It's Vacation - How Do I Keep Exercising?

This post occurred to me as I was writing about my most recent excursion.  I did keep up my running streak of at least a mile every day but there were a couple times I wasn't sure if I would.  I'm generally talking about running, but I do other workouts like Circuit and Zumba and sometimes try to fit those in on the road as well.

The cons of running/working out/exercising on vacation (because there are some)

• Pack more clothes!  Running requires a whole extra set of clothing, which takes up tons of room in my suitcase.  Even if I wear my running gear more than once (I run alone, it's fine), it's still a consideration and particularly relevant to those of traveling by plane.
• Pack more shoes!  I thought the running tights and shirts took up room.  I can't even wear these shoes for anything else.
• Sometimes I just want to wake up and eat cereal with a two year old.  Sometimes I don't want to go for a long run because I don't want to miss things I can only do on vacation like watch Elmo or learn how to work my iPhone from my nephew.

 

The pros of running/working out/exercising on vacation - are the same as they are at home.  That said, it's vacation.  If you're training for a race, vacation is a great time for an easy week or a step back week.  Have fun.

How'd I do it this time? 

• Know the schedule.  Some days had nothing planned and I could run whenever and not miss anything.  Other days had stuff planned and I had to make a serious effort to get up early and go.
• Know the weather.  I'd originally had the seven mile run planned for the day I could only run a mile because of the rain.  It was nice to be able to be flexible.
• Know the goals of working out for the week - I need to run at least a mile every day, run at least one run of seven miles, and have total mileage around 25 miles, so I was able to stay pretty focused and get my work done.  Other possible goals are to work out a total number of minutes on vacations or burn a certain number of calories (enough to compensate for the five pounds of strawberries I ate perhaps?)
• Runners - look at a map before you go.  For the love of god, know what's around.  Some places I've been wind up having these fantastic running paths that I'd totally have missed without looking.  Also know if the only option for running is the one sidewalk along the six lane road in the suburbs.  That'll be a low mileage week.  Gmap Pedometer is a great site for checking out roads, running paths and potential routes and mileage ahead of time.
• Find out what exercise options there are before you go, even if you don't run.  When I go home I know there is running and I usually go to at least one Jazzercise class.  My parents have a basement which is good for circuit workouts, but only one set of dumbells.  When staying at a hotel, they usually describe the type of gym or equipment on their website.
• Apps are suddenly ten times more relevant. "I want to run a mile" is so much easier with a phone with GPS on it that can tell me how far I've gone.  Also great for checking weather, sunrise times, and taking great pictures.
• Find something special that makes running more fun.  It's vacation.  Run on the beach.  I did.