Training on vacation.

I don’t know about you guys, but for me, there is nothing more fun than getting all my training in when I’m on vacation. I love having to do all my runs early in the morning between long days of being up on my feet, or baking in the sun. The stimulation of running 90% of my mileage on the two-inch shoulder of some highway is almost too much to bear. During the holiday break, I’m especially motivated to get out the door and do a track workout while everyone else sits around all day enjoying the conveyer belt of treats, sweets, brunches, music, TV, and relaxation.

Personally, my favorite part of training on vacation is around 6pm, when I haven’t gotten in my run yet and have been out with family doing a million things all day. I love to just sit there on the couch staring out the window at the last 30 minutes of sunlight, thinking about how I planned to get in one hour tonight. Oh! The sun sets as my mind starts to think about all sorts of motivating things, like how my tacos from an hour ago are hovering somewhere in my esophagus; that laying on the beach all day without drinking water sucked every drop of water out of me, turning my blood into syrup, my legs into lead, and my mind to mush; and how I really haven’t had a proper day off in at least…oh wait…it was 2 days ago. To run, or not to run…

The truth:

Look, there is no way around it. Training on vacation really sucks. I joke about it, but as you know, all those things I mentioned really happen. Whether its Christmas Break or family reunions or ski-trips or weddings, there is a common thread: we are out of our routine, and the trip is not all about us.

It is in situations like this that we are really challenged as athletes.

Now, you will probably expect that as a professional runner, I will now say that if we want to be the best, we need to rise to this challenge! We must prioritize our training and do whatever it takes to get it done. If we are serious about improving, then we should let no adverse conditions, no family commitments, no turkey dinner, no Christmas cookies stand in our way. Ummmm…no.

I can’t say that to you because, for one, I would be a complete hypocrite, and for two, I don’t agree with that approach. Its unrealistic, unnecessary torture if you ask me.

In my experience:

I set training goals on vacation and always come up short. In high school and college I would blame it on not having my own car, or my family not making my training their #1 priority. And it just wasn’t fair! I mean, I’d wake up from camping in my tent to the smell of bacon and pancakes, and I’d be faced with the decision to run now or later, knowing that later had a good chance of becoming never. I’d put on my running stuff and stand there, watching everyone laughing and relaxing and flipping pancakes, carefree and easy. My stomach would grumble. And then I’d just start to get mad.

Enter Lauren and Mom on camp trip:

“Oh good morning honey! How’d you sleep? Come get some pancakes. Did you hear the raccoons last night? It was….”

“I have to go do a tempo run.” (Grouchy frown).

“Well the food might be gone when you get back…are you sure you don’t want to grab some greasy slabs of pig before you go run up the giant mountain we’re camped on the side of?”

Camera pans to the road that switchbacks up the cliffs.
Exit Lauren in exceedingly bad mood.

You get the picture.

When I’m on vacation, I often feel that there is no right decision. There is no good time to work out. Its easy to sit there and think that if only I were more dedicated, I would have gotten it all in. I used to think that professional runners would be the ultimate example…that they’d know how to make a fail-proof vacation plan, and then when I went pro, I was disappointed when nothing magically changed. For my first year or two, I thought that it was something that I lacked…that the best athletes must either not go on vacations, or else they must travel under stipulations that are totally unrealistic for my family.

But now I look at things differently. With experience, I’ve learned that the biggest challenge is NOT actually getting in all the training exactly as planned. If I really wanted to, I could be completely blind to the people around me and make running the most important thing in the universe. But not only is this unnecessary, it’s actually destructive.

To use a simple but illustrative simile..If training in the routine of home is like swimming in a silky smooth Olympic Pool, training on vacation is like swimming in the choppy waves of the ocean. You can’t expect to swim in a perfectly straight line…stubbornly fighting the waves will leave you exhausted. Successful vacation training requires moving with the waves as they come.

Adaptability:

The most valuable challenge that vacations present to us as athletes is adaptability: your ability to roll with the punches and make adjustments on the fly. You become a better athlete when you can make a plan, but not be made by that plan. Many runners put way too much emphasis on one or two specific workouts and allow them to make or break their upcoming races. Being an athlete requires being better than your workouts. They are a means to an end and their affect on you is cumulative.

