Picking up from yesterday –
So, we’ve got the race registrations and the plane tickets. Add in some rental cars, bus trips, and such and you’ve seen why the transportation ended up costing more than the registrations.
Although, I will admit – especially for someone whose base was in SoCal, I didn’t need to travel that much.
I did it because I loved getting away, and I loved experiencing new things. Also, I figured if I was already doing that many races, I might as well get as many bonus medals as possible. So, that involved a number of out-of-state Rock ‘n’ Roll races. Also, there was the trip to Florida for Disney Princess.
Plus, I wanted to be at my dad’s first half marathon – which meant flying more than halfway across the country to do so. So, there was a lot of traveling that I didn’t have to do – though I loved doing it…
The other main cost would be lodging. I was lucky and often stayed with friends or had a couple people gift me hotel rooms. So, that could’ve been a way worse number. But that’s the other main expense you’d need to factor in if you were to plan an adventure like this.
There’s also the cost of food and shoes… Food didn’t really seem to be that much more or less expensive than if I’d just been at home. Plus, you can bring a lot of nutrition bars and such from home. Not to mention, that a lot of expos actually give out some free food. Many finish lines give you enough free food that you could basically make it through lunch that day.
So, as far as I could tell, the cost of food wasn’t a huge issue for me. (Food became a little hard while I was on a vegan challenge because you have to be so specific. But, for a non-restricted diet, there didn’t seem to be any big problems.)
As far as the shoes were concerned, I probably only rotated through about 3 – 4 pairs throughout the year, which many normal runners to anyway. So that also wasn’t a huge deal.
My most expensive trip, not surprisingly was the Goofy Challenge. I got a great deal on our Disney resort. Nonetheless, between the expensive registration, many nights in a Disney resort, and the flight across the country, I spent about $1,400 on that trip.
(And my dad even bought all the food! So none of that expensive Disney food is factored in. Also, I didn’t even go to the parks (outside of the races). So no park tickets are factored in either.)
I’ll talk about a couple more specific trips tomorrow.