I remember a day when I felt vacations were a great excuse to take the week off from workouts. Now since becoming a mom and feeling my workouts are the most sane part of my day, I think vacations are for working out as much as possible!
So think twice before saving suitcase space by leaving out your running shoes. There’s nothing quite as fun as a vacation run!
Give yourself permission to have no expectations. Give up the preoccupation with pace and distance in favor of an exploratory adventure. Keep the GPS map for safety, but determine your route as you go. Feel Free!
This morning I did have a distance goal, as I’m training for the Women’s Half just a month away. All else was up in the air! Here’s a play-by-play of my workout today, or should I say “mile by mile.”
Mile 1. This feels great! Wait a minute, 8:30 pace? I’d better slow down if I’m going to make it 9 miles!
2. We don’t have hills like this at home! I find great comfort in knowing what goes up must come down. I smile in anticipation of my final mile back into the campground.
3. I’ve never run on such a busy highway before! The next back roads I can duck into can’t come soon enough.
4. This highway stretch is longer than it looked on the map! I find myself alternating between the loose gravel on the side to save my shins and the concrete on the road to save my ankles.
5. Off the highway! I finally made it to Lazy Road. More and more hills; nothing lazy about it! I imagine that final downhill mile and it keeps me going.
6. I am in the middle of nowhere. I take to the center of the road to avoid the slant.
7. The heat hits hard. No shade, no breeze, it’s now 95 degreew with the heat index…. but the last mile is all downhill! So I press on.
8. This farmer won’t mind if I take a swig off his hose will he?
9. Where’s that downhill mile… my map is wrong! I’m supposed to be headed back into the campground but instead I’m headed back up to that concrete highway.
10. Surprise! I have to run 10 miles. I haven’t run that in 10 years. At least I’m finally on that downhill.
Success! 9 miles, no 10, check! Another fun vacation adventure run, in the books.