Running Vacations

Running vacations are a great way to take your passion on the road.

One of the greatest things about running is that you can do it anywhere. This being said running on vacation or traveling to a race should not seem so farfetched. Just remember if you travel and run get a RoadID so that if soemthing happens they know who you are. Ever since I became a runner, I pack my gear for every trip I take. After all you never know when you will want to go for a run.

Running Vacations

No matter where I go on vacation I am always ready to go for a run. It is a great way to explore a new area and work off all the food I tend to eat while away. I have even gone for a morning run while on a family camping trip, I had my gear just in case and found a great trail I wanted to check out so I laced up my shoes and off I went.

Depending on where I am headed for vacation will greatly depend on what and how much gear I pack. Take the camping trip for example; I did not expect to go for a run so I only brought one outfit just in case. However when I head down to Florida to visit the family I pack several outfits to run in because I know I will run almost every day of the trip.
When I start to plan a vacation one of the first things I do try and figure out if there will be places to run, that way I can make it a running vacations. I also try and see if they have any local races I may want to do while I am there but we will get to that in a bit. After checking the running potential of my vacation spot I can then plan out what to pack for my running vacations. And even if I think I won't be running at all I bring one outfit just in case, because I would rather be ready to run then want too and not be able too.

Traveling to Races

We all have races that we want to do, kind of like a race bucket list. I did one of mine last year, that was the Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon. Disney makes it easy to travel to one of their races because once you get there and they provide all the transportation you need. Most races aren't so easy though, they take a little more planning on your part. Here is some information on traveling with kids that could help if you are taking the family with you.

The first thing you need to do when going on a running vacations wher you will be running a race is to sign up for the race. Don't count on the race not filling up. If you want to plan a trip you need to make sure you will have a race to run in. After you got your entry for the race then you need to decide where you will stay. The best and cheapest choice is to stay with family or friends. However that is not always an option, so check out the race's website for recommended hotels in the area. Some races will provide transportation to the race from certain hotels or even offer a discount for runners, so this is a good place to start looking for a hotel.

Now that we are signed up for the race and have a place to crash we need transportation to the race. If you did not drive to the destination, your hotel does not provide it, and don't have any friends or family in the area, then a rental car is your best option. This is where traveling and racing can get pricy, you have to pay for the race, pay for the trip to the race, pay for a place to sleep, and then pay for a car to get you to the race. But depending on the race it can be totally worth it, and if you plan a family vacation around the race then some of the cost fits into the vacation budget and does not count for the race (this is what I tell my husband anyway).

What to pack for the race?

It is very important that you check the local weather the week of the race. The reason you do this is because the weather changes and can be totally unexpected. For my Disney race I planned to wear a great running skirt and short sleeve shirt, but the week of the race turned out to be very cold so I packed a pair of tights and a long sleeve shirt just in case and that is what I ended up wearing. So remember to check the weather and if you are not 100% sure that what you want to wear will be appropriate for the weather then pack a just in case outfit to run in too.

It is also very important to pack the fuel you will need on the race. Do not count on finding the special kind of chews you like in the area; just bring them with you and that way you don't have to worry about it. The key to enjoying a race you travel too is having as little stress as possible. You want to enjoy the experience and not be worrying that your race will suck because you don't have what you need. So make a list of what you would have with you for the same distance race at home and figure out a way to bring it with you.

As you all can see running vacations or traveling to a race is not so scary. Our sport is one of the most mobile ones out there and now we all know that we can run anywhere.