September 24, 2024 • 12 mins
Ever wondered how to keep up with your running routine while enjoying a vacation? Join me on this episode of The Wrinkled Runner podcast as I share my personal experiences of exploring new destinations through the lens of a runner.
Resources from the Episode:
Running Route Websites:
Map My Run
Strava
All Trails
Garmin Connect
Great Run
Destination Races:
Ahotu
Running Tours:
Go Running Tours
Relevant Podcast Episodes:
Ahotu- Finding destination races
Using a Running Coach
Adjusting Your Runs
YouTube Channel:
Should I Get a Running Coach
Adjusting Your Runs
Website:
Adjusting Your Runs
7 Reasons to Use a Coach (and 3 NOT to)
Using Ahotu to Find Your Next Race
My Running Packing List:
Running shirts
Running bottoms (some trips may need shorts/pants)
Sports Bras
Hat
Earphones
Running Belt (flip belt for phone/ID or Hydration for water)
Jacket
Socks
Running Shoes
Carbs if needed (Clif Blocks, Stingers, etc)
Running Watch/Charger
Hand Washing Detergent (to be able to wash in hotel rooms)
Garbage Bags- for hand washables that haven't fully dried before heading out, or to store gross workout clothes away from the clean ones in the suitcase
Blister Bandaids
If you are looking for a coach to help you reach your running goals, even if it's just to start to run, take a look at my Coaching Services page on the website. I do virtual, in-person (Buffalo, NY area) and also offer single zoom sessions for those would just like to chat with a coach one time.
Find my additional outlets over at the YouTube channel and at wrinkledrunner.com. Sign up over on the blog for the once-a-month newsletter! If you would like information on utilizing a running coach, check out what I can do for you here.
If you have any running-related questions, please send an email to sherry@wrinkledrunner.com…I answer every one.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey there, runners, welcome back to the Wrinkled
Runner podcast.
I'm your host, sheri, and todaywe're talking about one of my
favorite topics, which isrunning while on vacation.
So, whether you're exploring anew city or relaxing by the
beach, we're going to dive intohow you can keep up with your
training while still enjoyingsome much-needed downtime.
(00:20):
Running while traveling is areally cool way to experience
new places, so let's get into it.
One of the greatest thingsabout being a runner is that you
can take your sport with youwherever you go.
My husband and I love to runwhen we're traveling, and it's a
it's one of our favorite waysto explore a new place, because
(00:41):
we have found so many hiddengems on our runs, and they're
places that we never would havecome across if we were just
walking around the city, likedoing a tour or following a you
know kind of do-it-yourself tourof the touristy places, I guess
and we have found, like littlepockets of churches that are
(01:06):
just in this little town squarethat's just a local thing that
we've walked into in Italy, andthe inside of the church is
stained glass and gold andabsolutely beautiful, and some
of these things we would neverhave even known existed had it
not been for us going for a run.
So if you're a planner and liketo map out your runs ahead of
(01:30):
time, there's some great appsthat can help with that.
Great Runs, all Trails, strava,garmin Map, my Run those are
just a few that we've used.
But sometimes it's nice to justhead out and see where the road
takes you.
But sometimes it's nice to justhead out and see where the road
takes you.
But if you do like to planthings out a little bit more,
(01:55):
I'll put in the show notes linksto all of those apps in case
you have not seen them before.
Now we do take a minute tocheck the area around the hotel
or Airbnb or wherever we'restaying, to make sure that it's
good for running, that we canjust go out the door and go for
a run.
Trust me, if you're staying nearan airport, for example,
finding a decent running routecan be nearly impossible.
A lot of times, especially ifit's kind of in the airport
(02:19):
vicinity, there's a lot ofhighways, sometimes there's not
even sidewalks.
They're expecting you're goingto be driving or taking a
shuttle or whatever.
So if that's important to you,then check that out before you
book your hotel for where you'regoing to be going.
So I have a packing list forrunning and I have a packing
list for everything and it'spretty long and I've been using
(02:43):
it for over 20 years and eventhough I travel a lot, I still
go over it every single timebecause forgetting something
essential like running shoes orwater if you're going like water
bottles, if you're goingsomewhere that's really hot can
really mess up your plans andmake it so that you can't run or
(03:03):
makes it a really big hassle ifyou have to go buy a new pair
of running shoes or something.
So I'm going to share my listin the show notes and that can
maybe trigger some things tohelp you make your own so that
you don't forget anything.
Another thing to think about isyour training schedule if you're
training for something.
(03:23):
So I've traveled several timeswhile training for marathons, so
I know how tough it can be tostick to your plan.
One thing I have learned is beflexible.
On a cruise I had to adjust myroutine and I'd have to hit the
treadmill every morning at 6 amto get my miles in.
It wasn't ideal, but I made itwork.
