Quick Tip: Remember to Follow the Rules of Vacation Running

I’m officially on “vacation.”

To be honest, I’m not sure if what we are doing counts as a proper vacation or not. (I don’t think it does…)

Beks, Adi, and yours truly are taking a trip back to the homeland to visit Mama and Papa Diz back in good old Northern Michigan.

Will it be a break from work? I guess so.

But I’d struggle to call staying with family for seven days a true vacation.

I love my family, but going back “home” for seven straight days is hardly a break.

When I think of an ideal vacation, I hope to do absolutely nothing but the following:

• My wife.
• Run.
• Read.
• Think.
• Write.
• Drink gin.

But the last thing I want to do is “stuff.”

And I don’t know about you, but when we go visit my family “stuff” is all we do.

And since it’s 4th of July time, and my hometown has a big festival/town party centered around the 4th, there is ample stuff.

Anyway, while my vacation likely won’t be the stuff of legend there are some rules that you should follow, at least as it relates to your running, that I’d like to share with you in case you actually have the opportunity to go on a good vacation this summer (or any time of year).

The Rules of Vacation Running

When you’re on vacation, the “rules” related to your running are quite simple.

• Run…

There are few things better than running on vacation.

You don’t have to try to squeeze your running into a narrow window like you may have to do during your regular life.

There is no work. There is no car line. And there may not be much on the to do list.

Plus, you’ll have a chance to run in some different places than your usual routes.

And if you’re in a new place, there is no finer way to go site seeing/explore a city than on two feet.

• …Or Don’t

As great as it can be to run while you’re on vacation, not running while on vacation is pretty damn nice too!

Most of us have a tendency to burn the candle a bit on both ends, so maybe your vacation would be a good time to rest, relax, and sleep in as much as possible.

And if your vacation includes some richer food than normal and the chance to have a few drinks as well, I say live it up!

You’re not going to lose much, if any, fitness in a week of enjoying a little time away from the routine.

So if you want to leave your running shoes at home for vacation, I have no problems with that at all.

• Listen to Your Body

You know I’m a fan of learning to listen to your body.

When you’re on vacation, if you want to run a little more than usual I say go for it!

Since you don’t have the stress of regular life weighing you down, odds are you’ll be fine to up your volume a bit while you’re on some new trails or exploring a new city.

That said, don’t be foolish.

If you bump up your mileage too much simply because you’re on vacation, odds are you are going to do yourself more harm than good.

So listen to your body.

If you run a bit longer one day, then go ahead and take the next day off and just laze by the pool to relax a bit.

The last thing any runner wants to do is be injured, but an injury “souvenir” is something that you should never bring home from a vacation.

So listen to your body. If something doesn’t feel right, you had a few too many drinks, or are dealing with a food hangover, cut yourself some slack and just take it easy for a day.

I mean, you are on vacation after all.

Have a vacation coming up? Make sure you remember to follow the rules of vacation #running! #runchat Click To Tweet

Do You Like to Run on Vacation? Or Would You Rather Eat, Drink, and Be Merry?

Do You Enjoy Vacations with Family? Why or Why Not?

Want to Support the Continued Growth & Production of the Show?

Check out the support page for ideas and suggestions of ways you can help me grow the show. And remember, not all support involves money. Some of the best ways you can show your support are 100% free.

Subscribe to the Show

Never miss another episode of the Diz Runs With podcast by subscribing to the show, and for my fellow Apple fans out there, it’s never been easier now that the podcast app is native on the new operating system. iPhone/iPod/iPad users click here. Android users click here. SoundCloud users click here.

Please Give Me Some Feedback!

Take the 6 question listener survey to help me shape the future of this podcast.

Register for a Free Race Training Plan

Every month, I’m giving away a FREE training plan for the race of your choice. For details/information, and to sign up, just click here.

Join The Tribe!

There’s always room for more members of the tribe! Both the Facebook group and the email group provide opportunities that can’t be found anywhere else. The Facebook group is still small, but it is a great way to connect with fellow runners and foster community amongst like-minded individuals. The email group is THE way to stay up to date about future guests on the show, as well as getting some other freebies and offers that aren’t available to anyone else. If you’ve got questions about either/both, just let me know!

Legalese:

Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. This simply means that if you decide to make a purchase using one of the links, I get paid a small commission at no extra expense to you.