The Benefits of Short Break Running Holidays

By Laura Cummings

It can be really exciting to discover new ways of challenging yourself with your running. I spend a lot of my free time looking at events and adventures that would be suitable for me and that would push me just that bit further.

I am very comfortable running around 10 miles in one day, with a half marathon distance of 13 miles needing that extra push while still being enjoyable. When I look at running holidays, they tend to stretch over many days and cover anything from 8 to 35 miles a day, if not more! Repeating those mileages for days on end is something that seems very daunting and too much pressure for me.

At Contours, we realised that for the runners who want to run decent mileages over just a couple of running days, we need to offer some trail running short break holidays. I personally am very excited by our new itineraries launching in 2019 - they will give the less “elite” runners among us a chance to experience trail running holidays over two or three running days, clocking up between 10-20 miles a day.

A lot of what I find daunting is likely a confidence issue; the lack of belief that I could run over 10 miles for more than two or three days in a row. These short breaks are a good way of testing this out and gaining that confidence without the pressure of a weeklong trip, with daily mileages of over a marathon distance! Of course, you do not need to run the entire distance every day, but it is still a fantastic way to push yourself and test whether you could run for even more days.

I love the idea of packing up a few days' running gear and getting out on the trails, enjoying a hot drink and hot food for dinner and resting in the comfort of a B&B, waking afresh the next morning and getting back out there. It must be a very rewarding feeling and something I have always wanted to try. Now we have the short break holidays on offer, I can’t wait to get out and try them, and further my trail running experience with a new challenge. It is also a fantastic chance to see more of the UK’s trails, instead of running in the same areas local to where you live. I loved my first running holiday this year, where I got to run part of the Pembrokeshire coast path, with stunning scenery and somewhere I wouldn’t normally have run!

The great thing about trying out a short break running holiday is that it could lead you to push yourself even further; completing longer trail runs, longer challenges, and maybe longer races. I hope to run a marathon one day and trips like these are ideal for pushing my stamina and running ability.

Why not see where a Contours short break running holiday could take you?