(03:44):
But the thing that I did waskind of tweak what the long runs
were going to be for that weeksurrounding that, so that I, you
know, didn't have a 20 miler onthe treadmill in the middle of
the ocean.
And that's something you mayhave to think about way ahead of
time before you go on vacationif you are going to be keeping
(04:07):
up the training, becausevacation is about relaxing.
So don't let a missed run or ashortened workout stress you out
.
You're supposed to enjoy thistime.
So if something happens andyour long run or whatever can't
happen, don't sweat.
Sweat it.
The key is to plan ahead but beready to adjust as needed.
(04:29):
Missing a long run here orthere is not going to make or
break your training, and if itdoes, then your training isn't
quite what it should be.
So so don't be that personwhere your entire day is ruined
if you can't get that run in forone reason or another.
(04:52):
You can adjust and you cantweak things when you get back.
This is a plug for coaching.
This is where having a coachcomes in really handy, because
we can look at your overallschedule, look at your life,
look at what you're doing andtweak things as needed.
So you are getting thattraining and even if you miss a
(05:12):
long run or miss a track workoutor whatever.
So let's talk about safety.
Running in an unfamiliar placecan be exciting, but you have to
be cautious.
We don't want it too exciting.
One of the first things I dowhen traveling is make sure that
my phone works.
International cell phone plansare pretty affordable these days
, so having access to maps orGPS can save you if you get lost
(05:36):
.
I remember when I was in Parisand for some reason I could run
to the river really easily frommy hotel, but even if I was
keeping track of landmarks andeverything, I could not make it
back to save my life.
So I would have to check thatGPS every time.
And you know, paris is justspokes and wheels and you know
(06:03):
nothing's gridded, and so that'san example of a city that I
definitely recommend havingaccess to GPS.
It's also smart to carry someform of ID with you and the
address of where you're staying.
When I lived in Shanghai, Imade sure to have my name and my
address written in both Englishand Mandarin.
(06:24):
That way, if I needed help, Icould show someone my
information.
So on vacation, you shouldcarry something similar the name
of your hotel, contactinformation for an emergency and
a working phone are all thingsthat are good to have on you.
Before heading out for a run,take a moment and learn about
(06:45):
local customs or runningetiquette in that particular
country or city.
They can have different rulesor practices and you want to
make sure you fit in with thelocal runners and you're not
sticking out like a sore thumb.
And while you're looking upinfo, see if there's a race
happening while you're in town.
Destination races are a greatway to combine travel and
(07:07):
running.
Destination races are a greatway to combine travel and
running, even if you're not inrace mode.
Joining a local 5K or 10K forfun can be a really unique
experience and gets you tomingle with the locals on an
entirely different level than asa tourist.
So, speaking of uniqueexperiences, I have a story from
(07:28):
a trip I took to Paris.
Now I signed up for a runningtour with Go Run Tours I'll link
that up in the show notes aswell and it was totally amazing.
Honestly, I was nervous atfirst.
I, you know, hemmed and hawedand should I do this and should
I not?
But it ended up being one ofthe best things I have ever done
(07:51):
while traveling.
So here's how it works you booka tour, and they have for each
city that they have these tours,and you can look up the
mileages of the different kindof running tours that they have.
So I did what was called agarden tour, so we were running
from one garden to another inhistorical sections.
(08:14):
You know, we ran by the Louvreand the Eiffel Tower as we were
on our way to these differentgardens.
But I was seeing things that Iwouldn't normally have seen
unless I was on this run withthis local.
He spoke English and it waspouring rain that day, which
also was super cool because itwas hot.
(08:35):
So it was.
It was the middle of summer, Iit was probably in the eighties,
but it was pouring rain.
So while we were running by allthese things, there was
absolutely no one else there.
So if you can plan it so thatit's really raining wherever you
are, that may be an addedbenefit.
But we had a black runningthrough the rain and we had the
(08:57):
city almost to ourselves.
So my guide he was a pacer,actually for a race, for some
races, and so he pushed me atthe end because he knew that I
was training for a marathon theend because he knew that I was
training for a marathon.
And at the end of the run hedid a pacing for me at the pace
that I had wanted to run themarathon that I was training for
(09:19):
and we just had a blast.
It was just so much fun, we hadso much of a blast that I
forgot to give him a tip.
But it wasn't necessary, and ifyou're American, you know about
tipping, and if you're not, ina lot of countries that's just
not a thing and it was I had.
I reached out to the person whoarranged the tour and she said
(09:41):
totally fine, they're notexpecting tips, but it was just
an amazing experience.
So if you are in a new city andyou want to combine sightseeing
and running experience, so ifyou are in a new city and you
want to combine sightseeing andrunning, I highly recommend
trying a running tour.