Every single athlete will have a couple weeks a year where things don’t go according to plan. These are “pauses” in training, and they are so common they are practically mandatory. For some it’s an injury, for others its bronchitis, for me its vacation, but no one is immune. When these “pauses” come up, you need to recognize the pause and adapt. When it comes time to race, your ability to adapt to the unknown will shine through in your performance.

Improving:

Each year, sit down and think about the number of interruptions and pauses you had in your training. Which ones were avoidable? Which one’s weren’t? As you become more committed to running, you will gradually minimize the circumstances that get in the way of your running. Since you don’t live in a bubble, you can not expect perfection. And the nature of athletics demands that you respond to imperfect situations, so it actually pays to be “good at” imperfect.

When it comes time to race, adaptability will ultimately show you the biggest personal improvements. As you get better at adapting to the unknown, you will find yourself beating athletes who are more talented and physically fit than you. You will be able to rise to the occasion on race day. More than one of my national championships was won in this way so I speak from experience! Friends and teammates of mine were often shaking their heads at how I could “pull a race out” after pulling an all-nighter for a test, or after missing training for some minor injury the week before the race. It seems I rarely ever create an ideal scenario for success. Perhaps I prefer a little sprinkle of chaos. But so long as the chaos can fade into the distance when you step on the starting line, it is inconsequential.

Seven Tips for Vacation Training:

1. Google Maps.
A week before you leave, type the address of the place you are staying into Google and click the maps tab. Use the maps to scope out the area for potential runs, a gym, or anything else that might come in handy.

2. Go-to Run.
Find one simple run from your hotel that requires no driving, even if its just on a main road. Prepare yourself for the worst, and assume that you will have to run on this stupid, boring road every single day. Get over it.

3. Book the Mornings
Because we do not have the technology yet to be two places at once (which I can’t seem to remember), you will have to miss some stuff in order to train, like pancake and bacon breakfasts. But you will never regret getting your training out of the way. Tell your family that you plan to run in the mornings so that they can set that time aside for you. It’s easier for everyone and you will be able to enjoy the rest of the day more. I usually run twice a day, but on vacation, the afternoon runs don’t always get done. If I’ve done the majority of the running in the morning, I feel OK skipping the afternoon run in the name of adaptability. Its just part of the deal.

4. Get Someone in Your Corner
Before you leave for vacation, strategically find someone who will look out for your athletic interests. If you are like me, and no one else in your family is obsessed with working out, it helps to talk to someone in advance about what you want to get done in your training and ask them to help you. Tell them that stuff comes up on vacation and all you need is for one other person to be on your side when Aunt Mary wants to leave for the nature walk at 8am. Its nice to have someone there to say, “Why don’t we leave at 9:30 instead so Alex can get his run in first.” Chances are, this person will be really excited to help you.

5. Don’t Dwell on Times
If your schedule has specific times to hit, take them lightly. When I went to Maui last week, I had some pretty tough track workouts on my schedule, but its turned out to be hot, humid and really, really windy. Like knock-you-over windy. I was freaking out a little bit, but Coach Lananna reminded me that I was on vacation and that times were only a guide. He understood that conditions might be weird, or I might be tired from some family adventure, and reminded me to focus on the effort and listen to my body. If you feel good, run fast, and if you feel bad, slow down. Its really that simple. Being stubborn about your times is a recipe for negative training.

6. Avoid Runner’s Remorse
Don’t talk yourself out of running. Adjust the effort if you have to, but get out the door and do something. Whenever I’ve had to fight the mental battle of whether or not to run, I have NEVER regretted running. I always feel better about the day if I’ve set aside that time for myself and worked
out. I’m happier for the rest of the day, and I contribute on a higher level to the family vacation. You are doing yourself and everyone else a favor by avoiding runners’ remorse.

7. Plan a Day Off
Try to put a flexible day off somewhere during your trip. Don’t waste it on the travel day if possible. Its worth getting up at 5:30 to run before going on vacation if it means that in the middle of the week, you can take the day off when circumstances don’t allow you to get your run in, and not
feel guilty about it.

I hope these tips help! Feel free to add some tips of your own as a comment to this blog.

Yours,
L.