A little reassurance and advice, please...

[bekkiz]

Well, I'm recovering from a 7 mile walk, that was a bit over my target pace, and feeling a little nervous about the 1/2 in January.

I have not been good at my training for the last 6-8 weeks. A couple 3 mile walks at a good clip a week, and that's it. Between work, weather and just general laziness, I've totally ignored any longer walks (until yesterday). However, my work commitments drop dramatically after this weekend (like to 1/5 of what I'm doing now!), and I believe that I'll be able to be more committed to the training regimen. And I have a treadmill now, so weather stops being an issue.

But here's where the worry comes in. My grandparents, in all of their wonderfullness, are taking us on a fantastic trip over Christmas and New Years. I'm talking a once in a lifetime kind of thing. It's a fairly active vacation, with lots of snorkling and hiking, but I'm not sure how training will go while I'm there. It's in another country, and I've heard differing reports about safety etc. Plus honestly, I'm not sure spending 2-3 hours powerwalking is a great way to see new sites.

Since we're going to be gone from Dec 21-Jan 2, am I totally SOL for the 1/2 and being able to do it without being swept? What can I do before and during the trip to help me make my goal of finishing? Am I just freaking out for no reason, and all of the activity of the trip will keep my feet and legs in fine condition? As the title said, I need help I'm such a worrywort...

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

I'd say stick with your current plan to make sure you get in your training now that you have the time. The couple of weeks before the event will be taper and while that will not necessarily mean no working out, it will be less of a worry about those extra long distances.

Get yourself back on track. Do what you can while on vac, but don't stress over the distances. Perhaps some short quick step treks could be safe where you will be located and when you are in the water use that as some great XT opportunity.

Have fun! I look forward to hearing about your trip and your training as it moves along.

 

[westcliffemom]

I'm fairly new to this all, and I'm a walker too. What I would say is that if you're fully trained up to the point that you leave for vacation, and you stay active on the trip, I wouldn't worry about it. You've done the miles, put the time in. Your body should respond & remember. I know you lose some fitness by not training, but I think you'll be all right. But I would make sure that I'm doing what I should be training wise up to that time.

Recently I've had some less than stellar weeks, with training being done minimally. I just keep plugging away, trying to get done what I should. Some things (like a one in a life time vacation) are beyond our control! Go for it, enjoy it.

Of course, if you do get the opportunity to "powerwalk" on your vacation, that will help.

Just my two cents worth!

 

[getnthinr]

I'm a walker, but I can tell you that every year we take a vacation week between Christmas and New Years and I've made it through two Goofys so far on that schedule. That being said, I am pretty diligent in my training leading up to that, with November being a particularly focused training month, and with a long race scheduled for the second weekend in December each year. I'm sure it's not the taper most books would recommend, but I do try to walk, bike, or whatever during vacation to stay moderately active. I also try to be particularly careful about what I eat that week as I do not need holiday weight gain on top of my already chubby body.

I would remind you as well that often things go awry shortly before a race -- typically because of overtraining and injury. Consequently, I'd guess a LOT of folks on the list have missed a week of training or more at some point -- and still made it through their races. We just have to be as prepared as we can be with the time we have. You may need to adjust your time goals accordingly, though.

My 2 cents. Your mileage may vary.