Jan 12, 2015

Exercise as Part of Your Travel Plans


It is halfway through my training for the 15K race in March, so here is a little update. 

I recently had a wonderful 6-mile run in the National Historic Landmark District of Downtown Savannah, Georgia.  Savannah is a little, charming town in the South, and it is one of my favorite cities in the U.S.  Walking in the streets is a must-to-do.  The District is also known for 24 neat squares, so I decided to run through all of them.  It was in the weekend morning before the stores opened, so there were only some locals walking their dogs and city employees cleaning the squares.  It was very peaceful.  I relished every square and street, especially the pretty Jones Street, and the 6 miles felt very short.  As I exchanged greetings with the locals (Southerners are very courteous),  I felt as if I was living in the city.
Monterey Square 
This experience reminded me of how much I enjoyed the runs in other cities and countries while on vacation.  I ran in New York City, Vancouver in Canada, Paris in France, Cologne, Stuttgart, and Göttingen in Germany, and Japan.  I was able to grasp the vibe of the cities, so the experience became more distinctive and personal.

If you want to keep your exercise routine, don’t let it get in your way while on vacation or traveling on business.  Instead, incorporate it in your travel plans, and use it as a new way of exploring the place and people.  It is definitely more fun than using the gym at your hotel.  There are many ways; visiting an affiliated gym of yours, dropping by a yoga class, joining a running/walking group for a day (use Meetup.com), swimming in a public pool, cycling on bike trails and etc. 

*If you run in a new place, make sure to run during the day and ask locals which street and neighborhood should be avoided.