5 Reasons to Take a Racecation

I have taken many racecations over the past few years. I know in a lot of people’s vocabulary, the words “vacation” and “running’ just don’t mix, but hear me out, it can be a LOT of fun!

1.) See new places: With the popularity of racing, you can now find races pretty much anywhere. You can even sail on the Disney Cruise Line and run a 5k on Disney’s private island in the Bahamas! There are websites like Running in the USA that can help you find races in every state. It’s fun to sign up for a race and then find fun activities to do afterwards with your family!

2.) Hang out with other runners: Most races have an expo, so it’s a lot of fun to hang out with other like minded people at the expo and get excited about the race with other participants. I love having meet ups and tweet ups to meet up with other online friends as well.

3.) Keep weight in check: Everyone always jokes about gaining weight on vacation, but you are more likely to keep things in check in the days leading up to your race, and then of course you will burn calories actually running, so there’s another bright side, no dreaded post vacation bloat!

4.) Run in different climate/elevation: Running here in Mississippi can be pretty monotonous. It’s not particularly pretty, and it’s fairly flat most of the time. I love having the experience of running in low humidity on a beautiful course, something I could never get from a local race!

5.) Bond with your family: A lot of races have made things a family event. runDisney has kids races and a family fun run 5k, and the Rock n Roll series often offers 5k races with their half and full marathon weekends as well. These make a great opportunity to involve the whole family in being active, as well as teaching kids healthy habits. Or if they just prefer to spectate, you can work together on some really fun signs to hold up on the race course, or go sightseeing post race.

QOTD: What is your favorite thing about a racecation? What is your favorite racecation location?