Halloween Special Roundup Part 2.7: Halloweentown

Happy Halloween!!!  Hope it's all treats and no tricks.

For the final installment of this round of Halloween specials, it's Halloweentown!  

The movie starts out with the youngest, Sophie, watching trick or treaters, and the oldest child, Marnie, arguing with her mother about going out to a Halloween party.  (Meanwhile the middle child, Dylan, is perfectly happy reading a book.)  

Marnie doesn't understand why their mother won't let them celebrate Halloween, especially since that's when her parents first met.  Suddenly their grandmother comes for a visit and starts inquiring about Marnie being ready to start her witch training.  After a bedtime story about Halloweentown, Marnie eavesdrops on a conversation with her mother and grandmother and finds out that witchcraft runs in her family.  Now Marnie is at the age to start her training to become a witch, and her grandmother needs all the help she can get to figure out why some of her friends have been disappearing.  The kids then follow their grandmother back to Halloweentown and find out the bedtime story and all the creatures in it are real.

Soon after their arrival they are dropped off at their grandmother's house and become determined to help her find out what is going on.  

There are a couple ways to watch this movie.  If you have a cable subscription, you can download the "Watch Disney Channel" app on your smartphone, tablet or Roku, login to your cable company account and the movie is found under the "Disney Channel Original Movie" option.  You can also go here and watch it if you do not have a cable subscription!

Halloween Special Roundup Part 2.6: The Nightmare Before Christmas

Nightmare before Christmas is such a good movie.  Is it a Halloween movie?  Is it a Christmas movie?  In my mind, it's both.  (Although the director recently said it's a Halloween movie.)  I've been known to watch it Halloween through Christmas.  (It can make a nice palate cleanser if you're tired of the sugary sweetness of some Christmas specials out there.)  It's definitely a dark comedy, and I remember when it came out in 1993 (I was almost 11 years old) and thought that I would NEVER watch that movie because it was way too scary looking.  I watched it a few years later in high school with my sister and instantly loved it.  It was the first DVD I ever bought and I remember watching it on my PS2 the day I got the game system because that was our first DVD player.  My sister and I got to finally watch it in theaters together when Disney re-released it as a 3D movie.  (It was fantastic.)  

There are so many beautiful scenes in this movie.

This movie reconfirms my love of claymation.  (If you own the DVD, watch the making of featurettes.  The amount of detail is truly awe inspiring!)

If you don't know the story of this movie, it is based on the idea that every holiday has its own town.  

Jack Skellington is the Pumpkin King of Halloweentown and one day he finds Christmastown and falls in love with the whole idea of Christmas.  

He then recruits Halloweentown's citizens to help take over Christmas just once but from his one glimpse, he doesn't quite "get" it. 

"And they call him Sandy CLAWWWWSSSSS"

It's Christmas, but a very dark version of Christmas.  The toys end up scaring all of the kids and all the recipients go into high alert.  (Honestly, this kid is my favorite.  The reaction is just priceless.)

Even without audio, I totally hear the kid's screams.

It can be really dark at times, but it really is a great movie if you look at it for its artistic and stylistic value.  (If you're a Tim Burton fan, this one is an absolute must watch.)

Here's the opening number from a post I found on YouTube.  If you like this, definitely track down the whole movie on Netflix or buy it on Amazon!

What to wear/bring for the Across the Bay 10k?

Last year's Across the Bay 10k was simply gorgeous.  Partly cloudy, not too windy (even on the bridge itself), and just a little chilly.  (According to my Garmin it was about 45 that day by the time I finished around 8:30.)  I HATE being cold, so I wore fleece lined leggings and a fleece quarter zip jacket with a short sleeved shirt underneath.  By about the halfway point I had my sleeves pushed up and the zipper opened.  After starting to cool off post-race, I was glad to have options to stay warm by zipping up and pushing my sleeves back down.

As runners, we all know how unpredictable the weather can be.  This year was the first year I ran the MCM10k in the rain (other years it has been cold and I had to wear my fleece lined leggings and a fleece jacket.)  Whereas last year was the first year my Dad and I ran the Jingle All the Way 5k where it was chilly, but sunny and all the other years something was falling from the sky (one year it was a wintery mix, the next it was snow.)  One thing is fairly certain about the weather though:  It will be a cool day!  This time of year it is typically in the lower 40s, upper 30s first thing in the morning.  

