Ben Rudson | Pack for the worst, train your best

Winter travel can be a significant source of headaches. Delays, cancellations and closures are all an unfortunate reality of wintertime in Canada. Not only can these events throw a wrench into work and vacation schedules, they can also seriously compromise a triathlon training regime. For many triathletes, our training schedule is planned down to the day as part of a multi-week plan. A major travel event that may result in a day or days of inactivity can have a big impact on the success of the training plan. While there is little we can do in regards to the weather, we can control our preparation and how we deal with spontaneous schedule changes.

Clothing

Everyone has a luggage horror story. From a multi-day delay to a piece of luggage being lost altogether, these events are a significant source of stress and can seriously detract from a trip. Unfortunately, these incidents are a reality of modern air travel. We can, however, takes steps to mitigate the impact of delayed and lost luggage. A great rule of thumb is to pack as much of your triathlon gear as possible into a piece of carry-on luggage. In doing so, you are assured that your gear will make it to its final destination. This is especially important if you are travelling for a race or training camp – you do not want delayed or lost luggage to prevent you from taking part in the big event! You can check whether or not an item is eligible to be transported in a carry-on on the TSA website.

Food

Delays often lead to impromptu meal times spent in airport terminals. Unfortunately, airport terminals aren’t beacons of healthy eating, and when combined with the undue stress caused by the travel it is often easy to fall victim to making poor food choices. Packing nutrient-dense foods with you in your carry-on allows you to ensure you stay properly fuelled no matter what travel delays you may face. Do be sure to check to make sure you comply with border regulations if you are traveling to a foreign country however!

Ben Rudson lives in Calgary, Alberta and works for a global operations consulting firm. When not travelling for work, Ben can often be found enjoying the spoils of the Rocky Mountains. Ben is the reigning National AG champion in Standard Distance triathlon and was named the 2017 Short Course Athlete of the year by Triathlon Ontario. Ben also has an extensive background long course triathlon, having participated in the 2016 IRONMAN World Championships. You can follow Ben’s journey on Strava, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter.