I stick close to home in the spring and summer (this, after all, is my regular gig). So in the fall and winter, I hit the skies and go on a few four, five, six day trips.

But this is the first winter I’m also training for a marathon. Of course I’m going to keep running – one of the joys of the sport is you can do it anywhere. Here’s what I’m going to do to stay close to schedule:

1. Garmin 405 + Google Pedometer. Before I got the Garmin 405 GPS watch for my birthday, I pre-planned my runs on this nifty google maps tool. I don’t worry so much about pre-mapping when I run at home, but when I’m on the road, it’s essential. I also make sure I know the lay of the land first by driving around before running around. I’m going to the same Florida location as I did last year, so I’ll have a good idea of where I’m going. But I’ll pre-map everything first.

2. Re-calibrate to Hydrate. Florida’s a wee bit warmer than Philadelphia. I’m packing my Ultimate Direction water bottle, which wraps around my hand. It also has room to hold my hotel key. Frugal travel tip: Pack the bottle in your carry on but empty. Fill it up in the terminal and you’ll save the few bucks you’d pay for a bottle of water. I’ll up my hydration all around, too, so I don’t dry out in the warmer heat and sun.

3. Grocery Shop. Part of vacation is eating more than you’d normally eat, and I plan on hitting up the Village Inn a few times. But before I hit my hotel, I stop at Publix GreenWise to stock up on fruit, nuts, trail mix, protein bars, and sports drink. That way, I’ll save money by not eating at restaurants for three meals a day. I’m more a grazer when I’m on the road, and it out just fine. I learned the importance of doing this the hard way – I was in a wedding in Arizona. I was two weeks out from my first long distance race. I didn’t keep up with my usual eating habits, and I didn’t drink enough to account for the heat. This is what happened. Never again.

4. Be Flexible. Running while in Florida’s going to be a piece of cake. But my trip to Minneapolis? Sixteen miles on Valentine’s Day? I don’t think so. I’ve found a gym I can use to get in some miles, but I’m resigned to the fact that I’m just not going to hit every run on my schedule for the trip. I’ll push the long run back from Sunday to Tuesday, and keep on track from there.

As much as I care about running, it’s not the center of my life – my life is. I’ll take the mileage hit to enjoy that life.