On Sunday 25 October the clocks go back. After that it gets dark an hour earlier. And “I’ll go for a run after the meeting” turns into “I’ll go tomorrow” pretty quickly.
On the road, the usual problems come on top. Your gym at home is 300 kilometres away. The hotel gym has opening hours that nobody with client meetings can keep. And a travel schedule has never heard of 6 pm.
Which is why the gym at JustStay doesn’t have opening hours in the first place.
The sun goes down. The lights stay on.
The fitness area is accessible around the clock, at all six locations, free of charge for guests. You can train here at six in the morning before your first meeting, or at half past ten at night after your last. Your motivation sets the pace.
No day pass, no contract, no detour to the nearest studio.
Start your run where you sleep.
And if you do want to head outside: every house has beautiful running trails nearby.
Essen
The Grugapark is around an eight-minute walk from the hotel. If you want more, take the loop around Lake Baldeney. It’s about 5 kilometres away, close to 15 kilometres around, and the finest running route in the city.
Mülheim an der Ruhr
The Ruhr promenade and the paths through the MüGa park are flat, well lit and well kept. Around 4 kilometres to the start.
Solingen
The Botanical Garden is about 3 kilometres away and free to enter. For longer sessions, the Nordbahntrasse in Wuppertal is worth it: a former railway line, car-free and lit along many stretches.
Ratingen
The loop around the Blue Lake is around 4 kilometres away. Here you’ll find a former limestone quarry in the middle of the local recreation area.
Grevenbroich
The Bend park and the Erft meadows begin about 2 kilometres from the hotel. It’s hard to reach woodland any faster.
München/Parsdorf
The Ebersberger Forst is around 12 kilometres away and one of the largest continuous forests in Bavaria. For a quick evening loop, there are plenty of field tracks around Parsdorf.
And then there’s afterwards.
A workout without dinner is only half done. The kitchenette has a fridge and microwave, coffee and tea are free, and the HonestBar is open around the clock. Your post-workout snack at eleven is guaranteed.
After the workout comes the wind-down: lounge, table football, billiards. Or a film night in the box-spring bed in your room or studio. Both are a legitimate form of recovery.
Winter isn’t an argument. Just an excuse.
Darkness doesn’t change what’s possible.
From Sunday it gets dark earlier. Your training plan doesn’t need to know.
