Replay: How to Run while Traveling with Coach David Jankowski

It's the holiday season, so this month, we are talking about running and training while traveling. Whether for work or pleasure, training on vacation can be difficult to fine tune, but this month David and his wife Dana, join us to talk through their tips and tricks to keep the good runs coming.

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Transcript

Jacob Phillips 0:17

This is the next level running podcast brought to you by the expert coaches that run Going, helping runners of all levels trust their goals on race by matching them with the perfect code for the play. Hello and welcome back to the next level running podcast. I'm your host, Jacob Phillips, and I've got a treat for you this month. We're throwing it back, throwing it way back to November of 2022 with former podcast host David Jankowski. Look, the holidays are coming. We've got Thanksgiving this month, next month is Christmas, and then we've got the new year. And so we're going to kick it back to uh a podcast that talked about traveling and training. How to run while traveling. Look, whether it's the holiday season we're talking about, whether it's vacation, uh, whether it's work or pleasure, how can you fit in your training? It's tough to fit it in. But David and his wife, Dana, they talk us through their tips and tricks to keep training, to keep having those good runs while you're traveling. So we're gonna throw it back to that, uh, replay that podcast from two years ago. But before we jump in, I want to point you to the show notes below. I've got the Rundoyen.com website down there. Uh look, if you're looking for a world-class expert run coach to help take you to the next level, look no further than rundoyen.com. We've got an um a unique matching feature that helps replace you with a coach that fits what you're looking for. Whether it's you want scientific, data driven, or you want inspirational, encouraging, our world-class expert run coaches can help you get to the next level in your running, can help you crush your running goals. But if you're not quite ready for uh a full-time coach, then check out the Doy and Dashers. Uh it's uh$39 a month. It's it's a training, it's a customized training program written for you by our expert run coaches. And it doesn't have the rigidity, it doesn't have the accountability. There's some flexibility there, right? I I talk about all the time. I tried this program back last spring. I loved it. I can move things around. I didn't feel guilty. If I missed a run, I could just move things around and go at my own pace and find my own rhythm, but it had the the world-class advice and the world-class training program. It was there for me to use. And so check that out if you're not quite ready for a full-time coach. Outside of that, um, I've got the links to uh the next level running Facebook group uh and the at Run Dolyan uh Instagram Live. Look, we go live on uh Instagram uh once a month with with our expert run coaches. It's great uh training tips, nutrition tips, sort of all sorts of things that's gonna help you take your running to the next level. So check out those links below to get plugged into the running community uh and to just get some free advice, you know, because it's there uh at the next level running Facebook group or the uh at Run Doyan Instagram account. And so I've got those uh linked below. But uh I hope you enjoy this timely conversation. Look, we're about to be traveling. Thanksgiving's coming, Christmas is coming, the new year is coming. So look, whether you're traveling for work or for pleasure, whether you're training on a vacation, uh, we're trying to help you uh get that in and keep having those good runs. So without further ado, we're throwing it back to 2022 with Coach David Janikowski and his wife Dana as they join us to talk through their tips and tricks to keep the good runs coming.

David Jankowski 3:40

Without further ado, I'm joined by my wife Dana here. Dana, welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_00 3:46

Thanks. It's fun to be here.

David Jankowski 3:48

Yeah, always good, always good to have a friendly face, I think is what they say. Uh but this is a this is a rare one for us because we're we're in person, we're both in the same room, uh, as opposed to typically we do these on Zoom since the rundown coaches are dispersed all across the United States and and too, depending on what time of year it is across the world. Um well then where do we start? Like we said, we wanted to talk about how do you how do you balance, how do you jump into, how do you plan for training when you're gonna go somewhere outside of your city, somewhere outside of your home, someplace new. What types of things should we be considering? Where do we even where do we even begin with this one?

SPEAKER_00 4:26

Sure. So um, well, I'll just say hello to everybody. So I my name is Dana. I don't know if uh if we got to that, but Dave and I have been married for about three years now, and he and I have traveled all over the US and to quite a few different countries together, and every time we go traveling, we go running. So first step, bring your running shoes. Um trip to Switzerland, um, we neither of us were training for a race, but we definitely had a lot of plans about places we wanted to see. So when we got there, I think one of the first things that Dave and I usually do on our first day in a new town is we go for a run to check out the lay of the land, to get to know the area that we're in, and we'll often be driving into a new city and we'll see, hey, look, there's a looks like a running path over on the side of the highway, or oh, there's a there's a castle up on the hill. It'd be cool to go check that out. So we'll have a couple of uh spots in mind, and then when we get to wherever we're staying, we'll get on Google Maps or whatever map you know program you like to use, and we'll kind of look up a route. And then, you know, the next day or later that day we'll go out and we'll explore, and that kind of gives us, you know, our first uh base of where we're going. Um, you know, obviously before you leave on your trip, check out the weather, get a sense of what the climate's like so you can pack you know appropriate clothing. Um, Dave runs hot, pun intended, uh, whereas I tend to get cold really easily. So for our Switzerland trip, I had you know all my underarmor gear and all of my warm weather running stuff, and Dave rolls out and shorts and t-shirt as always. Um, but you know, whatever you are most comfortable with, I think you know, bring your appropriate clothing, check out the weather, and then use your runs to explore.

