Summer Running - Running on Vacation

Next week I will be going on my annual trek up to Pittsburgh, PA to visit family. 

Things I am excited about:

• Not working for a week
• Seeing family I only see once per year
• Being in Pittsburgh - it's a really cool city
• Going to Eat n Park (they have pierogies on the breakfast bar, yo
• Going to Kennywood - gonna ride the new Steel Curtain roller coaster until I throw up
• Running in much much cooler and less humid weather
• Numerous other things I am sure I am forgetting

And don't even get me started on Eat n Park Smiley Cookies

Things that I am not excited about:

• Trying to fit in trips to the gym and runs

But Lissa, you say, you are on vacation, can't you take a week off? Umm... no. I barely take a day off (seriously, my last full rest day was the day I flew back from Barcelona because I had to leave for the airport by 6 am). Call me obsessive, but I do not do rest days well at all. I am a creature of habit and need obsessive disciple, but mentally and physically. 

My regular Tarentum running spot along the Allegheny 

So I am already stressing about how I am going to fit in workouts. I've already pulled up the Burn Boot Camp locations and figured out which ones I'll try to hit on which days (Bethel Park on Wed, Thurs and Fri while in Bridgeville and Wexford on Sat while in Tarentum) and trying to figure out exactly where I can run. See I am staying with a cousin the first couple days that I've never stayed with so I am not sure of the surrounding areas. If I were in Tarentum every day like usual, no problem, I've got routes there all scouted, but new area means new scouting. Especially with the challenges of Pittsburgh terrain.

Ultimately, I would LOVE to be able to run in downtown Pittsburgh, especially since I will be running the Pittsburgh Half Marathon this coming May (stay tuned to more info about this soon) and would love to get some practice in on the course, but , the logistics of being a solo female runner come into play here - just where and when to run where I can guarantee safety. Hopefully I can find a park or something not to far from where I am staying. 

I mean - HELLO!? How pretty is Pittsburgh. And running over those bridges!! I WANNA SO BAD!!! 

What about you? Do you stick to your fitness/training schedule when you are travelling? How do you find safe routes while travelling?