You may want to have a windbreaker on hand in case it ends up being windy or even rainy.  (Trust me.  You do not want to spend the next week scrambling trying to find a rain jacket comfortable to run in!)  The easiest way to go is to look online for one, since a light rain jacket this time of year can be hard to find.  Many running shops online have them like Brooks, 6pm.com (the Zappos clearance website, I recommend starting by looking at your favorite running brands), LL Bean, and of course Amazon.com.  

Some people will also buy a cheap sweatshirt at a thrift shop to take off shortly before the start.  I've never personally done this, but if you choose to go this route PLEASE be considerate of other runners and the volunteers and put the sweatshirt to the side after taking it off.  All clothing left at the starting area will be donated to Planet Aid.  

Others will put a change of clothes or just a heavy sweatshirt into a bag and check it.  Please note though, unlike a LOT of other bag checks you will need to do this BEFORE race day.  You can drop off your bag at Fleet Feet Annapolis or Severna Park from November 1-7 or at the expo.  You will be allowed to check one bag and can pack clothing, shoes, and unopened, pre-packaged food.  You will NOT be allowed to pack weapons or anything breakable or valuable (electronics, cash, backpacks, or glass.)  If you're not sure if you can bring it, check this page on the race website.  

What SHOULD you bring on race day?

• A reusable water bottle or hydration pack.  (I have one that straps to my hand to make carrying easier.)  This is semi-optional since the water stops will have water fountains, but NO cups!  
• ID and cash and/or a credit/debit card.  (Make sure you can secure them to your person.)  There will be alcohol for sale in the finishing area, as well as booths selling food and finisher's merchandise.
• Your usual running gear, whatever that entails.  (For me it's lip balm, a running belt, road id, Garmin, earphones and phone.)

Halloween Special Roundup Part 2.5: Doug's Halloween Adventure

Doug was a fantastic cartoon that was on in the 90s.  It starred Doug Funny, his dog (Porkchop), his best friend Skeeter (short for Mosquito), Roger (the school bully) and his love interest, Patty Mayonnaise.  Even though the kids were shown with odd colored skin (Skeeter is blue!) they showed them in relatable situations, like learning to speak up when your friend is in trouble.  The show started out on Nickelodeon with Rugrats and Ren and Stimpy, but as the golden age of NickToons died down it moved to Disney and had a slight retooling.

In this episode, Doug and Skeeter dress up to go to an amusement park to visit a haunted house called Bloodstone Manor on Halloween.  When they are next in line to enter the ride the park closes and the door to the building mysteriously opens.  Roger encourages them to enter and Doug and Skeeter follows them.  The ride later stops partway through and when Doug and Skeeter leave the car to find the way out, Roger disappears.  Spookiness ensues, and Doug and Skeeter end up turning the tables on Roger who really wanted to prank them.  This is a great cartoon to introduce someone to the series and you don't need to know any backstory to enjoy it.

I managed to find it on Hulu, but if you want to own the special you can buy it on Amazon or iTunes.

Halloween Special Roundup Part 2.4: Disney's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

This has to be one of my favorite interpretations of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow.  For as long as I can remember I've loved the story and found it absolutely fascinating--is the horseman real?  Was it somebody just getting payback on the newcomer who was moving in on his girlfriend?  Were Brom and Ichabod truly in love with Katrina, or were they just interested in her inheritance from her rich father?  The story itself has characters named after actual people--Katrina Van Tassel, Brom Bones and even Ichabod Crane were all real people, and Katrina and Brom are both buried in Tarrytown, New York.  Every year the local running group in Sleepy Hollow has a 10k that takes you past the Old Dutch Church, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, and the famous Headless Horseman Bridge and even have someone dressed as the headless horseman riding a horse through the race.  (Naturally, costumes are encouraged and the homes and businesses get in on the fun and decorate for the holiday and the race!)

The Disney version of this tale doesn't have any dialogue since it is narrated and has songs sung by the legendary Bing Crosby and remains the only Disney cartoon where the villain wins in the end.  The story itself follows the same basic outline as the story written by Washington Irving--Ichabod Crane comes to town as the new schoolmaster, meets Katrina and falls head over heels in love with the young heiress.  What he doesn't know is that Brom Bones already has his eye on her, and they become competitors for her attention.  Brom pulls a few pranks on Ichabod, but Ichabod manages to gain Katrina and other women's attention because of his smooth social skills.  The three go to Katrina's family Halloween party and Brom tells the story about the headless horseman who goes after people if they're out after dark and you're only safe after crossing a certain bridge in town.  Ichabod Crane then goes missing after the party (a scene which was SO demanding on animators that many of them quit) and it's suspected that he has become the horseman's latest victim.  