David Jankowski 6:12

Yeah, no, and I we covered a lot of ground.

SPEAKER_00 6:14

Yeah.

David Jankowski 6:15

So maybe I'll pick up on some of the things that you you started with. And and that's kind of like you hit the ground and you hit the ground running. And pretty literally, you know, one thing, like you said, we always have our head on the swivel, uh, looking for interesting places, and it's an it's a neat way, especially if you have base training coming up, some of the easy runs and things like that. One, to get your bearings, to familiarize yourself with the the location, and two, if it's if it's a vacation site or an interesting location for you, to find landmarks and do some like running tourism kind of thing. So you can see some of those things, bring your phone with you so you can take photos along the way if you want to. Uh, and that helps the run go by a little bit more quickly. I think a lot of times we end up running a lot farther than we anticipated.

SPEAKER_00 6:59

Yeah.

David Jankowski 6:59

Uh, because we go see things, you know. Oh, shoot, there's something, you know, just a little farther up, let's get all the way out there. And then on the way back, oh, if we would have gone the other way, I wonder what's over there. And it assuming that you have that space in your training at that moment, it can be a good way to get some base miles and and really kind of throw the watch out the window. I I know we talk about that a lot here, but those runs where you really it's just about time on the feet and making sure that you get get that in. And so that's a good way to help do that and to at the same time enjoy that that run. Um, one thing that you also got into, and I I'm curious about this, which is so the planning ahead of time. So, what types of things let's let's start with your packing. What's going in that bag? You you mentioned a little bit about clothing and things, but like let's let's lock this down, drill all the way to the bottom. What's going in your your bag for your running gear?

SPEAKER_00 7:53

Sure. Um, so one thing I'm sure many of you have experienced this, but a couple years ago I got really bad uh plantar fasciitis. And so um whenever I am packing for any trip, I always have obviously my running shoes, which you know I change them out often uh to keep my feet healthy, but I have sort of a I think it's a lacrosse ball, uh, but sort of a firm ball that I use to roll out my feet to make sure that my feet are all limber before I go. Um, you know, I have usually I have running tights. I'm a big fan of the running shorts or tights that sort of fit snugly and have pockets in them, so you can stick your phone or your keys. Um usually bring those. I have some sort of under armor layers that I bring, and then usually have like a rain jacket, and I always wear a baseball cap when I run because I don't like it when the rain water gets in my eyes if it's gonna rain. So those are my key essentials.

David Jankowski 8:49

So the upshot is be very prepared. Yes, be prepared for anything and everything. Um no, and I think that's good. I I I like that you you mentioned having the lacrosse ball or something to roll out your your foot. Um because I think that's for me, that's something I always forget is the little things that you use on a daily basis uh that keep you healthy, the the things that you would normally do at home to make it feel more natural. Because I I'm always trying to be economical with the space in my bag, and oftentimes that means I leave out things that I shouldn't have. Um and something like a lacrosse ball should be relatively easier, the golf ball if you use that. Um thinking about that too. So another thing in preparation that we'd be thinking about is too taking stock of maybe where are we in our training cycle right now? I think we're both fortunate enough to be right now, we're not training for anything specific. So we're kind of in that just getting miles in, staying comfortable and fit stage of training at the moment, as opposed to really gearing up for a big race. Uh and I know some of you when you're on travel, you may be getting ready to do that. Um as we think about something like that, how how have you approached that in the past to make sure that you can still get the most out of training if you need to do a big workout? Or do you move that big workout? How do you think about that when when you go on vacation or or go on a work travel during the middle of a training cycle?

SPEAKER_00 10:12

Sure, that's a great question. Um, so I think I think it was 2018, I was prepping for Chicago Marathon, and you and I went with my family for uh a trip to Charleston, South Carolina, and it was I believe it was like the last big workout and the last big long run before the race. It was something like less than two weeks out. And if I remember correctly, we you know we went out, so we were there for like four days, and then we went out one day and we drove around in the car and scouted a place to do our workout, which I believe was a three-mile, two-mile, one mile workout. Uh, we used the car and my GPS watch to scout out like a like an area where we could do the mile repeats. Um, we looked around to make sure car traffic was reasonable, and then we went later that day and did the workout. And then we had sort of a low, um, like an easy run day, and we went and did that in an area where we thought would be good for my 18-mile long run, which was scheduled for a day or two later. So I think for that particular run, we really just, or excuse me, that particular trip, we really prioritized finding good places to do the workouts, and so it, you know, literally was Google Maps, get in the car, go and and see where there's places where there's um good pedestrian paths or parklands so that there's running paths. Uh, and it actually worked out really great. I remember both of those workouts were super tough because it was Charleston and it was September, so it was very hot and humid, but they were successful. So, you know, I think just having having that. Um, there have been other situations, not you know, not necessarily anecdotally preparing preparing for a race, but when we've been traveling, where there have been a few things that have caught me off guard. Um, like for example, we spent some time in Idaho, um, which is where we were, was at elevation. And I remember doing a run and being really, really surprised at how much the elevation affected me. So I mentioned that just to keep in mind that if you're running in a different climate or a different elevation than you're used to at home, be ready to be flexible with your with your results if you're doing a workout or a long run. Um, and kind of factor that in and don't beat yourself up if you feel more tired or or you know, hey, maybe you're going from elevation to a lower uh altitude or you're going from hot to a cooler climate, so you you know you knock it out of the park. But I think keeping that in mind uh to put that in for your race training uh and understanding where you are is also super helpful.

