Vacation Training Log

Who says you can't get better while taking it 'easy'

Life’s a beach, so run it

Everybody like to vacation a bit different. Some love to sit back on a chair and let the world move around them. Others like to get up and move intentionally throughout the world. I kind of like a little bit of both.

My life as a busy dad, in demand coach, athlete in training, and devoted husband has me running around quite a bit in my ‘normal’ life. I like the be on the move. So when the time comes to ‘slow down’ during vacation time, I’m happy to strike a harmony between active and passive forms of vacationing.

This past week I’ve been lucky enough to spend my days at an all inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic with my beautiful family. When most people think of ‘all inclusive’ they think roll out of bed with a beer or fancy drink in hand, head to the buffet to gorge, then lie by the pool all day imbibing in the ‘free booze’ and entertainment. Then it’s PARTY all night long.

But for me, it’s the perfect chance to what I love most, run at sunrise in beautiful nature and then spend the rest of the day with my family having fun.

This year, I decided to try something different. I wanted to take advantage of the gorgeous beach here in Punta Cana that stretches miles and miles, in addition to soaking up the incredible sunrises. I’ve built my running style on ‘no back to back days’ but I’m also training hard to perform well at this years POF backyard ultra so why not break free and do something wild. I ran all 7 days in a row.

Below I’ll briefly describe how I ‘improvised’ each day’s run to get variation. In another article I’ll describe my strategy on how I navigate the ‘trap doors’ an all inclusive has by flipping what most people think of, I love these resorts because it aids my ability to live an active and healthy lifestyle.

But onto the TRAINING

Note, all these runs are barefoot. My toes have the bruises and blisters to prove it!

Day 1: 6 miles, easy pacing, just flow aim for sub 45 minutes (44:54)

First day, just get out and run. Scope out the beach situation to plan the rest of the week’s exercise. I was amazed at the clean beach, and how long it stretched. I knew I wanted to come back out often, just not sure how much and for how long. Planned to go FAST the next day.

Day 2: 5 miles, burn the fuel, aim for sub 35 minutes (36:02)

Second day I took advantage of the good running conditions on the beach and went fast. Wasn’t sure if I wanted to do sprints, strides, progression run, or just hold a consistent pace. Started hot, improvised a 35 minute target. Had it in sight, but then turned around halfway into a fierce headwind. Struggled to hit the target. Loved the effort. Note to self, more anaerobic work when I get home. Next day, low and slow.

Day 3: 10 miles, just enjoy the day, aim for sub 1hr 30min (1:23:09)

Learned my lesson about running into the headwind last, started in the other direction. Just wanted to cruise and be out in the beautiful sunshine. Started out wanting to just run for an hour, but I felt so good, legs were strong and the pace was easy so I stretched it to 10 miles. Decided on the back I wanted to try and hit a half marathon by the end of the week. Would have pushed it today, but timing and lack of something to wipe sweat from my eyes stopped me. Also decided this day I was going to run every day as training. I was also inspired by my Tribal Training teammates hitting a 5K everyday in Feb for a team challenge.

Day 4: 4 miles BURN IT DOWN, quick hitter for wife’s birthday, aim sub 30 (28:18)

Knew it needed to be fast so I could get back to the room early to celebrate my wife’s birthday and give her a break with the kids early in the morning. 4 miles is a standard run for me, especially since that’s the backyard ultra distance we run on the hour every hour. Wanted 7 min mile pace, grabbed it. Again, note to self, MORE ANAEROBIC work when I get home. Legs are a bit tired and sore now, but not like I imagined. Feet are holding up too. I’m really gonna do this!

Day 5: 5 miles, run your gait pace and see where it lands, aim 37:30-40 mins (38:41)

Flawless execution, legs are unbreakable. I nail this one. Feet are rock solid. Lungs could go for days. I’m in tune with running and my body. I feel on top of the world. It’s time to go big tomorrow. I’m amazed I can easily hold a 7:30min mile pace at the top of my zone 2 barefoot on the sand. I’ve also never ran 5 days in a row EVER. Unstoppable.

Day 6: No Water No Fuel Fasted Half Marathon barefoot style, aim sub 1hr 50 min (1:46:16)

Best day break of the week, I literally started crying on the way down to the beach the colours hit me so hard in the heart (also shabbat, also read scripture in the morning, thank you g-d for the affirmation). I start with the tailwind, 1.6 miles out then turn back to run 6.5 miles into the headwind so I can run back 5 miles to hit the distance target. I never push pace, I just keep my legs moving as they should. I’m in heaven. I get real hungry about 1hr 20mins in, good sign I’m working well. I run trail half marathons for my long runs often so I know this distance like the back of my hand. Finish strong, fastest mile of the day. See a chance to hit sub 1hr 45min a bit too late, didn’t look at overall time AT ALL on the 5 miles back. I just wanted to run and run and run and run. Did I mention I love running at sunrise!

Day 7: Easy 5K, travel day, keep stacking wins, aim somewhere around 27 minutes (28:41)

Easy but stiff, legs didn’t want to stretch out, quad a bit tight. Amazingly, by mile 2 it was like they remembered they could move well and I found the rhythm. Had a fun time running in waist high water for a bit, high knees for form. Sprinted the final .1 miles. What a way the end the trip

Takeaways

Improvising your exercise makes it fun, dynamic, and creative. I love the open space of not having a day planned with calls, drop offs, pickups, errands to run, meals to cook, etc. So I took the space and used it to my advantage. I tried something I’ve never done before. I ran farther without shoes than ever, twice. I slapped hands with probably 200 runners over the week, connecting hearts, and seeing surprised smiles come across their faces.

Running out and backs gave me a great chance to see the same people and they started to return the energy I was pouring back to them. Things like this don’t happen when you’re cooped up in a gym, sticking to a strict regimen like a machine, and keeping your head down in the ‘serious work’ of exercise.

So get out and explore, be dynamic, take an adventure, do something bold, smile at others along the way, open up your heart, and exercise will become a world of magic expression instead of the grinding chore most make it out to be.

Happy Training Friends!