The Traveling Athlete

If I'm doing my job correctly, which some will say is rare, I should be on the road 30-40% of my time. This poses some pretty unique problems training for a triathlon.

When I signed up to be coached by Jim McGehee I told him to plan my workouts like I don't travel at all and I'll find a way to work everything out. Amazingly I don't think I've ever had to skip a workout but  it hasn't been without some serious rearranging.

The run workouts are the easiest to fit in. Every hotel has at least a treadmill but it's also fun to find routes in the various cities I visit. So far I'd have to say my favorite city runs are around Central Park in New York and Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. The Ulmstead Park in Raleigh is pretty sweet, too.

The start of my run from Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Surprisingly, finding the time to swim isn't actually that hard. For now I just swim twice each week so it's much easier to book-end on the week. I can't tell you how many times I've boarded a plane smelling like chlorine and still sporting goggle eyes. Most major cities have aquatic centers or a YMCA with reasonable hours for lap swim, too.

Fitting in my bike workouts is the toughest part of traveling. I don't bring my bike with me when I travel because it's a huge hassle. If I'm driving somewhere there is no guarantee I can fit it in my rental car. So when I'm scouting hotels to stay at I always look for one with an upright bike in the fitness center. It's not the same as riding outdoors or at home on my trainer, but it will do. The Marriott East Side in NYC actually has a nice spinner bike with aero bars and a killer view!

The other hard part about the bike workouts is that they are often the longest of the three disciplines and finding the time to fit it in is not easy. This will really get hard as I ramp up for Ironman and I imagine I'll finally have to bring my bike along on a few trips.

Perhaps the hardest part of traveling is my nutrition. A lot of my appointments revolve around meals or receptions where the food is heavy and the drinks often heavier. At the end of a long day it's really easy to fall into the trap of unhealthy eating and one, or two, extra drinks. I have no real strategy to prevent it other than my weak will power.