David Jankowski 12:43

No, I think that's a that's a really good point too, the flexibility side of things. Uh, because I think part of me thinks that's that's one of the better parts of training while you're you're on vacation, you're you're on travel, is that it builds in that necessity to be a little bit more flexible, uh, to be to be willing and okay with rolling with the punches, because uh no matter how hard you train, a lot of times on race day things are not gonna they're gonna go sideways. They're not gonna go the way you expected, and something's gonna throw you for a loop. And so being able to deal with that on a kind of a small scale level, something like on on travel, and you kind of had to scramble to to find the right three mile, two mile, one mile space, um, or to find the right surfaces, or where it's a little bit hot, or you didn't anticipate how bad the elevation was gonna hit you. Um, those kind of things can be really helpful for making you a stronger and more resilient runner in other uh venues. Um one thing you were talking about, too, we'll go back to the three mile, two mile, one mile in in Charleston, and that reminds me too that the need to, so part of that was for uh a a vacation with your family. And so we had to build in time uh to be with them, right? So how does that play into building in time to still get your your runs in? And how do how do you juggle those types of commitments and and make sure that people are okay with you disappearing for you know however long this workout's gonna be?

SPEAKER_00 14:12

Yeah, I think for that one, um, I've been running for my whole life. So anytime I travel with my family, they know that I'm gonna disappear for an hour or two to get in a workout. Um, but I think it's really important just to be really upfront and communicate well with the people that you're with because it it does get awkward if uh you've got to leave for, you know, a couple hours to do something, or if you can't, you know, drink the night before a big workout or you shouldn't drink, and so you're not participating. So I think just communicating clearly uh to your family or your coworkers or you know, whomever you're with uh what your plans are. And then, you know, I tend to try to get my workouts in early in the morning. Um most people aren't really up or doing stuff first thing. So if I get it out of the way, then it doesn't inconvenience people, and then I'm I'm not you know stressing the whole day about getting that workout done. Um, so it, you know, and honestly, I'm I'm sure many of you think of this too on family vacations, it's a nice break to get away. So um hasn't really been an issue, but you know, I also we get up early, we do it, um, and then Dave and I just plan ahead and make sure that it it you know doesn't um conflict with any plans that the family might have, or you know, if it's a work trip, you know, we this last trip to Switzerland um was piggybacking on a work trip, and so we make sure that we just plan around, you know, the schedule and and it you know worked out fine.

David Jankowski 15:34

Yeah. And like you said, sometimes it takes a little bit of thinking uh based on the context of the trip that you're doing and where you are. Um but it's it's helpful to make sure people are have the same expectations for the day. Um and two, I I also prefer to run in the morning if I can get it out of the way um for those types of trips when you're you're with other people or you may be doing other things throughout the day because then you don't have to worry about what you're eating, if you're staying on your feet too long, those types of things that would take away from the workout in the afternoon uh if you're if you're trying to wait. I know sometimes that's a pain uh to get that done, but if you can jump jump out, get it out early in the morning, uh, before other people are really doing anything other than maybe grabbing a morning cup of coffee and looking like zombies around the living room. Uh but I think that's a good place to start. Um pulling back again, uh, one thing you talked about is so we kind of look through and identify areas to run ahead of time. One of those is kind of ad hoc where we land on the ground, we're looking for bike paths, things like that that might be interesting, and we can go explore. But the other is something that's more targeted where we're trying to run a workout again to come back to three mile, two mile, one mile. Uh we went and found kind of a what is it, a state park or something like that on the beach, and then tried to find like a bike path or or like a road.

SPEAKER_00 16:55

Yeah, we just were looking for a yeah, like a a stretch that was not very well trafficked with cars that was relatively flat and smooth and and you know, and that was long enough. So, but we just definitely drove around for a while until we found it.

