This is the time of year for many when they are travelling for vacation. Others among you may find they have blocks of time throughout the year where their job requires them to travel.
Crossing time zones and trying to train with a disrupted routine can be tricky. Here are some things the athletes we work with have found work for them
Whilst you may not always be able to take your bike with you, having some kit with you can mean that you can take advantage of opportunities that arise. For Runners it's easy enough (mostly) to pack a pair of running shoes and some running clothes; and even for non-runners a small amount of jogging/running may be something that you can do.
For cyclists having a pair of cycling shorts and some trainers might not hurt - it could mean you can do a 45 minute spin on a static bike in a hotel bike or even rent a bike for a day or two.
Athletes who want to or have to do some strength training can take bands to do some strength/pre-hab training in their room.
Even just downloading an app onto your phone for a 10 - 20 minute HIIT workout will at least give you an option to do something.
Once you know where you are staying you can do some research on facilities both on site and nearby. Is there a local gym/pool or a hotel gym/pool? Are there some running routes that you could safely jog round for some easy (cross) training)?
Some front end research might help with motivation when you get there and help you plan (with your coach) what if anything you can do.
Many vacations are planned well in advance so you can plan your training around it to fit in. If you like an easy holiday by the pool you can plan training so that your recovery week/taper coincides with your holidays.
If you are travelling for work and this is planned in advance as soon as you know you can start to think about the kind of training you can do before and during the travel to maximise the time you have.
Wherever you are, most of the time doing a small amount of something is usually better than doing nothing. So even if you can only realistically do two or three workouts of half an hour, this is going to be better than doing nothing as it will offset any fitness loss.
While it might not be practical to do your usual training, you might find that you can do some sort of cross training which again will help you maintain fitness (and can be quite fun).
Being open to alternatives can help you plan something and keep you sane and a bit fitter than if you were to do nothing. Swimming, walking, jogging paddle boarding, rowing may all be options available to you. Check out what's there before you go.
When you are away with family or work it can be very difficult to do training once the day has started. By far the most consistent way that athletes seem to be able to train when travelling for work or pleasure is to train in the morning before the activities start.
This can be hard at work conferences where there may be some expectation to mingle in the evenings leading to late nights, but the effort is usually worth it as you feel so much better if you have done something, even if it's just a walk.
Crossing (multiple) time zones can make training hard at least for the first few days when you get to your destination and when you return.
Most people find that they can usually do some easy (zones 1-2) training when jet-lagged and then harder training (if practical) can be planned once they have had time to adapt.
Remember doing something however small is usually better than nothing, so even if this is very easy and short you are still doing some good.
If you are not sure how to manage your training around your travel you can book a free 20 minute consultation with no commitment to see how we can help you.