Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Freak of Vacation

I've found that the amount of exercise I do is perceived in different ways depending on the person I'm talking to.

People who are moderately serious runners, former college athletes, and the like usually shrug after I tell them I "only average around 40-45 miles or so a week" and tell me I should train harder.

On the flip side, a large portion of people look like I am A SUPER FREAK when hearing this mileage figure that I see as being very moderate.  Because of this, I generally tend to avoid talking much about my running in detail with most people.  Luckily for them, most non-runners don't give a shit about my 5 mile tempo run, so my avoidance of discussing this part of my life is really keeping them from dying of boredom as well.  Win-win!

I mean...I kind of get it...like when I was in middle school and we had to run the mile it was about the worst experience ever.  So if someone had told me they ran by choice on a daily basis, I would have thought they needed a mental exam.   But at this point....easy 5 mile runs are about as easy as walking down the street.  It's just a way to clear my head and get some fresh air.

There are a few times, however, when my policy of "non-running discussion" is not an option.  One of them is when I visit my boyfriend's family mid-marathon training and I try to sneak out of the house before his sweet mom pounces on me to make me a bacon and eggs breakfast.  (don't try to do a long run after this, you will regret it the entire time!).

The second time is when I'm on vacation.  I know I may be in the minority on this, but I really enjoy running when on vacation.  Not workouts, but slow 40 minute jaunts as long as the schedule permits.  If it can't happen, it can't happen, but as long as there's a safe stretch of road and some time, I figure why not.

Like this last weekend, I went on a quick vacation.  I went to Vegas for a bachelorette party!  It was good times!


And for both of the mornings...even after heavy boozing....I got up and went on a run.

When people on a group vacation who don't know you very well realize you are running the mornings in a place like Vegas, they become perplexed and give you the super-freak look.  It brings forth comments like "Oh wow, you'll really earn this buffet!",  "You know I ran a half-marathon once", "Wow good for you...SO healthy", "You don't need to lose weight" and "Maybe I'll go on a run later..I DID bring my workout gear...".

All well-meaning comments.  But I never know what to say in response!  There are a number of reasons why I went on a runs in Vegas and it has very little to do with health or being virtuous.   It's just something I do, just like getting dressed, eating meals, and going to the grocery store.  The questions and comments make me a little uncomfortable because I don't think I deserve any compliments for going on a short slow run, and frankly it's slightly addictive behavior on my part.  And I am certainly not trying to make anyone else bad for not exercising.   So I tried to think of why I enjoy running on vacation:

1) I'm obsessive about patterns and routines as shit and so doing a daily run helps me feel normal and not freak out about other things.   This is the main one.  I admit it.

2) It's kind of fun to get a little time to myself in the mornings because I get overwhelmed in large social groups.

3) Why not?  We got hella free time!

4)  I've got some dope music on my ipod I want to listen to.

5) People watching, people watching, people watching.

and secret option 6)  It's a nice day out and I like to run!

So unless the weather is bad, I usually just go with option 6 as my explanation.   Unless the person is a psychiatrist and I'm in a chair, it's probably the best response.

I guess there's no end in sight to the "Super Freak Vacation Runner" looks, unless I manage to sneak out of hotel rooms at 3 AM and slip back into bed, sight unseen. I figure this pattern will just continue.  I'll keep running when I can in random places, people around me will continue to comment on the fact that it's surprising that I'm running, and I'll continue to feel slightly like a freak when I try to explain why I went on a run.

I suppose worse things could happen :).

17 comments:

  1. And, running on vacation is a great way to see the sights/learn your way around so you don't get lost during your nights of heavy boozing. Another plus!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I run on vacations, too. And people think I'm nuts--I don't so much get the "Wow! Good for you!" response. I just tell them that I like to explore new places on foot, and I can see more if I move faster... so I run. Haha. People sympathize with this because they too want to see as much as they can. In fact, I think they get a little jealous.

    People have also said things like "yeah, the hardest part is just getting out the door... good luck." And I'm like "uh.. I really don't need running advice?!"

