Holidays are a time for relaxing, destressing and experiencing new food and new places. Holidays are NOT a time to lose your fitness and feel-good-attitude because you are not exercising.
If you asked me to describe my perfect holiday, running MORE than usual would be included in that description. I love trying new food and drinks while on holiday, but my constitution is not always as happy as my taste buds with these experiments. In order to enjoy myself optimally, I need to keep active. I also LOVE running therefore it’s a win-win situation.
Why would anyone want to exercise on holiday you might ask?
Have you ever returned from a holiday feeling like you need to go on a diet immediately and that you desperately need a good sweat? Have you ever been on holiday and towards the end every photo you see of yourself is disappointing? This has happened to me. I remember one holiday where I looked at photos and disliked them all, but a few months later I could not understand why I made such a fuss. Now I realize that due to a lack of endorphins I didn’t feel good during the holiday and therefore did not look good to myself. When going on holidays now I try to avoid building up to this point! With my active-holiday attitude I find that I enjoy myself much more. I have no food guilt, I feel comfortable in my own skin and I don’t worry about derailing from my fitness goals.
What to know for holiday running:
Planning
I am a planner and therefore when planning our holiday and the daily activities, I also incorporate runs into the plan. To keep the holiday spirit up, on running days I plan activities for a bit later in the mornings. This creates perfect balance as I can enjoy runs without feeling rushed and without the need to run at 5am.
Communication
I communicate my running plan with my husband before the holiday. Sometimes he joins and sometimes he wants to relax with coffee and rusks (a South African treat) at the accommodation while I go for a run. We communicate our preference and goals with each other to avoid arguments and irritation. My husband understands why I need to run and therefore he supports me. Partners sometimes fail to support each other due to a lack of understanding regarding the other person’s needs and goals. Be open about your goals and plans.
Wake up with the town
Running early in the morning allows you to see the tourist sites without the tourists. This creates the perfect selfie opportunity without the “strangers” in the background of your photo. Experiencing a town while the world is sleeping and the sun is rising is the definition of perfect. You experience the town in a way that is completely unique and will most likely see more than Google could ever recommend for your “to-see” list.
Routes
Planning your route: I usually Google my route based on what I want to see. There are often runs saved on various websites for different towns which has also proven very helpful. Feeling excited for specific things that I want to see on the run, motivates me for the run or should I say run-see (run and see). Make sure to try as many new routes as possible.
Expectation
I adjust my running program and also my personal expectation for the runs. I am not running on holiday to make my fastest time or to run for 3 hours at a time. I run to ensure that I feel good for the day ahead, to enjoy my holiday with a clear head and to see amazing sites. I usually limit my run to 60 minutes and sometimes I push for 90 minutes. I expect to run a slower pace in anticipation of the photos I will take, but also enjoy some runs with no cameras.
Sprints
Incorporate sprints into your program! These are highly effective and consumes very little time. We love to do 300m sprints on holiday. We do a 2km warm up and then 10 x 300m. 30 – 35 minutes is all you need!
Wishing everyone an active and happy holiday! Let the piles of washing, not your fitness, be the catch up you need to do after holidays.