Running Away

As a running instructor I've read many emails telling me how it is extremely difficult to get training runs in while on the road for work or for pleasure.  And even though I have been instructing for more than 8 years, I have yet to read one that asked me how to get runs in while traveling. 

Before starting Dream Travel back in 2004 I felt that I was spending large portions of the year on the road.  As a regional manager I slept in my own bed between 0 and 2 nights a week for the majority of my final year with the company.   At the time I was training for marathons and like some of my clinic members, I felt it extremely difficult to get in the necessary runs.

Now, however, I don’t even own a bed.  I live on the road, never in one location for more than a month or two at most, and yet, I train considerably more now than before.  If I have a marathon or an ultra coming up, I find that I really have all the time I need to properly train, and, always have.  The only thing that changed was how I approached the situation.

The Away Game

If you are a dedicated runner who routinely gets in a minimum of 90% of your training runs, and, you are off to the tropics for a week or two, I say leave the shoes at home.  Giving your body a much needed rest is never a bad thing.  Have you ever noticed how you seem stronger and faster after recovering from an injury that forced you to take a week or so off?  This is because as runners, we rarely take breaks.


So, leave the gear at home, enjoy the sunshine and piña coladas, give the legs a vacation as well and when you come back, dust off the shoes and get back at it!

If, however, you are fortunate enough to have a job that routinely gets you out of town, you need to find a way to incorporate your training.  Proper training, that is.

There is nothing better than going for a run after sitting in a car or airplane for an extended period of time.  You may be jet-lagged or beat up from sitting so long at the wheel, but a 30 minute run will cure that faster than a nap or digging through brain-numbing spreadsheets.  You’ll return to work energized and refreshed and hence be more productive.

Don’t feel like hauling the “extra gear” to go for just one or two runs?  Does the water bottle and gel holder, powered drink, watch and charger, headlamp, anti-chaffing cream, etc take up too much suitcase room?  Leave it all at home and bring what you really need:  Shoes, socks, shorts, shirt.  Done.  I assure you that you have space to bring these items.  Everything I own fits in my two carry-on bags, and no, I’m not a hippy living on the beach.  I don’t have the hair to be a hippy…otherwise, maybe I would be.

Are you stuck in your cubicle Monday to Friday?  Go for a lunch time workout!  Ask the boss.  Better yet, show him a study that shows that active employees take less sick days, are less stressed, are happier and live longer…that sounds like an All Star employee to me! 

No place to shower afterwards?  Talk to a nearby gym about paying to use just the shower facilities.  Take some nice chocolates when you go and ask!

So, what was the difference for me between the old days of haphazard training and now?  Simply put: my attitude.  Before I felt that I couldn't fit my running necessities into my already over-stuffed luggage, felt concerned about getting lost running in a new place and told myself I was too tired to run after a hard day of work.  I had more excuses than I can remember. 

Now, I bring only what I truly need, I look forward to running in new cities and countries and know that I will feel fantastic afterwards.  And really, when was the last time you ran and wished you hadn't?

For me, I now fit my runs in regardless.  Just like brushing my teeth or putting on fresh undies each day.  No matter how busy or stressful your day is, you always do those two things, right?  No excuses!

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2013 BMO Vancouver Marathon Weekend
We were very excited to be part of the BMO Vancouver Marathon this year!  Did you see our new flyers in your race packages! 

We want to extend congratulations to all of the runners at this wonderful event, and, thank the hard working organizers and the Running Room for putting on such a great yearly event!

This year the Vancouver marathon put on four separate runs (Marathon, Half Marathon, 8K and a 1 mile kids run) as well as the Healthy Life Style Expo.  All of the races ran very smoothly and experienced very beautiful and sunny weather!

John Stanton was at the start line again kicking off the Race with Bro Jake from the local rock radio station! And, there were a ton of elite athletes signing autographs for people at the expos and 1 Mile event on Saturday.

