I’ve been looking forward to this Friday since the beginning of this month. I am officially 8 hours away from being on vacation! An entire 10 days off with the love of my life. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Wes and I haven’t actually taken a vacation just the two of us in several years.  Even though I was unemployed for a while last year, we didn’t have the funds to plan a vacation. We did get a few long weekends with family away, but it’s been a while since we’ve been able to do our own thing.

We are headed down to Myrtle Beach for a majority of the week and then swinging back up to coast of NC for the long weekend. I cannot wait!!

Now that I am done freaking out a little bit, let’s talk about running while on vacation.

I’ve had vacations where I take the entire week off. I’ve had vacations where I step back and only do easy running the entire time. I’ve had vacations where I do full on workouts. I’ve really done it all when it comes to running while on vacation.

I was running ideas through my mind on what I wanted to do this time around. I’m in the middle of my speed/10k training, but my marathon training is just over a month away.

I’ve decided to try to stick to my schedule throughout the time I am away for several reasons:

• Consistency – I know without a doubt that my body responds well to consistency. The more I do something and stick to it the better it responds. Even on the tough days, sometimes the most important is just being consistent and getting it done.
• It Makes Me Feel Better – Regardless of if I am on vacation or not, running just makes me feel better. We usually spend a lot of time walking and relaxing during vacation, but by starting off the morning with a run it enables me to completely relax.
• Added Sleep – One of the biggest struggles when it comes to my workouts is getting up at 4:00 in the morning to get them done. Running can be completely different for me when I’ve had time to sleep and can get up and run when I’m ready. Since I know I have no plans of getting up at 4:00 AM any day during my vacation, I will be much more rested!
• Variety – As much as I love easy running, the workouts add variety into my week. Sometimes they are really hard but it keeps me from getting bored.
• I’ll have the Time – My husband never takes an entire week off of running. Regardless of if I was taking the time off, he would spend each morning out on a run. I am going to make the most of that time and keep it going!

Even though I plan on sticking to my schedule there are a few things I’m going to do differently:

• Enjoy ALL the Food – No, I’m not talking about going crazy but every day if I want something I’m going to have it. I do a pretty good job on normal weeks balancing healthy foods with the occasional treat while still watching timing for having to run so early in the morning. While I still keep moderation in mind, vacation for me is a time to relax and not worry about how the food I’m eating is going to affect my run.
• No Pressure – I’m been known to put too much pressure on myself when it comes to workouts. While my plan on vacation is to stick to my schedule, if I don’t hit a workout or I don’t do it I am not going to beat myself up over it. I have a plan, but it open for adjustment if needed.

I think working out/running on vacation is always a personal preference. It also depends a lot on where you are going. Since I am not in marathon training I have a little more leeway with what I want to do, but I think keeping my plan but adding in a little “wiggle room” will be the perfect solution.

I’ll be back Sunday from beautiful Myrtle Beach, SC! Make sure to follow on Instagram for updates!

Do you run while on vacation?