Sunday, February 5, 2012

Running while Cruising

It has been more than a week since we got back from vacation and the cruise but I have had no time to write about our cruise.  We arrived home last Sunday from Florida and then Wednesday I headed out for a business trip and returned on Firday.  Thankfully I am home again now and won't be doing any more traveling any time soon! 

I think my idea of a perfect vacation would be going to a running camp where I could eat, sleep and run! But sadly I don't really know of many places that offer vacations like that.  The next best thing has to be a cruise to the Caribbean for 7 days!

We left on a Sunday for Fort Lauderdale to meet our ship - I hadn't been on a cruise since I was 10 and Brian since he was 19.  I was pretty excited for a week of total relaxation after an extremely stressful week of work.

The first night we watched the ship leave the port before getting ready for dinner.

I woke up the first morning on the ship and Brian and I went to the gym which was packed with people.  Every one seemed to have had the same idea about working out on the first day.  I waited for a treadmill and then jumped on.  I started running and after 20 minutes the treadmill entered cool down mode.  Apparently all the treadmills had been set to stop after 20 minutes.  No matter what I tried, it seemed I could not get the treadmill to run more than 20 minutes which was annoying.

Day 1: 4.7 miles/40 minutes

The first day we spend at sea and it was formal night at dinner.

On Tuesday I woke up very early and could not get back to sleep so I decided to just go to the gym for a run.  I watched as the sun slowly rose and as we pulled into our first port.  There were two other ships that rode into the port with us and it was just amazing to watch while running on the treadmill.

Day 2: 1 mi easy/2 mi MP/1 mi easy/2 mi MP/1 mi easy - 59 minutes

After the run, we got off the ship and explored the first port!  The best part was the beautiful beaches.

Our ship was gorgeous and the whole center area had 6 glass elevators.  The center area was open and you could see up and down from any floor.  In the very middle a giant tree in a large pot was suspended above.  It was the most beautiful thing ever.

On the third day I woke up again and ran in the morning.  It was my third day on the treadmill and I was so sick of dealing with the treadmill stopping at 20 minutes.  Luckily when I reached the end of my first 20 minutes, no one was waiting for a treadmill so I just restarted it and kept going.  About half way through the second 20 minutes, a man two treadmills down from me decided to yell at me for staying on for more than 20 minutes.  I was slightly annoyed but I didn't say anything back to the man and just kept running.

Day 3: 4.65 miles/40 minutes

We were at another port on Day 3, so we got off the boat again and explored.  The boat docked next to us was the same exact boat which was awesome! The ships are so massive!  We got back on the boat for lunch and I made sure to get some ice cream and then hit the pool deck to read and get some sun!

On the fourth day, we docked at yet another port.  We got up and had breakfast before heading off the boat.  I gave my legs a little bit of rest and ran before lunch instead of in the morning.  My knee still hurt a little bit after the run and I assumed it was not enjoying all the running on the treadmill.  I was actually feeling good with all the running.

Day 4: 4.65 miles/40 minutes


The fifth day which was also Friday, I decided to take the day off (which is what I usually do) and enjoyed our last port.  The vacation seemed to go by so quickly and I was sad that soon we would be heading back home.  Friday was also our second formal night which I really enjoyed! The food was amazing on the cruise and the desserts were to die for! Tonight we had Baked Alaska which I have not had in years!


Our last full day we spend at sea sailing back home.  I worked finishing my third and fourth books of the cruise and getting even more sun!  It was truly an amazing trip!  I also fit in my long run!  I was up at 6am to beat the gym crowd and was surprised to see the gym completely empty when I arrived.  I pounded out my first hour with just a few our people entering the gym and then finished up my last two 20 minutes segments.  I think having a break every 20 minutes to sip water really helped me to get this run done on the treadmill.  Long runs on the treadmill are not easy

Day 6: 11.5miles/1hr 39mins

Total miles run: 33
Total miles cruised: 2100

It definitely was an amazing cruise and I am glad I was able to work in all my runs while still enjoying the vacation. 

Have you ever been on a cruise??  If not, I strongly suggest it!!

16 comments:

Vanessa @ Gourmet Runner said...

Sounds like such an amazing cruise! The only downside seems to be the weird treadmill times - what a shame they made you stop after 20 minutes!

MCM Mama said...

Only being allowed to run for 20 minutes would have driven me insane. Did they not have a track around one of the decks? I thought a lot of ships had those...

Stephanie Anne said...

SOunds like a blast!

We love cruising! We've been on 3 in the past few years and are planning another one soon. I usually go running on the track or at the gym on the cruise. Especially days at sea. Sometimes I dont' work out much when we have a port to get to. To me, cruises are the ultimate relaxing vacation.

Rena said...

The yelling man must not have been pleasant. I hate being yelled at for something. Even if I didn't do anything wrong, I have a hard time shaking it off.

I am now considering going on a cruise for spring break. I've never been on a cruise, and a lot of my friends want to go.

kristen said...

I find that I get really bored on the treadmill- so breaking it up into 20 minute segments, although annoying, might actually help make it more tolerable.

Well done getting all that running in while cruising!

justme said...

i am so anti cruise, btw the sickness breakouts, the crashing into land, the sppuses pushing each other over board.....i just can't do it.

Kim said...

There are quite a few running camps I have heard of, and even a running cruise! I still think a cruise to the Caribbean is better though :)

The treadmill cool down thing is so annoying. Did they not trust the guests to share or something? And why did that guy yell at you if no one else was even there? Ugh.

The beaches look so beautiful!

WTG on getting all your runs in. That is awesome! (Esp. since they were all on the treadmill)

I have not been on a cruise but think I would really like it :)

KellytheCulinarian said...

I love cruises so much! And, they're a great deal a lot of the time. But, I like to eat a ton, so that might shade my opinion of cruises :)

Marlene said...

Wow, you managed to do a ton of running on vacation! I'm impressed.

Um, do you know that old dude who seems to be watching you read? LOL!

Love the pics - you look great! Love your colour!!

Amber said...

You ran more miles than me that week and I WASN'T on vacay! Colour me impressed :)

Your cruise looks like it was beautiful and oh so relaxing!

Anonymous said...

Wow! Seriously awesome training! I think I somehow manage to workout more when I'm on vacay too. I think it's because I'm more focused on fitting it in. Way to rock it!!

Lisa said...

Glad you had an amazing vacation, and way to go with the running. I haven't been on a cruise, but it's definitely on my bucket list.

Lauren @ Sassy Molassy said...

Looks like you had a great vacation! I'm impressed that you did so much running with those 20 min segments. Ugh. I've never been on a cruise, but it definitely looks relaxing.

Page said...

Seriously impressed that you got your long run in too! Welcome back!

Elizabeth said...

We were on vacation at the same time! Yours sounds amazing! I'm surprised there wasn't a track on the top deck of the cruise ship. It's fun to run around those because you get crazy Garmin data if the boat is moving!

Christine said...

The pictures, especially the ones with sunsets and beach are beautiful! Where did you go?