Seven Mile Island Fitness

"Vacation" "Fitness." Sometimes those two words together can seem like an oxymoron. What does time away from work, relaxing with family, laying on the beach, slurping down ice cream, and drinking margarita's have anything to do with fitness?
   Seemingly, not much, but with a little planning and some discipline that coveted one week break from reality does not mean months of working out go out the window in a salty, sugary mix of fried food, ice cream and alcohol.
    Our family vacations in Stone Harbor every year. We started out in a motel and outgrew that. We now rent a house, and have breakfast and lunch there most days. Everyone's on their own schedule - it's faster, cheaper, and healthier than eating out. We bring down some fruit and other healthy (and a couple of unhealthy) snacks, too.
     Dinner's out can be tricky, but there's certainly a lot of fresh fish choices at the Jersey Shore, and healthy salads. I try to stay within sound nutritional guidelines during the day, and eat whatever meets my fancy after 6 p.m. It is vacation, after all!
    Workout-wise, I always enter a local 5-K, the Avalon "Run From the Sun" on the first Sunday of our trip. The day before is a "travel day," and I just get in a weight workout before we leave. The "Run From The Sun" is a good start to the week. It's a fund-raiser for skin cancer awareness, and attracts nearly 400 runners. I'm amazed, at the awards ceremony, where people come from who vacation on Seven Mile Island. There were runners from Canada, Illinois, Kentucky, and Ohio among the award-winners. I ran a 22:51 and got second-place in the 55-59 age group. Award winners get a "pint glass" and everyone gets free pizza afterward from Tonio's in Avalon. Most of the runners don't know each other, as it's mainly vacationers, but it's a friendly vibe. I'm always in a good mood to enjoy the rest of the day and week afterward.
   On the way home, I pick up a one-week pass from Attilis' Gym on 32nd St. It's a small club, a converted drive-through bank, actually, but it's packed with "old-school" strength equipment and perfect for my needs. There's an outside area (the old drive-thru), where you can do some creative kettlebell, dumbell, or body weight workouts.
    I get up at daybreak, without any alarm, and am out the door running before 7 a.m. on vacation. I have a route from our rental on 99th Street, down Third Avenue, onto Cape May County Route 666. It takes you off the southern end of the island, along the marshland, and ends at the foot of North Wildwood. It's about 7 1/2 miles, with limited traffic and, obviously, no hills, except for the two bridges separating the islands.  You see some beautiful wildlife. Herons wade in the shallow water, and orioles and other exotic birds fly by constantly. It's also sticky with misquitos and horse flies, so be advised if your running along this otherwise perfect route.
    A shower and quick breakfast, and I'm ready for the gym. I'll take my bike the three-mile route, mix up a different workout every day for about 45-minutes and bike home, a perfect warm-up and warm-down. I pick up the Philadelphia Inquirer on the way back, and am ready to relax at the beach for the rest of the day. My workouts are complete by 10 a.m. One day of the week, I'll skip the run to rest my legs, and on the next; forego the weight workout. The kids are just getting up and about, and no family time is missed.
     My body is tired, my mind is content, and I'm ready to enjoy the rest of the day, reading and relaxing with my family on the Stone Harbor beach. This will be my life, when we hit the lottery!