Travel Plans

I'm leaving this afternoon and will be away for work until late Thursday afternoon. I do this probably twice every year. It's a great experience and one that I enjoy doing but these weeks tend to wreak havoc on my body and my blood sugar.

The days are long. As in 7am-11pm long.

The food is often not so healthy. As in we eat a hotel breakfast. Take out lunch. And restaurant dinner. For three days in a row. And finding a restaurant that suits all tastes usually means Swiss Chalet or Kelsey's-type food rather than the Korean, Thai or Sushi I often vote for.

I typicaly come home exhausted, with unhappy blood sugars and a rather crappy overall feeling due to lack of exercise.

Having done this several times now, I've learned a few tricks.

I called the hotel to find out what is in my room. I have a fridge and a microwave. Bonus. 

I asked what was in their fitness centre. They said an elliptical, a treadmill, a yoga mat and a fitness ball. Sounds more like a fitness closet to me but, whatever, it's something.

I have packed three changes of fitness clothes. One outdoor running outfit which I probably won't use because the hotel is on a highway-type road and the only time I can run is in the pitch black morning. Pitch black highway running on unfamiliar roads is not my idea of a safe and happy run but I'm bringing my stuff just in case. I'm planning to do something every morning before our 8am meetings and will probably end up doing it in the fitness closet. Treadmill run. Elliptical. Mock CoreFit class (oooh! maybe I should toss my weights in the car). Whatever. I'm moving my body every day.

I am bringing healthy food options. I have a container of pomegranate seeds, bananas and apples. I have a full container of kefir, some chia seeds, nuts (almonds, cashews and walnuts) as well as larabars. I plan to scout out the hotel breakfast and then bring my own stuff to the table to increase the health quotient a bit. I also packed some rolled oats and almond milk in the off chance that I can make my breakfast in my room and then meet up with the team afterwards for coffee.

I will still come home tired and worn out but I'm hoping I'll also come home feeling better than expected because I ate well and made time to move my body a bit.

Wish me luck!

(oh, and don't be surprised if I don't write much, if at all. It's gonna be one of those weeks).

On The Road Again...

Our Boston 2011 road trip begins at the crack of dawn.  I waltzed out of the office today at 4:28pm and promptly forgot where I work, what my job title is and what's on my to do list for April 26th.

I am VERY good at being on vacation.

We leave in the morning so we're fully immersed in the fun job of packing.  The last load of laundry is in the dryer and the bed is covered with stuff that we will somehow find a way to fit into the car.

This is where being a diabetic, runner, photographer girl becomes a bit of a problem.

I am going to be away for 8 days.  So I must pack enough diabetes supplies for twice that time.  Because you NEVER know.  So I have insulin, infusion sets, test strips, juice boxes (never be without those again), fast acting carbs, batteries and a back-up needle in case my pump dies.  Not exactly going to fit in my purse is it?

Just because I won't actually be running the Boston marathon doesn't mean I won't be running a few times while we're away.  So my running clothes, snacks, water bottles, shoes, Garmin etc fill another bag.  I haven't decided yet if I want to toss my yoga mat and Triggerpoint in the car just in case...

Boston and Cape Cod are beautiful and I cannot wait to photograph the city, the race, the sunsets and everything in between.  So I need a camera, several lenses, filters, flash, tripod, a camera raincoat in case it rains, batteries and a laptop.

Two runners on a road trip means lots of snacks.  The kitchen counter is covered with Cliff bars, larabars, granola bars, cereal, peanut butter, pitas etc to keep us from getting too crankypants between meals.

Oh, and I might want to change clothes once or twice while we're away...

It will fit and it will be fine.

I'm sure it will...