Being away from home for a month has many challenges, as one might guess. Going into this trip I knew there would be struggles and, overall I think I’ve handled them fairly well. It’s a very odd feeling to be both on vacation and not for weeks at a time.
“Should I start drinking at noon?” is a daily question, especially with so many inviting bars like this one in Meredith.
There’s an overall feeling of relaxation, family and friends have visited and I’ve definitely incorporated more alcohol and chocolate into my diet then I have in any other July on record.
On the flip side I’m doing laundry, food shopping, sending the boys to day camp, making meals, cleaning up and writing articles.
The other morning I woke up at 5:30am to get in a 25 mile ride before the fun of the day started, and so I wouldn’t get “You’re going to do what right now?” later on in the day when everyone was relaxing by the lake. It was a gorgeous ride filled with the many hills I’m now becoming accustomed to. On one speedy descent of a particularly steep hill I ratcheted up my gears, slipped my hands into the drops and raised my ass up to catch as much speed as possible. Pure bliss.
As I rounded out the bottom of the hill and sped toward yet another climb (because that’s how every ride goes!) I started to pedal. I was still enjoying the downdraft of the descent but the pedaling was increasingly harder until I was forced to downshift.
This month has been like that moment in cycling. I’m pedaling through the downhills. I’m working but enjoying, sweating but not suffering, and training but also resting.
The ying and yang of being away for a month.
In the two weeks I have been at the lake, here’s what I’m learning about training while on vacation:
PRIORITIZE
You’re not going to get it all done. No, you’re not. Go into your vacation week(s) with a plan and have very specific priorities for your workouts. It also doesn’t matter what the priority is, as in, it’s a priority to run on the beach and catch the sunrise one morning. Sounds like a plan!
My coach has been excellent in this capacity as she knows I’m going to try an overachieve even on my extended vacation. Each week my training plan has priority workouts and lots of options. being flexible is key and doing what you can, when you can is the only way to go! #wycwyc
Here’s a recent swim workout schedule with CRS’ ‘pre-activity comments’ leaving a lot of wiggle room. This was marked yellow because I did not quite complete it!
CROSS-TRAIN
One day last week I was supposed to do a track workout and I went SUP (stand-up paddle boarding) instead. It was a fiercely windy day, I was cursing the wind with each stroke, but I had an absolute blast, a great workout and the blisters to prove it.
I risked dropping my phone in Lake Winni to get this shot. #worthit #muscleclevage
I also did a great wheel pose on my board but there was no one there to capture it!
If there’s something you can do for fitness where you are vacationing that you don’t normally do, do it and do it up big!
PLAN
You plan every other detail of your vacation so be sure to plan for fitness as well. My husband and I packed all of this:
…and we weren’t afraid to use it. Doing interval strength training workouts outside, where we could watch the kids, was sometimes the only way to get our workouts in.
SET EXPECTATIONS
One of the best things about being on vacation is, if a run or ride is sucking, you’re still on vacation when you get back and have many hours of fun and relaxation ahead of you. It is, after all, supposed to be downtime for your mind and body.
There have been quite a few crappy runs in the humidity since I’ve been here but, the memory of them is quickly brushed aside when I round the corner to my little home away from home.
I’ve also had a few days of complete rest, lounging lake side or doing something fun with the boys with zero fitness involved.
Because water slides are awesome!
Whatever you chose to do on vacation, do it for you and because you really want to. Before you know it you will be back home and back to your usual routine with plenty of hard training days ahead…
[Tweet “How to #train hard on vacation…or not, in 4 easy steps! #summertraining #runchat #lakelife”]
What do you do for fitness (if any) on vacation?
Any tips or tricks to fit it all in?
I have no advice, just glad to see that you are enjoying your vacation so far and here we have a little over a week to go for Disney. I am getting a bit excited, but nervous, too as to all I know I will not get to or do while we are on vacation, as well.
Just relax and enjoy! As I’m sure you know, it’s those little moments that are usually the best.
Great post Allie! I have been doing anything but resting and enjoying my vacation! I’m struggling with the concept of trying to take advantage of being here and getting as much done and also just stopping to enjoy life. C’est la vie!
Preach! I know your struggle, although you have a bit more on your plate what with your new studio and all… Try to take some time and just enjoy ALL you have accomplished in such a short amount of time. You are the epitome of living life to the fullest!
Your vacation looks amazing! This makes me even more excited our mini vacation. We’ll be spending a long weekend in New Hampshire in T minus 9 days! While we’re there, I plan to run the Monadnock Half Marathon. It’s not my goal race (Hartford Marathon is!) but should be a lot of fun to use as a tempo long run and get an idea of where my fitness is at. 🙂 Enjoy the rest of your time!!!
How exciting!!! I love a good run-cation 🙂 Enjoy and good luck in the half!!
