Joggling in a foreign city – Training Tips

Ok, maybe Milwaukee isn’t really a “foreign” city but it is certainly different than Chicago. I once joggled their marathon, and while I really enjoyed the free-flowing kegs of beer at the end of the race, there could’ve been a lot more cheering support along the way. The Chicago Marathon has the best support crowd of any marathon I’ve ever run. This includes New York which has the biggest crowd but also has 5 bridges to cross. There are no crowds on the bridges!

This weekend, I was on a trip to the grand city of Milwaukee to see my Cubs beat up on the Brewers, so I had to get my training in up there. The weather was hot and muggy, so I followed my own advice to drink lots of water before going out. Initially, my legs were sore and felt like lead weights. But after about 2 miles the joggling started to feel better. In 58 minutes I covered just over 7 miles. I had intended on running a 5K to see how fast I could go however, it was really hot, I didn’t have a marked off track, and I was tired. Mostly, I was just happy to get out and do the run. Here are some tips about running when you’re travelling.

1. Pay attention to your running course. You don’t want to get lost so it’s best to do an out-and-back path, that is, you run straight out for a given time and run back the way you came. Make as few turns as possible. In my 7 mile run, I joggled straight out for 30 minutes, turned around and joggled back.

2. Find a course online. If you are more computer savvy you can check out this course utility created by David Goodwin. It lists different running paths in all sorts of cities around the United States, Canada, the UK and more.

3. Plan when you will do your workout. If you don’t plan when you’ll workout, you probably won’t. It is really easy to skip a workout when you’re travelling.

4. Stay in hotels that have a fitness center. It’s much easier to get a workout in if you stay in a hotel with a place to do it. Running outside is nice but not always practical. One of my favorite things about travelling is getting to use different fitness centers. Unfortunately, the treadmills are not always great. Prepare yourself for this.

5. Exercise in your room. If you just can’t get out to do a run, work on your core by doing some sit-ups, push-ups or squats. You can also do some of these stretches suggested by Runner’s World.

Stats for 7/9/06

Distance: 7.2 miles

Time: 58:34

Listening to…Start Up Nation