Back on Track After Travel

Last week was an international work trip—overnight flights, early mornings, time shifts, and the inevitable jet lag. All of it is a hindrance to training. When I first started traveling for work years ago, trips like this would completely derail me. Consistency relies on routine, and it’s hard to maintain routine when your body is out of sync and you’re thousands of miles from home.

At some point, though, I made a commitment: no matter what, I’d get some kind of workout in while traveling. Even if it was just a short jog outside or a few slow miles on the hotel treadmill, I’d find a way to make it happen. That mindset shift has allowed me to keep momentum, even on the road.

The Week in Training

• Monday: Squeezed in just over 4 miles before my flight.

• Tuesday: Landed in Brussels after an overnight flight with only a couple hours of sleep. Garmin, ever helpful, informed me that I should “try to get more sleep.” Thanks. I took the day off from running but still logged plenty of steps exploring the city after work.

• Wednesday: Found a beautiful park near my hotel and ran an easy hour at 8:46 pace.

• Thursday: Discovered some forest trails and ran 3.46 miles at 9:26 pace. Nothing fast, but a great way to see new surroundings.

• Friday: Travel day—no running.

• Saturday: Up early for a cross-country meet. No official run, but plenty of running around the course cheering for the runners.

By Sunday, I was finally back on something resembling a normal schedule. I got in a strong 7.01-mile run at 7:34 pace—my fastest average for this distance in years. I opened conservatively with two miles at 7:51 pace, then held steady in the mid-7:30s before closing with 7:23 and a 6:59 mile. It felt good to dip under 7 minutes at the end and even better to see the overall pace edging closer to that sub-7:30 milestone.

Today, Garmin naturally told me to rest. After three days off last week, rest wasn’t on my agenda. Instead, I ran 5 miles at 8:37 pace. Sleep still isn’t great as I recover from the trip, but it feels good to be back home, back in my routine, and moving forward again.