I love this post…. I love the biking analogy you have in there with the going downhill with some shifts…. and it never occurred to me that you do plan all the other aspects of your vacation, so why not the exercise part…. You’ll be proud to know that while stuck at an all day water park with my kids 2 days ago, I tried some aqua jogging while in the wave pool! The bar in the beginning looks great….I could sit there all day… and love the #musclecleavage :))))
I’m so proud of you for the aqua jogging!!! :-))
That bar is so, so great and I’ve been tempted to stay longer then I should!
So glad you picked up on the #muscleclevage – I wasn’t sure anyone would. HAHAHA!
Nice job. I think incorporating exercise on vacation is easier if you can get your family or whoever you are with on board too. If they are into it, it’s much easier!
Totally!! It takes a village.
heck yeah! i think you got it all covered and then some, boom! love it all, i can’t wait to try SUP – looks so fun and i know that i’ll get it all wrong and don’t even care. it looks totally worth embarrassment 😀
i love finding some hills when i’m on vacation and just running up and down them if i need to get in some cross training or hill training. it seems like hill training does SO much for my fitness and running and overall health/joy than many other things. training at higher altitude rocks as well. i always love traveling and seeing what i can make my next gym or workout space in the new environment – fun fitness travel challenges are always accepted in my book 🙂
You cannot mess up SUP. Seriously. And it’s SO much fun!
You can always count on hills when traveling – at least all the places I have been. They are definitely built-in fitness equipment!
Great post! I’m going on vacation next week and have been trying to plan how to get all my runs in. Enjoying the vacation is important, but I know I’ll feel better mentally and physically if I at least get exercise in. It looks like you had such a fun and balanced time on your vacation!
I once packed a Pilates ball into my carry-on and got pulled over by security. Apparently my Pilates ball look suspicious on the scanner. If I’m driving, I’ll toss a kettlebell and yoga mat in the back of my car so I can easily work out. And running shoes/clothes in the carry on is a must!
Yes to shoes and clothes in a carry-on!!
That is funny about the pilates ball – I bet they had no clue what it was.
And I feel the same – if I don’t workout most days, I’m anxious and can’t enjoy my time as much.
Have a great vacation and some great workouts too!
Love your pedaling through the downhills analogy! And it really sounds like you’re having such a wonderful break and OF COURSE working out is part of your vacation, because you love it and vacation is the best time to do what we love! Part of what I like about working out on vacation is that I don’t have to plan around scehdules for my running or workouts. Obviously nap time is sacred, but Fran definitely doesn’t care if I head out for a run and he has to hang out and have nap time too. I find I work out just as much, if not more because it’s not like I miss my “window” and I’m screwed, you know? Enjoy, ladycake. Xoxo
YES – the window!!! It’s been sooooo hot here (although not as hot as the city – sorry!) so if I don’t wake up and run, it’s a swim day!
I know you totally get the working out on vacation because YES it’s something I love to do and my days are better for it!
We walked a ton on our vacation, and even though it’s not really cardio, I did like that we kept moving. And climbing domes and towers (why is everything in Europe so high?) was an awesome glute workout, as evidenced by my grunts of discomfort when I sat on the toilet the next day. TMI? Nah, not with you, right?
Never! I love that and I love how you walked your feet off all over Europe. The soreness you feel when trying to sit on the toilet, is truly an experience everyone should have :-)))) LOL
oh that WATER SLIDE PHOTO!!!
Ive been beaten over the head lately with regards to the BREVITY of childhood.
so Im not the one to ask.
Id skip the training and hold my girl’s hand.
🙂
YES!!! I have done a lot of “cross training” as in taking both boys for endless kayak rides, swim races to the dock and back and many, many bike rides. I don’t want the school year to ever come.
Please remind me I said that…:-)))
I like your training log. Is that strictly from your coach ?
Yes. Both of us can edit it but it’s the main way we communicate! I also have an app for my phone so it’s super convenient.
So glad you are having such an awesome time! Where did you rent the paddleboards? And there is nothing wrong with excessive amounts of chocolate and wine while on vacation! Enjoy!
Oh I know! I’m going to indulge as long as I’m here!
I rented the SUP in Meredith at the Town Docks 🙂 Love it there.
Also – we went to Franconia and hiked to the flume gorge. I said a silent prayer for the loss of your phone as I crossed the bridge 🙂 LOL!
Hahaah, thank you for your sympathies 🙂 Isn’t the gorge amazing??
YES! It was breathtaking – truly…even the kids were pretty subdued. Wish we lived closer…
We plan to train. Take the stuff we need and plan the details. AND never feel like we’re missing out on vacationing. It can be done 🙂
Yes it can!!!…and we’re just the women to do it. Enjoy it Jill!
It looks like you guys have had a great time and I love and agree with your tips and perspective. It’s easy for people to become overly obsessive about training while on vacation. I always say that life trumps training, so doing the best you can when you can and making compromises with family is a great way to look at it. Hope you have more downhills than uphills soon 🙂 xo
Life trumps training – YES!!!