Travel and Training

 

Sorry I didn't post last week.  My family and I took a weekend trip up to Sedona for the Labor Day Weekend.  We decided to celebrate my 55th birthday all together.  We had rented a house in the southern portion of Sedona.  It was a really nice weekend and the weather was much cooler than we have been experiencing in Scottsdale the past several months.  This meant that my morning runs would be so much more pleasant.  Yes, I got in all of my training runs while on vacation.  It was never a question.  It just took a little more planning on my part so that they did not take away from our family time.

Since I am in the midst of prepping for the New York City Marathon, I knew that even though I would be on vacation I needed to get in my training runs.  I have to do the same when I am on the road for work which is frequent.  If I am going to successfully train for this marathon, I need to adhere to a specific training schedule and meet my required mileage even when I am on the road.  While my personal life and work requires some sacrifices to get in my runs, I need to always find balance when traveling especially when it is a family trip.

Thinking of my family time, my goal last weekend was to make sure that I could get in my training runs without sacrificing any family fun.  Before heading up to Sedona, I took the time to research where we were staying and looked at potential running routes near where we were staying that would not interfere with any plans we had as a family.  I decided to get my runs in very early in the morning so that I would not stress out about them.  My intention was to return from each run with a smile on my face, fully stress free and ready to take on the rest of our plans.

As I alluded to above, to get in my training runs I had to do some research and planning.  The good news is that we now live in an era where there are any number of apps that help runners find routes and enable us to plan our runs even before we leave on our trip.  The application I use the most  is MapMyFitness. It is so easy to plug in the address of where I am staying and see potential routes.  I then map out a couple of different routes nearby where I am staying.  If I am traveling for work and I don't have to get in more than 4-6 miles, I sometimes just head out from the hotel and see what happens.  I have found that getting lost can add to the fun and allow me to discover more about the area.

There was a really great out and back route I found in Sedona.  I could leave the house we were renting and get in as little as 5 miles and as much as 16 miles.  The views from the route were spectacular.  The route was somewhat hilly but nothing I couldn't handle.  Plus the 60 degree weather felt like heaven.  There is really nothing better than running in a place where the vistas are so beautiful that you forget about the effort and just run.  It is pure joy.

I will be traveling the next two weeks for work and will have to get in my training runs.  Training is my way to recharge and reduce stress while traveling for work.  When I head out, I try to concentrate on my breathing and empty my mind.  The goal is to remove all nagging thoughts of deadlines at work.  I try not to let my mind wander too much.  I want to be gentle with my body and to simply improve my health and wellbeing.  I have found that no matter how far or long I run, the longer I can stay in a meditative space the more ready I am to take on the day.

As you can imagine, travelling can be an easy excuse to skip your run.  You tell yourself, "I don’t have the right gear"; "it’s too hot or too cold"; or simply "I don’t have time".  The truth is that with just a little forethought you can overcome all of these excuses.  It is as easy as just getting up, lacing up your shoes and heading out the door.   That's what I do and you can too.

Aug. 29 – 8.20 miles (1:28:24, 10:47 pace) - Hill Repeats
Aug. 30 – 6.20 miles (57:34, 9:17 pace) - Speed Work
Sept. 1 – 10.20 miles (1:30:05, 9:01 pace) - Tempo Run
Sept. 2– 7.10 miles (1:05:49, 9:16 pace)
Sept. 3 – 8.20 miles (1:16:15, 9:18 pace)
Sept. 4 – 15.20 miles (2:20:37, 9:15 pace)
Sept. 5 – 6.20 miles (59:49, 9:39 pace)
Sept. 6 – 6.20 miles (57:34, 9:17 pace)
Sept. 8 – 9.70 miles (1:25:22, 8:48 pace)
Sept. 9 – 6.20 miles (55:51, 9:01 pace)
Sept. 10 – 12.20 miles (2:02:02, 9:59 pace)
Sept. 11 – 10.20 miles (1:34:39, 9:17 pace)

Total Miles:  105.8 miles
2016 Total Miles:  1,420.0 miles