The Vancouver marathon was named top 10 destination marathons and incredibly almost 50% of the 17000 people running were from out of town!  

Dream Travel loves to take you to Vancouver and other amazing places to run!  We have groups to run the Great Wall of China marathon in May which is another one of Forbes' top 10 marathons as well as Istanbul, the ING New York City Marathon in November and many more!

Come join us!  www.dreamtravelcanada.com

Holiday Running

It’s hard to believe but it is already December again!  You know what that means don’t you?  Well, yes, if you believe in it, that means Christmas, of course, but it also means flu season.  And regardless of whether or not you believe in the flu, or the flu shot, I assure you that they do exist!

 

Starting around the time of Thanksgiving and lasting until around the middle of January we have a handful of variables that throw our bodies out of alignment.  Then, we then spend a few days in bed (or wishing we were) and then moping around with a box of Kleenex, doped up and complaining to whoever will listen.  Sound familiar?  If so, I have great news!  We, as in you and I, are going to put an end to that.  No more holiday seasons spent coughing on your friends and relatives when you should be enjoying eggnog and cheer!

OK, so how do we prevent what everyone seems to get, right?  Easy:  First, by understanding that not everyone gets the flu and therefore that must mean that there is a way to prevent it…and not through prescriptions or your great grandmothers homemade, not-quite-drinkable, brew.

To prevent the flu you first need to understand why it strikes.  Yes, it is one of the coldest months of the year, but you can’t blame the weather.  Have you ever noticed how the flu season is based around the most stressful months in North America?  And for those of you who travel over the holidays, have you also noticed that it doesn’t exist in other parts of the world?  Strange, yes?

As North Americans we typically spend the holiday months working longer hours, sleeping fewer hours, eating poorly, drinking excessively, stressed out and gaining weight.  We also drop our exercise routine or minimize it to make time for all the things that contribute to becoming ill.  Then, January 1^st, we wake up from our sugar and alcohol-fueled  coma, create resolutions and decide to get back in line.  Then, twelve months later we do it all over again.

Other than the New Year’s Resolution, this sounds very much like a trip to an all-inclusive Caribbean resort, yes?  And what happens there?  We get ill and blame it on Montezuma’s Revenge.   

Well, it’s time to stop pointing the finger! We need to learn to slow down and focus on what’s most important:  sleep, diet and exercise, especially during these more stressful months of the year.  

Here are some ways you can fit in that extra workout or avoid the extra calories:

- Skip the slippery drive and congested traffic to work and run there.  Works too far away?  Find a parking lot that’s less expensive and part way and run from there.

- Kids glued to the video games? Gear them up and put them in a sled and see how far you can run while pulling them.  You’ll burn some fast calories while having a blast with the kids. 

 - Does your work spend the Twelve Days of Christmas by filling the office with every type of sweets imaginable?  Pack a lunch full of fruit and ask your co-workers to not parade all the sweets past your desk

- Need a gift at the mall and don’t want to spend $20 in gas looking for a parking space? Run there – you know it will be faster anyways!

- Can’t say no to the sweets?  Take a water bottle to work – staying hydrated will help prevent you from grazing on cookies! 

- Still can’t say no to the sweets? Every time someone offers you something, take just one and then hit your office for 10 pushups.  When you can no longer do pushups you have to say no to the sweets!

- Before hitting the candy buffet at the office, drink a bottle of water and then eat an apple.  That will drastically reduce your desire to over-consume the sweets.

- Avoid excess drinking at the office party by sitting at your boss’s table.  Enough said!

What’s your favorite way to keep fit and healthy during the holidays?  Let me know!

A Foreign Affair

I’ve always enjoyed running races close to home; the ease of registration, race day logistics and thank goodness, no reaction from the water.  If I’m lost finding my way to the Start Line, I simply need to ask directions.  If I need to know where the closest port-o-potty is, I can get my point across easily.  And when the eight year old kid mocks me while passing me on course, unfortunately, I understand him as well. To sum it all up, it’s all very easy. 

Maybe too easy.

I’m currently riding on a Trenitalia regional train between La Spezia and Milan, ocean on one side and mountains on the other, enjoying this stunning scenery. This isn’t close to home, and this isn’t necessarily easy.  And although I’m proud to have picked up a second language, it wasn’t Italian.  This means that getting around and registering for a simple foot race now takes on a whole new and somewhat complicated life of its own.  Trying to read a race website that doesn’t offer English adds a complexity that previously wasn’t a concern.  Dealing with forms that require acknowledgement and signature that I can not read becomes frustrating.  And then when I’m questioned why I signed under the spot for a Child’s Entry, fortunately, I don’t understand the mocking.

No, this isn’t easy, but you know what?  I’m in Italy, and somehow that makes everything OK.  And besides, ultimately, come Race Day, everything is basically the same:  I arrive late, I question my training, I realize that I’ve forgotten to go the washroom, I discover that I’m standing in the Elite Men’s corral and now need to suck in my stomach.  

And then, something magical happens: the horn blares and everything falls neatly into place.  I remember why I put myself through a little extra grief, struggled with the language and getting to my destination.  I remembered why I registered to run in a foreign country and I look around as I start off on another race.  Everyone is here to do the same thing.  Everyone here has the same passion and we can express that passion with a simple nod of the head, a smile, or a grunt as we pass the 35KM marker.  Just like home!

I’ll always enjoy running races close to home, but once we get past the initial concerns and hurdles of a registering for a foreign race, there truly is an unparalleled magic that starts to unfold.  And no matter what country you choose, there is always that runner’s camaraderie that can be shared regardless of language or destination!

ING New York City Marathon - A Runner Watching Runners Running

I had the incredible opportunity to return to the ING New York City Marathon for the 8th year this past Sunday.  The only problem was, I participating from the sidelines.

Any distance runner knows of this fantastic marathon, and those that have had the great fortune to run it will tell you that there are 5 boroughs to run through, 42.195KM between the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and the finish line in Central Park, 48,000+ runners standing shoulder to shoulder with you at the Start Area (and growing yearly), 100,000 rejection slips to those who entered the lottery, an estimated 2,500,000 live fans lining the streets and more than 300,000,000 international viewers enjoying from the comfort of a chair.  That's quite the event!

I should say that I have run this marathon 6 times, so to watch it a few times and support friends and clients is actually quite incredible in itself.  Plus, it is a little easier on the feet.  Not much, but a little, because to sit during such an event, especially for an avid marathoner, is quite difficult.

The sheer energy at the finish line, compounded by the determination as the runners pound their way through the final 400 meters while the huge crowd cheers them on, is in a word, exhilarating!  To be so close as to feel the heat coming off of the runners, to sense their grit and determination as they surge towards their victory, is a very special gift indeed!

The runners come from around the world representing more than 100 countries. They are running to beat their devils, their addictions, their fears.  They are running to show not the world nor the doubters they can do it, they are running to prove to themselves that they can!  

They are running because they put in the months upon months upon months of the arduous labor involved in training for a marathon.  They sacrificed sleep, nights out, and sweets and instead opted for ice baths, physical therapy and blisters.  They were devoted not only to the sport, but the betterment of their bodies.

The marathon is not just a physical journey - it is also a psychological adventure that reaches far beyond anything we thought we may be capable of, and shows us exactly what we are capable of.

To the 130 runners that accompanied me to the 2011 ING New York City Marathon, and, beat that devil, congratulations!  To those thinking that one day you will want to take on the adventure - there is no time like the present - register today!

Return to Africa – A Journey to Mt Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti

One never forgets the first time they visit the great Serengeti on the African plains of Tanzania!  It truly takes your breath away and is far beyond words or the plethora of photo’s available to us online.  Only one thing can truly do it justice – being there!

