Tips on handling international travel

changguang

I'm going to Korea for a week about three weeks before Wildflower.  I can probably squeeze some runs in, but this trip is about family -- introducing my son to extended relatives, paying respects to elders, etc.  Both biking and swimming are going to be difficult.  Any tips?  If you've ever been to Korea, you know hill repeats are easy to find.

I'll probably get saddled with a one-week trip to Shanghai, too.  This one will be work, so actually fewer obligations.  Still, any general tips on handling these types of trips?  This is probably going to happen once a quarter.

MattAaronson

Welcome to my life last year. The key thing is to stick it out and get the workouts in. I do a lot of research before I go to new places to find out where the public pools are, and where the good running routes are. I've had some interesting cultural experiences at pools all over the world. I was in both Seoul and Shanghai in the past 6 months so PM me and I can send you some good running routes. Cheers, Matt.

Coach Patrick

Galen, very cool on the trip. I think there are a few big considerations. 

First is your expectations re your race. Traveling 7 days isn't bad...travelling a month pre-race  makes any race a "B" or lesser event in terms of the time and effort you can put in place to be your best. You can race it all out, just understand that you are not going to have optimal fitness. 

Second is to understand the biggest challenge with such travel isn't fitting the workouts in, it's the increased likelihood of fatigue and or illness as a result of additional stress, new environments, recycled airplane air, etc. As such your top priority -- nay, your COACH -- while on the road is staying healthy. If you think a workout will put you over the edge, then adjust!

Third is figuring out what will work for you given #2 above. For most folks, travel time represents a maintenance phase of training. 

Here's how I recommend approaching it: 

• Macro Level: Plan on taking travel days (or day after landing) off...mandatory. Then try to be active every day, do something to stay mentally in the game. Make good food choices, or do your best. Stay hydrated. Create conditions for optimal sleep. 
• Micro Level: 
  • Run -- This is the easiest to execute. Bring those run shoes and plan on using the run as your main instrument to maintain high level of fitness. I suggest alternating quality days with easy/recovery days.  The only exception to the "quality" theme is if you have a long run on the calendar due to an impending race (say in next 4-5 weeks); these runs should be done in a treadmill or safe / controlled environment. Sample quality runs could be:
    • 2 x 1 mile @ z4/TP (2' rest); done within a 45 minute run.
    • 4 to 6 by 3' at z5/IP (2' rest); done within a 35 to 45 minute run. 
  • Swim -- If possible, swimming is a great choice as it's contained, requires minimal gear and is very de-stressing. Not a priority unless you are close to your next race (final 8 weeks), but if it's available go for it.
  • Bike -- Unless you are on a bike specific trip, usually cycling on the road is hard. You don't have the time for it (work) or it's a burden (messes up family time). In general, we recommend you front load your bike training before you leave, or prepare to come back with a lighter run week / heavier bike week. 

Jenniferlyn Kryvicky

I traveled to Shanghai for half of a month back 3 years ago and was fortunate enough to be staying across from the People's Square which contains a large track with distances marked off for the purpose of running and walking. I got in all of my runs and there was a pool in my hotel so I got in my swims. The biking I couldn't bother with due to safety and the hotel's bikes were for crap (not much to gain on these in terms of bike fitness) so I focused on my runs, swims, and my RECOVERY (stretching, nutrition, sleep, etc.). I x 100 what Coach P says.

Also - Pat Ward just got back from 21 days travelling Austria and Asia and he does this a LOT for work. He travelled a lot last year and only missed 2 swims all IM training. He is a great mentor in travel and training balance.

moetai@gmail.com

1st get the jetlag checked: that will be the hardest thing to do but if u get it the 1st 2 days, the rest of the week will be a breeze. I travel a lot around the world (3 times a month, yes, that's per month from -5h to +12h from my biological clock, which is very hard on your sleep/eating habits, and even harder on the training. I found out that training does help me get used to jetlag. ie: when i get somewhere and it's daylight, i will force myself (and it is very hard, trust me) to take a shower (that's the EZ part and go for an EZ 1h-1h30 run outside to get some sun, and tire myself. I try and stay awake 'till dark and just go to bed exhausted. If u get the firts night right, u're 95% good for the rest of the week. If i get there @night time, i will still go for a short run (45') to get the flight out of my legs (i am a flight attendant), and try and have a good sleep. When i can't train properly, i will flip my focus on something else (sleep, corework, flexibility, dieting, or...surfing the wiki

changguang

Thanks for the tips. I have some research to do on specific geography.  Food-wise Korea should be pretty safe for me. More after tomorrow's RR.

changguang

Okay RR Swim is in.  Thanks a million for all the tips and coaching from everyone.

I'm confident I'll be able to get the runs in as Patrick described.  I think I may have good luck with the swims, too.  I won't try to bike even though I found a blog post about a relatively easy and safe ride with fresh abalone at the end.  Actually, I may try to borrow or rent a bike for that. I'll actually be in Gwangju for most of the trip and I found an English language triathlon website for the city.  Wow.  Last time I was in Korea, the big trend was customized beepers about half the size of your pinkie finger.

Once again, thanks.  I'll let everyone know how it goes.