Travel Training

I am off to Darwin again tomorrow for a bit of work, back home on Thursday. One reason for typing that is because it means I won't be blogging tomorrow. The day of travel and squeezing stuff in usually means trying to fit in a blog is just one thing too many. Usually a lot less stress to plan on not blogging and then return on Wednesday so that is the plan.

The other reason to mention it is because it is a good segue to the topic of training while travelling.

Trying to squeeze in training while travelling is a topic which I am unfortunately very experienced  at having done it countless times over the years. However, depending on a few circumstances and considerations it is something that can be done quite easily and effectively.

The first of those considerations is the reason and duration of the travel. If you are travelling for a holiday and you have no pressing races to prepare for then I would usually say stuff the training, relax and enjoy your holiday. Relaxing is probably why you are going in the first place so you might as well focus on that rather than messing up a perfectly good break with exercise. Take it easy and have a rest. Easy.

Assuming you aren't travelling for a holiday though, or you really have to keep training to be ready for Kona etc, then you are still quite a few options available to you.

First up, focus on the swim and the run.

When I travel the three bits of kit I never leave without are bathers, goggles and running shoes. Most travel destination in the world will have somewhere to swim and somewhere to run. You might be swimming in the ocean, or a hotel pool, or a recreation centre it doesn't really matter. Similarly your running might be on a great path, on an industrial road, along a beach or on a treadmill, once again the where is irrelevant. Sometimes the swimming location won't be great (I remember doing my sessions in a 12m pool in Jakarta one trip) and sometimes the running location will be dull (same trip my runs were on a treadmill in the middle of a jungle). But the simple fact is that running and swimming are nearly always possible.

Once you sort out running and swimming that is two thirds of your training requirements sorted. After that comes the bike which can be tougher. When it comes to fitting in bike training I have gone with a few different options over the years.

Option 1 and the easiest option is to simply ignore the bike. If the trip is a short one and you have the running and swimming sorted then I would usually go with this one. Normally you can bike before you go and when you get back and just fit in swimming and running while you are away. Not ideal, but it usually does the trick and saves the inconvenience of sorting out a cycling solution. Not a bad way to go.

If the trip is long enough that going sans-bike isn't going to work then there are a few options left which are:

• Use an exercise bike in a gym
• Borrow or hire a bike
• Take a bike with you

I have done all three of the above and they all work to a certain extent. 

Using an exercise bike is my least favourite option. Unless you can get access to a gym with proper spin bikes then chances are any exercise bike you use is going to be horrible. You can't get into a proper cycling position, the riding feels bad and you often can't apply much power or intensity. Plus they are boring as. These sessions can beneficial, but it takes a lot of effort. I would usually consider this to be a last resort or for a place where the next two options won't work (like a remote job site)

Borrowing a bike can work really well if you are going to a place where you have a mate, or there are bike shops that rent out equipment. If you can get a bike that fits you well and is in good working order then this can be just like having your own bike with you. Great option if it is available to you. This one also saves you the inconvenience of travelling with a bike. Winner.

Which brings me to the last option, travelling with a bike. I used to travel with a bike all the time for racing and so rocking up to the airport with a bike was never that big a deal. However, no matter how practiced you get at it, travelling with a bike is always inconvenient. On top of being inconvenient there is always the risk of damage to the bike, which is what I found when I took my P5 on a work trip once. Once you are at your destination checked in and the bike is built then it works out great, but everything either side of that, packing the bike, taxi rides, check in, building up the bike when you arrive etc is a hassle. If I was going somewhere for a quite a while and there was good riding there then I would definitely consider this one, but only if the trip was a decent length and borrowing a bike wasn't an option. Certainly not a bad option though.

So there you go, how to train while you are travelling. No excuses. Once you sort out how you are going to train then the tough thing is usually sorting out the time and motivation to fit the training in, however, that bit is all up to you.