Erik Schlimmer tells the story of how he learned to fastpack the Adirondacks, a grueling 110 miles and 19,000 vertical feet of climbing, in five days with only 11 pounds on his back.
When this issue hits the gyms and stores, the story that inspired this column will be old news, but I’m writing about it anyway because I think it raises some really important issues in the active community.
New Yorkers take business trips—some a lot more than others.
Trips interfere with training and often discourage people from setting race
goals. But with a little bit of planning you can turn travel into a training
opportunity.
For longer or repeat trips, think about locating a running club in the area where you’re traveling. Visit www.usatf.org, it has over 2,000 clubs listed. Email and find out if there is a group run you can join. The group can definitely help fill you in on local running secrets.
GPS watches have made it easy for the traveler to see how far he has run and without the worry of getting lost. Look in the yellow pages or online for a map that shows the parks—head for green spots you can rarely go wrong. One of the most exciting ways to explore a new area is to put $20 in your shorts, grab a business card from the hotel and run to wherever you feel drawn. When you tire, hail a cab, give the driver the business card and ride back.
When it comes to training plans it’s important to try to stick with a pre-planned schedule. “Run in the morning,” says Andrey Baranov, owner of the Spartanik running school. “When you’re traveling the day is full of unforeseen obligations, thus I always block out the first hour of the day for myself.” Make sure you have a handle on your travel arrangements. New York Harrier Robin Roberts recommends “telling your boss how much running means to you, and how important it is; that it is not just a hobby and it is not OK to just miss a day or two of training. Non runners don’t realize that a run structures our day.”
Michele Cameron of the Urban Athletics team is a frequent coast to coast traveler. “Try to do as much of the legwork before you go as possible,” she says. “Call the front desk and ask if they have a recommended running route. Worst case scenario: always remember the hotel treadmill.” Cameron also advises checking www.coolrunning.com to see if there are any fun races in the area, “I’ll often extend the trip to stay over the weekend if there is a good race to do. It enhances the trip.”
And to run out the jetlag, New York runner Anthony Edwards (ER’s Dr. Mark Greene) has a golden rule, “Straight after checking in go out and run for 32 minutes. It is tested to be the perfect distance to attune the body to the new time zone and shake out the stiffness from those air miles.” He should know, in 2006 Edwards spent 310 days traveling.
What about speed work? Find a straight road and run hard for one minute, jog thirty seconds. Turn 180 degrees and jog back 30 seconds to the stopping point and run hard one minute back to the original starting point. Repeat. This way you race yourself (trying to beat your self back) and you can create a competitive environment even if you’re alone.
Train Like a Pro
Ethiopian runner Tesfaye Bekele once trained for a marathon in his Oslo apartment because he didn’t want to brave the Norway winter. We don’t recommend it, but if all else fails, here are some tips to turn your hotel into a training campus.
• The obvious: use the hotel gym. During his N.Y. Senate campaign, Governor Eliot Spitzer lived on the road and often had to resort to the treadmill to ensure a quality run in a foreign city in the pre-dawn hours.
• Train like an Ethiopian. Do 20 minutes of high knees, butt-kicks, star jumps, sit-ups, push-ups, and those types of exercises for a great overall body workout that will make you a more conditioned runner.
• Pop in a Pilates DVD and have your own private class in your room.
• Run the hotel stairwell. Great training for the Empire State Building run-up, stairs are an unbeatable cardiovascular workout. Take the elevator back down to save the wear and tear on the knees.
• Call the hotel and order a personal trainer.
• Feeling worn out? Take a break from your routine, and order a massage. Ask for a sports massage to make you feel good about doing something “sporty.” Recovery is, after all, an important part of an athlete’s training.
| Comments |
|
