Lately, I’ve done a fair amount of traveling. In the beginning of the year we spent a month in Florida. Then I went to Utah, Dallas (twice), Charleston, Indiana, Bankok, Malaysia, and North Carolina. I’ve also got trips scheduled to Montreal, Minnesota, and New York. Whew! 
One of the biggest challenges of traveling is finding ways to work in your workout. In Thailand, this required me to go joggling on unknown streets at 11:30 pm. In Utah, I had to joggle at 2 am up dark mountain roads just to ensure that I would have time to run. But this schedule juggling isn’t the only thing to consider when traveling. Here are my best tips for making your joggling or running easier while traveling.
1. You don’t need a new set of running clothes for each day. While at home I rarely wear the same running shirt or shorts two days in a row, but on the road, I do. You just need to hang your sweaty clothes somewhere that allows them to dry, then suit up again the next day. This gives you more room in your suitcase for other things (like more juggling equipment).
2. Run in a straight line. If you are running in a new place it’s easy to get lost, especially if you make a lot of turns. When traveling, the best thing to do is to start running a straight path and keep going for a set amount of time. When you’ve gone half the time you wanted to run, just turn around and come back. Having a GPS device with you is also a good idea.
3. Have a copy of your passport. You never know what can happen in a foreign country so it’s good to always have your passport on you. But you might not want to carry your actual passport. Better is to have a copy that you carry and put the real one in the hotel safe.
4. Experiment with your runs. It’s easy to get into a running rut when you do all your workouts around your house. When traveling, you can get different terrains, elevations, and scenery. Be sure to make use of them. For example, if you are near a beach, go running on the beach. If you are in the mountains, try to scale some steep roads / paths. This will be good for your training but will also make the runs more interesting. I’m always a little slower when traveling, so changing up my usual running paths / pace makes the runs more beneficial.
5. Play to the crowd. Since joggling is not something that people around the world see very often, you may be the first joggler that they experience. Be sure to smile back and maybe even do a trick. We want people around the world to view joggling as the fun and entertaining sport that it is.
Joggle on.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Great advice! I’m headed to Hungary, Croatia and Slovenia in 2 weeks and I am a bit nervous about joggling in a strange place. I like the straight line running idea, since I don’t want to roam with my phone.
The one nice part about joggling with a phone is that you get the chance to take some pictures of your path, but in general, it’s better to joggle in strange places without the phone.
Have a great trip and let us know how the joggling went!