    ReplyDelete
  3. I always run on vacation and my non running friends think it's so weird. To me running is fun, you're supposed to have fun on vacation so why wouldn't they go together.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I also run on vacation. In the event someone says something (which honestly, no one really does to me since I'm a social outcast), I just say its on my training schedule.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm the opposite! I almost never run on vacation unless I'm staying at a friend's or with family and know that I'll have access to a washing machine. We always take active vacations so I already bring tons of clothes for hiking and I just can't pack a 2nd wardrobe with my running gear and on top of that it gets tiring to hand-wash two different sets of clothes everyday on vacation. Also I never have space to pack running shoes cause I've already got hiking boots and/or light hikers plus my travel/walking sneakers. There are other ways to see a new place and to get exercise than running :D.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I haven't been on a vacation in a while, but I ran on a vacation... once. This was before I started running regularly. I was in Atlantic City and I woke up early to run on the boardwalk. I ran all the way to the end and back to my hotel (Tropicana), and it felt really awesome! It was so relaxing smelling the fresh sea breeze.

    The next time I go on a vacation, I'll probably go running in the morning. It's a pretty good way to sight see.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I agree with you that vacation is the perfect time to run--all that free time! Endorphins make vacation happier! You can eat extra yummy food! My husband and I went to Charleston for a birthday trip in March and we ran every morning after eating and drinking our faces off each night. I don't know that we'd have survived without the daily runs (and every-morning trips to the juice bar!)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I've never hit high mileage in my life, but when I ran 5 days/week in graduate school while living on campus (and therefore passing tons of people I knew while out running), I remember never being sure what to say when they said weird things like, "Good job!"

    Good job?? Huh? I'm not doing this because I want to be "good" and it's not a "job" either. I love it. I do it because I love it. It just feels right.

    I don't know why it disturbed me so much when they said things like that to me, but it did. I'd kinda scrunch up my face at them and say, "Yeah...I just really like to run...." and feel kinda awkward.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Green Gгeеn Coffee Bean Extract Вenefіts has by far the
    moѕt health benefits anԁ mаy fuгther incгease
    youг metаboliѕm and burn fat.


    Mу blog post: does green coffee bean extract work

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I truly appreciate your efforts and
    I will be waiting for your next post thanks once again.


    Also visit my webpage :: yellow lab and golden retriever mix

    ReplyDelete
  11. I justify running on vacation because I love seeing new places on foot, how a new city or country wakes up in the morning. Even in someplace like Vegas that I've been before, seeing how quiet the strip is in the morning gives me a perspective I love. In someplace like Turkey, it's the only way I learned that short sleeves and shorts really aren't appropriate in public for women.

    I also try not to talk mileage with non-runners. It takes a kindred soul to recognize that our 40-45 might be just right for that week in our lives...

    ReplyDelete
  12. Generally I do not read post on blogs, but I wish to say that this write-up very
    forced me to check out and do so! Your writing style has been
    amazed me. Thank you, very great article.

    Feel free to surf to my weblog - go to my blog

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks for your personal marvelous posting!
    I genuinely enjoyed reading it, you may be a great author.
    I will be sure to bookmark your blog and will eventually come back down the road.
    I want to encourage you to ultimately continue your great posts, have
    a nice afternoon!

    Stop by my homepage - additional info

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hiya! I know this is kinda off topic but I'd figured I'd ask.
    Would you be interested in exchanging links or maybe guest authoring a blog post or vice-versa?
    My blog covers a lot of the same topics as yours and I
    think we could greatly benefit from each other.
    If you are interested feel free to send me an e-mail.

    I look forward to hearing from you! Wonderful blog by the way!



    Also visit my webpage; http://mcculloch.ciber.ulpgc.es/wiki/index.php?title=Usuario:RickyMkk

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hope you enjoyed your scenic Houston runs ;). Why does this post get so much spam?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Yep, completely agree. It's funny how widely people's ideas about this vary. I remember when I was in PT telling people I was "barely running 15 miles a week" & some of them thought that was insane. Then I have those nutter friends who run 70-80 mile weeks like it's nothing. With non-runners these conversations do tend to make me uncomfortable sometimes, I think because they do so often end up veering into the fitness / weight loss direction which I just have nothing to say about.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Being able to cuгe acne naturally with items
    such as green puге green cоffee bean еxtract
    800 mg or cаlcium ԁ glucarate can be founԁ аt
    уοur local supеrmarket, in аdԁitiοn to fat loss and іncreaѕing sexual stаminа.
    However, this doesn't mean that the effectiveness of ephedrine, thus making it a more potent.

    Here is my web-site - pure green coffee extract

    ReplyDelete