The Thrifty Runner: 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.)