IDEAL MONTH
March is an ideal month to ski in Lapland. There are no crowds. Temperatures are not too low. Days are long and sunny. There's plenty of snow.
LIFTS
There aren't many chairlifts at Lapland resorts. You will spend a lot of time on long button and T-bar lifts. It's great for leg strength but can be very tiring when those lifts are nearly a mile long up steep mountains.
OFFPISTE
Even moderately difficult offpiste can be too challenging if you have never done it before. Offpiste conditions are less forgiving of lazy skiing and bad technique. Snow conditions can vary greatly on the same run, from ice to deep, heavy snow.
BAG LUNCH
For a small fee, hotels will allow you to make a packed lunch from the breakfast buffet. We paid 25 kr (£2.27, $3.40) to make big ham and cheese sandwiches accompanied by a flask of coffee.
WHERE TO EAT
On-slope eating: Cafes and restaurants will not like you eating your packed lunch around guests who are paying for meals. Each cafe has a warming hut attached to it where you are welcome to eat food you bring with you.
BASIC FARE
Eating out: Food at the slopeside cafes is basic. Burgers and fries; pizza; ham and cheese sandwiches are standard fare. Few of the venues we tried offered high quality cuisine. But it's odd how a hard day's skiing can make you long for a burger and fries.
AFTER SKI
Apres ski: Do not come to Lapland if top-notch apres ski is vital to you. It usually comprises drinking in an (expensive) bar and, if you're lucky, a guy with guitar singing cover versions. Once in a while, a band might visit to liven things up.
(David Hay Jones is a writer, photographer, skier, runner, and web entrepreneur based in Porjus, Lapland.)
Running and fitness
Build fitness later in life: Stay in shape at 50 shows how age is no barrier to fitness.
Running resources
For excellent advice on running in general, we recommend the books by Bob Glover: 'The runner's handbook', The Competitive Runner's Handbook: The Bestselling Guide to Running 5Ks through Marathons
For running and exercize to improve your mental wellbeing, we recommend: Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain
Fitness training and international travel
After an uncomfortable nine-hour flight from the States, I landed at London Heathrow to face a long haul across London on the Underground. I reached my hotel three hours after landing. I was exhausted, jet-lagged, my stomach was grumbling, and I was more than a little irritated, writes David Hay Jones.
International business travel is no longer glamorous, nor even faintly interesting. It often feels like a complete waste of time: standing in line; security checks; shoes off, laptop out of the bag, empty your pockets, then everything has to be repacked; then you schlepp off to a quiet corner of the departure lounge to wait the required two hours for your flight.
Run, don't rest
I often arrive at my hotel without the faintest desire to run. All I want is to stretch out on the bed, turn on the tv, and vegetate until I sleep. But I don't do that. Whatever my state of mind, I pull on my running shoes, change into running clothes, and hit the streets.
Find your way
With the internet and programs such as mapmyrun.com, it is easy to find running routes in any part of the world. It's a simple matter to find out whether the place you're staying is perfectly safe, reasonably safe, risky, or downright unsavory.
I am not particularly risk-averse, and I like to take the pulse of new places, so I will almost always give a new location the benefit of the doubt.
Wherever I am, I find that runners are welcomed. And if they are not welcomed, they are tolerated. I have run in Africa, where the sight of a middle-aged man in shorts is considered comical, causing dozens of children to run behind me laughing.
Combat stress
Even if you are exhausted, there are clear benefits to getting out and running. Yesterday, while running along cool, pretty streets in Copenhagen, I felt the stress of the day flowing away just 10 minutes into my run. Jet lag didn't affect my pace, nor did the stiffness induced by sitting for nine hours. What's more, the action of running, and all the brain and body chemistry involved, gets my mind racing and solving practical problems for upcoming meetings.
Once I have slipped into an easy, comfortable pace, effortless thinking kicks in and I am able to move from one thought or idea to the next, solving problems along the way, or formulating good ways to present my work proposal.
No booze, low booze
I have to admit there were years when I used beer or wine as my relaxant after travel, but it had a way of numbing my brain and made me less than happy to be woken the next morning. Alcohol stimulates in small doses, but is a depressant in moderate to large amounts. Booze is not good medicine when you need to think on your feet, be alert and in control.
Brain chemistry
Running, on the other hand, always stimulates the brain and relaxes the body. It boosts your ability to focus, keeps your body in great shape, and helps you get that much-needed good night's sleep.
Safety in numbers
If there are people on the streets, it's usually safe to run, even if it means dodging crowds. If there are fellow runners out and about it's fair to assume you'll be safe.
Plenty of times I have been the only runner on the streets. I rarely have the luxury of traveling to a big park to run. I run straight from the hotel in a loop. If the loop is very short, I run it two, three, four, or more times. I don't use an Ipod or any form of music. I want to hear what's happening around me.
At times I have been restricted to a hotel parking lot, which I've lapped 10 to 20 times before deciding I'd had enough.
Hydrate before it's too late
You don't want to run the risk of heat stroke and headaches, so drink enough before, during, and after running. This is especially important after the dehydrating consequences of long flights and the sometimes undesirable consequences of new and unusual food. Drink only bottled water unless you know for a fact that the tap/faucet water is safe. In most western countries, the public water supply is perfectly.
Protect against the elements
You don't want to get ill abroad, so cover your head in strong sunshine, protect against rain, snow and strong winds. Wear sunglasses and use sun block. The sun, even in hazy weather, can be very strong at altitude and in some parts of the world. If you don't hydrate properly and don't protect against the weather, you can become very ill very quickly.
Don't forget your running shoes
Don't leave your running shoes at home. You might not be able to find your favorite brand of running shoe in some countries, or prices might be much higher than you are willing to pay. In London and Copenhagen, my $70 Sauconys sell for $150. Top-of-the-range Asics and Brooks sell for close to $200.
I have run in more than 30 countries. I have never had an accident, have never been seriously ill, have never had to miss a day of running. I follow some simple rules to stay safe and in good shape. Do the same and you can run the world.
By David Hay Jones
Use this Coupon Code TRAVEL10 & Get $10 Off on All Domestic & International Airline Tickets Booked on CheapOair.com. Coupon Expires June 30, 2010.