Morning wake-up

The walks proposed for today at Les Chavannes didn't interest either Laurence or myself, so we decided we would take part in the morning muscular wake-up with Laureen instead.

After a little discussion, we finally settled on a 'footing' to begin with to be followed by a little workout for the abdominal muscles.

The morning jog consisted of a run around Onnion at an extremely easy pace: 3.5km in 24:17 so that everyone could follow and enjoy a little warm-up.

The hardest part of the morning was the stomach muscle workout at the end. I think I'll still be suffering from that tomorrow.

Latest news: official results of the Taninges - Praz de Lys race are just available here. I finished 37 out of 85 in 1:27:31. My only claim to fame is that I was the first foreigner to finish !!

Mad dogs and Englishmen ...

Very hot and humid here today at Onnion. Sun was shining and only a few clouds hanging over Mont Blanc visible to the horizon.

Set off on a training run up the valley past Megevette and along the course I did last Saturday. The climb up to Megevette went well since I told myself from the outset not to push the pace too hard since general fatigue was setting in with all the exercise that we've been doing since we arrived here. The road was mostly shady with a nice cool breeze coming up the valley channelling cool air for the first 2.5 km of the route. The valley then opened out before Megevette and the trees disappeared. The sun was beating down and the going became laboured despite the cap to protect my own personal solar panel !

I ran to the intersection with the main road for a distance of 6.3 km in 29:39 or an average speed of 4:41 per km and then set back along the main road towards Onnion.

The descent was obviously easier but the heat was getting worse and I was seriously tempted a number of times to stop running and walk instead. I soldiered on and struggled up the final hill before Les Chavannes, our holiday centre. The downhill was a total distance of 5.9 km which I managed in 24:37. So a total distance of almost 12.3km in 54:16 or an average of 4:26 per km.

Hard work in the sun. Roll on Winter for the improved performances !

Rest day

No running yesterday after the race on Sunday. Cycling with Laurence instead.

We signed up for some road cycling at the centre yesterday. This was the first time that I'd been on a road bike for some years so it was with pleasure that we were given some good lightweight bikes (Vitus Stalion I believe) for a morning ride with Claude and Vincent, our guide.

It was a beautiful, sunny day as we set off past Megevette and up to the Col de Jambaz. It felt really good to be on the bike again but most peculiar to get out of the saddle and to push up the hills, having been used to a mountain bike. The old sensations returned quickly and I was soon finding a comfortable rhythm with the pedals and following Claude up the climb. At the top we turned left and climbed up to the next col at Les Mouilles to a height of 1100m, some 300m higher than the start. A long descent into Lullin followed and then a climb back up past Bellevaux and back up to the Col de Jambaz. Claude and Vincent left me behind on the long climb but I kept a steady pace and enjoyed myself, taking time to enjoy the scenery.

A rapid descent back to Onnion to finish the 35 km in 1:42:00 for an average of 20.5 km/h including 600m of ascent. Both Laurence and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Bikes were extremely comfortable to ride and felt great quality.

Uphill struggle

I asked yesterday at the tourist information centre in Taninges if it was still possible to enter the Taninges - Praz de Lys hill race, half hoping that the inscriptions were closed.

No problem. Just bring a cheque and a doctor's certificate tomorrow before the race and we'll sign you on. So that was settled, I was going to take part in the race, and had to get up early for the first day of the holiday, something which Laurence very much regretted.

I arrived at 8:00 am in Taninges and sized up the competition. There were about 100 people in all of whom 50 would be taking part in the run. There were a large proportion of women runners which surprised me considering the difficulty of the course and my experience of races in the Paris area. Everyone looked very fit, well equipped and I began to wonder what I had let myself in for.

Ten minutes before the start, we had our last race instructions. The running course was over 11.6 km with a total uphill of 1164m, exactly 10% average gradient over the course. All the climbing was over the first 6.5 km with the last section either flat or downhill.

