Here is a reason why you should never take a holiday. Or at least not take a holiday from training. Because it hurts as hell when you get back into it, that's why!
I’m always full of good intentions though. A few weeks ago, when I was preparing for a little winter escape to sunny Vanuatu, I duly checked whether the resort I was staying at had a gym (it did) and made sure I packed my runners and training gear into my suitcase. Which is where they stayed for the duration of my trip.
Of course, there are good reasons for this. It was hot and humid, I was too busy reading, lazing by the pool, sipping cocktails or doing touristy things. And, wait, I have another excuse (I'm also always full of good excuses): I was on HOLIDAYS! Surely I should be excused for being lazy during my holiday, right?
Having said that I didn't just sit on my bum all week: I went snorkelling a few times, I climbed up a waterfalls, I walked a lot, pottered around in the swimming pool... Hell, I even played (and lost at) ping pong a few times.
So when I returned to Boot camp the following week, I was feeling vaguely confident that perhaps I wouldn't struggle too much. I'm sure you've figured out by now that I was wrong. It seems ping pong doesn't provide much of a cardio workout after all.
I asked Gary if he could go easy on me for my first session back after my break and he just laughed at me. Of course he laughed, he’d planned hill running for the entire session, my very favourite. Back and forth, back and forth, until your heart feels like it's going to explode.
And boy, did I wish these runners had made it out of the bag after all! So I made a mental note: the only way this could be ever become easier for me, even slightly, is if I never stopped exercising. Regular, constant, uninterrupted training, this is what I need. It may mean I have to stop travelling though. But what wouldn’t one do for killer legs?
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Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau
