Vacation doesn't stop training!

Hello friends of Blog 605. It has been awhile. With the fresh snow on the ground I’m thinking about my recent vacation to Disney World and Universal Studios. How much longer do we have to wait for nicer weather? I think I’m going to run away; as long as I don’t slip on the ice while making my getaway that should be a good plan. Right?

Anyway, as great as my vacation was, that didn’t mean I got a break from training. Poor planning on my part. The reality of it is, my second week of marathon training was during my vacation. I very proud of the fact that I ran all of my prescribed workouts while away and I can honestly tell you it was the hardest week of training in my life. My Garmin Connect tells me that I put in over 130,000 steps during the week. Not to mention the time standing in lines, standing on buses or dancing for joy that I was in Florida while it snowed in South Dakota.

There are lots of things to say about Disney. We stayed on property, had the dining plan and utilized all of the transportation. This is not a blog post about that though. Today I wanted to share with you all, a few items that helped make my trip so successful.

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This weeks feature sandwich at the Cookie Jar Eatery is The Martin for only $6.95!

My Brooks Cascadia Shell Pullover $100: I’ve yet to take an extended trip in my life where rain wasn’t a factor. This pullover was a great addition. Both my wife and I bought this prior to our trip and it worked perfect in the humid Florida environment as it is vented on each side and packs up small (we shared a suitcase!). Designed with trail running in mind this pullover is water and wind resistant and dries super fast. It also is specifically designed to go over a pack which was very nice. I often wore this at night when it cooled down and was very happy to have it in the rain on the first night of our trip. ​

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Footwear, Saucony Freedom ISO $160 and Brooks Launch $100: Did I mentioned that my wife and I managed a weeklong trip with one suitcase. This is more difficult than you would think as I wear a size 13 shoe and needed multiple pairs. I choose two standout options and both worked well for different reasons. The Freedom was my mileage hog. It is an awesome lightweight shoe with plenty of cushion. I wore it most days in the parks and did my fast running workouts in them. The Launch was a perfect recovery shoe for me. Because of the higher heel and great cushion it really helped ease some of the strain my feet and legs were feeling as the week rolled on. Together my shoes really made a great combination. ​

CEP Compression Socks $60: These babies were true life savers for me. I chose to sleep in my compression socks each night. No matter how good the footwear is, when you go hard like we did in Disney, your body takes a beating. My feet would ache each night and I was not at all motivated to wake up at 4:30am our time to get my running done. However, with a little Disney magic and a night of sleep in my compression socks each morning I would wake up with refreshed happy feet and calves.

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Trigger Point Mini Grid Foam Roller $24.99: This was another vital recovery tool that was small enough to pack in our suitcase. Over the course of our week I struggled a little with tight calf muscles and hamstrings. A little targeted rolling with this guy and I was able to make it through each workout happy and more importantly healthy. A must have if you are traveling for a race and need to pack light.  ​

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Do you have any major vacations planned in the future? Will you try to train for a race while on vacation? Stop on down and see us at 605 Running Company. We'd love to chat with you about your adventures and we may have a tip or two we could share. Every customer that tells us a story about a journey takes us away from the cold, if only for a moment and in late winter that is truly refreshing. 

Greg Koch is the General Manager/Co-Owner of the 605 Running Company. When he is not at the store he volunteers on the Sioux Falls Marathon Board and Co-Coaches his church softball co-ed team. Greg is an avid runner and enjoys being outdoors whenever possible. Follow Greg on Instagram @gregrun605 

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