So here I am on the road again now flying from Tel-Aviv to Chicago and then to Miami. No, not for pleasure, it’s all work and all in just 9 days (flights included). It has been two weeks since my exodus out of a volcanic ash covered Europe. And now here I am again sitting on a plane flying over time zones while reviewing my training plan. Needless to say, this is my peak week before starting to taper.
For those who don’t travel and are sitting comfortable at home with a job that requires them a short drive, bike, or run to work, please do not envy what you don’t know. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do for a living and the “glamour” that comes with traveling. The problem started when I got serious about my IM training. TIME. That is what I learned mostly how to manage. OK so my teammates might say “try to do it while having kids at home” or “at least you don’t have a 9 to 6 job”.. well this is my post so if you want to cry or brag then I suggest you write your own!
One thing is certain, we all have our difficulties which makes our training just that much harder. Anyone who has family, girlfriend, full time job, and friends will attest to the sacrifices we make from our life for the sake of executing our training plan to the best of our abilities.
Back to my travels (notice how travels rimes with troubles). Two weeks ago I was forced to alter my training while traveling from Tel-Aviv to Madrid to Dusseldorf to Zurich and finally to Rome. All in a matter of 6 days most of which I spent in the car. If you want to know more and can understand Hebrew follow these links:
An skype video interview on Israel Channel 2 news (jump to minute 3:45).
An article on Ynet about me.
Training while traveling requires planning ahead and when planning is not possible you must be flexible to alter your training. Alter it to what you can do wherever you find yourself. Running is almost always possible. Biking is a bit tricky. Swimming requires a large bed of water. Here are a couple of tips that might help if you find yourself on the road (or air):
Tip # 1 – Always, always pack running shoes, running cloths (can be used to ride on a stationary bike or spinning class), Sports watch with HR (I use Garmin 310xt but for traveling polar is better due to its size, which means you only need to travel with one watch), a couple of energy bars and gels, your Speedo and goggles, and last but not least is the all mighty body glide.
Tip # 2 – Make sure to look for the basic essentials when booking your hotel. By basic essentials I mean a good gym, pool, shower, and internet. Most importantly, even if you see on the hotel website that they have a nice pool, you must make sure to check its size (so that it is not a kiddy pool shaped like Mickey Mouse), operating hours, and to make sure there are not renovations going on at the time of your visit. Call the hotel and ask all the questions. Make sure the gym is equipped with a stationary bike and not one from the 1980s. Personally I like hotels that are partnered up with a local gym and the hotel guests are welcome at the facilities. Some hotels in the big cities in Europe are partners with Holmes Place (Anat can attest to that from her visit to Greece last week).
Tip # 3 – Be flexible with yourself and your training plan. Try not to let it affect your mood if you happen to miss a day of training. I know this is the most challenging one but remember you are there for your job that will get you the money you need to support this expensive hobby you adopted.
Tip # 4 – It is very tempting to eat and drink all the goodies being offered locally. Don’t !!! you are still in training. Keep this moderate. On the plane, drink lots of water and lay off that alcohol. Again, easier said than done. I am guilty of being a chocolate addict and could not stand to the temptation of the Swiss art of eating the good brown, black, or white gold. Anat, I will find that chocolate you hid from me!
Tip # 5 – Kid yourself not, there is no chance in hell you are going to train like you do at home. It is not your bike, not your sea, not your climate, and you are all alone. OK some of this can actually be part of the fun.
Tip # 6 – Read tip 5 again. Train hard. Don’t slack. Don’t feel sorry for yourself because you are on the road. Train harder than you would at home.
Tip # 7 – Use the jet lag for your advantage. If you happen to wake up at 4am go for a run and make it back in time for breakfast.
Tip # 8 – Study the surrounding where you are going to be before heading out on the trip. Find out where are the best parks, running paths, hills, or bike shops. Perhaps you can add some hills to your training. Perhaps you can rent a bike and go with a local group. Maybe switch your run for some skiing. See if there is anyone that you know and can help you train. I am lucky, during this trip I got to train at WellFit with Sharone Aharone, Anat’s last coach.
Advertising moment: Sharone runs a really cool gym for triathletes, WellFit. His gym has an endless pool which I abused for 45 minutes. Its amazing when you can swim in one place and look in the mirrors placed underwater to see your form, or there lack of. If you are board take a look at the video that Sharone took while I was swimming. It is a really cool tool to review your technique. Another cool part of the facility holds the computrainer stations. Here we downloaded the IM Brazil bike course and I got to ride ¼ of it. It was really good to be able to ride the first portion of the course (which you do twice in the race) and go through the hills. They are not scary as I originally thought they would be. After 2.5 hours of training (I planned on just 1 hour but got carried away) I did a short transition run on one of his high-tech treadmills. To summarize, if you are in the Chicago area, WellFit is a must! www.wellfitinc.com
A thanks to my new colleagues at Abbott: Bets Lillo knew I will be traveling to Chicago during my peak week and so, without me having to request, she set me up with a pass to her gym where I could use the 25mt. pool. Delores Patterson heard that I could not purchase Abbott sports nutrition in time and so she was kind enough to hook me up with several flavors of Abbott EAS nutrition bars.
Tip # 9 – Take your compression socks on the plane if you have to run or bike later that day or the next.
Tip # 10 – If you must check in your luggage make sure to take your fitness stuff on-board. It happened more than once that the airline lost my bag. Of course it’s a good excuse to have for purchasing some new compression shorts, Speedos, or a million other items.
Tip # 11 – Every hotel has an ice machine. If not the bar surely does. Get a large bag, fill it with ice, sit on the floor and ice. On the floor? Yes on the floor! Last time I used it on the bed the bag leaked all over and I spend the night sleeping on wet towels.
Boring? Probably!
Do I care? Probably not J
Good tips. You will never find it!!! Never!!!