David Jankowski 17:08

Yeah. And part of that is we had the foresight to uh, as you mentioned, look on what whether it's Google Maps or Map My Run or some of those other things, and kind of look at the topography side of uh the map and look for green spaces. Or if you're familiar with the area in any way, uh if you know where the parks or or like long like bike trails, bike paths are, that's a good place to start. Um and that that oftentimes helps you find a better area. Uh if you've got enough time in advance and you know there's gonna be a big workout that that that day, week, however long you're in this place, like maybe it's a big long run, you can also reach out to local runners in the area, reach out to a local running store or something like that, shoot them a quick email. Hey, I don't want to be in town this weekend. Any any suggestions for a good place to do a 15-mile or a 20-mile or a two-hour run, whatever it happens to be? Uh, and that'll that'll help you. They may not get back to you, but it's worth a shot. It doesn't, I think it doesn't hurt, uh, especially if it can make you feel a little bit more comfortable jumping out into the fog, into the unknown, uh, for a big workout like that during uh an important part of your training segment. Uh are there any other things within like looking for a good route or a good place to do at least a workout side of things that you would add?

SPEAKER_00 18:30

No, I think the tip about connecting with local running stores is great because usually they have either you know they know coaches or they know or they have a running group. I know I've um connected with local running groups before uh to get in a longer run if I didn't know the area and wanted to have some people with me. Uh so I think that's a great tip. And yeah, you know, I I think I think it's just kind of exploring and getting to know your your area. Like I I think the the vacation runs are almost my favorite because it's they're new and it gives you a taste of what race day is gonna be like, just dealing with you know different climate or different elevation or you know, a a route, you know. I when I'm at home, I run the same routes more or less every week, and so just changing it up a little bit is really good. So um, yeah.

David Jankowski 19:13

Yeah. And I, you know, I've I've told you this quite a few times, but I I think it's new for the the people listening, and I think they might f might find this interesting. But it for me, when I first started traveling for for distance running, uh I remember my first trip racing in Europe. Um I'm blanking on the guy's name. But uh one of the guys I was I was training with is a hundred meter hurt 110 hurdler, uh, who'd made a few Olympic teams, and we were talking in in the lobby of where we were staying, uh part way through talking about how it was interesting to be in in the Netherlands, and he said, you know, people always uh tell me I'm so lucky to be able to travel the world for to go run for my country and do all these things, and that I've been to all these interesting and exotic places training and racing. And I always have to tell him all I see is the bus ride from the airport to the hotel, the inside of the hotel room, the bus ride from the hotel to the track, the stadium, and then back home. Because I really don't do much other than that. And he said it didn't hit me until my second Olympic team, that that's all I was doing, and I was missing out on all these things that I could be seeing. Part of that's you're so focused and you wanna you wanna do well. Um but that immediately made me think, you know, I don't wanna I don't want to look back on any bit of travel and think Yeah, it might have made me tired, but why the heck didn't I get out and see some things? And to your point, I think running is a good way, distance running, you know, he unfortunately he was a 110 hurdler, so he's not doing big distance runs. You know, two miles is a big run for for those guys. Um But if you're if you can get out and do a six, ten, fifteen, twenty miler, you can see a good chunk of the city and get it get a good feel for what things are kind of like, what the day-to-day looks like, and and experience something a little bit different and more intimate with that that area uh that you're traveling to. And I've always thought that's a really powerful and interesting way to uh experience a new place, uh whether it's a few cities away from where you live now or a whole nother continent.

SPEAKER_00 21:31

Um, I agree. I um I'm just like as we're talking here, I'm thinking about all these great runs we've done all over the world. Um, you know, a couple come to mind. We were on our honeymoon, we were in uh Croatia, and one of my favorite days for we didn't even, you know, leave where we were staying. We just went for this run and we climbed up to the top of this. Uh mountain's a strong word, but it was it was a big hill. But um when you got to the top, it had this beautiful view of the Mediterranean. And you know, sort of the city around you below. And I just remember like how fun and special that day was. Um, another day on our honeymoon. So on our honeymoon, we went to Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, and France. So we went all over. Um, and one of the days we went for a we, you know, trail run. That's our hikes are usually trail runs, and we did this sort of two-hour tour of the Julian Alps, which was pretty amazing. I mean, we've just had such great experiences running in all of the places we've gone and seen so much, and you know, you're running down the path and you're like, oh, what's this? You know, and you go check out something that you wouldn't have seen in the car. Um, you know, and then you get the great endorphin high plus the feel of the workout. It's by far my favorite part of our vacations.

David Jankowski 22:45

Well, and maybe building so one thing people might be asking is well, but maybe you knew these areas, maybe you knew some people. I don't have the kind of connections um to be able to know somebody in in an area like that when I'm traveling for work and I'm just dropped on the ground like that. Uh and I'll say on those, like you mentioned, yeah. Well, but you mentioned the Julian Alps. Um, so what we did there is we found a national park, so found a big green space on the map, uh, found something that looked like hiking trails, and then Googled the hiking trails, found photos of it to see what the trail looked like. And then by seeing what the trail looked like, and then two, sometimes you can even see like the grade of the the trail to see if it's really steep or if it's kind of gradual. That looked like crushed dirt like bike path. Um and it basically was the whole way of the Julian Albsville.

SPEAKER_00 23:34

So it was just a a very, very steep climb of dirt.

