Hello, hello! Matt and I are continuing to enjoy our vacation here in the Outer Banks, NC with family. Wednesday’s storms cut the heat and humidity quite a bit so yesterday, we kicked off the day with a morning run!
We ended up having a great run – after a few days of yoga and shorter workouts I was feeling ready for a good, solid jaunt. We headed off north through Duck.
And ran along the path by the road with some lovely views.
During the run, I had the pleasure of testing out some new gear that Brooks sent me this month as part of my Run Happy Ambassadorship – the PureProject Reflective Skort and the Versatile Support Tank.
I loved both – isn’t the uneven hemline of the skort fun? It has really fine mesh spandex shorts underneath that are extremely comfy, too. As for the tank, I absolutely loved the back, and loved that it was flowy at the bottom so it was really comfortable to run in. The bottom was actually two fine layers of mesh – this was nice and breezy and kept me cool, and also meant I could wipe my (extremely sweaty) face off with the top layer without showing off my stomach to passerbys. Win!
We ended up running 3 miles out and back to make it an even 6.
Matt is super fast from all his soccer playing so he encouraged me to pick up the pace in the last mile. Oof! 🙂
Splits:
- Mile 1: 8:42
- Mile 2: 8:59
- Mile 3: 9:07
- Mile 4: 8:55
- Mile 5: 8:56
- Mile 6: 8:01
It was a great run – felt so good to sweat! Do you guys exercise while on vacation? I love staying active while on vacation – not because I feel like I have fit in exercise, but because I want to! Running is one of my favorite ways to sightsee, no matter where I am, and starting my day with a run always leaves me feeling like a million bucks.
When I was out in Seattle with Brooks last month for the half marathon, I had the pleasure of seeing Kira Harrison, a footwear merchandising associate at Brooks Running, for the second time (I first met her last year in NYC – blurry but fun action shot of her below!).
Kira is a lifelong runner who travels the world to gather insight, build award-winning shoes, and help people everywhere run happy, so she has mastered the art of traveling as her job requires her to pack up and go quite frequently. With so many people taking trips and weekend getaways this summer, she’s sharing with us some of her best tips for squeezing in exercise in a fun and realistic way. I love her tips – I follow all of these myself, too! Do you guys have any good ones to add to the list?
Tips for Staying Active on Vacation
Get out the door in the morning before your day starts. When you are on the road, your schedule can often be unpredictable; by running in the morning you guarantee getting your run in and it energizes you for the rest of the day.
Use your run as a sightseeing opportunity. Running is a great way to see a new place and the run becomes an adventure vs. just exercise.
Pack fast drying apparel, made of synthetic fibers. Because you won’t be able to do laundry on the road, you want your gear to dry before you have to pack it back into your suitcase. Also, a plastic bag to wrap around your shoes is helpful to keep dirt and smell away from the rest of your belongings.
Connect with a local running store for advice on routes. They also may have running groups that leave from their store which will provide you with running buddies. If crunched for time, the hotel concierge is also a great resource. Many have pocket-sized maps with recommended running routes, making it simple to get in a good run right out the front door.
To keep your legs fresh, wear compression socks on the airplane. This helps maintain blood flow and your legs will feel better on your run.
And now, for a giveaway from Brooks in honor of all this great summer running while on the go! Who inspires you to Run Happy? Is it a parent, a friend, a coworker? I have a ton of run inspirations, but the one that came to mind first when I saw this question is my friend Lauren from grad school. 🙂
Lauren was a big inspiration to me all through grad school as a runner, and also when I decided to sign up for the Richmond Marathon as my first full! We have had so many running adventures (running the morning after all our friend’s weddings when everyone else was still in bed, getting totally lost while out on a run in Italy… etc), and she sent me the sweetest, most inspiring card right before Richmond. “At mile 25, take it all in – for that is where the magic happens and you become a marathoner.” She was right! Lauren – thanks for being not only a good friend but also a great running inspiration. 🙂 Brooks is going to send you a full outfit (top, bottom, shoes) as a thank you – I hope you think of me when you’re out pounding the pavement in it!
And now, it’s your turn (U.S. entries only, please)! Share a comment with which runner in your life inspires you the most to Run Happy and why! I’ll randomly select one winner on Monday and email them directly; the winner will be able to gift the person that inspires them the most with a full outfit from Brooks as a thank you for their inspiration! 🙂
Here’s to running happy, whether on vacation or not!
