“Madam! Madam!” the concierge was chasing after me as I walked towards the escalator, red faced and dripping sweat. “Did you know we have a gym in the hotel?”

“Yes,” I smiled, aware of the many eyes on me now.

“You don’t have to run outside. It’s so hot!”

I realised his concern and laughed. “But I enjoy the outside. Don’t worry!” I assured him.

“Oh, you run now do you?”

You mostly know me as a cyclist. But when I am travelling, I can’t always have my bike with me. Which is a shame, because on my recent trips to Vienna I’ve discovered just how well laid out their cycling paths are, without pot holes and cracked surfaces. However, that doesn’t bother me, not being able to cycle on my trips (except for trips that involves cycling, obviously), because, I have built up a habit of running.

It does make me laugh when I think of my neighbour, who has only ever seen me in Lycra, when we bump into each other on my many pre-/post- cycling/running sessions.

“Are you a fitness freak?”

No. I am not. At least I don’t think I am.

A ‘Fitness Freak’ to me, is someone who hits the gym multiple hours a day, who must adhere to a session plan, eat with a diet plan and even their sleep and shower times are planned.

Me?

I just enjoy being active.

And on my many work trips where I must follow a strict itinerary, where I sometimes don’t even get a chance to explore where we are staying, running is a useful habit. I would get up early, before breakfast, and go for a run. (If I am not hung over)

I am not a fantastic runner. At Parkrun I am the one that gets overtaken by anyone and everyone, dragging myself across the finish line panting and without grace.

However, that is not the point of my runs. I run because it allows me to see that little bit more of these places, at my pace, at my will.

If you follow me on Strava (social media app for active people), you’ll have seen my trails in various places. France, Lithuania, Scotland, Greece, France (again), Austria and Kingston upon Thames (the best place of the UK ;-))

How do I fit in running when I travel?

The first thing I do after arriving at a place, when I have a bit of time after all the official activities, is to suss out the streets around my hotels, and map out a running route that will allow me to see sights. While this activity is now made easier with the route planning maps on Strava, I still make sure I check the route with someone local in case I miss anything.

For example, when I found out the sunset is especially beautiful from the top of Filipopous Hill in Athens, I made sure that my route took me up there, even if the steep ascend nearly killed me.

When the reception at the hotel I stayed at in Chartres mentioned that I should try the traffic free pathway along the river, instead of running on the streets, I did, and I discovered a pretty little water mill that wasn’t mentioned on the tourist map.

A good way to keep away the holiday health guilt

I hear too many people talk about the holiday bulge, that they often feel guilty about indulging too much on their travels.

Well, most of you also know that I love to eat and I enjoy a good drink. Running has helped me retain my appetite and keep to a reasonably good health at the same time. (Definitely something that balances all the beers I’ve been consuming!)

Motivation may be hard to come by, I know. Thankfully, exercise is proven to be addictive. Once you start a routine, you’ll find that you automatically want to do it even on holidays.

You don’t have to be a fitness freak to enjoy the benefits of being active, and you never know what you’ll encounter on your runs.

You don’t have to do it alone

Well, it’s a good thing then, that active sightseeing is now becoming more popular around the world.

Instead of getting a sightseeing bus ticket, why not sign up to a bike tour or a running tour? Even walking tours can help you keep active.

Some of the ones you might enjoy are:

• Athens by Bike
• Go Running Tours
• CycleCities
• Multi-day walking adventures too with On Foot Holidays