This month on Just Run we are giving you racecation tips and tricks on how to make a destination race an amazing vacation. From planning, to packing, to relaxing after running, we have lots of real-life advice for you.
Want to catch up on our past Just Run topics? Here’s what we’ve covered this year:
Tips for Beginner Runners
Instagram Tips & Tricks for Runners
5 Things I Couldn’t Run Without
Running in a Group or Running Solo
And if you want more from us, you can check out our Run It series here, and our Workouts for Runners here.
Making a list and checking it twice
Santa knows what he’s doing. Write down everything you need and check that list while you’re packing. You may think you’d never forget something like socks or lipbalm, but take it from someone who arrived in a race town after a 5 hour drive to realize she didn’t have shorts or anything that could even pass as bottoms to run in a race – it’s surprisingly easy to forget the important stuff. That was an expensive start to my racecation, given I was in a small town with one sports store and the cheapest shorts I could find were $50. Oops!!
Leave time for the unexpected on the way
If you’re flying to your racecation and you can afford to book a direct flight, then do it, it’s worth the peace of mind. If you have to transfer, make sure you’ll have enough time between flights in case there are delays, or plan to fly early enough that if you’re delayed or a flight is cancelled, you won’t have to panic about making it to the race on time. If you’re driving, build in times for pitstops, then double the pitstop time you think you’ll need. And, a little tip from a former New Yorker – if NYC is your destination racecation, then please know the subway schedule on the weekend is all over the place, totally unpredictable, and you practically have to have a PhD in transfers and MTA lines to work out how to get somewhere when your train line just isn’t running. Walking, cabs or Uber may be your best bet for the smaller races. 🙂 (The NYC marathon has their transport down to a fine art.)
Get ideas from fellow runners
Try googling race recaps of the race you’re heading to, to get tips from people who have run it. You can also ask for any insight into a race, or an area, on running community message boards and Facebook groups. Who better to give you ideas on cool places to see in the area than local runners who love it, or runners who have racecationed there before?
Race-cation…that means racing first, vacation after
When you’re planning your trip around a race, remember flying or driving out the same day as the race is not fantastic for recovery. Besides, if you’ve trained and tapered for an event, you’re not going to want to be doing lots of fun vacation things before the race. Planning the fun vacation part after the race is key to enjoying the recovery process.
Remember your routines
If you have a particular food you have to eat pre-race, or the night before, do some research into where you can find that in the area you’re going to, or even BYO food if you’re not sure you’re going to be able to find something open before an early-starting race. And plan out where and how you want to celebrate crossing the finish line – if it’s a popular race you’re traveling for, making reservations will mean you’re not scrambling for a good spot to recap your race to your friends or family and rehydrate, of course. 😉
Now, check out some more great tips from my Just Run friends! 🙂
Nellie from Brooklyn Active Mama
Laura from This Runner’s Recipes
Angela from Happy Fit Mama
I kinda hate race-cations because I cannot relax until the race is over and it’s super stressful prior to! I always pack and check my list twice because of the exact scenario you described with your shorts!! I even bring all of my race clothing and gear on the plane with me, which came in handy when my luggage was lost in Spain. Not even joking.
These are all GREAT tips for racing in general but the “cation” part adds stress!!
Allie recently posted…Litchfield Hills Triathlon Race Recap!