Sunday, October 5, 2008

Training In Out-Of-Town Venues Offers A Break


Sometimes when we travel, merging our busy travel and training agendas can be stressful.

The trip is generally inevitable, so you need to make the most of your time to keep up with training activities, particularly if you’re working toward an event in the near future. My approach toward this is to take some extra time to plan out how I can work training exercises into my travel schedule. Additionally, working out in whatever venue you’re traveling to may offer a scenic and welcome break.

I had this experience recently on a trip to Philadelphia. With very little research, I was able to identify a three-mile-plus run that took me from my downtown hotel to the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art made famous the by the “Rocky” movies. It was a very enjoyable run.

I’ve run in numerous venues where my travels regularly tend to take me – Colorado, Chicago, Florida, St. Louis and Kansas City. There is nothing like running or biking in the mountains of Colorado. You also get the bonus of higher altitude air that can help you upon your return home if you’re there for an extended period of time. I’ve found the same effect from working out in the heat and humidity of the summer in Florida.

Tampa and Miami have some wonderful waterfront biking and running areas. There’s nothing like biking or running along the lakefront against the cityscape of Chicago at Lake Michigan. St. Louis and Kansas City also have numerous scenic trail venues. I recently rode my bike along the Katy Trail in Missouri and it was wonderful.

Just about anywhere you travel, you can find great places to break out and experience new training venues that can be a welcome change to your routine. Check out this feature on the Runner’s World website that helps you identify running routes in various locations -- http://www.runnersworld.com/topic/0,7122,s6-239-281-0-0,00.html.

Additionally, you can generally find hotels in metropolitan areas that will cater to your fitness needs through the research of a phone call or the web. Some even have partnerships with local health clubs that will cost you nothing or just a little extra. If you’re unable to bring the bike along for a ride, there are often places to rent bikes in trail-heavy areas.

Don’t let a trip stand in the way of experiencing some wonderful fitness activities in parts of the world that many times offer a motivating break from your routine.

No comments: