Training Away From Home

After a little over two weeks away, it feels good to be home!  I got to spend about a week in Colorado and another in Alabama and had an amazing time.  I had tons of adventures that I'll share with you guys later, otherwise this post would be way longer than any one of you wants to read in one sitting.  I will tell you that there was a lot of eating, drinking, and being merry.  You can probably imagine how well my runs went after that.

You also probably won't be surprised to hear that not all of my runs were completed.  While I wasn't a complete sloth, I had a hard time getting out the door in a timely manner for my runs.  When I was in Colorado I was constantly on the go and when I did have a little down time I just wanted to spend time with my family.  The last time I was in Colorado was 5 years ago, and my family was definitely the priority.  I've written about this several times before and I have no shame in saying it's ok to take an unplanned rest day to enjoy time with loved ones you don't see often. 

Once I was back in Alabama I was way lazier than intended and only managed to get out the door before it was scorching hot a few times.  Oh well.  Back home means back to my normal routine right? After that lengthy preface, here's the recap:

1. 4x800: CHECK!  My mom walked Maddux and her dog Maz around a lake in their community while I cranked this one out.  The lake is about .65 around, and it was perfect for my workout.  I ran the fastest I've ever run in my life (I think, there's really no way to tell for sure) and I was really pumped about it.

2. 45 minute runs: Whomp, whomp.  Only one of four got done.  Oh well.  I ran a mile before our adventures one day which was at least something.

3. 8 mile long run: I have the best dad in the world (it's his birthday today!!) and he took me to a trail so I could get my run in without making a billion loops around the neighborhood.  It was a terrible mix of running, walking, and crawling, but it got done.  Surprisingly enough it was actually a better pace than I expected.  I didn't have high hopes for this run considering my lazy ways, but it was really nice to get it done.

4. Cross Training: This isn't an official part of the plan, but always a smart thing to do.  I used my parents fitness equipment and alternated 10 minutes on a cardio machine (elliptical or bike) with some strength moves (squats, lunges, arm stuff, ab stuff).  I was SO sore afterwards.   I really shouldn't neglect my thighs so much.  My family took lots of walks and I went on a couple of hikes (more on the one in Colorado later!).

My plan is to do an extra 45 minute run this week to help make up for some of the lack of running in my life the past couple weeks.  All in all, I'm ok with how it went while I was away.  It's hard to predict how workouts will be over vacation!

How do you do when you're on vacation?  Do you stick to the plan or are you ok with switching things up a little?