Walt Disney World Marathon Dopey Challenge 2015 Week 10 & 11 Training: Tips for Travel and Your Training (and Goofy Giveback information)
- Set your wakeup call before you go out for the evening --- Now this one may seem a bit odd, but this is all about accountability. More importantly when your eyeing that extra beer, big hamburger, or it is starting to get late in the evening, trust me your mind will go back to that wake up call and get you back in bed so you can have a solid run the next morning.
- Lay out your running clothes before going to sleep --- Another accountability trick, by laying out your clothes the night before really will help you shake off the sleepiness the next morning, and hopefully prevent fashion mistakes.
- Check the weather before you hit the road --- Just traveling trip 101, know what kind of clothes to pack and be prepared for what is in store. For example running in Disney World, there have been days when the temperature did not get above 40 and it was raining and other days when it was 85 and sunny, so know what to prepare for.
- Check the altitude --- I was in Denver this week at 5500 feet and let’s just say I now know why athletes train at altitude. I could really feel the thin air especially after I stopped.
- Have a road ID --- I am big fan of having the road ID even when I am not traveling and it is for that just in case scenario. Knowing that in case something goes sideway during a run, I have information to get in contact with my loved ones.
- Get to know your hotel staff --- This actually has a couple of benefits. First, they will generally know of any local running trails or parks and can point you in the right direction. In some cases I have even had hotel staff join me on runs. Secondly, they will hopefully know who you are and when you come back they will generally have a bottle of water, towel, or cookie (double tree only) when you return from the run. More importantly they can tell you what room you are staying in. True story, I had a trip and got to my hotel and had enough time to get out for a run before I had to go speak at an evening event. So got to my room, quickly threw on my running gear, grabbed my room key (btw never forget this), and out I went for about an hour. Got back to the hotel was greeted with a bottle of water and I promptly went to the elevator. I got in the elevator and did not know what floor I was on or the room number. Back to the front desk, who politely reminded me, with not too much laughing, what room I was staying in.
- Find a co-worker to run with --- If your at a conference find a running buddy once again another accountability factor, it is a lot easier to get up at 6am if you told someone else your going to meet them in lobby.
- Find a local grocery --- For me this is a travel 101 tip, I always find a grocery for at least to get a case of water, and if your planning on running while your traveling this is a must. Plus it will save you money, generally a case of water will run between $3-$5 while 1 bottle in the hotel costs about the same.
- Compression socks on the flights --- This is a relatively new tip for me. During long runs I wear calf sleeves or compression socks not only for recovery but also for support. One thing I have noticed over the years is after a long flight, my feet get a little swollen and legs are tired. So my coach, Jimmy, recommend I try wearing the socks during a flight and it really made a difference.
Hopefully you liked the tips I use, but I want to know if any of you have any tips for your running travels. So please share!
Here is my schedule for this week:
Comments
- Anonymous
September 19, 2014
Great tips Matt...glad I don't have to travel much though... :) - Anonymous
September 21, 2014
Ditto here... I don't travel much... but when I do... I have used some of your tips! Safe Travels! See you soon!
P.S. Beat the blerch this weekend!!! Check out my blog!