Vacation Decided!

Back in November I wrote a post about my potential vacation plans for 2016.  It has taken me more than two months to finally figure out what to do and where to go!  It was a tough decision,and I bounced back and forth from Iceland to Moab to Alaska and then Spain.  I considered the Rocky Mountain National Park, a Napa Valley Wine Marathon, even a trip above the Arctic circle in Nunavut, Canada.

I could not decide!

I threw my hands up in the air and started to really think hard about why this decision was so difficult. First, I seem to be known at the office and amongst my family members as a bit of an adventurer, going to odd places on my own and doing weird stuff (8 mile hike wearing mud boots along the rocky coast of Homer, Alaska, 6 mile mud/muck run in Nova Scotia, an attempt to scale Mt. Rainier in Washington state, kayaking off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, etc).

I almost feel like I have a reputation to live up to.  What crazy thing will I do next?  Run a costumed wine-related marathon in the Burgundy region of France?  Maybe a 3-day stage race in Alberta, Canada. Or a simple half-marathon in Yellowstone National Park?

It was all too much for me. I determined this: I am tired of spending 24 to 48 hours of my vacations on airplanes, mulling around airports, going through customs, searching for my luggage.  I am tired of spending 75% of my vacation driving around some foreign country or what seems like a foreign country (Alaska) . Yes, the best way to get to know a place is by driving through it, but it's also exhausting. I swear, I saw every square inch of the province of Nova Scotia, twice.

By the way, never rent a Chevy Spark in Nova Scotia. A car that weighs more than your luggage is really required for a hardy place like that.

So, I started going in the other direction. What is the opposite of adventure? Relaxation, meditation, maybe some art therapy or easy yoga. I then started looking for vacations that would still incorporate my running, but would also be super relaxing. I thought about attending a Chi Running class in conjunction with a one week yoga retreat. I looked at a Mindful Running retreat in Utah. I found a 3 day retreat outside Toronto, Ontario that was solely yoga for runners.

I got frustrated again. Long travel times and high expenses just made these vacations seem a little ridiculous.

I then realized that what I needed I could probably get right here at home. I want yoga, so why not sign up for a 30 day yoga pass near the house? I want meditation, so why not attend the Tibetan sanctuary also near my house on Saturday mornings for sitting meditation? I want a little adventure, so why  not go to the indoor rock climbing gym? Still want something unusual? Attend a cooking class.

So, in one month, I will do all of these things. My staycation is being planned. And half the fun of a vacation is actually in the planning, at least for me.

Oh, and in July I am signed up for a one week runner's camp in the mountains of North Carolina.  A quick morning flight will get me to North Carolina in time for a late lunch. I will be around other runners, doing yoga, camping, swimming in mountain streams, running on trails, hopefully making s'mores in the evenings.  I am so excited about this.