Written by Stephen Sall
Hello again Strider friends, it’s Tip Tuesday, time for destination races, Part II.
Last week I talked in general about picking your destination. This week I want to talk about getting there, about traveling….planes, hotels and such. Unless your destination is within what you consider to be reasonable driving distance (and that varies for all of us) you’re probably going to fly. Air travel can be stressful but it needn’t be overly so. Chances are the earlier you fly out, the less the likelihood of disruptions. I like to depart between 5:30 and 7:30am, if possible. That way, unless my plane just arrived from a red eye it’s probably been on the tarmac for several hours. This, however, does necessitate a ridiculously early wake up time, and for me, a lot of stress. What if I oversleep? What if the car doesn’t start? What if I get a flat? What if there is construction on the pike? Ridiculous fears? Very likely, but those are my stressors. So, what I do is drive to Logan the afternoon before and stay nearby. For me it’s a great stress reducer. I also fly out two days before my race, just in case something does go wrong. That way I’m not worried about missing race packet pickup or checking in too late to my hotel. Especially in the case of connecting flights. Oh and if no matter what, the thought of going to Logan stresses you out, consider TF Green in Providence. I haven’t used it myself, but I’m told that it’s much less stressful. There are of course fewer nonstop destinations from there, but check it out, you may be pleasantly surprised. Flying out two days early also helps to minimize any hotel stress you might have. You’re on the road, you’re not sleeping in your own room before the race, being there two nights ahead can help you get comfortable with your surroundings. I always ask for a room on a high floor, away from the elevator and ice machine, hoping it will be quiet there. Do I always get it? No, but it certainly helps to ask. If the room does turn out to be noisy, you have the opportunity the next morning to try to switch. Some races have host hotels, should you stay there? Personal preference, everyone is different, check it out online first. Does it have an atrium? They may be gorgeous but they tend to funnel all the lobby noise upward. Check to see if it has a nightclub. If so, be sure not to stay either directly above or below it. And BTW, I know many choose to stay at Air BNB’s instead, I haven’t any experience with them, so those of you who do, please feel free to add a comment. Tell us the issues we should be concerned about.
All right then, we are ready! Let’s go! Enjoy the trip, the race and of course the decadence! Bring some muffins on the flight!
