Training whilst traveling

As the steady-state of late spring finally arrives in Western Pennsylvania, I'm pleased to say I will be doing quite a bit of living at home over the course of this summer! My early spring has been chock full of travel: in February and March, I spent more time away from Pittsburgh than I did at home. Despite this, I've come back from two months off of running due to injury and gotten myself back into pretty good racing shape. Some of my friends have expressed surprised at how I managed to train seriously when I'm away from my normal life schedule. I decided that I have figured out some small things that have helped me successfully continue training away from home, which might be of use to serious and casual athletes alike, who find themselves traveling a fair bit for work.

1. Do Something
I've found that convincing myself to get dressed and start running is often the hardest part of training while traveling, since I do feel rather out of whack and feel as though my schedule is at the mercy of the Airline Gods. There will be days that you feel like you were hit by a truck, caused by that airport Chinese food you ate, or the jetlag that's caught up with you, or the noisy neighbors in your hotel watching Whose Line at 3 am, or the disturbing abuse of caffeine you have developed over the course of attempting to complete 8 hours of work in during days you fly. However, if you can manage to get your shoes on and get out the door, it's likely that a few minutes of exercise will make you feel better.

2. Prioritize quality over quantity
If you have to cut something, cut junk miles. That is, if you have a workout and an easy run, and you realize you're only going to have time for one, run the tough workout. This is a good mantra for life in general: running fast makes you fast. Slow "junk" miles are good for marathoners long-term, but not as good as key workouts. You'll get the added bonus of feeling like you managed to get in a tough workout despite a crazy schedule, rather than feeling like you "missed" the important part of your training week.

3. Food
Here, I'll give a few quick pointers to not feel like death:
- Get some cereal, fruit, granola bars, etc to have on hand in the morning. It'll save you time if you don't have to eat out every morning (which you can use to get in a few AM miles!), will keep you from crashing before lunch, and will give you added fuel if you decide to run in the afternoon or evening. Plus, what you choose at the store will almost certainly be healthier than what you buy at Dunkin Donuts. Pro Tip: even convenience stores  (7-11) and drug stores are now carrying some fruit and yogurt.
- Along the same lines, carry snacks of nuts or fruit or granola bars with you throughout the day. This will keep you from overeating at the crappy restaurants you are likely to find yourself at midday.
- When you do eat out, aim for foods whose volume is mostly plant-based. The more sauce, oil, simple sugars, and refined flour you eat, the more likely your stomach is to be unhappy later, and the more likely you are to skip your workout.

4. Bring 2 pairs of shoes
Counterintuitively, I find this more important for quick, 2-4 day trips than for week-long trips. My feet and legs feel pretty bad if I have been flying a lot, and having a few different kinds of (running and other) shoes allows me to give them some relief.

5. Double Up
Sometimes it's hard to find the time to go for a full hour in a day. Instead, break it up and run for 30 minutes in the morning, 30 minutes in the evening. It's easier to get out the door knowing your goal is shorter, it'll be less stressful to fit in the second run since it's short, and you'll find you recover more quickly from the effort when it's broken in two. If you find the time in the evening, add a few minutes on to the second run; you'll end up getting more mileage in than if you just ran once!

6. Stock up at home
I tend to try and leave home either Sunday afternoon, or midday Monday. This allows me to get in an early-morning long run on Sunday, or a solid hour of running Monday morning. It definitely helps alleviate the effects of travel on your training schedule if you can be really regimented and dedicated during the times you do find yourself at home.

7. Be Flexible
Things come up. Sometimes, your food, work, schedule, or friends are outside your control, and you  end up missing your workout despite your best intentions. Don't beat yourself up, or give up on the whole week, just move on and try again the next day.

8. Know what works for you, and stick to it
If you know you hate running in the morning, don't plan to wake up early and run every day if there's any other way to schedule your day. Similarly, if you despise running after dark, get up before work and get your exercise in early; that way, when your meetings run late, you aren't freaking out about fitting in running before dinner or contemplating skipping meals to find time.

9. Ask the locals
Use the new location as motivation to explore! I like seeing new places and sights on my easy runs. Look around rather than down at your feet or at your watch; it can turn a chore into an adventure.

10. Do some strength-work
When you find yourself too tired to do anything other than watch TV in your hotel at night, do a few minutes of planks, wall sits, lunges, push-ups, or stretching. This has multiple benefits: first, it'll help you loosen up, and second, strength work will generally help you avoid injury, which you're more susceptible to when you're overworked and underslept.