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Participatory athletes face airline travel with dread. Cyclists and triathletes have to check in
with a bulky bike box. There is the cramped seating, which makes tendons and ligaments stiff and
unresponsive. There is the exposure to airborne germs and viruses from the cabin’s recirculated
air system; the body’s immune system, stressed from overtraining, is especially vulnerable, and
sniffles, colds, and sore throats soon greet fit travelers. There is the aggravation and nuisance
of a squawking infant, who is usually sitting right behind you.
Air travel for athletes used to be a lot worse. Remember those days when cigarette smoking was
allowed on domestic flights? With a logic that only airlines understood, the smoking section in
coach began in row 23, and your seat in row 18 or row 22 was supposedly safe from second-hand
smoke. (What about smoky hair and clothes?)
Flying can indeed be hazardous to your health, and the danger has little to do with malfunctioning
wing stabilizers. While flying is still safer than driving based on insurance records, the thought of sitting immobile in a cattle car with wings can cause the most steel-nerved and complacent athlete travelers to gnash their teeth in discomfort. Escapism via the in-flight movie is one way to pass time, as long as it isn’t a movie you’ve seen on cable three or four times.
Then there’s the food. If you are a vegetarian, you either receive special treatment that attracts curious stares from fellow passengers, or you are out of luck if the airline screwed up or you forgot to notify them of your special dietary needs.
With the attention airlines place on security, I am always surprised they serve meals with metal
cutlery. Don’t airline officials know that they are putting dangerous weapons passengers’ hands?
The secret to flying safely and comfortably is to come prepared. On long flights, I bring bottled water to stay hydrated. I avoid alcohol, which can cause dehydration. To help the immune system, I load up on echinacea several days before flying. (I swear by this wonderful herb. It’s been a good friend to me over the years.)
Since I’m usually running late when trying to catch a flight, I don’t have time to pack food (I am a vegetarian with a weakness for salmon). On a recent flight from San Francisco to San Jose, Costa Rica—a 12-hour journey with stops in Los Angeles and Mexico City—I thought I was playing it smart when I bought some packaged salmon at an SFO concourse kiosk. I didn’t have time for dinner, and the idea of supping on honey roasted peanuts wasn’t appetizing. Once airborne, I dug into my salmon with gusto. I couldn’t finish it, so I wrapped up the remainder in its foil pouch and placed it on the empty seat next to me. Time passed, and I noticed that the seat was soaked with salmon juice—it had leaked out. I did my best to mop up the mess, and hoped that nearby passengers weren’t watching. I picked up an in-flight magazine and thought about eating fresh fish on a Costa Rican beach with my adventure vacationing buddies.
But I digress. I’ll end with this anecdote that I heard secondhand a few years ago. It involves
triathlon great Dave. When his flight was delayed at O’Hare airport in Chicago, he decided to squeeze in some training by taking out his running shoes and getting in some laps through the indoor concourses. His workout was going fine until airport security pulled him aside and asked what he was doing. They felt he was making the other travelers nervous with his indoor workout. Looks like they’re all against
us.
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