Motivation on the Road

Last week I meant to point out that I was going to be sharing a lot of my tips and tricks for keeping up the healthy lifestyle while traveling...but apparently I need some advice on getting things done while moving.

That said, I am going to kick off that idea today.  I am far from an expert on healthy living and travel, but I have learned a lot from my own mistakes and I have had a lot of time in rental cars and hotel rooms to think it all through!

10 Tips for Staying Motivated While Traveling:

1) Pinterest is your friend.  While this is true at home as well, I find I use it even more when I am sitting in the car or even back in the hotel room and feeling like I would much rather lay down and never move again rather than going for a run or hitting the gym.  Scrolling through my fitness board usually helps me find the energy to get up and go.

2) Go for an adventure run.  I like to scope out new areas to run that I can get to from my hotel.  It lets me see new places and can be a fun new challenge for your body if there are more hills or different types of terrain.

3) Find a local running club/fitness group.  This is not one I have been able to do yet but it is my big goal.  If I ever go to a town with November Project I will be the happiest camper of all.  Anyways, I like this one in theory because you get to make new friends and tell them sotries that all your regular friends have heard a million times.

4) Find classes that are not offered in your home town.  For me this is pretty much any and all fitness classes.  When I travel I reward myself with a fun fitness class if I stick to my training plan. It's also worth looking for places that offer a first class for free.  I plan to try a cycling class tomorrow morning!

5) Keep your expectations reasonable. If you set crazy expectations and fall short right out of the gate, you will be tempted to just give up all together.  Set bare minimum goals that are easy to reach. If you do more than that, great If not, it's not the end of the world.

6) Find balance. If you are eating salad and granola and exercising all the time while the people around you have ice cream and sit on the beach you will probably be jealous. And unhappy. Trust me; I have been there and done that.  Enjoy all the fun things in moderation (or not in moderation...you can always eat healthy when you get home)

7) Make an awesome new playlist.  I love music while running and getting to listen to a new playlist is about as good as it gets so I like to save them for times when I might not want to go out for my run.

8)  Pack your favorite workout clothes. I have some running shorts that have gotten a little too short to wear when I run near home.  Hotel treadmills are fair game though!  Seeing all my fun neon clothes in my bag helps :)

9) Have an accountability buddy. For me this is usually social media.  If I have to write about a workout I had better actually do it.  For you it might be a person at home or traveling with you.  A journal might work as well.  Any form of accountability that matters to you should do the trick

10) Remember why you do it. Usually when I lose motivation it is because I have forgotten the point.  I will not want to run because I am stressed and tired.  If I can make myself go for one run it helps me remember how much better I feel after and how much stress it takes away.


Did I miss anything?  Share your favorite motivation tips with me!
Sorry for the blah layout and lack of pictures.  I need to go run four miles now and had to choose between pics and sleep!

Marathon Training Monday: Week 6

Today I drove over 420 miles through a ton of rain and traffic. Hoping for more running and less driving tomorrow!

That said: here is a recap of marathon training last week.

I finally finished moving all of my darn belongings last weekend…can I get an amen?  The weight room/fitness center/place with the treadmills finally opened again this Thursday.  This all means that I am FINALLY getting back on track with marathon training. Much more slowly than I would lie, but I am getting there.

The best part about going to the gym is that there is also an elliptical. I love these because I need to amp my cardiovascular fitness back up in a hurry and they let me do that without worrying about getting shin splints or just hurting myself in general by adding miles back too quickly. I know a mile on the elliptical does not equal a mile running, but I find them useful for getting my heart rate up and my body working.

Monday through Wednesday I did nothing (training wise).  I am just going to blame the weather. It has been hot, humid, and there has been a lot of rain and even more lightning.  Also I was just plain tired from moving

Thursday: 1 mile warm up on elliptical, 3 miles on treadmill at 10 min/mile, 1 mile cool down on elliptical.

Friday: 2 miles on elliptical, 1 mile on treadmill averaging a 9.25 pace, 2 more miles on the elliptical. (Side note: this was supposed to be my rest day but I was just really excited about running again!)

Saturday: 2.5 miles on the treadmill averaging 10’23” per mile. (Side note again: this was supposed to be my long run day but I ended up working all day.)

Sunday: no running. More rain, even more lightning.  Does babysitting a 2 year old boy count as cross training?

Here's to some sleep and many more miles to come!

Happy new week all.

Suddenly September

I seriously have no idea where this year has gone! Travel season for work is back and I've already booked my flight home for Christmas. It's all just flying by.

In other news, I just moved so that took a major toll on my running. And apparently also my writing. I have no internet at the new place and don't plan to get it set up until October or November since I will hardly ever be home! Three cheers for hotel living :)

If I can dodge all the severe thunder storm warnings I'll be back to sharing my running adventures soon. This month I also hope to share some advice for staying healthy and fit while traveling (because that is the story of my life!) Also I hope you don't mind a few pictures of the new place once I get things unpacked!

Have awond