Helena's Big Adventure. Chapter 5 - Training on Holiday

There comes a time in life of every triathlete to go on holiday… 

What do I think of when thinking about the holiday? Sleeping, meeting friends, having a lot of food, some wine. Definitely not running, swimming and cycling. So this time, when going to see my dad for his 60^th Birthday, I packed my trainers, swim goggles and motivation with me.

I found that the motivation is the thing most likely to suffer on holiday. By changing the environment, all the daily routine just goes out out the window.

I did find the best motivation possible! My little sister Marija and her little baby boy Leo with their lunchtime walk. We did few ordinary walks too, but I would never have imagined them as my running partners!!!  My sister put some roller-skates on, took buggy with 5 weeks old Leo and off we went. They can keep up a good pace; I had to work hard to keep up! Apart from motivation, there was another important lesson I learned. I learned that there are some interesting ways to incorporate sporting activities in the daily routine even if you have no time to do it otherwise.

I did try to do a swim session as well although the lake was still a bit cold. My crazy brother actually swims all through the Latvian winter (with no wetsuit). Without any preparation I was not ready for that sort of extreme challenge. There were some swimming pools around, but the closest I got to using one was to go there and purchase a new swimsuit. I did really need one!

For cycling there was no place. I do have a couple of my old bikes waiting for me at home but carrying extra equipment in suitcase was a bit too much.

 What I am trying to say (in a really weird way) is that it is possible to train while abroad. Just check you have the right gear with you. Latvian summer at the beginning of May was much warmer than in the UK. I took some warm tights with me, so was sweating a bit more than necessary. I will check the weather forecast before going next time!

Don’t forget your trainers when leaving for that nice summer break! :)

 Roller-skating sister

 Circuit training