It’s not uncommon to find that those of us who choose a life of travel and entrepreneurship are also adventurous, independent and self-motivated individuals who pursue our dreams with incredible passion. But to stay healthy and keep the creative juices flowing, it’s so successful to incorporate a healthy lifestyle. In fact, some of the world’s most successful leaders start their days off with exercise. But when you are moving from place to place, trying to create a routine for exercise can be tough. For travelers, carrying around weights and workout gear takes up precious space and is just not feasible. So throughout our past four years of travel, we’ve relied on the most natural of all workouts to keep us fit abroad: running.
Running while traveling has allowed us to explore neighborhoods and areas that we would never have thought of venturing to otherwise. All we need are a pair of running shoes and some quality workout clothes. There are loads of social apps now that allow locals to map and rate their favorite running paths in town. While in Taiwan we used many of them to help us find routes while training for our first marathon in Taipei.
We had such an incredible experience training and ultimately running all 26 miles and 385 yards (42.195 kilometers) in Taipei that we’ve decided we are going for it again! There are marathons in Costa Rica and Jamaica this December that we have our eyes on, so we’re beginning to get back in shape now with the ultimate goal of running our second marathon around the holiday season.
While running is a minimalist’s dream exercise, there is still some necessary gear involved. Running in tropical Costa Rica is no joke. It’s hot, humid and mountainous. So when Millet Sports asked us our thoughts about their Nike combat gear, we decided to give it a review to see how it would stack up in the extreme tropical weather conditions.
The NIKE Pro Core Compression 2.0 Men’s Short Sleeve Top features dri-FIT fabric for ventilation and moisture management. After too many times just walking outside in cotton and instantly beginning to sweat, the dri-FIT fabric is a welcome relief. The body of the shirt is made up of 84% polyester/16% spandex jersey while the ventilation portion is 45% polyester/39% nylon/16% spandex jersey. The compression shirt is a tight fit so make sure you take advantage of the sizing guide to get your size just right.
For runners in hot environments, we know the most important layer is the one closest to the skin. The NIKE Pro Core Compression 2.0 Men’s 9in Short and NIKE Pro Core 7.5cm Compression Ladies Shorts are constructed for mobility while also keeping a tight locked-in feel. The ergonomic design helps ventilation and maximizes comfort using contoured flat-seam construction for mobility and to minimize chafing.
NIKE Pro Combat Ladies Bra is constructed with low-profile, bonded seams on the straps and sides. This reduces the use of stitches for a smooth, streamlined look and the flat seams along the bottom of the garment help reduce irritation caused by chaffing. The bra is recommended for medium-impact sports like cycling. For ladies who need a bit more support, it may not be enough on its own…
By getting the right gear and setting goals like participating in international marathons, we can fuse our love for travel into our workout routine, giving us that extra boost we so desperately need on those 18-mile training days. We’re still in the beginning stages of training for our next marathon, but we’re looking forward to using our new gear from Millet Sports to help us get there. And of course, we can’t wait to use the training to experience more of Costa Rica!
A huge thanks to Millet Sports for sending us some new running clothes to try out on our adventures! As always, all thoughts and opinions are our own.
