop-shuffle-walk from one end of the resort to the other, thankful that there weren’t too many people out and about to witness my epic lack of grace.
The view, however, could not be beat.
I think I probably pulled off about three miles on that first day, and I felt great when I met Mr PugRunner at Starbucks for a well deserved iced coffee.
Two days later, I tried again. This time, I left the Garmin in the safe, and set my phone timer for 45:00. Then I told myself to just run. If I felt the need to stop and walk, go ahead, but run the rest of the time. I don’t know if it was a lack of humidity or if everything was just going my way, but even with stairs and hills and inclines, I ran for about 37 of those 45:00, and felt great. My breathing was fine, and I didn’t have any cramps or aches. It was exhilarating.
Clearly, I need to move to the Bahamas.
The few times I did stop was because I wanted to admire things like this
and this.
I do wish I had an accurate track of my miles, but I was able to estimate for the two days, and regardless, felt pretty good about what I had accomplished in what would otherwise be lounging around time.
The shoes were a little bulky to pack, but in this case, where bathing suits and flip flops made up the majority of my suitcase’s contents, it was ok . I imagine it would be a little tougher going to a colder region or somewhere where more clothes and shoes would be necessary, but where there’s a will, there’s a way, and I will definitely commit to keeping up my fitness regimen if we are on longer, less hectic trips. Some routines are good to keep.
How do you handle your running and training when you are out of town?
Do you find that some locations are just better suited to you as a runner than others?
What’s been your favorite place to run?
I was in Chicago for 3 weeks and I ran everyday except for 7 or 8 ish…. 4 of them were planned rest days and the others were due to just really bad weather. I wouldn’t have run outside (or even at all probably) if I didn’t have two half marathons coming, but I’m glad I did. I ran in Costa Rica a couple times, but it was hard to find routes/safe places to run and it was so much more humid than FL (can you believe that?) when I was there this summer.
Rachel @ Undercover Diva: A Sitcom recently posted…One Year Blog-iversary
Wow! More humid than Florida! Yikes.
I would love the chance to run in a big city like Chicago (or, really, Manhattan). It’s got to be so cool.
Good job!
Sadly, I almost never follow through with my plans to run when I’m out of town. So I’m impressed with your success at that!
Lisa recently posted…On Doing a 365 Project
It helped make up for the pina coladas 🙂
I’ve run on some trips and not on others – just kinda depends. I do agree that the shoes are bulky to pack, but you gotta do what you gotta do. =) My favorite place to run so far has been Central Park in NYC. Not really for any reason other than it was Central Park. =)
Diana recently posted…A Look Ahead
I would love to run in Central Park. Such a gorgeous location!
Sounds fabulous! What I wouldn’t give for a tropical vacation from the frigidness that is the East Coast right now.
Sometimes those un-tracked are hard – “what do you mean, gps, you can’t tell me exactly HOW far I’ve gone??” – but also liberating. Just to run and enjoy the scenery is really refreshing. Occasionally. 🙂
Larissa recently posted…Set up a home yoga practice for $75 or LESS
I can’t complain too much. We’ll be back in the 70s (hallelujah!) next week. But for the time being, we are pretty chilly.
It was nice to run without the pressure and checking up on myself. But then I wanted to see stats on how I did so I could compare it to everything else I’ve been doing. Oh well.
I have run in the OHio area, obviously, I live here. I ran in FL when I visited my mom 3 years ago and I ran in DC when I was there for a bowl game for work in 2010?
DC was awesome to run in because I got to run past the White House.
Amanda @ There Are 2 Sides recently posted…January Snowpacolypse & Frozen Pipes
I really want to run in DC. The Cherry Blossom 10 to be specific. One day, one day.
runswithpugs recently posted…running in other countries
When I am vacation running I don’t focus on time. I just run and enjoy.
Abby @ BackAtSquareZero recently posted…Marathon Travel by Plane
That’s a great philosophy. I need to embrace that a little more.
runswithpugs recently posted…running in other countries
Good for you for carving out a little time to run while on vacation! I always run when we travel, except for when we were in Italy. We walked almost everywhere we went, so we felt like we were getting plenty of exercise. When we’re at the beach house we usually choose to run on the sand at low tide rather than driving down to town to run on the pavement; however, I’m not a huge fan of running on the sand…
Debbie @ DebRuns recently posted…Embracing The Weather
Oh, yeah. I imagine the terrain would be tough for running in Italy, too, but you do get a lot of exercise just by walking. As an aside, I cannot wait to go back to Italy.
Sand running is hard. Heck of a workout, but man, it hurts.
runswithpugs recently posted…running in other countries
What a view! And good for you for running… I tend to pack everything with the intention of running, and then I get lazy or nervous about going alone and I don’t. Which isn’t good.
ari @ whatarisaid recently posted…more memories… this time scrapbook, erm… SmashBook style!
I don’t really mind being alone in new places. I like to absorb all the new things. I don’t run with music for those times, and I just make it a point to be very aware of my surroundings. Not always a failsafe but it helps.
Wow, it looks gorgeous there! Lucky you. I kind of like running while traveling. I think it’s fun to explore. Although, I’m probably not as smart as I should be about staying in safe areas.
jan recently posted…Be Present
Oh, I definitely tried to play it safe. There was this really incredible bridge that went from the property into a not-so-great part of Nassau. I wanted to run it really badly, but there was a kind of spooky tunnel that led to the bridge and not too many people around, so I decided not to venture that way on my own. Next time, though, Mr PugRunner will be finding himself as my escort!