Training While on Vacation
Greetings from Collingwood.
Apologies for the lack of communication on Monday – I took the day off to relax in the most exaggerated sense possible on vacation with my family and a few members we have adopted along the way.
A few shots so far:
The endlessly entertaining game of Quelf. Hands down, my favourite game!
Trying to fit into small spaces
And a whole lot of off road biking!
Post ride damage
Post ride recovery
It has been fantastic – full of fresh air, lots of food and lot of R & R. The only caveat is that I am at the peak of my marathon training and it can be hard to stick to a regular schedule on vacation, especially as it runs counter to the reason why you go on vacation in the first place.
Unfortunately, you cannot just cast aside your training for a week and hope that all will be fine when you return. A few things I have done to make sure that things stay on track:
1. Cut your long runs into two. Sunday’s are my long run. This past weekend, I had to run 29 km, but I wasn’t about to do it all with my family. I woke up early and cranked out 19 km before we left and did the remaining 10 km when we arrived at the lodge while they were settling in and exploring the grounds.
2. Plan ahead. I brought along my water bottles, my hydration pack and checked out some local routes around the area. One of my favourite mapping tools is MapMyRun.
3. Invite a family member along. This morning, I woke up early and happened to see my father was up before my speed workout. He joined me on his bike and having someone chatter at me for the run helped me get through it quickly and we were back before breakfast!
4. Use it as a lighter week. If I am given an option on distance or speed, I stay on the lighter distance. This allows me the extra energy to play hard and cross train by biking, climbing and swimming.
What is number 5 for you?
Do you keep up with your training plan while on vacation?
This just gave me the biggest smile! God, that was FUN! I don’t think I’ll ever see a mountain bike without hearing you “Whooping” through the trees at break neck speed aiming for every mud puddle on the path!!
P to the S, I hope it’s ok that I’m TOTALLY going to use that last picture on Facebook…it’s excellent!
It just tells me that we mountain bike well together and that there will be many more times in the future! The fact that you are comfortable launching over handle bars and coming back for more shows how truly badass you are.
A picture on the internet is a picture for all! I love your expression in it! Thanks for coming again!