Sailing and running are at first sight so distant human activities that it is perhaps not possible to do more. Wide seas versus trail trails in the hills. And yet there is a fairly large representation of sailors who like to stretch their legs for some longer distance. If you're one of them, our tips for running in Croatia are for you.
Everything is great on a yacht, that's for sure. But sometimes, even a sailor at heart and soul can long to change the course of his holiday for a little while, to put his foot down on the treacherous hard ground and look back on his hobby with a bit of distance, so that he can return to it again. One such most promising complementary activity is undoubtedly running. And the Croatian coastline with its scent of pine trees is perfect for it.
Before setting out to meet the adventure of nautical miles spiced with running kilometres, it's a good idea to prepare properly and conscientiously. Running in Croatia has its own specifics.
YACHTING.COM TIP: Get inspired by the running routes we've tried for you in Croatia!
You're likely to find yourself on a yacht in Croatia during the summer months, when temperatures peak and can pose a bit of a problem. You need to consider how accustomed your body is to physical exertion in warmer temperatures, but in general certain rules apply to pretty much everyone.
Salt over gold, but water over all, especially when running
The best time to run is early in the morning, when the sun hasn't yet heated up the roads and stones to such a level that stopping presents a serious risk of baking the soles of your running shoes. Running in the evening also has its charms, but consider that the surrounding landscape has been accumulating heat throughout the day, which it gives off only gradually.
YACHTING.COM TIP: Don't underestimate fluid loss. Especially when the exertion is more than moderate, you can lose as much as four litres per hour in the heat! Always takeplenty of water with you - both for drinking alone and for cooling your head and neck. In the Arizona desert, they have a good rule of thumb that you can apply to summer Croatia: figure out how much water you're likely to need - and then take five times that much!
How to protect yourself from overheating while running
Another problem the sun can bring us is its direct rays. Sunscreen is probably the first option that comes to mind. But not all creams are compatible with increased sweating during physical exertion. You may want to consider the long pants and sleeves option. Nowadays, there are special running warmers made of fabrics that help keep the body cool. This will protect you against harmful ultraviolet rays, plus you'll get help with thermoregulation.
A good pair of sunglasses isn't out of the question either. Yachtsmen generally spend much more time in the open than others, so their eyes are exposed to the sun for longer. So good quality sunglasses really pay off both on board and in the sailor's enclosure. If you're going higher up from the sea, an additional lanyard for your goggles could also come in handy to prevent even strong gusts from robbing you of your eyepieces. The latter can also come in handy when sailing.
If Croatians occasionally honk at you on the road (often at people and cars on an empty road), it's not because they want you tobut out of sheer joy that they see you, admire you and want to say hello. There is therefore no need to stub your toes, as we would rightly do here, just wave and smile back.
What other activities can you combine with sailing?
What are the best shoes for running in Croatia?
The coast of Croatia and its islands are perfect for uncontrolled running. If you skip the big popular resorts, you can enjoy a fairly moderate level of traffic - but more importantly, you can often swap roads for gravel, macadam or challenging single-track stone paths, the so-called goat trails.
For this reason, it's best to equip yourself for running in Croatia with shoes that can handle both the terrain and the road while maintaining the maximum level of comfort for the runner. We've had good experiences with, for example, the Columbia Montrail Variant X.S.R. A good off-road shoe with a comfortable transition to the road is also the Nike Air Zoom Wildhorse or the Mizuno Wave Daichi.
For Croatian terrain, be sure to choose shoes with more durable uppers. Cordura type fabrics are suitable, as they have increased abrasion resistance and are also more tear resistant. Choose a sole that grips well even on wet stones. Croatian limestones, especially when they are already worn on the trails, are very slippery when wet!
YACHTING.COM TIP: Croatian "macadams" have nothing to do with the eponymous nuts. The name comes from Scottish builder John Loudon McAdam, who invented a quick way to build paved roads in the early 1900s. The original idea was that the road consisted of three layers of properly tamped stones and pebbles of varying grain. Croatian roads are usually very far from this ideal, but the memory of the Scottish engineer lives on in the humanised name of all gravel roads.
On a boat, one uses mainly the strength of the upper limbs. The arms work at tightening the rigging across the vignettes, holding us up on the vantage points as our barge rocks in the waves, sometimes to theand they allow us to descend almost safely into the hold by holding us spasmodically on the railings of the steps. A sailor doesn't use his legs that much. At most, he can use it to crawl over the edge of the deck, sitting wrapped around the rail and trying to balance his unfavourably inclined abode.
Every good sailor is careful to balance not only his psyche but also his body. Therefore, immediately after landing in a nice marina, he begins to think more and more intensely about his running shoes and how his own power to climb hills that seem almost inaccessible (to others, not so much to him) when viewed from the mooring. Pleasantly tired from the run, the sailor returns to his barge, which he now - if it is possible - likes even better than before. Sailing, in conjunction with running, simply makes people even happier.
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