Running While Traveling

As a runner, sometimes it can be difficult to keep up with a training schedule, especially if you travel a lot for work or when you go on vacation. I am reminded of a recent vacation I took that was about a month before a half-marathon that I had been training for. I knew that I was going to have to get a few runs in during my trip or I would negate the training I had been doing for the past 2 months.

The tricky thing about this trip was that it was a cruise to Alaska. I wasn't comfortable running outside because of the extreme wilderness in the area (honestly I was afraid I would be eaten by a bear or something crazy like that), so I knew my only option would be to run on the treadmills in the workout facility onboard the cruise ship. To my surprise it is actually quite challenging to run on a treadmill while the boat is rocking back and forth. My body was not used to this motion and I started to feel very tired and a little sea sick after about 2 miles. During the course of the week-long cruise every time I tried to run, I could only get up to about 2 or 3 miles before my body would give up.

As you can tell from my story, running on vacation or in any location away from home can be challenging but sometimes you just have to run to keep up with your training schedule. Running in different locations can be very fun and refreshing. As many runners will attest to, it can get very boring running the same 3 or 4 routes around your home. Therefore when you get the chance to run while traveling, make sure you take the opportunity.

There are a couple of things to keep in mind when running in unfamiliar places. First, always put safety first. You never know how safe an area is that you may be running in while traveling so make sure that you are either running with someone or have a cell phone with you while running in case of an emergency. It is also smart to run during daylight and in areas where public assistance is available. Second, make sure you know what kind of weather to expect. If you are from Houston, Texas and you go to Seattle on a trip and decide to go for a run outside then you better have some extra layers of water proof clothing on or you may end up with some nasty blisters from one of the most rainy cities in America.

The most important thing to remember when running while traveling is to play it safe. You may feel the urge to get out there and run in a new environment but make sure you are prepared. Running in new places can be a great adventure if done cautiously.