Training on Vacation (Without Ruining Your Vacation)

I was on vacation this past week and honestly, I had a hard time with my workout schedule. While I know what to do, it doesn’t always change my feelings around how I have to adapt for vacation.

Vacation always messes with training. You've got a plan, a schedule, and workouts written out weeks in advance, and then you land somewhere with none of your normal structure, plus a family that wants to do things that aren't running.

Here's what I've learned. You don't have to choose between training and actually enjoying your trip. You just have to get comfortable with shortcuts.

It's okay to skip a day

Not every day on vacation is a running day. If you've got an early flight, a full day of hiking planned, or you just didn't sleep, skip it. One missed run isn't going to undo your training. What will hurt you is the mindset that every single workout is non-negotiable, because that's the mindset that makes vacation stressful instead of restful.

It's okay to shrink the workout

You don't need the full 60 to 90 minute session to get something out of it. A 5 to 20 minute effort still counts. It keeps your legs moving, keeps the habit alive, and honestly, it's often all you have time for anyway. Something is almost always better than nothing.

It's okay to swap the shape of the workout

This is the one people struggle with most. We get attached to the workout as written. But the point of a workout is the stimulus, not the script.

For example, during my vacation I had a run on my schedule that called for some easy mileage and drills into hill sprints. Instead, I did a family bike ride in the morning, skipped the extra running miles entirely, and went straight into the hill sprints later on. Same intensity where it mattered, different container around it. I still got the sprint work in. I also got to ride bikes with my family. Nobody lost.

Vacation is not a training camp. The goal isn't to protect the plan at all costs. It's to protect the trip while keeping enough consistency that you're not starting from zero when you get home. Get in what you can. Skip what you need to. Shrink it, shift it, swap it. The workout bends to the vacation, not the other way around.

You’ll come back feeling fresh and ready. Rather than stressed and burnt out.

-Eliana