Now, the way they have it setup, I was able to book a private
tour.
You can do it with just you andsomebody else that you know.
You can also book it so thatthere might be, I want to say,
(10:06):
up to six other people and inthat case, you know you're going
to want to know your pacing andpaces and things like that.
I didn't want to have to worryabout any of that, so I booked a
private tour.
But whatever, however you do it, I highly highly recommend it.
It was.
It was amazing.
(10:27):
So out of all myrecommendations and all my tips
for running on vacation, thatwould be the main one is go to
Go Run Tours.
Go to the link and see ifthere's something, even in your
own city.
I mean, why not?
Right?
But if you're going to adestination, see if they have
(10:48):
tours available there.
It's a unique experience.
You can hear all about thelocal stuff, you'll see things
you wouldn't normally see andyou're getting your run in.
So definitely check out thelinks, especially if you're
going to be going on vacationanytime soon, and have fun
getting that run in in anotherplace.
Hey there, runners, welcome back to the Wrinkled
Runner podcast.
I'm your host, sheri, and todaywe're talking about one of my
favorite topics, which isrunning while on vacation.
So, whether you're exploring anew city or relaxing by the
beach, we're going to dive intohow you can keep up with your
training while still enjoyingsome much-needed downtime.
(00:20):
Running while traveling is areally cool way to experience
new places, so let's get into it.
One of the greatest thingsabout being a runner is that you
can take your sport with youwherever you go.
My husband and I love to runwhen we're traveling, and it's a
it's one of our favorite waysto explore a new place, because
(00:41):
we have found so many hiddengems on our runs, and they're
places that we never would havecome across if we were just
walking around the city, likedoing a tour or following a you
know kind of do-it-yourself tourof the touristy places, I guess
and we have found, like littlepockets of churches that are
(01:06):
just in this little town squarethat's just a local thing that
we've walked into in Italy, andthe inside of the church is
stained glass and gold andabsolutely beautiful, and some
of these things we would neverhave even known existed had it
not been for us going for a run.
So if you're a planner and liketo map out your runs ahead of
(01:30):
time, there's some great appsthat can help with that.
Great Runs, all Trails, strava,garmin Map, my Run those are
just a few that we've used.
But sometimes it's nice to justhead out and see where the road
takes you.
But sometimes it's nice to justhead out and see where the road
takes you.
But if you do like to planthings out a little bit more,
(01:55):
I'll put in the show notes linksto all of those apps in case
you have not seen them before.
Now we do take a minute tocheck the area around the hotel
or Airbnb or wherever we'restaying, to make sure that it's
good for running, that we canjust go out the door and go for
a run.
Trust me, if you're staying nearan airport, for example,
finding a decent running routecan be nearly impossible.
A lot of times, especially ifit's kind of in the airport
(02:19):
vicinity, there's a lot ofhighways, sometimes there's not
even sidewalks.
They're expecting you're goingto be driving or taking a
shuttle or whatever.
So if that's important to you,then check that out before you
book your hotel for where you'regoing to be going.
So I have a packing list forrunning and I have a packing
list for everything and it'spretty long and I've been using
(02:43):
it for over 20 years and eventhough I travel a lot, I still
go over it every single timebecause forgetting something
essential like running shoes orwater if you're going like water
bottles, if you're goingsomewhere that's really hot can
really mess up your plans andmake it so that you can't run or
(03:03):
makes it a really big hassle ifyou have to go buy a new pair
of running shoes or something.
So I'm going to share my listin the show notes and that can
maybe trigger some things tohelp you make your own so that
you don't forget anything.
Another thing to think about isyour training schedule if you're
training for something.
(03:23):
So I've traveled several timeswhile training for marathons, so
I know how tough it can be tostick to your plan.
One thing I have learned is beflexible.
On a cruise I had to adjust myroutine and I'd have to hit the
treadmill every morning at 6 amto get my miles in.
It wasn't ideal, but I made itwork.
(03:44):
But the thing that I did waskind of tweak what the long runs
were going to be for that weeksurrounding that, so that I, you
know, didn't have a 20 miler onthe treadmill in the middle of
the ocean.
And that's something you mayhave to think about way ahead of
time before you go on vacationif you are going to be keeping
(04:07):
up the training, becausevacation is about relaxing.
So don't let a missed run or ashortened workout stress you out
.
You're supposed to enjoy thistime.
So if something happens andyour long run or whatever can't
happen, don't sweat.
Sweat it.
The key is to plan ahead but beready to adjust as needed.
(04:29):
Missing a long run here orthere is not going to make or
break your training, and if itdoes, then your training isn't
quite what it should be.
So so don't be that personwhere your entire day is ruined
if you can't get that run in forone reason or another.
(04:52):
You can adjust and you cantweak things when you get back.
This is a plug for coaching.
