I like running and I like going on holiday. So it’s no surprise that I like to do both at the same time. Running on holiday isn’t something I do because I feel I HAVE to get a few runs in, I do it because I enjoy running. And running on holiday means I’ve got more time to enjoy runs rather than having to squeeze them in around work. Plus being on two feet in a new place is a good way to explore.

I booked a last minute trip to Lisbon for a week that conveniently fell during my taper for Bournemouth marathon. It meant I’d be running without the need to do many miles and without too much concern for the pace. I was travelling with Phil who has a half marathon in a few weeks so he was keen to go running too.

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Before leaving the UK, I looked at Google Earth to suss out some potential routes. As a rule, rivers are a pretty good bet when you’re away. You can follow them to help avoid getting lost, they usually have a runner-friendly path along them and can be quite scenic.

Another good way to devise a route is to check out local races. I couldn’t find any that fell on the week we were in town (although on the first Sunday there was clearly some sort of running and cycling team relay thing happening that looked fun), but looking at the course map for the Lisbon marathon and half marathons gave us an idea of a route and distances.

Lisbon is in a big ass river with some beaches along it, and both the half and full marathon head out along it. So on a Monday morning, we got up, ate breakfast and headed off for 10 miles of sightseeing.

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The route was pretty simple, head to the river and follow it for 10 miles. We’d got the train this way the day before and we’d seen some sort of race using the same route.

We headed towards the bridge that was a lot further away than it looks

[‘some things are small, some things are far away’], and then on into Belem. We stopped for a minute or two every so often to look at stuff – this is holiday running, paces don’t matter here – before carrying on.

It was a hot day, but the breeze off the water kept us from overheating. There were lots of other runners out along the path but the further away we got from Lisbon, the fewer we saw.

There was a mile long section when we went through a bit of a wasteland, but other than that, the 10 miles ticked by with good scenery and an easy path to follow (other than lots of cobbles which my dodgy right shin wasn’t loving).

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As our watches hit 10 miles we were between beaches and nowhere near a shop, so we carried on for another few minutes to a tiny beach with a cafe.

We grabbed some water, I put my legs in the sea/river and then we got on the train to head to another beach for a swim before having a curry for lunch. When in Rome… (eat a curry!)

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