Traveling. I think it’s such a blessing to experience new cultures, cities, and foods. I made a commitment to myself that I was going to start traveling more. In the past, traveling for me was all about wine, food, and lounging. But with my new-found love for triathlons, I now like to incorporate training into my vacations as well.
There are some cities where I can get access to a local Lifetime Athletic and really don’t have to miss a beat on my training. However, that’s not always the case. For instance, I visited Aruba. No Lifetime Athletic here! I wanted to share just a couple of quick tips on how I was able to maintain my tri training (including nutrition) while away.
- Run: I like to run alone, that’s just me. But being away from home can make that challenging. I always check out the hotel gym first – the treadmills here are usually not the best quality but they in general will get the job done. I usually see that the belt will slip a little – luckily, I didn’t have that problem on my most recent trip. The second option is finding a busy park, boardwalk, etc – I personally will not venture out into local neighborhoods, etc. But somewhere like Aruba, the resorts line the ocean so there are always a lot of people and it’s very hard to get lost.
- Bike: Unless you travel with your bike, the best option I have found here is the hotel gym. A lot of these gyms will have a recumbent bike but if you strike gold, you can find a spin bike. Another tip for my rides is: if I am away for a long weekend, I will plan out my training so I tackle my runs while away then do the swim & bike when I’m back in town.
- Swim: The ocean can be an amazing place to get in your swim – most have markers to stop you from getting too far from shore. Hotel pools tend to be too busy unless you can get in early and beat the crowds. If you are going to swim in the ocean and your training plan calls for distance goals (IE: 5 x 100s with a 10 second break), I just take the average time it would take me to get that done and swim for that period. Sure, it’s not exactly what your plan called for but at least your getting your workout in
- Nutrition: I like to taste the local cuisine in its most natural setting. Here in Aruba, that is a lot of fresh fish – so instead of getting that fish fried, I’ll get it grilled (or something similar). Then you aren’t weighing yourself down but are still able to enjoy the local cuisine. Now I’m not saying don’t splurge while on vacation – vacation is all about experiences, right? – but also don’t feel the need to eat just to eat.
What are some of your go-to tips for training on vacation?
Truth Hurts Food Reviews 