I remember reading that National Geographic listed seeing the Great Zebra and Wildebeest Migration as one of the “must do’s” on this planet.  I’d have to agree.  I’ve had the good fortune of spending many years traveling the globe with Dream Travel and without a doubt, the Mt Kilimanjaro Hike, Safari and Race is my favorite trip, period.

Imagine standing on the seats of a roofless 4x4 on the vast plain of the Serengeti.  Binoculars and camera in hand, you take in the incredible and mind-boggling view.  As far as the eye can see in all directions, zebras and wildebeest working and eating together and on the ever-constant hunt for water.   A mere forty feet away, a pride of lions lurk in the tall grass, waiting.

Imagine walking up to the rim of the great Ngorongoro Crater, looking out over the 260 square KM’s of crater floor – the most animal-dense populated area in all of Africa and where every species of animal in Eastern Africa calls home. 

Imagine visiting an actual Masai Tribe and being allowed to enter their homes, play with their children and be a part of a traditional dance.

Imagine.

Then, from the lowest point in Africa to the highest:  Mt Kilimanjaro.  

Mt Kilimanjaro has always been the center of attention in Africa.  The largest mountain on the continent and the largest free-standing mountain on the planet, Mt Kilimanjaro stands 5895 meters over the vast plains below. 

Although one only needs to hike it – no technical gear is necessary – it is not without its challenges.  At almost 6 vertical KM’s, the thinness of the air on the last day makes mere walking a chore.  But any trip to Tanzania is not complete without this 6 day hike, where one ascends through five distinct climate zones:  Tropical lower slopes, Rain Forest, Mooreland, High Desert and Arctic Zone/Summit.

The final piece of this amazing trip: running with the world’s fastest runners…on their soil!  Some of us have witnessed the Kenyan’s and Tanzanian’s running a race.  Their grace and speed is mesmerizing – almost as if they were floating effortlessly along rather than huffing out 42.2 KM’s.  It’s an incredible sight, but in East Africa, you have the opportunity to run alongside them…well, at least in my case, for the first half kilometer!

After we watch the worlds’ greatest runners disappear in a cloud of dust, all you need to do to witness an ever greater magic is look to the sidelines and smile.   Here you will see the future of running: children as young as 5 years old, ready to run alongside you for as many KM’s as you wish.   Yes, they can run a half or a full marathon – in sandals or even barefoot!  And, without as much as a single complaint!

To say this is merely a trip of a lifetime would be a terrible understatement.  To travel to this enchanted land, to visit an actual Masai Tribe, to safari upon the great Serengeti, to run with the children of Moshi, to see the Snows of Mt Kilimanjaro – is well beyond such a simple statement!

Steve Price

Join Steve this coming Feb as he escorts another Running Room / Dream Travel group to Kenya and Tanzania!  Details released here August 8thRunning Room Tours

Welcome to Our New Site!

Hello and thanks for checking out our new site!

I am extremely proud to say that Dream Travel is soon to enter our seventh year.  From humble beginnings with just a handful of clients, Dream Travel has grown to thousands of clients from across Canada and the US.

To mark this moment we have launched our new website - I hope you like it!  And, to give back to those who have supported us over the years, we are giving away a ING New York City Marathon guaranteed entry package - check out our homepage for more info. www.dreamtravelcanada.com

We strive to bring you the popular events within North America as well as some exotic ones that are a little harder to get to.  All of which have a few things in common:  Great times, dynamic groups, fantastic sights, delectable food and of course a race!  Running beautiful Stanley Park at the BMO Vancouver Marathon to the shadow of Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania East Africa; from racing atop the Great Wall of China to the cobble-stoned streets of Prague, Czech Republic, Dream Travel is thrilled to be your authority on travel packages!

If you have traveled with us before, please help us mark this moment and send us feedback to post on our site.  If you haven't, it's time to sign up for your Dream Travel!

Happy Running!
Steve