Training while travelling

Im increasingly having to work away during the week - i don't have a full week at home for the next 2 months!

as such I was wondering; how do people on here who travel for work keep sharp / on top of the schedule?

i guess the obvious answer is to plan better and be flexible in the schedule so that sessions can be moved about to fit in the week where they suit

any tips/ pointers appreciated

 

Take stuff and run where ever I go.

I'm always on the lookout for "stealth" trainers - something that can double up as a shoe I wear at work when travelling and can also train in. ATM nice black Nike Flex are doing the job. The shoe must also not have a plastic heel counter so that it can squash as flat as possible. I can fit enough kit in a Samsonite PC rucksack for a few nights away. I also try and pick kit that can double up as casual dress for the evening.

If I am staying in a town I don't know I either take a GPS with a citymap chip, or iphone with Citymaps2go loaded for the town, or at least enable the breadcrumb retrace on my Garmin watch so that I can use the run as a way of exploring and still find the way back tomthe hotel.

Thirdly I suppose it is the mental thing that a running outing in my own nominally free time has at least equal and usually higher priority than having a drink with business colleagues after work and I make sure they know it. Sometimes I will even travel in the daytime before so I have time for a run the evening before, rather than follow work's wish that I get up at 5 am just to save them the cost of an overnight. I draw the line at giving my life away for free.

I had some good suggestions here

http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/beginners/building-fitness-in-my-room/186467.html

Trainiers are the pain but its not too hard to pack around them (wrap them in a plastic bag to keep the stink and dirt from the clothes). Take a second plastic bag for dirty kit.

I sometimes take a small amount of detergent in a shampoo bottle you can get a reasonable wash in a sink and get two runs from the same kit (not the best but OK just dont get the bottles mixed up!!).

I find I am motivated more to run when away. I use Sportstracks and it sticks a red dot on a map when you log a run there and its good to see them build up at different places.

" Thirdly I suppose it is the mental thing that a running outing in my own nominally free time has at least equal and usually higher priority than having a drink with business colleagues after work and I make sure they know it "

Spot on Steve - when you're away people tend to think that all your time is theirs and everything has to be large scale.  Hence the meeting runs later than planned, you're back at the hotel later and suddenly you've only got a few minutes before you're asked to meet up for dinner. 

As such, I now try to avoid the third/fourth beer/ spirits that tend to prolong these dinners, hit the sack at a decent time and go out running early. 

Sometimes you can make it work for you: "guys, I think it best you make your own evening meal arrangements. I have to find somewhere to train, then train, and I can't predict when I'll be finished"

I travelled alot whilst training for Outlaw, some weeks it was the best midweeks training going.

Can you pick your own hotels? Find one with a good bike or pool, or throw the bike and turbo in the car? I often ran early before work, knowing if the day went wrong it was in the bag.

Garmin Connect and TP all have places to look up runs. If you're a regular traveller then you get to know places well. Look up a local running/tri club and ask to run with them as a non-local member.

Put training in your work calendar so the time is already booked.