I was unable to find a copy of this video on YouTube, but for now it is available by somebody's upload to DailyMotion.  It is also for sale on DVD and Blu-Ray as part of its original pairing with the Wind in the Willows.

Getting ready for the Across the Bay 10k!

This year will be my second year running the Across the Bay 10k.  I loved it so much last year that this year I'll be dragging my Dad and husband across the bridge with me.  Talking with my Dad during the MCM10k got me thinking of all the things I learned last year that will help me with training and pre-race jitters for this year.

• One way to get over pre-race jitters?  Another race!  We've still got about a week and a half to go, and there are still plenty of races coming up in DC, Maryland and Virginia that you could still find one to enter.  

• The race is relatively easy for a 10k--it's a 3% incline for the first mile or so, then afterwards it's ALL downhill!  You can train for these exact conditions on a treadmill easily by just setting the incline for 3% until you hit your first mile then change to 1%, which simulates running outdoors on flat terrain.  

• You can also go above and beyond with hill training and do higher than 3% inclines.  This is what I've been doing lately: 

For me, 3.6mph is a fast walking pace and 5.3mph is a comfortable running pace.  Once you start increasing the inclines, the run will get progressively harder!  (Your pace may differ than mine.  I average an 11:20 pace on a 10k, but for my most recent 10k my pace was 11:30.)

There are lots of hill workouts out there.  This is one that works for me, but you can also do hill repeats (runs up and down big hills) in your neighborhood, backyard, nearest park, whichever works best for you!  Just be sure not to overdo it.  We're so close to the race that you still want to be careful not to hurt yourself!

Marine Corps Marathon 10k 2015!

I love the Marine Corps Marathon 10k.  I love everything about it.  I already wrote about the expo, but the race is worth all the hype that you may (or may not) have heard about it.  Yes, even "just" the 10k.  

The meteorologists had been warning us about rain all week.  I packed an extra outfit in case of rain.  First thing this morning, I looked at the radar and it was all clear.  Yes!  I didn't need my rain jacket and it was warm enough (57°F or about 14°C) that I didn't even need anything on my arms and wore a pair of leggings.  Perfect.  Right?  Wrong.  Somehow in the time between checking the weather and arriving at the Smithsonian metro station a rain storm materialized.  It started out as a couple big drops on my head...then my nose...then my arms.  In that walk over to the starting area, my Dad and I stopped off at some portajohns that were on the course, but without the crazy lines!  Marking that up as a win, we continued on and the rain just continually got heavier turning into a heavy drizzle.

We got through security with about an hour to go before the race was due to start.  The rain was still tolerable at this point, so I stopped and took a selfie in front of the U.S. capitol building.

It was about 6:50 in the morning and it was still pretty dark out!

My Dad and I looked around a little bit and soon the rain began to pick up quickly.  We looked around and settled on spending some time under the overhang at the National Gallery of Art to at least attempt to stay dry for just a little while longer.  I kept checking the radar on my phone and there was no sign of it letting up before gun time.  We went ahead and told my Mom and husband to not bother coming out to meet us at the finish.  At 7:40 we accepted our fate and lined up at the 1:00:00-1:09:59 corral.  Usually they have sky divers with a big American flag jump out by the marathon starters, but due to the weather they didn't even jump.  (I'm a little disappointed by that--it's truly an amazing sight!)

Once the race began, the rain started to let up.  I helped pace my Dad who hasn't raced since July and seemed to be fighting some serious race anxiety, as a lot of people do during the first race of the season.  I had already run 2 longish distance races this season--the Charles Street 12 and Hokie Half Marathon, so this one felt like nothing.  Not only that, but we have done this course twice before and I've PR'd every time.  I was confident that we had this race in the bag, but admittedly I was prepared to be a little slower due to the rain.  

After giving a Marine a high five, I looked down at my Garmin only to see the time.  I had started it like normal, and it was showing me that we were doing awesome and on track to beat last year's time.  Somehow, my Garmin managed to not only end the run, but DISCARD it!  I honestly have no idea how it happened, but I started it over again.

