There's nothing like a 13-hour flight to ruin a training schedule. Add to that a two-hour bus trip, lost luggage and an unrecognizable first meal (was that animal, mineral or vegetable?) and you have all the makings of a break in training.

The fact is, unless you're Kenyan, your job description does not include 4 x 400s. But even though you're not collecting a paycheck for those eighth-place age-group finishes (OK, sometimes fifth), you still want to cover a few miles while getting paid to conduct business in another hemisphere. But how do you do it?

Plan ahead. Running when you're traveling just isn't going to happen accidentally. You have to plan it, then actually do it. Questions to ask as you plan: Does your hotel have a fitness room? What are the hours? What are your plans? Do you have business dinners every night? If so, you better make sure the fitness room is open early and you make it back to the hotel as early as possible with as little as possible adult- beverage "influence." Running with a hangover and jet lag? Let's just say you'd rather not.

Locals. E-mail or call anyone you know in the host city - a business associate or friend. Ask where the running spots are. Chances are even if your contact is not a runner he or she knows where there are some safe, enjoyable routes. One note - be sure to describe your planned running distance. If you don't, you risk getting directions to a three- minute run around the town center fountain.

Your gear. Pack your running shoes in your carry-on bag. Or better yet, wear them. Lost luggage is the quickest route to zero miles. Now this can be embarrassing, especially if it's a business trip and you're meeting an associate directly from the airport ... in your suit (Armani and Asics never made the cover of GQ, so the carry-on alternative is best). By the way, don't pack two pairs. They're too bulky and you'll just forget the second pair in your Madrid hotel. Next: your running watch. This may be as important as your shoes. Without it you'll have little clue how many miles, er, kilometers, umm, royal cubits you ran.

Your gear #2. Spandex tights? If you take them, expect stares from the locals - which, depending on your relationship status, could be a good thing.

Research. The web is full of great information. Just Google the city/ country you're visiting and you'll be bombarded with information. Unfortunately, not much of it will be useful. For something more focused try www.runnersworld.com. Many of the major international cities have profiles from a runner's perspective. Also, marathonguide.com has a database of favorite running spots submitted by readers.

Weather. Check the weather in advance. You can't pack your entire running wardrobe, so you have to be creative. www.weather.com provides 10-day forecasts for any international city. Also, think about the running clothes that can serve as travel clothes. A long-sleeve wicking shirt is a great travel-day shirt and a good one to have just in case the weatherman misses the mark (which he/she will). Running gear packs small - stuff the running socks in your shoes in the carry-on; roll up the running jacket and stuff into that corner of your suitcase.

Wash and wear. You know you've done it. All runners have: washed running shorts in the shower. That's one of the great things about running shorts and shirts: shower-washability. For your trip, leave your alma-mater 100-percent cotton t-shirt in the drawer and bring (or buy if you don't own) one wicking running shirt and one pair of running shorts. Wash both in the shower after each run, hang across the tub and they will be dry for the next morning's run. Too cold to run in shorts and t- shirt? Still bring the wicking running shirt plus a long-sleeve wicking shirt, again a great shirt to wear on the plane if you can (see Weather).

Jet lag. Don't mess with it. Some people adjust better than others. Runners are a bit better equipped to handle lag, probably because many of us run at ludicrous times of day and night so our body is usually out of step with our natural time zone. The best advice: get one good (OK, fair) night's sleep before pounding out the miles (or kilometers).

Left or right? The English drive on the left, the Germans on the right and the Chinese on the sidewalk. If you're in a "left" country be sure to repeat "look right, look right" as you start your first run. If not, be sure your insurance is updated.

Out and back. Don't risk that twisting, scenic running route your brother's neighbor's college roommate told you about; the one he hiked as a penniless college student. He may have loved it 15 years ago, but it's probably a four-lane highway now. Keep your route simple - out and back routes are best. If you do decide to make a turn ("wow, that alley certainly looks fascinating") check for a landmark to "mark" your turn. Hint: as you make your turn, turn and view the spot as you pass. This will give you a clear image of the turn spot from the direction you will be coming on your way back. It's funny how a landmark can look like a horse monument from one direction and a Citroen from the other.

Street signs. Do not rely upon street signs, especially in England, Germany, Japan or any country with streets too narrow for a Hummer. These signs typically tell you not only the street you are on, but also the five or six streets that are just five or six round-abouts down the road.

Food. If you enjoy experimenting with the local cuisine, a word of advice: be prepared for the consequences - call it Montezuma's revenge or the Xing Tao's special, just be aware of the risks. Best choice: make breakfast your comfort meal (familiar food) and then follow your instincts. You know your stomach best.

Be flexible and realistic. If you can't get out one day, don't panic. If you have to travel during week 9 of a 14-week marathon training schedule, be realistic about your ability to run that 20-miler in downtown Shanghai. Chances are you won't be able to do it, so recognize it in your training schedule and work around it. Or carry a few hundred RMB in your sock for the return taxi trip once you get lost.

"I thought it was that way ..." Stuff a few shekels in your sock along with a sheet of the hotel stationery. Write your name on the stationery. Your name is for the doctor who finds you after you forgot to "look right." The hotel name is for the taxi driver who will drive you the 400 yards around the corner to your hotel.

Creativity. Sometimes creativity is what an on-the-go runner needs most. You may be stuck in Sao Paulo and just can't go out in the rainy night one more time. Or 24 inches of snow in 10 hours has you marooned in your hotel room. There's no fitness room, you forgot your winter running gear (you thought there was a fitness room (see "plan ahead"), and it's three more days until your return flight. So what do you do? How about stairs? If you're staying in a hotel at least three stories tall, you have a built-in stair workout. If you're fortunate enough to have a long hallway between two staircases, you're even luckier - up three flights, jog down three, then down the hall and up three flights, down three flights, down the hall, etc. It ain't pretty, but at a time like this you don't get graded on artistic merit. It's about miles and sometimes just the relief that you were able to get in some workout is enough.

Be adventurous. OK, this runs a bit against earlier cautious advice. But you're a runner - if you're in a cool country, won't be back soon, want to take a story home and your life insurance is current, go for it.

Enjoy. It is not every runner who can claim two laps around the Imperial Palace, a run under a Munich glockenspiel, interval training in a Belgium forest or peeing behind a London garbage dumpster. Traveling runners see sights few others can. Enjoy it while you can. And, fortunately, most taxi drivers know at least one English word: thank you. Don't forget to use it on the trip back to the hotel.

Greg can be reached by e-mail at runrun262@hotmail.com. MR