Running while Backpacking in Europe

It's a pain to do. I ended up not running at all during the 3 weeks I was backpacking.

anon wrote:

It's a pain to do. I ended up not running at all during the 3 weeks I was backpacking.

hmm...not what I was hoping to hear..

Where are you going? If you're passing through London I can offer tips.

But surely it's not much more complicated than taking your shoes (lightweight flats?) and one set of running clothes, scoping googlemaps of the area around your hostels for any choice training spots, and then getting out of bed an hour before your mates for a session?

go for it. take your shoes and just run. it'll be awesome. it is the very best way to get a feel for the area. the only bummer is that sometimes hostels are in sketchy areas.

why not wrote:

go for it. take your shoes and just run. it'll be awesome. it is the very best way to get a feel for the area. the only bummer is that sometimes hostels are in sketchy areas.

I won't be passing through London unfortunately.

I'm a little worried about leaving my backpack in a hostel (esp in sketchy areas), if there other guys I don't know in the room - I guess I'll have to bring my passport, railpass, & money w/ me on the run...

Not a problem. Also a great way to see some faraway sights that you wouldn't bother to see. I can't think of much that would prevent you from running, unless you're traveling with a couple people who want to have the days planned full. Where are you going?

No, the problem is just that you are probably going to be worried about leaving your gear at the hostel while you run, or that you'll be on trains for all of some days. Just head for one of the city parks or the countryside, depending on where you are.

Motorbreath wrote:

Where are you going? If you're passing through London I can offer tips.

But surely it's not much more complicated than taking your shoes (lightweight flats?) and one set of running clothes, scoping googlemaps of the area around your hostels for any choice training spots, and then getting out of bed an hour before your mates for a session?

Did that when I was travelling thru england for 2 weeks. just took my road flats, tried to find soft surfaces to run on and got up early to run. It's not from Ideal, but still fun and you get to see parts of the city you would not have seen otherwise. And you get to see the local running community.

As the AP said, google maps is a great helper. also try walkjogrun.

It's also fun to find a local 5k and just enter on the day. it's much cheaper than in the states, especially in Germany, so don't worry about money. I have entered local 5Ks in germany for about 5 Euros on the day.

for drying & washing your gear, you may want to consider just washing them with shampoo while you right shower afterwards and hanging them off your backpack to dry if you are travelling the same day. (use safety pins to prevent them from falling off)

I've done it. The clothes-washing tip above is a good one. Most hostels have what amount to lockers -- with locks! -- that you can semi-securely stash your stuff in. I recommend taking your passport and a credit card with you on your runs if you don't have friends to leave them with. Another option would be seeing if the front desk would hold your passport for you.

I backpacked Europe for a month after college while training for my first marathon. I ran every day. It was a great way to explore. I usually left my bag in a locker at a hostel or a locker at a train station. It was not a problem.

Great. Thanks for the advice all, very helpful.

Anyone know if hostel's will typically have computers with internet available for use? Or am I better off just bringing my laptop?

I'm pretty sure I averaged at least 40 mpw, sometimes more, while backpacking through Europe for 6 months. I had a Eurail Pass and most of my runs where first thing after an overnight train. Drop the bags off at the train station, grab the tourist map and go exploring.Some of my best runs were had this way; running to see the Pope on a Wednesday, accidently running 18 miles in Trondheim, wood chip trails in Tampere, the last 10k of the Barcelona marathon route, 1,000 m sprint in Pamplona, lapping Ios via the coast line, midnight 5 miler in Istanbul, racing the scullers on the Thames, Running to Austria via Garmisch-Partenkirchen, running tour at Prague (ended up at the Tiger bar and had to run back to the University after about 10 half pints - always run with enough food and beer money).I didn't carry my passport when I went for a run - in fact I would recommend running without it. I only got "stopped twice" - once in Turkey and another time in London - no one seems to think that runners pose a material threat to national security though and they both merrily sent me on my way. Don’t try to be so anal about it, just commit to it and get it done – now go get ‘em Tiger!

backpacking europe wrote:

I backpacked Europe for a month after college while training for my first marathon. I ran every day. It was a great way to explore. I usually left my bag in a locker at a hostel or a locker at a train station. It was not a problem.

don't bring your laptop. just use internet cafes.

I just got back from a month long trip like this. It's not hard to get a run in, especially if you get up early. I suggest doing this since the cities are not as busy, which makes it much easier to run. I stayed in hostels the whole time I was there and there wasn't one that I hesitated to leave my valuable stuff at while I ran. Some have lockers, and when they didn't I just left my stuff locked in my backpack. I went with a friend and we brought a laptop which turned out to be a lifesaver a few times. There are some internet cafes, but they tend to be really expensive.

Where are you planning on going?

most hostels have internet access for a low fee. if not, they will always be able to tell you the next internet cafe. printing might prove more difficult. A laptop is definitely not needed unless you want to upload your pictures on your hard drive regularly.

I think it is too heavy and too much to worry about concerning breaking and theft. if you want to take your laptop along nonetheless, invest in a laptop lock.

Generally, leave as many valuables at home as you can. e.g. your stopwatch should suffice for all purposes, etc...

So leaving your stuff in your backpack at hostels is okay? Would bringing a combination lock be useful?

mr wrote:

I just got back from a month long trip like this. It's not hard to get a run in, especially if you get up early. I suggest doing this since the cities are not as busy, which makes it much easier to run. I stayed in hostels the whole time I was there and there wasn't one that I hesitated to leave my valuable stuff at while I ran. Some have lockers, and when they didn't I just left my stuff locked in my backpack. I went with a friend and we brought a laptop which turned out to be a lifesaver a few times. There are some internet cafes, but they tend to be really expensive.

Where are you planning on going?

Cool thanks I think I'll be heading to: belgium, france, italy, germany, netherlands

I'll probably leave my laptop at home then...guess i'll look up on google earth for some good places to run!

dmizzle, I don't know if you're into cycling at all in addition to running, but that's a fun way to see europe too. you will be able to rent a bike in a lot of places on the continent. some of my best memories from my own trip abroad come from times biking for some miles along the french countryside, stopping along all the little towns, and then do some more riding.

whatever you decide to do, i'm sure it will be great. have fun!