David Jankowski 23:39

For parts of it. A bike path, yeah. A good part of it was relatively like gentle. The beginning was the first like the first three to four miles was pretty gentle, and then it and then it got kind of rough. But like one like that, that's that's a good way to do that is to first green space on the map, zoom in, see if you can find some trails or things that look like they might be trails. If you can click, if you can find a name of that, drop that into images search, and then when you image search, you should be able to see what the trails look like. They're especially bigger places like that, you know. Like you'll you'll find people hiking around there and you'll see, oh, okay, that looks terrible. Or give it a shot, what the hell. Um, so that's that's kind of the the trick in finding like really neat runs that other people may never find. Um, and two, don't um, you know, we did this the other day. Don't don't be afraid to just kind of zoom in around the neighborhood you're in and find things from there. In um in Toon, we just walked out the the back door, straight up the hillside and into the woods and and found a whole bunch of running trails that go for miles and miles.

SPEAKER_00 24:51

Right.

David Jankowski 24:52

Uh and then just don't you get sometimes you just gotta say, you know what, I'm gonna go up that that hill and it looks terrible, but maybe there'll be something cool on the other side.

SPEAKER_00 25:01

Yeah, one thing I'll throw out there is, and this is something Dave and I talk about a lot. Um, so Dave's Dave's a tall guy, and he's just naturally pretty fast, and so I think that being male and being quick makes him feel generally safer running in new places. And and me being female, um, I always have, you know, an eye to personal safety because, you know, I mean, ladies, we've heard all these stories about women that have been um, you know, attacked while running or run into an area that's a little shady. So, you know, I just exercise caution at all times. Um, if I'm running domestically and I'm traveling, you know, I usually try to bring like Pepper Spray or something with me. I've never fortunately never had to use it, but just having something or have your phone with you, make sure that you're you're prepared. And you know, if your route takes you in an area where your gut's like, this is a little shady, then you know, turn around, go somewhere else, you know, pull up Google Maps on your phone or find another spot to run to, but just always be safe. Um, that's first and foremost when you're running someplace new. Um, you know, Europe is sort of it's interesting because there most of the countries we've been to have miles and miles of these bike paths all over the countryside, and so it's really easy to just walk out the door, find a bike path or a trail or a walking trail and go run for miles, and it's pretty safe. Um, definitely traveled around the US and places and have been in certain parts of cities where I'm like, yeah, maybe I'll turn around here and go back to the hotel, and then I'll finish my run on the treadmill, and and that's okay too. So when we talk about being adaptable, don't don't be afraid to be adaptable and go home if it's just if it's not working out.

David Jankowski 26:38

Yeah, no, and that's a really good point. Not just the um, not necessarily that it's a dangerous part of town, but even to I think you know, know the the terrain and the types of animals that are around where you are.

SPEAKER_00 26:49

Oh, yes, animals.

David Jankowski 26:50

Because I think a lot of times we don't think about that. Like, so maybe it's your first time in the Rocky Mountain region, you're gonna go for a run in Yellowstone National Park. Remember there are grizzly bears there.

SPEAKER_00 26:59

Um bring a bear.

David Jankowski 27:01

Yeah. And the the bison and the moose and things like that, they aren't as cuddly as they may they may look. And I know that's a that's been a big thing for me in travel um when when I've I've done some travel in in Africa, is you you really if you don't know places like that where that's a little bit more um wild, whether it's Montana or it's Kenya or it's Zambia or wherever, um, but you know there are big animals, predators uh around, and you can't find anyone that can confirm to you that you're in a safe place, maybe maybe the treadmill is a good a good option, or the just around very close to you know where you see people walking around, um as opposed to getting out on the trails and in the woods uh off on your own and find yourself in a in a difficult situation facing down a lion. Um so that's a that's a really good thing to to keep in mind. And yeah, if you can find the treadmill, but know those things ahead of time too. I mean, try to I mean you can foresee a lot of this when you're when you know where you're traveling. If I'm going to Detroit, I know I'm not too worried about big predators. Um But I do think that then I'm also worried about well, what's traffic gonna look like? Are there gonna be roads where I can run? What part of the city am I in?

SPEAKER_00 28:26

What's MM gonna do?

David Jankowski 28:28

Yeah, exactly. Um but I mean, in there are parts of of Detroit that are absolutely lovely. Belle Isle is a great place to go for a run and to along um along the lake uh near Gross Point. But sometimes you can't know those things unless you give a call to the local running store. So going back to that. Um but okay, so another thing too that we we you know we we touched on flexibil flexibility and and adaptability, and to hammer that home maybe. Um so you got big training coming up, and and sometimes if it's a shorter trip, maybe it's uh two, three days that you're gonna be somewhere, as opposed to a longer one, maybe five days, seven days. Sometimes I think it's worth if there's a lot of uncertainty in where you may be able to run, or you don't think you can find a route pushing that run back until you get home and thinking about ways that you know you can just adjust training, whether it's you doing it yourself or doing it with your coach and making sure you work work together to make that work out in a way that makes you still feel comfortable and strong and ready to go for the the race, whatever it is you're training for.

