Exercise on holiday anyone?
Bman
Posts: 442
in General Chat
Hi, I was just wondering what kind of training everyone else gets up to while away for a few weeks on holiday? Im about to head off for a few sunny weeks and I dont want to lose the base level of fitness I think Ive got to just before the season starts. How do serious athletes take time off to relax? Any suggestions? Thanks.
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If I'm on a beach holiday I'll often end up going for an hour swim while the family are snoozing. Last year we went to Northern France.... I took my wetsuit.[:D]
I take the swiss ball with me, and our bikes of course, and run every morning, bike every day and swim in the river. I probably do more training on holiday than at home!
However, that doesn't really help you. On a beach holiday I imagine I would run every morning - maybe even hire a bike? And swimming, of course. I guess the trick is to do stuff at regular times, but try to relax and enjoy the holiday. A break from very rigorous training can't do too much harm.
blurredgirl
You will probably be more active throughout the whole day (If like me not sitting at a desk most days!)... and you will come back refreshed and ready to start back on it ... Your family/misis is more important so just go with the flow but just do an active beach holiday rather than just laying on the beach. (train like a mofo the week before/after!)
This is one reason I've gone for the Tatton Park tri over the Bala OD in September - Tatton Park is a week later so I have can come home and do a week or so proper training before I start tapering.
If, like me, your Mrs just wants to sit in the sun and relax all day then you can organise your holiday into a training programme - especially if you find that your day job gets in the way of proper training when not on holiday. The problem I have is that the hot weather of abroad gets in the way of serious endurance work.
Last summer, we went to a fancy new spa/sport resort. The Mrs could relax by the pool with wine + book, while I started learning to swim, went mountain biking (astounding the young staff by doing the route that was supposed to take 2.5 hours in less than one. Ho ho.), played loads of tennis (came second in a tournament!), canoeing in the sea. Pilates, sports massage (found out why I need to shave legs), early morning runs along the sand - absolutely knackering. Relaxing with archery, beach volley ball etc. I basically took all the technical clothing I needed, and hired the bikes/kit. It was a new resort, so the bikes were new and actually rather a good spec. And they had quite a good gym - no swiss ball or rowing machine though.
We did a few of the sports together (tennis, archery), but otherwise we both had a really good time. I'm a big kid and can't sit still for more than 5 minutes - especially when it is hot.
At the end of the week I was knackered, but a lot fitter (9 hours a day of exercise of some form or another, rather than 9 hours a day of desk job + driving).
My idea of a holiday is climbing up a mountain in rain/blizzard, either on foot, or bike. We usually have to compromise and have a "his holiday" and a "hers holiday". But this was a good medium.
This year, I suspect I will go on a swim workshop for my holiday, and possibly back to the same resort if we go abroad. However, I'm too attached to my dog (6 months old today!) to do anything that would mean leaving him behind at the moment.
I just missed it in Feb but if anyone is ever up for a good open water swimming race while on a sunny holiday in SA, check out the Midmar Mile. Worlds biggest apparently! Dunno about the speedo though..