The barrier was lifted and we set off. I stayed well to the rear, happy to take it easy over the initial sections, knowing what lay ahead. My plan was to keep it steady over the climb and then stretch out over the last section and to pick up as many places as I could then. The plan was very theoretical and the reality totally different. I managed the first kilometre in 7 minutes but my performance went rapidly downhill. The steepness of the course over an old paved track used by the Chartreux monks in the 16th century was too much for me. I walked a large part of this as when I ran, there was little or no effect on my speed but it was far more tiring. I spent this section battling it out with a determined runner who ran steadily up the whole section. When I ran on the less steep sections, I would catch him up and overtake him, and when I walked he would come past me again.

Photo of the race in 2005 (Thanks to Serge: http://serge.courseapied.net/billet.php?idbillet=399)


The path eased at Le Pontet and I was able to trot again. We left the trees behind now and began the last climbs to Le Belzic and then on to the Chalet du Roy. The places were virtually static for the moment with runners walking in the same section and on the flatter sections, running at similar paces. Towards the end of the uphill a runner came past me and I focussed on staying with him as he showed some reasonable speed down the hills. Together we passed around ten runners and soon the last signs were posted showing the distance to the finish: 3km, 2 km. I profitted from a slight uphill to push the pace and to drop my "pilot fish" and he never caught me after. We hit a last section of road and the 1 km sign appeared. I was pushing the pace now and running at around 15 km/h. A final flat section and I saw the arch for the finish, a last burst and I stopeed the watch: 1h27:40 for 11.6 km. An average speed of 7.9 km/h for what must be one of the most tiring runs that I've ever done.

Talk about an uphill struggle.

To cap it all I had to get back down to the start where I'd left the car. I ran for a while and then hitched. Who should stop to pick me up but the runner I'd dropped over the last kilometre !! Thanks Patrick for your help; it was great to meet you and your wife !

Altitude training

We arrived at Onnion safely for the start of the holidays early afternoon on Saturday.

I felt very guilty not having been for a run on Friday and for having had an easy week last week. So having unpacked all the luggage from the car, I slipped on my running gear and headed up to Megevette for an easy run along the valley. So why pollute the environment by using the car to go for a run and not start directly from Onnion ? Well, the only problem with Onnion is that it is set high in the valley and the only routes are either up or down. As the intention was to go for an easy run, a short car ride to Megevette it was.

Last year, we used to run a short 6 km route from the church in Megevette and to head up 3 km along the valley and then run the same route back. My target for this run was 27:00 then, 4:30 per km, so I used this base to compare with this year's performance.

I set off easily and found that I wasn't as short as breath as last year, despite having just arrived. This may have been due to the training in Aurillac, but whatever the reason, running was comfortable. I reached the half-way point in 13:13 so well under the target and the downhill was yet to come. A good stretch out on the downhill sections and I got back to the car in 25:51 for 6.18km. Average speed of 4:10 per kilometre at altitude (1620m).

Forest run (and more on cars...)

Alarm rang at 7:00 am this morning, calling me to fulfill my duty by putting on my running clothes neatly laid out beside the bed. I turned it off and curled up back in bed next to Laurence, telling myself that I was too tired to be bothered this morning.

So much for duty then. However, being the well-disciplined chap that I am, I came back from work at a reasonable hour and put on my running kit and left for an evening run in the forest. It was hot; too hot for me at 30°C but I had no choice as the cool morning air had disappeared at least 12 hours ago. I put on the Garmin 405 and set out slowly along the road in the general direction of the old centre of Le Mesnil le Roi.

As I turned the first corner to head up the hill towards the forest, a quick glance at my watch confirmed that, not only was I running slowly, but at the mere pace of 5:15 per kilometre. This was clearly unacceptable and I immediately pushed on up the hill to increase my speed so as to attain at least a speed faster than 12km/h. I was pondering on my pace, my stride and the heat when I arrived close to the church in the town centre to cross the road. I didn't want to slow down, having sped up for my watch and so it was with some satisfaction that I saw a car pass in front of me, having arrived at the T junction. I ran across the road, only to see a second dark grey car following the first and bearing down on me rapidly.

