Running away from home

I’ve just been away for a few days in Majorca (or Mallorca?). Originally planned as a holiday to escape the winter gloom the dates managed to coincide with a mini heatwave in London, but that’s life! The weather in Majorca was sunny and bright, although a cold wind in the first couple of days meant that I certainly needed a warm jacket especially in the shade.

A long time ago when I was still a fairly ‘new’ runner I went to Vancouver on holiday, and didn’t take any running kit. I didn’t think I would need it, seeing as I was on holiday… But what I didn’t know then was that everyone in Vancouver runs, or cycles, or skates, or at least walks, and there are some amazing paths and routes along the bay. Irresistible to runners, including newbies 😉 So I had to go out and buy a whole set of everything, including shoes and a sports bra! Just so I could do a few runs while I was there. Since then I have always taken running gear with me just in case.

When I started thinking about writing this post on the joys of holiday running several runs immediately sprang to mind. I then began to remember more and more. It turns out that I have run in quite a few places while away. It’s a good way to get a slightly different perspective on a new place. I like to go out early, before breakfast when it’s quieter, and often cooler. Amsterdam is a great place to run early in the morning – the Vondelpark is quiet and calm. One summer we were in Montenegro and you had to be up really early to avoid the heat of the day – even at 7 it was almost unbearably hot, and after a 30 minute run I had to jump straight in the pool to cool off. One of my all time favourite runs is in New York, round the reservoir in Central Park.

In the UK I have had some fabulous runs while away. The home page photo was taken on a run in Aldeburgh, Suffolk in 2018, a place where I have run many times. It never fails to make me happy. Another great run I did last year was in Ramsgate, Kent. That run took me to the disused hoverport, a place where nature is slowly but surely taking back the environment. The smell of wild fennel reminded me of another run in a similar kind of place – the outskirts of San Francisco near Candlestick Park where the wild fennel was just the same.

This week I managed a couple of short runs. Because it is still the winter season it was very quiet in the local neighbourhood- almost all the hotels were still closed, and the apartment blocks deserted. Nobody around except the odd cat and a few local people walking their dogs. The first run I did I decided I hadn’t really done enough, so I found a long flight of steps and did a couple of Rocky style repeats up and down. And the second one I ended with a 20 minute HIIT session which I had planned out the night before. The hotel had a children’s playground right next to it with a rubbery safety surface which was nicer than concrete or the rocky beach for burpees and planks! The sight of the sun glittering on the sea, the purple and red flowers, palm trees and blue skies certainly makes twenty minutes of heart pounding exercise a little easier to bear!

Back home now, and planning the next trip. 🙂