I’m not strictly on vacation while in St. Petersburg, but I am away from home and out of my usual routine. I generally don’t worry too much about food while on vacation. I am a foodie (I fully embrace the term) and wherever I go, I want to eat the local cuisine and try all the treats. On the food front, Russia and Iceland made it really easy for me by not having much that really tempt me. Usually I eat two meals a day (I prefer two big meals over three smaller meals. I’m not much of a snacker.), but I’ve been eating three because my mom’s here and she cooks. We haven’t been eating out much, but I’ve been eating a Korean diet, so it’s a lot of rice. And if not rice, then noodles. More carbs, specifically starch, than what I usually eat at home. Overall I think I’ve been eating a little bit more than I would at home (it’s really hard for me to judge), but I think it’s okay because I’m also on my feet standing and walking a lot more than I would at home.
On the exercise front, no weightlifting because I have no gym. I have no excuses for not running more because the weather in St. Petersburg is PERFECT for running. Cool and cloudy. Meanwhile my friends and running bloggers I follow are sweating and stalwartly running in the heat and humidity of NYC (and other parts of the US). Me? Perfect running and I don’t run. Much.
Instead I’ve been doing a lot of walking. Lots of sightseeing all over St. Petersburg. Gushing over the gorgeous palaces and gardens. Seriously the Russian imperial court was the richest, most opulent court in all of Europe and it shows. I’m on my feet for a minimum of two hours a day, usually more. After a long day of sightseeing and walking, I’m tired and don’t want to go run. In the morning I’m usually still a little exhausted from a late night and all the walking, so I sleep in. Walking is work! So I guess I can call my walking . . . cross-training? Yeah, I’ve been doing a lot of cross-training lately.
Still . . . I felt guilty. So I ran today. Approximately 4.7 miles in about 40 minutes (which is about a 8:30 pace and I think that’s right. I ran briskly). I dreaded going out for some reason. I don’t know why. But I knew once I was out and running, I would feel fine and would be really happy that I did go out and run. And I did. I should do this again.
A Fast Paced Life 