I am on vacation and still need to train! I really am on vacation but I was inspired to write a little on a topic that my readers and most of our athletes faced this season. Training disruptions due to business travel and family vacations.

Grandpa’s wisdom
My grandparents were caught up in the Great Depression like many family’s all over the world. One of the sayings my grandfather was fond of saying to me was “just do the best you can with what you have”. I have to imagine that this bit of wisdom was born out of the necessities of being part of large farming family in the depression. There isn’t a day that hasn’t gone by that I hear that saying and try to apply it to what I am having a tough time with some aspect of my life.

Business travelers
Those of us who travel for business can make the most of even an overnight trip. Book a hotel that has a weight room and spin bike or treadmill. Can’t find a hotel with working gym equipment or a gym then just 15 minutes of stretching and 15 to 20 minutes of core work can really help!

If you have a gym try the following. – Please check with your Dr. Before beginning an training program!

2 sets 30 repetitions with 2 minute break between each set. Use weights that allows you to maintain lifting form from the first rep to the last!

• Bench Press or Standing Cable Press Down
• Squat or Calf Press
• Seated Row or Standing Row
• Leg Press or Knee Extension

Spin bike intervals (Not a stationary recumbent bike)

• Warm up for 5 Minutes
• 3 one minute fast pedaling drills with 2 minutes of soft pedaling between each interval
• 3 five minute tempo intervals in zones 3-4 heart rate or power with 2 minutes of Zone 2 Heart Rate or Power between each interval.
• Cool down 5 minutes by pedaling in easy gearing but a high cadence.

Vacationers
It can be tough to justify the added cost of flying with your bike(s) to your vacation destination. With some careful planning you can still ride. The bike rental business is booming all over the world. If your destination doesn’t have a bike rental shop then try and find the best deal for traveling with your bike. You can even have it shipped to your destination if your chosen airline is cost prohibitive when trying to travel with your bike.

I never seem to have a gym where I vacation so I make do with core work, riding and running. When on vacation my family loves to be active and play so there is no shortage of exercise but rarely is it sport specific. So I will carve an hour a day out to go running and riding. Rarely will I do a brick of running and riding when on vacation as I try to keep the workouts moderate but specific to my training goals. I do not want to be wrung out from working out when on vacation.

When I ride or run on vacation I will tend to one of two things. I will keep the workouts short but intense and usually will focus my energy on Tempo Training Zones or harder 1 minute efforts just above my Functional Threshold Power or VO2 Max.

Try these two run and cycling interval work outs next time on vacation: – Please check with your Dr. Before beginning an training program!

Tempo Intervals 4-6 X 5 Minutes

• Warm up for 5-10 min with light to moderate jogging.
• Run at tempo heart rate for 5-10 minutes
• Jog easy for 5minutes
• Cool down by walking making sure to get your HR down to your recovery zone

Tempo Ladder 5-8 x 1-5 Minutes

• Warm up for 5-10 min with light to moderate jogging
• Interval 1 – Run 1-3 minutes at tempo HR
• Recover by running at your endurance HR zone for 2 minutes
• Interval 2 – Run 2-4 minutes at tempo HR
• Recover by running at your endurance HR zone for 2 minutes
• Interval 3 – Run 3-5 minutes at tempo HR
• Recover by running at your endurance HR zone for 2 minutes
• Interval 4 – Run 4-6 minutes at tempo HR
• Recover by running at your endurance HR zone for 2 minutes
• Interval 5 – Run 5-7 minutes at tempo HR
• Recover by running at your endurance HR zone for 2 minutes
• Interval 6 – Run 6-8 minutes at tempo HR
• Recover by running at your endurance HR zone for 2 minutes
• Interval 7 – Run 7-9 minutes at tempo HR
• Recover by running at your endurance HR zone for 2 minutes
• Interval 8 – Run 8-10 minutes at tempo HR

I hope this helps and I hope my readers had an amazing year! I look forward to writing more articles for the new year and interacting with more of my readers. If you have questions, comments or are interested in other aspects of the endurance sport lifestyle leave a comment.

Until next time train smarter not harder,

Coach Rob