The best kind of runs are the ones you get lost in. You mind wanders and before you know it, you’re finished running. Getting physically lost, not so great. I try my best to avoid doing things like that.
Last weekend we made a quick trip to San Diego to surprise my Grandpa Walker for his 75th birthday. I had 14 miles on my schedule for Saturday morning and was excited to run at sea level and near water.
Before heading out early Saturday morning I did a few things to prevent me from getting lost and be a safe as possible in an unfamiliar setting.
- Plan a route and let your loved ones know what it is. I always give Josh a good idea of where I’ll be running just in case something where to happen he’d know where to look first.
- Tell previously mentioned loved ones approximately how long your running should take. I usually add 10-15 minutes to my estimate just so there is a little buffer before Josh worries that something has happened to me.
- Bring your I.D., a few dollars in cash and a phone. I don’t typically bring any of these with me on short runs or runs around my neighborhood. On long runs or runs in a new place, I bring all three. If I were to get hit by a car or something, I’d want the paramedics to be able to know who I am. If I got injured or just couldn’t make it, I want to have a phone to call for a ride. The cash, perfect for water, bus fare, etc.
- Run during the day. Wait for the sun to come up before heading out. Running in the dark is a no-no on vacation runs.
- Run in a populated area. I had great timing. The path was not crowded, but had enough people on it that I felt comfortable.
After making sure I followed my own advice, I set off in the hazing San Diego morning. We were staying on Harbor Island where I made a loop before heading off towards downtown.
(Source because I didn’t stop to take pics…bad blogger)
As you can see, I had plenty of scenery to enjoy along my route and easily got into a comfortable pace. I may have even started singing along to Britney which got a laugh out of a group of people waiting around for the Maritime Museum to open. When I hit a dead-end I looked at my watch and realized I was half way to my 14 mile goal. Unfortunately because I was so lost in my run, I had failed to drink any water or take any Shot Bloks. I took a walk break and quickly tried to refuel and continue on my way.
Miles 8-9 were the most difficult for me. My lack of fueling during the first seven miles was coming back to bite me. I took a few more Shot Bloks around mile 10.5 when I was stopped at a cross walk near the airport. A mile later I needed a walk break. I walked for about a minute than started running again. I took another 30 second walk break just after I hit the half marathon distance. I hit 14 miles just as I came to the driveway of the hotel.
Time: 2:03:26 Distance: 14 miles Avg. Pace: 8:49 min/miles
Hot and worn out, I strolled into Starbucks for a nice big bottle of water and chocolate milk before heading back to meet up with all of my relatives. I had perfect timing because the breakfast burritos from a local Mexican restaurant had just shown up. I may have also had a bite of maple donut.
Successful, safe and pretty speedy run even with my walk breaks.
