Gotta Run: Julian family enjoys running vacation in Europe – Salisbury Post

Rowan’s elite running family enjoyed a very special vacation. The details are worth sharing. His mother, Rebecca, is the owner of Lazy Five Vets and a lifelong runner. Below is an excerpt from her 10-day family trip in June 2023. Other family members are her father, Scott; daughter, Hope; and sons, Noah and Eli.

Rebecca says, “Running is always a part of our lifestyle, even when we’re on vacation. Our mileage and training levels may vary, but as a running family, we love running elsewhere.” I’ve always enjoyed great memories and experiences in the US. I’m always interested in learning how other people really live and what kind of exercise they do while on vacation in other parts of the United States and now small parts of Europe. I’ve often had conversations with people that I would never have had until I saw a family running together. To be honest, I was quite nervous and worried about whether I would be able to do well in Europe. We were in a country where we didn’t speak the language and didn’t know anyone, so we didn’t have much time to exercise in parks or on trails. I wasn’t sure if it was normal for their culture. I was pleasantly surprised to find some great runs, some of which will leave lasting memories for our family.”

The family prefers soft surfaces, so they were looking for trails. They often use trail maps, but they aren’t always the best option for running. Rebekah also used the Strava app, Google Maps, and topographic mapping sites. She discovered another app called Wikiloc, which is popular in Europe. There were a variety of concerns, including traffic congestion, whether the area was hilly or flat, the size of the trail, and whether the area was part of a park.

Rebecca said: “Safety is always a top priority when looking for a place to run. Noah and Eli are old enough now that they can act independently and we all need to feel comfortable. Hope and I usually hang out or run together with Scott. I’m the slowest runner in my family now, so Noah or Scott would run with Hope during training. Often times, We choose areas to pass each other, so it’s common to plan our outs and backs. We always know where each other plans to run and stay in the same area. I always use my cell phone I carry this with me, so I can handle it internationally in case of an emergency.I also pay close attention to the people around me, such as runners, cyclists, people running alone, and women running alone. For safety reasons, I don’t run while listening to music in unknown places. We usually try to run in the morning when there is less traffic, and I usually I’m surrounded by people who exercise in the early morning hours. I went for a few afternoon runs, but never at night.”

The family set off from Munich, Germany, and on their way to their hotel, they saw a lot of cyclists riding the intercity trail called the Redwig. “We thought it would be so great to offer a rural and urban option to get exercise without using a car. Similar to our ‘greenways’, but all on a small gravel Some of these trails ran for miles from one city to another. ” The family’s first run the next morning was along the city’s paved bike paths, where they found a large park that was a very beautiful place to ride.

Rebecca added: “We were surprised by the pedestrians, runners, and cyclists we passed, many of them with dogs. There were lots of different options for hitting the trails and doing repeats. You could easily run 10+ miles in this flat park. Eli did a few mile repeats, Noah just enjoyed running, and Hope and I did a fartlek (a type of speed training). This park was one of the quietest and cleanest city parks I’ve ever seen, even though there were a lot of people and dogs. We all just admired the beauty of that morning.”

Continued next week…

Look for the One in 5K and Fun Run at Knox Middle School on April 13th. This event supports the Family Crisis Council along with other events at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org.