When we rounded the corner to go up the hill to the Iwo Jima memorial, I said to my Dad "Let's make this hill our bitch!" and he took off like a shot up the hill...meanwhile I made it about halfway up the hill running which is still awesome for me.  I remembered though that my Dad and I started about 3 minutes after the gun went off, so when I saw the clock said 1:14:34 I got excited but tried to hold it back just in case.  Soon afterwards my Dad and I made it through the long line for medals, took pictures of ourselves in front of the Iwo Jima Memorial and went through the lines of snacks, water and red finisher jackets in lieu of foil blankets.  (My personal favorite snack?  The watermelon just beyond the bridge.  I don't know what it is, but it always tastes amazing.)  We also got more samples of sunscreen, trail mix and coupons from Wegmans before rounding the corner to hop back on the metro to get home.

On the bridge, just before the watermelon!

While on the metro ride home, my Dad managed to bring up the results page on the MCM app and he said I finished in 1:11:26.  When I got home I brought up my finishing times spreadsheet, and saw that my time in the previous year was 1:11:31.  I had only shaved 5 seconds off my previous time, but I'll take it!  

My bib and finisher medal

Halloween Special Roundup Part 2.3: Claymation Comedy of Horrors

Now for part 3 of the second round of my Halloween special series of posts:  Claymation Comedy of Horrors!!  I remember seeing this one pop up on the Disney Channel lineup years ago and it peaked my interest because I was (and still am) fascinated by the art of claymation, and loved the style of Will Vinton's anthropomorphic characters.  

The storyline of this special involves Wilshire Pig and Sheldon the snail trying to find the lab of Dr Frankenswine and his legendary monster.  Their journey takes them to a mysterious castle that has been taken over by the undead for a convention where they're in (mild) danger being the only mortals in the entire building.  Wilshire and Sheldon check into the event as Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde who have been booked to do a demonstration on raising the dead, and it goes horribly, hilariously wrong.  They then get chased through the castle and come across the secret laboratory and the monster they've been searching for only to find out it wasn't what they expected.  

Here's the special in its entirety for you to watch!  Please keep in mind that I do not own the rights to this movie, I am simply posting what I found on YouTube.  It is also available for purchase (along with two other Will Vinton holiday specials) on DVD on Amazon.  

Halloween Special Roundup Part 2.2: It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

This next special really does not need any introduction.  It's just that well known.  "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" is the second Peanuts holiday special, but the third overall (the first being "A Charlie Brown Christmas" followed by "You're Elected, Charlie Brown.")  This special is also the first time Snoopy has his own moment to show that he doesn't need to speak in order to be the star everybody now knows him to be.  (source)
Some other fun facts include:

• Kathy Steinberg (the actress who played Sally) was rushed to the studio to record her part because of a loose front tooth that would have given her a lisp.  She lost it the day after finishing her part. (source)
• Some lines had to be spliced together, like Sally's famous line "YOU OWE ME RESTITUTION!"  For example, Steinberg couldn't say "restitution" so they had to splice it together so she says "RES-TI-TU-TION! (source)
• This was the first time we see Lucy trick Charlie Brown into kicking the football. (source)

The special is currently for sale on Amazon and iTunes, but for now I could not find it streaming.  But here's a short clip from the beginning of the classic show.

Halloween Special Roundup Part 2.1: The Halloween that Almost Wasn't

I had a ton of fun doing this last year and since I'm resting up from the Marine Corps Marathon 10k again, I thought I would do it again!  (Race Recap to come soon, promise!)
Here are the specials I covered last year:
Witch's Night Out
Frankenweenie (1984)
Disney's Halloween Treat
Raggedy Ann and Andy in the Pumpkin Who Couldn't Smile
Halloween is Grinch Night
The Worst Witch
Garfield's Halloween Adventure

Unfortunately a few of the movies have been removed from YouTube since the original posting, mostly due to copyright violations.  I've replaced some with trailers for the movies, but it's still worth a read for the nostalgia.

Ahh, the Halloween that Almost Wasn't (or How Dracula Saved the World, as it's known on VHS.)  So kitschy!  It definitely shows it's age, but the story itself is timeless (I know I say that a lot about the movies I have nostalgia for, but in a lot of the cases it's true!)  

The story starts with Dracula watching the news to hear a rumor that Halloween might be cancelled, and it turns out to have been started by Winnie the Witch.  The movie stars classic movie monsters:  Dracula (played by Judd Hirsch), a witch named Winnie, Igor, Wolf Man, a zombie named Zabaar, a mummy, and Frankenstein's monster.  They're all up in arms over the rumor because all the monsters need to work together to make Halloween happen.  While we see how the monsters react to the rumor along with two children and their parents watching the same newscast.  The kids are upset when they see on the news and track down the monsters.  They plead with Winnie to let Halloween happen by telling her how important the holiday is to them.

I've posted the movie below!  Please keep in mind that I do not own the rights to this movie, I am simply posting what I found on YouTube.

Marine Corps Marathon Expo 2015!

Entryway into the MCM Health and Fitness Expo

I love this expo.  It's one of the things I look forward to every fall race season, without question.  It's such a blast looking around at all the exhibitors and getting all kinds of fun swag...

The usual sweatshirt with all the free swag I got! 
(Clockwise:  Sports beans, smartypants vitamins, Lip balm, fruit and grain and wholesum bars from Wegman's, band-aids, a first aid bag, a cup with fliers for some VA Beach races, and blue lizard sunscreen.)

This year the exhibitors outdid themselves!  I got to try lots of fuel from Clif Bars, Health Warrior's chia bars, Shot Blox, Honey Stinger waffles and chews, Nuun (I tried lemonade for the first time and it's awesome!), and even some Turkey Hill salted caramel ice cream (yum!)

I also picked up some new gear--a few new bondi bands (discount code coming soon!!) and a RooSport pocket which I can't wait to try out!  It's essentially a pocket with waterproof fabric that hangs on the waistband of your pants (the larger portion inside) and uses really strong magnets to stay there.  For such a little pocket, it has 2 zippered portions, and an open one that you have inside your pants, along with a hole for earphones!  Can't wait to take it out Sunday morning since I've heard nothing but good things about it.

Sweatshirt with my 3 new bondi bands and RooSport pocket!

Something else exciting happened at the expo too--I got to meet Sid Busch!  

Me and Sid Busch!

So.  Who is this guy?  He is a retired Navy Senior Chef that has run 200 marathons in honor of fallen soldiers whose pictures he wears on his back and he carries an American flag the whole way.  He's run the Baltimore marathon eight times now (he said it was one of his favorites) and he's kind of a local legend (even though he's from South Carolina.)  His 200th was most recently the Baltimore marathon just last weekend.  When he was talking with my Dad and I, he told us how overwhelming it was to get the kind of attention he got for his accomplishment.  (Let's be honest though, for doing something SO selfless, he totally deserves it!)  He had so much support trying to finish his last race--police escorts on motorcycle AND in a helicopter (who he says cheered him on from up in the air), and people keeping him company along the way too.  It was great to get to meet him, and to get to tell him thank you for giving us Marylanders and especially Baltimoreans something happy to rally around after everything that's happened this year.  

What to do with shirts? Bibs? Medals?

Racing is fun, but over time you accumulate a LOT of shirts, bibs and medals.  

Medals are fairly easy--you can buy a wood plaque at any craft store, paint it to your liking, and screw some of these hooks into the board.  This is what my display board looks like!  

My medal rack.
I think I need an upgrade already!

I painted the whole board with white acrylic paint, then the trim in purple.  Once the paint dried I chose to just put "Running" at the top.  I printed out the word in several large sizes to see how it would fit best on the board.  Then I used a pointed tip pen and outlined the letters by pressing into the paper and wood hard enough to leave an indentation in the wood.  Then, you simply paint inside the indentations!  (Yes, it does require a little bit of a steady hand.  But it's worth it!)  If you're short on time or uncomfortable painting, you can also use vinyl lettering or stencils found at any craft store.  I plan on making a tutorial for my transfer method soon with the gift giving holidays coming soon, the plaque makes a great gift for any runner! And I have a few runners in my life who could use one of these. (We can always use more options for displaying medals.)

If you aren't interested in having your medals hanging around, consider donating them to an organization like medals 4 mettle! (The medals are given to encourage people with handicaps or fighting serious diseases.)

Bibs are also easy.  I keep all of mine in a binder using page protectors and have written the finishing time and average pace on each one.  However for display purposes, I plan on making a plaque for them soon along with a new rack for my medals.  (Tutorial to follow later!)

You can also do something similar to what I did for my medals, but it can be tricky because bibs can come in a lot of sizes so the screw hook placement can be a little iffy.  There is also a company called Mile 22 that can make tote bags out of your old bibs!  A company called Spoonflower also has a tutorial on how to make your bibs into fabric.  (It requires scanning them, so you still have them intact but also have a great medium to work with too!)  Just be aware that it can be time intensive and get a little pricey since it's custom made fabric.

