Home > Training

Staying on track while away from the school team

woman running on road

Staying on track

Sticking to the running routine can be tough enough when you’re a high school or college student. It’s even tougher when you’re on summer vacation and the coach and team is away. 

Staying on track during the months of summer vacation is a classic problem for the student runner. The main issue is not having team mates to motivate you or a coach to hold you accountable. Then you have to get used to the responsibility of scheduling workouts. Not wanting to run in hot, muggy weather can provide the perfect excuse to skip a day, and with vacations and summer parties, it can be tempting to neglect training. If this is your problem, we have some ways to help you stay on track.

Stick to the schedule you use all year

If workouts are on a Wednesday, keep it that way. Used to doing a long run on Saturdays or Sundays? Stick to that habit before you get out of it. It’s easier to stay with a the schedule when you’ve been used to it for months than it is to break it and try to get it back.

Temporarily join a group

Have a strong bond with your high school coach? Maybe make an arrangement that when you come back from university for the summer, you can pick up training with him or her again. Have a conversation before about training days and which workouts you’ll be doing. If that’s not an option, join a club that can hold you to runs. Even if they aren’t doing the same workouts and distances, you can make necessary adjustments.

Look at social time as a reward

Rather than feeling guilty about going to that bonfire or pool party because you skipped your workout, get it done earlier in the day. That way, your fun won’t be tainted with guilty feelings of cheating your running. Instead, you have have a good time knowing that you put in a killer workout hours before.

Stay in touch with team mates 

It’s so easy to stay in touch and check up on each other. Make a deal to keep tabs on how training is going for each other. When a team mate slips, gently nag them to get to it. They will do the same for you.

Make a bunch of goals to look towards 

Setting shorter term goals is a good idea. Make them easy (but not too easy) to achieve. When you’re shooting for something realistic, you’re more likely to stay motivated to get it done.

Check out the latest buyer's guide:

The best trainers in Canada under $150

We curated the best performance trainers under $150 to meet your 2024 running goals, while staying on budget