No running? No problem.

My husband and I decided we would celebrate America's Independence Day by celebrating our right to leave the country, so we headed to Montego Bay, Jamaica for a much needed getaway.  It's hard for us to disconnect. We are the typical busy, always working, political couple checking emails/texts/Facebook/Twitter on a regular basis.  We do a relatively good job of trying to disconnect when we're at home together in the evenings, but work and social media tends to creep in anyway.  One of our favorite things about heading to another country is that we don't have (and refuse to get) international cell phone plans. Our phones were turned off from the time we left the United States until we got back. It was glorious.

We do a lot of busy weekend trips for races and to visit family, and we decided we needed a real rest and a legit disconnect. Our travel agent found us a great resort in Montego Bay, so we booked a relatively last-minute trip.  We've done a few all-inclusive resorts in Mexico, and we love the complete and total relaxation of walking into a room and putting our cell phones and wallets in the safe. Our biggest decision on any given day is pool versus beach.

Ahh...

This week I start training in earnest for the Marine Corps Marathon (and raising money for Alex's Lemonade Stand - stayed tuned!) but in Montego Bay I took it pretty easy. Okay REALLY easy. We stayed at the beautiful Iberostar Rose Hall Suites Hotel.  Unlike Mexico where we can run up and down the beach for miles, Jamaica is a little more limited. There are rocks jutting out into the ocean to keep out those who are not resort guests. The expanse of beach on which we could walk, while beautiful, was probably not even a half a mile long.  

So beautiful.

The resort has a gorgeous infinity pool that looks out onto the azure waters off the Jamaican coast.  We spent a lot of time at the pool's edge, looking out onto the beach, drinking pina coladas and mojitos. It was the ideal way to spend a relaxing vacation.

That's quite a view.

We decided to treadmill it up during the week instead of heading out of the resort to run.  It was quite warm, and it just seemed easier to hit the gym. I've gotten to a point in my running life where a treadmill is essentially torture, so I would run for 10-15 minutes and then do some high intensity interval training for 15-20 minutes. I didn't log a lot of miles, but my abs and glutes were feeling it from the workouts. It was perfect to head back to the pool for some more relaxation and cocktails after a hard workout.

Jamaicans are such a relaxed and friendly people.  I generally move at about 100 miles an hour, and it took me a few days to walk a little more slowly, be a little more patient, and just enjoy the moment. I left Montego Bay feeling tan, relaxed and happy.  I will be doing my first long training run for the MCM on Saturday, but for now? I'm enjoying my relaxation hangover. Yeah mon.