This is where having a coachcomes in really handy, because
we can look at your overallschedule, look at your life,
look at what you're doing andtweak things as needed.
So you are getting thattraining and even if you miss a
(05:12):
long run or miss a track workoutor whatever.
So let's talk about safety.
Running in an unfamiliar placecan be exciting, but you have to
be cautious.
We don't want it too exciting.
One of the first things I dowhen traveling is make sure that
my phone works.
International cell phone plansare pretty affordable these days
, so having access to maps orGPS can save you if you get lost
(05:36):
.
I remember when I was in Parisand for some reason I could run
to the river really easily frommy hotel, but even if I was
keeping track of landmarks andeverything, I could not make it
back to save my life.
So I would have to check thatGPS every time.
And you know, paris is justspokes and wheels and you know
(06:03):
nothing's gridded, and so that'san example of a city that I
definitely recommend havingaccess to GPS.
It's also smart to carry someform of ID with you and the
address of where you're staying.
When I lived in Shanghai, Imade sure to have my name and my
address written in both Englishand Mandarin.
(06:24):
That way, if I needed help, Icould show someone my
information.
So on vacation, you shouldcarry something similar the name
of your hotel, contactinformation for an emergency and
a working phone are all thingsthat are good to have on you.
Before heading out for a run,take a moment and learn about
(06:45):
local customs or runningetiquette in that particular
country or city.
They can have different rulesor practices and you want to
make sure you fit in with thelocal runners and you're not
sticking out like a sore thumb.
And while you're looking upinfo, see if there's a race
happening while you're in town.
Destination races are a greatway to combine travel and
(07:07):
running.
Destination races are a greatway to combine travel and
running, even if you're not inrace mode.
Joining a local 5K or 10K forfun can be a really unique
experience and gets you tomingle with the locals on an
entirely different level than asa tourist.
So, speaking of uniqueexperiences, I have a story from
(07:28):
a trip I took to Paris.
Now I signed up for a runningtour with Go Run Tours I'll link
that up in the show notes aswell and it was totally amazing.
Honestly, I was nervous atfirst.
I, you know, hemmed and hawedand should I do this and should
I not?
But it ended up being one ofthe best things I have ever done
(07:51):
while traveling.
So here's how it works you booka tour, and they have for each
city that they have these tours,and you can look up the
mileages of the different kindof running tours that they have.
So I did what was called agarden tour, so we were running
from one garden to another inhistorical sections.
(08:14):
You know, we ran by the Louvreand the Eiffel Tower as we were
on our way to these differentgardens.
But I was seeing things that Iwouldn't normally have seen
unless I was on this run withthis local.
He spoke English and it waspouring rain that day, which
also was super cool because itwas hot.
(08:35):
So it was.
It was the middle of summer, Iit was probably in the eighties,
but it was pouring rain.
So while we were running by allthese things, there was
absolutely no one else there.
So if you can plan it so thatit's really raining wherever you
are, that may be an addedbenefit.
But we had a black runningthrough the rain and we had the
(08:57):
city almost to ourselves.
So my guide he was a pacer,actually for a race, for some
races, and so he pushed me atthe end because he knew that I
was training for a marathon theend because he knew that I was
training for a marathon.
And at the end of the run hedid a pacing for me at the pace
that I had wanted to run themarathon that I was training for
(09:19):
and we just had a blast.
It was just so much fun, we hadso much of a blast that I
forgot to give him a tip.
But it wasn't necessary, and ifyou're American, you know about
tipping, and if you're not, ina lot of countries that's just
not a thing and it was I had.
I reached out to the person whoarranged the tour and she said
(09:41):
totally fine, they're notexpecting tips, but it was just
an amazing experience.
So if you are in a new city andyou want to combine sightseeing
and running experience, so ifyou are in a new city and you
want to combine sightseeing andrunning, I highly recommend
trying a running tour.
Now, the way they have it setup, I was able to book a private
tour.
You can do it with just you andsomebody else that you know.
You can also book it so thatthere might be, I want to say,
(10:06):
up to six other people and inthat case, you know you're going
to want to know your pacing andpaces and things like that.
I didn't want to have to worryabout any of that, so I booked a
private tour.
But whatever, however you do it, I highly highly recommend it.
It was.
It was amazing.
(10:27):
So out of all myrecommendations and all my tips
for running on vacation, thatwould be the main one is go to
Go Run Tours.
Go to the link and see ifthere's something, even in your
own city.
I mean, why not?
Right?
But if you're going to adestination, see if they have
(10:48):
tours available there.
It's a unique experience.
You can hear all about thelocal stuff, you'll see things
you wouldn't normally see andyou're getting your run in.
So definitely check out thelinks, especially if you're
going to be going on vacationanytime soon, and have fun
getting that run in in anotherplace.
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