Confession: I ran only 5K last week

Confession: I only ran 5K last week.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about how I ran over 50K while on a work trip because it was during the height of my training. I’m lucky that I get to do a lot of travel a lot for work and last week, I spent four days on vacation in Ireland and five days in the Netherlands at a conference. During those nine days, I did strength training at the gym twice.

Somehow though, I ran only 5K.

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As I flew home, I thought about these sorry statistics. I felt guilty and sluggish. Sure, I’m not currently in a training plan, but I can’t really call it “post-race recovery” either… it has been almost a month since my half-marathon.

So why did the low mileage happen?

In Ireland, I was trying to cram as much adventure and exploration into my visit as possible while spending quality time visiting with friends who I rarely see. I went on two big hikes– one of the cliffs of Howth and one up the mountain in Glendalough. Of course we did lots of walking while sightseeing, but I found that there just wasn’t time for a nice long run. I  did sneak in some strength work though. My friend’s fiancé teaches a power lifting class and he kindly invited me to join him in the cross fit gym positioned on the coast with a stunning view. I have to say that it was pretty cool to be able to participate in a local fitness class, not to mention, it my first time power lifting.

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It was my second trip to Rotterdam and I was looking forward to running some of the routes I had discovered while visiting last year. Because the conference was so busy though, there just wasn’t the time. My time was somehow swallowed up with networking breakfasts, meetings over cocktails, and then performances throughout the evening by musicians from over 45 different countries.

One evening (admittedly after a beer and a cocktail), I donned my RunTOBeer shirt and planned to run to a local brewery in Rotterdam. I got all ready and set out. While on my run though, I got a message inviting me to a meeting in less than an hour. I changed my route to turn what I’d hoped to be a 10K into a mere 5K. (Though I found an incredible craft beer shop on my way back!) That’s just how work trips and conferences go sometimes. The next morning, I made a point to go to the gym before breakfast.

That was it for my nine days abroad.

Normally when travelling, I’m by myself so it’s easy to run instead of going for a big breakfast or sleeping in. When you’re working or travelling with friends who aren’t runners though, it’s harder to find the time. I’ve decided I’m OK with it. Sure I didn’t run as much as I’d hoped to, but I also spent some incredible time with friends on the other side of the world. Those are memories I’ll have forever. There will be many opportunities for me to lace up my shoes over the summer. I’m looking forward to it.