Vacation training

Yesterday we started training for our vacation.

Training for a vacation sounds silly to some. Some people vacation to relax and do nothing. I understand that philosophy, but two days of doing nothing drives me batty, and doing nothing for 2-3 weeks sounds like torture. I prefer getting out and seeing as much as I can (while still taking time to enjoy the sights), especially in Europe, which is pricey and difficult to visit.

European transportation, for tourists anyway, focuses primarily on trains and feet. You take trains between major cities, and you foot it the rest of the time. For our honeymoon, we walked between 6 and 8 miles per day, even though we were taking the Metro in Paris. And maybe some people are able to bounce into 2 straight weeks of intense walking (did I mention the stairs?), but I wasn't, so in the month and a half before our wedding, we walked. A lot. Maybe not 6-8 miles per day, but we regularly did 2-3 mile walks.

And we did great in France! We took breaks at cafes when we were tired, but not once did we wake up sore or achy. I did pull a muscle early in the trip (walking down the stairs of the Notre Dame tower--again, did I mention the stairs...), but I discovered that if you keep walking, such injuries go away in a few days.

Our strategy last year was so successful that we have decided to start another walking program. Last night we kicked it off with an hourlong trek through a nearby neighborhood. Oh, the hills--but great views.

In theory, you can train for a marathon in two months, so if we keep up with our evening walks, we can expect a painfree Italian vacation.