There are those who go on vacation and take a break from working out. They decide in advance that this will be their break from their normal routine and they will kick back and take a vacation from running.
I am not that person.
Not because I don’t enjoy my time off. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. You see, running is FUN for me. I LIKE to run. It’s not punishment or a means to an end. It’s what I do to relax, to feel good, to wake up, to meditate, to work sh*t out. It’s ME.
When I go on vacation or to someplace new, I love to go out and explore my new surroundings with my handy-dandy Kinvaras and the brightest clothes I own.
Sure, you can sit by the pool all day and drink mojitos. But you can be active, too, and not feel like total crap when you get home!a
- Ask a local runner if there’s a great place to lace up your kicks.
- Run barefoot on the beach at dawn/sunrise/low tide. It really doesn’t get any better than that.
- Make your own triathlon: go for a run in the early part of the day, swim at the beach/pool, go for a bike ride around town later.
- Explore your vacation city on your feet on an easy out-and-back run.
- Check and see if there’s a local race while you’re in town. Nothing crazy but how fun is a 5K in a small town with all the kiddos along the course? The cutest.
If I hadn’t woken up early to run down this massive hill, I wouldn’t have the bragging rights to say I ran up it at the end of my run. Bragging rights > calf soreness. Boom.
Do yourself a favor, just pack your running shoes and a pair of shorts. Tuck them in your bag in case you have an opportunity to run in a beautiful or interesting or new place. And enjoy the run.
Now go out and run.