Vacation goals

These days, my head is a swirling jumble of reminders, to-do lists, and activities.  I'm trying to maintain a delicate balance between family, marriage, work, volunteer positions at church and school, friendships, my kids' blooming social calendars, and running.  Looking at that list, the rational side of my brain shouts at me to let something go.  Drop a commitment or two and feel liberated from the overburdened life.  But as I read through the list again and again, the only item I could realistically drop is running, and that isn't going to happen.  Running is the singular thing I do for myself most days (well, I shower and brush my teeth, too, but those are more for the greater good of those around me than for personal enjoyment).  Though it adds one more thing to my already full plate, running keeps me balanced and grounded and makes me better able to tackle the rest of the items on my docket.

Because running is not optional, I'm determined to log some miles while on vacation next week.  I'm looking forward to exploring a new area on foot - a statement I couldn't have made a month ago.  No longer burdened by new route phobia, I'm truly excited about running along unfamiliar terrain.  And the idea of cooling off in the pool post-run (and replenishing lost carbs with a beer or two) sounds absolutely delightful.  Perhaps I will give pool running another try, too.  While not my favorite form of cardio, it might be a fun way to change up my exercise habits and take advantage of vacation amenities not available to me at home.

Insert my sisters and me here.  Post-run recovery poolside; does life get any better?

I've never successfully run on vacation before, so this is a new challenge for me, but one that I look forward to tackling.  Are you a vacation runner?  What is your favorite aspect of running while on vacation?