Travel can easily derail fitness routines but it can also create opportunities to train in new and unexpected ways. I spent the week in Page, Arizona, balancing sightseeing, hiking, running and a few lessons learned about traveling with training gear. While not everything went according to plan, the week reinforced an important principle: progress isn’t about perfection, it’s about adapting.
What Happened?
This past week was spent traveling in Page, Arizona, where the focus was equal parts sightseeing and staying active. Highlights included exploring both Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon, with Lower Canyon offering more physical challenge thanks to its narrow stairways and technical footwork. I also tackled several hikes throughout the week:
-Shell Cave
-Glen Canyon Dam Viewpoint
-Horseshoe Bend
-Hanging Gardens Trail
-Beehive Trail
-Spencer Trail (Over 1,700 feet of elevation gain)
In between sightseeing and hikes, I maintained my running schedule and adjusted workout timing to better fit travel days and sightseeing plans. I even fit in a daily set of bodyweight squats.
What Worked?
Running consistency stayed strong as all planned runs were completed despite the travel schedule. In fact, moving runs to driving days helped keep overall step count high while preserving flexibility on sightseeing days.
Hiking added excellent training variety as the terrain in Page provided a much-needed challenge: Uneven sandstone, gravel and sand, technical foot placement and sometimes significant elevation gain. The Spencer Trail hike in particular served as an unexpected but valuable confidence boost, proving my hiking fitness is ahead of where I thought it was.
Post-trip the momentum continued as I completed my planned Sunday morning run but also added an impromptu 16 mile bike ride to brunch with friends. This ride also opened up a new local route from home to the canal trail, which may become a staple in my routine.
What Didn’t?
Bringing the bike wasn’t worth it, for this trip. I brought my bike expecting several scenic rides including recommended hill climbs, but reality didn’t match the plan. The destinations I did ride to were closer than I expected. The recommended cycling routes had narrow shoulders and heavy traffic moving at a high speed. Since this was an RV trip, there wasn’t a lot of hassle, but ultimately, the bike became more hassle than benefit on this trip.
What am I going to do about it?
I will be more selective about bringing the bike. Going forward, I’ll only travel with my bike if I have specific rides or routes planned and better screened in advance. Our next big trip is to Albuquerque where I will focus on preparing myself for a large hiking expectation (over 3,800 foot elevation gain) along with maintaining running and incorporating some bodyweight exercises.
I will also continue to establish weekly outdoor endurance goals to prepare for the Albuquerque hike along with the 50k (6,800 foot elevation gain) I have my eyes on next March. Being in the area made me also get more serious about moving on the Humphreys Peak, Grand Canyon Rim to Rim and Havasupai Falls goals.
This week helped clarify a weekend routine. Most weekends, this includes a hike which will progressively increase in elevation gain. My hope is this also provides some opportunities for trail running to replace some of my long runs while I get stronger and quicker which will be needed for the 50k. On the weekends, I also intend to plan a bike ride of around an hour, mostly as a recovery ride. This will keep me comfortable on the bike until I start building for a Triathlon in September and century ride in November.
What do the numbers say?
Being on vacation, I kept track of my points, but let myself enjoy a lot of food I normally would not have. Of course this resulted in some weight gain, but nothing that is not manageable and hopefully gone within a few weeks. While frustrating, this isn’t unexpected as I let myself enjoy the food while on vacation.
Summary
This was a vacation week and I believe it went as well as it was supposed to. While my weight went up a bit, I had a great mental vacation and really opened my eyes to more hiking. This week reinforced that consistency is less about executing the perfect plan and more about adapting when circumstances change. I didn’t bike as much as expected, but I ran, hiked, explored and learned what works better for future trips. The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is to keep moving forward.
How do you stay active while traveling? Do you stick to your normal routine, adapt on the fly, or treat vacations as full recovery? Let me know, I am always interested in hearing how others approach it.