These tips will keep your training on track while you're on vacation RunFarGirl

I'm excited to introduce to you Cassie Cyr. Cassie blogs at Miles and Miracles. Cassie is a full time working mama and juggles her running with caring for her son, Cameron. I originally connected with Cassie because her son Cameron has received care at CHaD (Children's Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock) as did my son, Jack. Today she is sharing some great tips on how to get your training in during the summer months when you're traveling.

Summer is officially here, and with that, comes early-morning runs, fall race training and vacations. If you have ever prepared for a race during prime travel time, you know it can be difficult to keep up with a training schedule while your routine is in shambles. Luckily, there are a lot of things you can do to enjoy your vacation and still get your runs in. The difficulty of accomplishing that depends on a variety of factors including how far you are traveling, your final destination, who you are with and how much free time you’ll have. Here are some tips to keep checking off those training boxes while you’re away:

Plan ahead. If you’re staying somewhere where security may be an issue, call the hotel concierge ahead of time and find out if there are safe trails or paths to take your runs to. Wherever you’re going, try websites such as MapMyRun, Strava or Runkeeper, who all have user-submitted routes for locations across the country. Find your destination for local routes that accommodate your training schedule for that week. Best of all, you can get in a great running tour of your destination!

Take advantage of hotel fitness centers. If you don’t have the ability to hit the streets or safe trails to get your training on, most hotels have fitness centers with at least one treadmill at your disposal. Bring your schedule with you and hit the ‘mill for your runs. Heck, even get your long run in while binge-watching the new season of “Orange is the New Black” (you won’t regret it)!

Increase intensity, decrease volume. If you are working with a coach, or have gone through enough training cycles to understand how your body responds, plan to change up your schedule for the time you are away. Instead of a slow 10-miler the day after you arrive, go for a fast 10K. A simple Google search will get you to the local high school track to do your speed work, or skip the second 4-miler of the week and do a series of hill repeats at a quick pace. This is especially helpful if you’re vacationing with your family and have limited time and before the babes wake up ready to go meet Mickey Mouse.

Make it a “race-cation.” You’ve got your vacation all planned out and realize it coincides with your weekend 18-miler. What do you do?? How about trading in the 18-miler for a local half marathon? With running popularity soaring over the last few years, it’s hard to go anywhere and not come across a race or two. Plan it into your schedule. It’s often the best way to see the local sites, as race courses close off roads you’d normally only travel on by car. And if you’ve been able to take advantage of a couple of early solo runs around town, you’ll be able to give directions to your waiting family to find fun things to do while you race.

Be flexible. Set your training expectations low while on vacation. Training for a big race is stressful, both physically and mentally. The last thing you want to do while you’re on vacation is to stress over keeping up with high-intensity workouts and unrealistically long runs while you’re trying to relax and enjoy time with your family. If you’re gone for a week and you can’t get your runs in, don’t sweat it. Adjust your plan when you return and keep moving forward. You’ll get to that finish line refreshed and ready to race!

You can check out more from Cassie here:

Blog: Miles and Miracles

Twitter: @CassieCyr27

Instagram: @milesandmiracles

Tips for Running on Vacation with Guest Cassie Cyr

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