SPEAKER_00 29:40

Yeah, I think that's a good point. Um, another thing I'll throw out there too, just thinking about the short-term trips, is um especially a lot of times when you fly, you can often get really dehydrated, and so you'll you'll hit the ground uh, you know, getting ready to run, and that first run will just be, you know, garbage, or you just won't be feeling it. So if you know you're flying on a plane and then you land, and then the first day out you're doing, you know, a tempo run or something, you might not feel great. And so I think working with your coach to sort of adapt your schedule around your your you know, your trip is helpful depending on what you're doing. Um, I know that you know I'll kind of do some stuff like I have protein shakes and you know, I'll hydrate and do a bunch of stuff to try to help my body adapt and just knowing that if I'm in the plane for a while, um, you know, I'll definitely be feeling pretty rough the next day. So those are just good tips and good ways to kind of strategize around some of the travel. Um, but you know, it's also depending on the schedule, too, it might be a good, a good opportunity to get out of your comfort zone. Because what if you're flying to your race? You know, I flew we flew to Chicago for for that race, and it was the day after being on the plane, and so maybe it's a good way to kind of test your body and say, hey, like what do I feel like after being on a plane for a few hours and going for a run? Okay, like this is rough. I need to, you know, do X, Y, and Z. Or oh no, I feel I feel pretty okay. So I think lots of uh diversity in your training is a good way to get more information to kind of know how your body reacts so that you can plan and be as prepared as possible for your race or whatever your goal is, you know, at the end of your training cycle.

David Jankowski 31:16

Absolutely. And and speaking of the the travel side of things, when you're crunched up in that tin can for three to seven hours, uh thinking about how how how can you move around and make your legs feel a little bit more fresh when you hit the ground so so you don't feel so lethargic and just garbagey when you get off the plane. Um making sure that you're you're standing up relatively often, like you said, stay on top of hydration because you it's hard to stay hydrated when you're you're 40,000 feet in the air, or whatever it is that you we get up to. Um so asking for water, don't don't be bashful to go walk in the back and hang out with the uh the flight attendants and grab uh grab a couple bottles of water again from them. I know that they it seems like they get smaller every time I get in an airplane.

Jacob Phillips 32:05

They're like a couple more.

David Jankowski 32:07

It used to be like uh like a 12 ouncer and now it's like a a four-ounce little shot glass of water. Um I guess it that's a quadruple. It's a big shot. It's a big shot, yeah. But um, but they're getting they're getting little. Um so just don't waste your shot.

SPEAKER_00 32:22

That's right. It's a big thing.

David Jankowski 32:24

Yeah, it's the big thing. But go back, make sure you get as much as you can. You know, another thing uh a lot of my my co-workers do now is um they'll bring water bottles with them. And most of the airports have those um the different kind of drinking fountains where you can just put it underneath.

SPEAKER_00 32:41

Yeah, in the filtered water, yeah.

David Jankowski 32:42

Yeah, and it and you can fill them up before you hop on the airplane because I know otherwise you're kind of out of luck if you try to bring liquid onto the through security, you're they're gonna take it from you and you throw it in the trash or make you dump it out or chug it. Um so empty water bottle is a good uh hack for that that sort of thing. Um to make sure you can stay on top of that. Like you said too, foods. Sometimes you go to a new place.

SPEAKER_00 33:06

Um oh gosh, yes, the food.

David Jankowski 33:09

Yeah, thinking about whether it's snacks or how to plan things. You said you bring protein, uh the protein uh shakes, but yeah, let's jump into food.

SPEAKER_00 33:19

What what sorry the reason the reason I got that response? So so I'm vegetarian, I don't do a lot of dairy, um, and I don't really like cheese. So when I go to Europe, there's like not very much to eat. So the oh god food part was because I feel like every time we we travel, I'm hungry. So I come prepared. I have protein shakes, I have nuts, I have trail mix, um, you know, I'll bring whatever I have room for to kind of keep something uh substantial that I can grab in the event that there's not a lot around. Um so we were in Switzerland and their favorite thing to eat is fondue, which is sort of like my worst nightmare. Um having the protein shakes is really helpful. And um, you know, if you do have food sensitivities, I think that especially nowadays there are more options, you know, if you're gluten-free or if you're vegan or you know, paleo or whatever your dietary restrictions are. Um, that's another good thing to look up ahead of time is find restaurants uh that have those options. Or what Dave and I do often when we travel, because I am, as he says, a picky eater, uh is we'll get Airbnbs that have kitchens and we will go to the grocery store and we'll buy stuff that uh we can make and that helps cut costs, but also um you know helps to reduce the the risk of upset stomach or you know being hungry or feeling hypoglycemic on your run or or something like that. So I think those are those are helpful things for me. Um yeah.

David Jankowski 34:48

No, no, I think I mean I think that's good. Really just being prepared for what you may or may not run into and trying to avoid being run into. Exactly. Trying to avoid being surprised. I you know that's a we we were at a early in my running career, I I I made a US team in in Japan, and it was specifically a running trip. So I thought, you know, they would take care of us, and I didn't they said, Oh, we have a big buffet for all the athletes that we do, we do this all year round. And I was like, Oh, excellent, it's gonna be great. But basically what they did is it and it's it's just like a culture thing, right? So the Japanese tried to take a spin on everybody's culture and do like a Japanese fusion dish for every culture. So for the US, it was pizza and french fries with fish thrown in them. Uh and and like weird things like that. There was a soft serve ice cream that tasted like it was seafood flavored, which tasted like Santan lotion.

