I RUN, THEREFORE, I AM: In Need Of Tips!

Monday, January 9, 2012

In Need Of Tips!

On Thursday morning, my husband, daughter, dog and I will be driving to Northern Virginia for two reasons. 1) So my husband's family can welcome him home from his most recent deployment and 2) So we can drop off our daughter and dog with Grandma & Grandpa as we travel to England, Scotland, and Ireland for 2 weeks!

I have a family blog where I can ask fellow mamas for tips on coping with leaving your child for the first long duration; but from this crowd, I'm seeking tips on running abroad. The temperatures will be cold and we will most likely encounter plenty of rain. The roads will be unfamiliar. The jet lag might be rough.

That being said:

What do I pack?

How do I locate good places/routes to run?

One or two pairs of shoes?

Any other advice you can share?

As of right now, we have round trip plane tickets from DC to London and a hotel booked for the first night. Other than that, we'll be "flying by the seat of our pants" (in the words of Pretty Woman). We're both excited about seeing the lands and indulging in the pubs, but I've got a 1/2 marathon coming up in the spring, and taking 2 weeks off doesn't really fit into my training plan!

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nicole · 690 weeks ago

so fun! when my husband and i go away we do all our exploring by running! we usually look at guide books to find trails, hikes, walks and then just run them. also talking to people who work at the hotel you stay at is a great way to find a great path. don't stress over it too much. enjoy the places you are going, throw on your sneakers & explore!

1 reply · active 690 weeks ago

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Jennifer Goodale · 690 weeks ago

Great ideas! Thanks for responding!

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andreazimlicki 1p · 690 weeks ago

We are stationed in Germany and so far the weather hasn't been too harsh over here! You might just luck out! I'd be prepared to run in the rain though. Even if it's not too cold, it rains almost everyday. Be careful to run against traffic…which comes in the other direction over there!! We spent 10 days in London/Edinburgh a coupe years ago for New Years and it's absolutely beautiful!! I'm sure you'll have fun exploring the cities, but definitely run through the countryside. Scotland especially was absolutely AMAZING!!! I'm so jealous!! We were just talking about how badly we want to go back to Scotland!! Have fun!!!

1 reply · active 690 weeks ago

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Jennifer Goodale · 690 weeks ago

Ohh, I'll keep my fingers crossed that you're right about the weather. That would be fantastic! And thanks for the tip about traffic, I'm sure that's tough to get used to.

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Kristen · 690 weeks ago

How fun! We went to Paris and Rome last summer and I had a blast running in both cities. It was a little intimidating, but I really enjoyed it once I figured out the best places to run in each city. I only got lost once in each city :). Thankfully, in Rome, my husband was running with me when we got lost otherwise I'd still be wandering around those windy little streets, lol. I found Runner's World's tips on where to run on their travel page to be helpful. You might be able to find some information there on your destinations: http://www.runnersworld.com/topic/0,7122,s6-581-2.... Have a great trip!

1 reply · active 690 weeks ago

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Jennifer Goodale · 690 weeks ago

Thanks for the link! I'm going to look at it right now:) My husband is the navigator between the two of us, so hopefully I can convince him to head out the door with me!

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Michele · 690 weeks ago

I am actually writing a blog post about touring a city by running!! =) My hubby and I did that when we went to Italy 3 years ago...we ran each morning and got to see all the sights that didn't require extensive time viewing (things we just wanted to see from the outside)...It was fabulous - we ran between 45-120 min each morning - before the other tourists were out. I brought one pair of shoes. Although if it's supposed to rain, the 2nd pair may not be the worst idea - esp if you want to run every morning. I would ask locals about running as soon as you arrive. We planned our route the night before - would map it out and then my hubby carried the map with our penciled in routes in a ziploc bag. I would pack clothes for 2-3 days of running and then just find a laundromat to keep washing your clothes - you're going to want to wash them anyway since they will get smelly after a few days =)

1 reply · active 690 weeks ago

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Jennifer Goodale · 690 weeks ago

Great tips Michele! I packed some Febreeze in case the laundromats are more difficult to locate than we'd like:) And I'll see how much room I have for the second pair of shoes!

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Erin @ Running Tall · 690 weeks ago

Ah so fun! I lived in Glasgow for 5 months on a school exchange and it's amazing! Number one is be prepared to run in the rain. It rains allllll the time! The UK has tons of parks, so odds are there will be one close to where you're staying. I like running in parks versus running on the street so I loved this about the UK. Have a blast!

1 reply · active 690 weeks ago

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Jennifer Goodale · 690 weeks ago

Totally hadn't thought of running in the parks! Great idea and I'm super excited now that this is the second wonderful review I've heard about Glasgow! Thanks for responding Erin!

I RUN, THEREFORE, I AM

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Monday, January 9, 2012

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