Shirts are a little more difficult to work with, because of the different fabrics.  A stack of cotton tee shirts (not technical tees) can easily be made into a quilt.  A produce bag or a tote bag!  Just be aware that technical tees though are a little more difficult to work with, because of the slickness of the fabric itself.  But you can use little tricks like putting a sheet of paper on top and bottom of the fabric while you're sewing.  This helps the feet of your sewing machine get just enough traction to be able to feed the fabric through.  When you're done you can just pull the paper off the fabric (or cut very carefully along the seams) and you're done!

How do you display your race swag?

Running on Vacation!

 I know I'm a little late to the game with this post, but I just got back from a trip to Hawaii to visit the in-laws and celebrate my husband and I's 7th anniversary!  

Obligatory anniversary post-run selfie!

Flying out from Maryland to Hawaii was definitely no picnic.  (I know, first world problems.)  Getting there it was 2 flights--the first to San Francisco which took over 5 hours (they have a yoga lounge there, and of course it was the first time I decided against wearing yoga pants while traveling) and the second to Honolulu was slightly less than 5 hours.  We sprung for tickets to sit in slightly better seats on the longer flights and we slept on a little on one of the flights out but slept on the shorter flight back despite having worse seats.  Either way, the time difference is 6 hours behind the east coast so the jet lag was definitely there shortly after our arrival.  I remember sitting at the dinner table starting to pass a bowl of fruit and all of a sudden the dizziness of jet lag hit.  Soon afterwards my husband and I both went to bed super early and woke up pretty early.  Just getting used to Hawaii time took about 3 days.  Fortunately though, getting up so early made it a little easy to find an excuse to get a run early on in the day?  (Although jet lag didn't make it easy to do.  I only got to run twice on our vacation due to that and other factors.  Like the weather--it may be in the 60's here in Maryland, but it was still summer and in the upper 80s most days in Hawaii!  And three mornings in a row we woke up to the sound of a heavy downpour.)  While on vacation though, you don't have to take a break from running.  Here are some tips that I've found help me to get running while on vacation...

Loved this view just off the path in Hanakao'o Beach Park in Lahaina on Maui

• Not a good flier?  Go for a long run either the night before or the day of if you have a chance.  I do that to work out some of my pre-flight jitters, and they are some of my best runs!

• Look into clothing with silver worked into the fabric fiber.  Sounds weird, but it's gotten mixed results in athletic wear because it can resist odor so you can get more wears between washings.  The addition of silver to fabric is still coming back with mixed results, but for me it works great!  (On Athleta's website, look for "unstinkable" fabric which comes in all kinds of cuts in both tops AND bottoms including my favorite "be free" knicker length shorts with pockets on the sides!)  With this fabric if you're going to be gone for a week, you only need to bring one or two sets of running clothes.  For me, even in the heat and humidity of Hawaii or even the Outer Banks, these clothes did not stink afterwards!

• Pack all the socks you like since they don't take up much space and are easy to throw into the laundry if you have access to a washer and dryer.

• Bring a light pre-run snack like honey stinger waffles (gingersnap is my personal favorite) or even fuel for during your run especially if you're going to run before everybody else gets up.  Running on a completely empty stomach isn't fun, especially when it starts screaming for breakfast.

• When going on outings on the first couple days, start scouting out where people run.  I found a fantastic trail along the coast while in Maui that ended up being about 2.5 miles.

• If you're going to a place with a big time difference (think 3 hours+) I personally don't bother for the first few days since you never know when jet lag will hit and it can make you dizzy and confused--two things you DEFINITELY don't want to feel while running in a new place.

• Hydration!!  Be sure to stay hydrated, and this can help your body start to feel normal again.  Bring an empty water bottle with you to the airport, fill it up after you get through security.  As an added bonus I bring a couple tubes of nuun with me--one with caffeine, one without.  You never know when/if a coffee shop will be near your gate, if it'll be open, or if you'll have time to wait in the long line for your preferred caffeinated drink.  (Or let's face it, sometimes the water from fountains just tastes funny.  I used nuun a lot while in round #2 of college because one of the buildings had notoriously bad tasting water.)

The view at the top of the hill from my in-law's condo in Kaneohe on O'ahu.

What are some of your tips for running while on vacation?