SPEAKER_00 35:51

Delicious.

David Jankowski 35:51

Yeah. Incredible. Um, yeah, I remember uh who's with me? John Quigley and I were it was difficult. Um and you know, we had to be flexible, mix and match with some of the other cultural fusion foods to find something that wasn't too different from what we were used to so that our stomachs would feel okay for for training, let alone race day, which was happening three days after we got there. Um and so being able to build in that that type of thing, and that really made me think about, like you said, bringing in snacks, protein powder, gels, uh, any types of things, power bars or or different types of nutrition bars, and just throw in your bag to have something a little extra to take that edge off when you are getting hangry as heck because you haven't been able to find something that you want to eat for six, eight hours.

SPEAKER_00 36:43

I also like to have certain supplements that I'll I'll take depending on uh, you know, again, vegetarian, so I'll usually take B12 and I have some other things that I'll often use to just make sure that I have the right balance of nutrients, and so I'll bring those along for trips as well, and that's helped a lot. Um, there's definitely been some trips where, and Dave knows I get I get hangry um where if I don't bring the stuff, where if I don't bring it, it's you know, the runs don't go well, the day isn't as fun as it could be. Um so just think ahead, you know, different countries, different food, it's always an adjustment. Um, and then if you're also sensitive, like I can be to certain things, you know, it it helps minimize potential upset stomach or food poisoning or things like that.

David Jankowski 37:27

So yeah, no, exactly. Um, and the other, I mean the other big thing I'm thinking too, because it's the food's got me thinking about the the air travel, train travel, car travel, whatever it is. Um it helps a lot, especially if you've just finished a run, before you go on a long trip like that. Make sure you do some light form drills, some light like stretching type of things. Those things help your legs feel better before they get compressed, and like you get jumped into a car and you're kind of smushed or in uh in an airplane or even on a on a train where you may not have as much room to stretch out as you'd like. And two, if you have like compression socks, uh those are incredibly helpful to keep the blood flowing in your legs. Um one, uh, I think you know, i I think uh Ed Morant finished fourth at two US Olympic trials. Uh I believe he he got deep vein thrombosis on a on a flight when he was a professional athlete. Oh my gosh. One of the I think the 13 or 14 hour flights to Japan or somewhere. Um but you know things like compression socks or making sure you're moving around a lot or as much as you can, um, is helpful to avoid those kind of like medical issues, but also to just to let your legs feel better and not like you know, sometimes you get off an airplane and your your calves look like just huge cankles because all the fluid goes to the bottom of the leg. And you're like, what the heck? But it'll help that. Um and one thing I really like to do after the the car ride, a bus ride, a train ride, uh, an airplane ride, if I can. Um once you land, you get settled, get your things in, you've checked into the hotel or Airbnb or wherever you are, um, to get out the door and just do kind of a shakeout.

SPEAKER_00 39:16

Yeah.

David Jankowski 39:16

15, 20, 30 minutes. Um really light. And it feels like absolute garbage the first five minutes. It goes as slow as you need to, but something like even if it's a walk, um, something like that though, really helps kind of flush the legs, flush the system, and you don't push into it, you just kind of let it be. You get back, you sweat it out, and you feel a heck of a lot better, and then two, you pass out, um, if it's you know evening and it's time to go to bed.

Jacob Phillips 39:43

Yeah.

David Jankowski 39:44

Uh and so you know, it kind of helps tee up the rest of uh the trip and make you feel a little bit better. I would even do that in in college when we were busting around a lot to different track meets, and we get in at 10, 11, midnight, um go out for uh a three to five mile run, come back to the hotel, pass out, wake up, get ready to go the next day. Um and it just made me feel a heck of a lot better, more sharp, more ready to go. And so I've always I've always found that to be a useful a useful tool, especially when I don't want to do it. I think it's it's kind of a good thing.

SPEAKER_00 40:20

You do always feel better.

David Jankowski 40:21

Yeah. I mean we've so we've covered a lot of ground. Is there anything that you can think of that we could also hit on, touch on, take a little bit?

SPEAKER_00 40:33

Yeah, so I think my I'm just thinking about our you know, our Switzerland trip. So, you know, we most mornings we get up and go for a run, and then in the afternoons, Switzerland's beautiful, it's lakes and mountains, and so we go for these epic hikes, uh, you know, along mountainsides overlooking lakes, and my legs are so tired. Um, and just you know, walking up the steps to our Airbnb the other day. I was just like, oh man. So don't be afraid to take an extra day off too. Um, definitely got in a lot more exercise on this trip than I normally do in a week, which is great, great for fitness. Um, we're at altitude for a lot of it, so it's a good, you know, body challenge, mind challenge, lots of climbing. Um, but give yourself a break if you need it, and uh also be careful if your husband's in charge of the mapping because sometimes he overestimates or underestimates how far away things are, so your runs might be you know three, four, five miles longer than you had anticipated. So be flexible, stay hydrated, and uh, you know, enjoy. Like like we like we said, some of the best memories we've ever had on trips have been on some of the runs we've taken, and it's it's just such a great way to see places and get outside and just you know earn your your your uh your dinner at the end of the day. So that's right.

