Training when you travel

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Today's Workout: 5 miles easy, 9 min pace. Left achilles is not wanting to play ball.

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Less than TWO WEEKS until Thanksgiving! Where is the time going? I will be going back to Minneapolis and, as is tradition, we will be running the Turkey Trot.

Lifetime Fitness and Second Harvest Heartland collect food and proceeds for a local food bank. Nothing like giving back on day we set aside to remember how grateful we should be for our life's blessings.

They are holding similar races in Boise, Chicago, Phoenix, and San Francisco. Go here and register for the race if you live in these areas!

Because my birthday falls during the week of Thanksgiving, once in awhile my birthday actually falls on Thanksgiving Day, like last year. Because it was my birthday, Kyle said he would join my family on the run - his first 5K! We decided to run it together, and we finished in about 24 minutes - not bad for his first go at it!

Due to his class schedule, he will not be back early enough on Thursday to join us this year. But he will be back in time for food. Seems like he planned it that way.....

I have a lot of traveling coming up. With holidays right around the corner, I doubt I am alone in this camp. We all know it is hard to stick to our routines around the holiday season, and the constant packing up and hitting the road is a major factor.

Shalane Flanagan, a profession runner and Olympian, writes about this very topic here. I had the pleasure of meeting Shalane when I attended Cross Country camps at the University of North Carolina in high school. She was a stud when she ran for the Heels, and it was a treat to meet such an accomplished runner at a young age.

We got to go a runs with her, grab a few bites to eat, and she personally gave me a ride to the airport when the camp ended. We got to pick her brain about everything, but one thing that for some reason has always stuck with me is when she made a comment about not liking to run more than once a day because she doesn't like to have to take more than one shower. As a young runners who basically idolized her, we of course thought she must be so hard core and that is why she is SO successful. While she does work incredibly hard, comments like this reminded us that she was a normal person who was incredibly talented.

A few tricks of my own:

- If you are traveling somewhere that you go to often (in my case to see family in Minnesota/New York/Chicago, or to see the boyfriend in NC) leave some workout gear there to use whenever you are in town (If your family is on board with being your storage unit). Just a pair of shoes that aren't beaten down, a couple t-shirts and workout shorts/pants are all you need, and can be stored in a box in the back of a closet. I stumbled across this trick by accident, when I left some workout gear in NC after a visited. It was nice for packing sake to not have to make room for those items in the bag for my next trip knowing they were already down there waiting for me. (Make sure to clean your gear before you leave so when you return its not all stanky!

- Sometimes it seems like you need a vacation after traveling for the holidays because you are constantly running from one thing to another. It can be difficult to find time to get some sort of workout in. Try doing a quick 15-20 minute (longer if you have the time) workout right when you wake up in the morning. If you can get out and run a mile or two, or if you can do one of these workouts (arms, legs, core) that do not require any weights, you will feel a million times better. Doing something is much better then doing nothing. Also, doing something first thing in the morning wakes up your metabolism before you eat an over indulgent brunch or (insert every meal during holiday season). It is common to see one healthy decision leading to other healthy decisions. Starting your day off on the right foot can help keep you from feeling the the need to make a guilt-induced New Year's Resolution.

- Try to get those you are visiting to get in on the fun! Asking friends or family around you join you for a run or to do a quick workout  is a great way to kill two bids with one stone. You get to spend quality time with them doing something that will make you both feel better!

I hope some of these tricks help you in your busy lives!