Workout Wednesday 3: Working Out On Vacation

Sorry to miss last week’s Workout Wednesday post on winter running. I was…on vacation.

When I am travelling, I like to take a little bit of a technology detox. As a blogger, PR manager and millennial, my phone tends to be glued to my hip so whenever is appropriate, I like to go off-line. One thing I don’t do is stop moving around which is what I wanted to talk about in today’s post.

If it is my off-season, I will do whatever I feel like on vacation in terms of activity, but now that I am working with a training schedule, I need to be a bit more creative. Here are a few of the things I do when I am away to make sure that I get most of my workouts in during my triathlon training.

Get up early

Often, those you are vacationing with will not rise before the sun so it is a perfect opportunity to get in a few miles before the day begins. On the day that I had a few high-intensity intervals, Mark and I got up while it was still dark and ran some local trails while the sun rose. We can back in time to grab coffee and head off on a day of adventures.

Ocean Water Swims

If swimming is a part of your schedule, take it to the open water and battle waves, salty water and stings from random sea creatures for practice for race distractions. I let my coach know about the vacation in advance and he changed my swim work from laps to simply time swimming.

Find a local gym

When we were based in Miami, we searched up a local gym that allowed us a free day as a trial pass. We were able to get in a strength workout and a bike workout on the spin bikes.

Run a race

Make activity the main event with your group by signing up for a local race. I gave my parents the race in their stockings this year and it was a fun event for us all to do together. They loved being involved in something that they normally only spectate at. Just make sure there are options where everyone feels comfortable – my mother is not a runner so we ensured it was a walk/run option for the 5 KM and she was able to take photos on a nice little trail walk and get a medal.

Rent bikes

At our house near Tampa, we don’t have road bikes, but we have some older bikes that we can ride around on. Mark and I switched up our long ride by exploring the local trail system on a long ride.

Don’t stress

 

Don’t worry if you miss a few workouts due to holiday schedules. Remember, this is a break and your workouts should enhance your trip, not stress you out! If there is a little bit of red on your TrainerRoad programs or a few missed days on your Strava account, no one will die and no fitness will be lost. Be flexible with your schedule and have fun.

Next week, I am diving into the Crossfit world. Check back for some of my favourite movements and my thoughts as a complete newbie to the sport.