David Jankowski 41:50

Yeah, that extra dessert or whatever it is that you're you're looking to do. Um and yeah, you you you find things that you never would have anticipated. Sometimes you find something on a run like that that ends up becoming the the later in the afternoon tourist destination or the the restaurant or something like that that you would have never found otherwise, the local spot that you you run into that you're like, well, hot dang. You know.

SPEAKER_00 42:12

Well, and I think it a little bit fosters um a spirit of curiosity and and uh wanting to be a little bit adventurous, you know, just this desire to go explore. Um, because I can't tell you how many friends or people I know when they do travel, they don't they don't do much. They they stay inside sort of the bounds of their their tourist guidebook, and you know, there's great stuff there, but there's a lot more that you can see and do. Um, you know, again, thinking back to to you know that that little mountain run in Croatia or you know, just other things that we've done where it's just been absolutely amazing, and we didn't even know the stuff was there, and we just found it while we were running, and you know, it was such a great way to just explore the area.

David Jankowski 42:50

Yeah. Well, it's and and if you if you have the the flexibility in your travel to be able to do things like that, it's it's useful. I know work travel sometimes you don't have that space. Um, but if you can, do what you can. Uh but I think yeah, like like you said, I it's escaping me anything further beyond that. You you've done kind of already a bit of an over or uh a review of some of the things we talked about. The only one I think um worth thinking about is the the rest and recovery, making sure you're getting off the plane, train, or automobile well, to making sure you stay hydrated on those points, thinking about the different environment that you're in, whether it's hot, cold, high elevation, low elevation, mountainous, uh rocky, muddy, right, whatever it happens to be, being a bit prepared for that and packing in a way that reflects the location that you're going to. Uh, also to thinking about the the environment in other ways, right? So the atmosphere that you'll be running in. Is it going to be densely populated and a lot of cars and you gotta really think about where you're running? Or is it gonna be rural and you have to think about the animals that you might be running into? Uh whether those are big predators, or if it's just gonna be. You know, a big open field where you can go and and kick it for a while. Uh so keep some of those things in mind and too remember too the types of of foods you bring. If you have any specific dietary restrictions, you may need to pack those ahead of time. Um I know a lot of people who've who've done that in the past. Even like the the type of cutlery cutlery people bring, um if they're if they uh fear that they won't be able to find something that they they need. I mainly I'm thinking for religious um uh needs. Uh that we had a a Jewish guy who who came with us to Ghana and he was worried that he couldn't get earthenware.

SPEAKER_00 44:38

Oh, I see.

David Jankowski 44:39

And so he would bring that with him to to the things that we went to. Um but yeah, so kind of a unique aside. But um those are a lot of ways that you can think about getting prepared and make sure you can you can still stay ready to go and in a good place so you can stay on that path towards success, whatever it is that you're you're training for, racing for, getting ready for.

SPEAKER_00 45:05

Yeah, no, I think that about covers it. Have fun.

David Jankowski 45:08

Yeah, that's the key. Have fun.

SPEAKER_00 45:10

Have fun.

David Jankowski 45:11

Don't get too focused on yeah. I think oftentimes too, and I think that goes to your point, you get too focused on training, training, training. Am I gonna get a training in? You get too worried about it, and you can't just let go of that and enjoy the process. One, enjoy the run. Yeah, but two, enjoy the location. Whether that's for work or otherwise. I think there's a lot of a lot of fun to be had, even on a work trip. Uh, I know that's not it may not sound as exciting, but there certainly can be. Uh, and you can make it happen.

Jacob Phillips 45:42

And that does it for this month's long form edition of the Next Level Running Podcast. This replay, I hope it really helps you as you get into traveling for the holidays, as we travel for the new year. Hopefully you can keep those good runs coming. But we'll be back on November 26th with the Instagram live replay with Coach Will Benitez. He is always bringing quality content on those Instagram live uh events. If you haven't followed at Run Doyen Instagram account, click that like or click that follow button, I guess, is what I'm talking about there. That way you can be notified when Coach Benitez goes live for those. But they're always uh really applicable advice for those out there trying to crush their running goals. But hey, I appreciate you as usual. And if I don't get the chance to talk to you before then, have a happy Thanksgiving. Crush those turkey trots, and until then, have a great run. Thank you for joining us here on the Next Level Running Podcast, your source for training advice from the expert coaches at Rundoyan. If you're ready to take your training and racing to the next level, head over to Rundoyan.com and get matched to your ideal coach who will provide you with the highly customized online training you need for crushing your goals on race day.