Five Great Tips for Carry-On Packing

As a follow-up to my post on packing tips for a long trip, I’m kicking off this weekend with five great tips for carry-on packing. These techniques can be used to pack for a trip of any length. I tend to stick with just a carry-on and a backpack or purse if my trip will last less than one week. In fact, I only brought a carry-on and a backpack for my recent trip to California, and that was 10 days! Even if you’re the type of packer who likes to prepare for all contingencies, you’ll find these five tips useful for making the most of limited space.

 

 

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Five Useful Packing Tips for a Long Trip

Happy Friday, everyone! All this travel for me has meant I’ve been planning, packing, unpacking, and repacking for what seems like a month. I’ve gotten pretty good at it over the years, actually. I am one of those people who stands at the check-in line simultaneously untying their shoes and pulling their electronics out of their carry-on luggage to go through security. And I always get a sense of satisfaction when I use every item that I’ve packed in my suitcase and didn’t bring anything that ended up coming home untouched. So I figured I could share a few of the tips and tricks I’ve picked up! In this post are five useful packing tips for a long trip. I’ll throw a few for shorter jaunts your way in a little while 🙂

 

Weekly Workouts and Updates 8/3-8/10

Happy Sunday, everyone! It’s time for my usual recap of weekly workouts and updates. I’ll start with workouts, which I guess are technically training at this point, since the Dumbo Double Dare is under 4 weeks away! 

 

Weekly Workouts:

Monday: Rest day

Tuesday: 6.7 miles

Wednesday: 5.3 miles

Thursday: Rest day

Friday: 6 miles

Saturday: 9 miles

Sunday: Rest day (planned)

 

This week was pretty average in terms of running, with a total of 4 running days and 27 miles averaging out to 6.5 miles per run. I had planned to try and run 5 days this week, or at least 3 days back to back to prepare for Dumbo. Then I ended up running much more last week than I expected, and was a little sore by the middle of this one so decided to keep it easy. My first week in England will mostly be spent walking and hiking in the Lake District, and I’ll be back to running the second week – exploring London by foot and running a 10K in Hyde Park with two friends! I wanted to both build up a good mileage base for Dumbo and be used to running multiple days in a row, but since I cut back unexpectedly due to my stitch, and am traveling during what would be the highest intensity training time, I will probably end up taking the half a bit slower than planned. And I’m okay with that. Because it’s supposed to be two days of racing for fun!

 

 

Counting Down, Packing Up

It’s hard to believe, but my second half marathon is only five days away! And now that the countdown has reached the single digits, it’s time to think about packing. I should be a pro at this by now – I went to sleep-away summer camps and programs starting at age 8, and had to move my possessions across the Atlantic more than once while attending college in England. But somehow, it’s the short trips that still stump me. I’ve never once achieved that traveler’s nirvana of having worn or used every item in a small carry-on suitcase on a short trip.

I’m not anticipating a change in this state of affairs, because I’m being overly cautious. This half marathon is actually my first ‘away’ race. While I’ve gone on regular morning runs in places ranging from down the Cape to Chicago to California over the past couple of years, all of my races have been run in the tri-state area, mostly Manhattan with a few local races in my Connecticut hometown thrown in for good measure. Usually, I don’t even bring my cell phone to races in Central Park. I’m lucky enough to be able to throw on a shirt, shorts, and sneakers, walk out my apartment door and be at the starting line in 20 minutes. This race is going to be different, and I intend to be prepared!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve been told to pack for all potential conditions. I doubt it will snow so the YakTrax are staying home, but otherwise I’m trying to be ready for anything.

Palatable and portable

 

I need to pack my post-race snacks as well. I didn’t eat anything during the New York City Half Marathon last year, with my only fuel being a few stops for a sip or two of water. It was freezing and I just wanted to make it to the finish. This time, I’ll have my loving family members at the finish line bring my favorite fuel along with their hugs.

 

 

 

In the end, though, I just need to take a step back and breathe at this point. I’ve met my fundraising goal and raised $2,000 for Team JDRF in support of Type 1 diabetes research. I’ve done the training runs and I’m ready to tackle this next adventure. Let the countdown to Florida continue!

 

 

 

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