It's not true that your whole life passes before your eyes before an accident, but a number of things happened very quickly:

i) I put out my hand to cushion the blow against the car. What good this was supposed to do, I really don't know but this is what a million years of evolution has left as a reflex instinct in a human.

ii) I realised that I couldn't avoid being hit by the car and moved to the left in order to avoid being hit full on.

iii) The female driver hit the brakes very hard and managed to reduce her speed before the impact.

The final result was a brush against her offside wing mirror and a very startled driver asking if I was alright. In the shock, I carried on running and shouted back that I was fine. The adrenaline levels now reached an extreme and the next few kilometres of the run went very quickly as I reached the half-way point in 25:15 for just over 6 kilometres despite the heat.

The run back was more sedate with a consistent pace until the end, when I sped up down the hill to finish.

12.4 km in 54:08 so every kilometre in 4:21. Not bad for an evening run in the heat.

New toy

I took my new toy for a run this morning: a Garmin 405 Forerunner. What a fantastic piece of technology.

Having had 2 days rest since running in Aurillac, I was very motivated this morning when the alarm rang at 7:00am and I leapt out of bed. I threw on my running gear, grabbed my new watch and ran outside. I had spent the previous night configuring my new toy so that it knew everything about me: my date of birth, my weight, my sex and even what I'd had for breakfast that morning. I'd studied the instructions very carefully, and already set the pace at 4:24 per km for my virtual training partner. It was therefore a little disappointing to wait for 2 minutes outside the house gates while the machine spoke to the 6 satellites in the sky necessary before I could set off. Fully synchronised, the watch informed me that it was ready and so off I trotted.

Having benefitted from 2 days rest, I was keen to see how well I'd progressed over a flat course following last week's hill training. A quick glance at the watch at the 2 km mark, as I pressed the lap time to record my position, showed that I was running at 4:09 pace and had been running for 8:30. The pace indicator was a little ambitious as my time showed. Others had already warned me that the speed or pace indicated is instantaneous and can vary significantly over a course due to the positioning error of up to 6 or 7m. I carried on regardless, just thinking that all of this technology was fantastic but that it actually didn't help my legs to move any faster.

I carried on through to the park and took my split at 6.5km: 27:45. I was feeling fairly good and the watch encouraged me to accelerate a little every time I thought I was slacking slightly. Next split at 8.3 km in 35:12 and I knew that I was a little behind my fastest time. Another acceleration and the downhill stretch before the final straight and the rise back home to finish in 46:39 for an average time per kilometre of 4:12 or speed of 14.2 km/h.

The watch is fabulous: 762 calories burned, height gained is wrong at 495m (I must need to set the parameters somewhere), splits with average speeds, etc. The options are limitless. I've even seen a section on setting up interval training with warm-up and warm-down, number of intervals and rest periods - just need to get the legs going to use the functions!

I'm now the running statistics king and have all the graphs to show you. What, you're not interested... some other time then.

Aurillac round

Since I'm still trying to increase my mileage this week, I set out with Laurence to run the 20 km around Aurillac early this morning. In order to avoid all discussions, we decided that we would run it in different directions.

I set out slowly, suffering from tired legs after last night's run and a sore right foot from my new running shoes (Mizuno Wave Impulse bought for €10 - a bargain I couldn't resist!). The hills at the beginning a re killers - no I'll correct that - all the hills are killers around here. In the Paris area, I would run 10 km races and found that I was relatively strong on the hills. I run here in Aurillac, and I suffer every time I go out, with the steepness to go up (even down hurts sometimes!) and the sheer length of the climbs.

I maintained my plod and carried on at a fairly steady pace until I crossed paths with Laurence after about 10.5 km, just after the park. I had done all the hard work by then and the second half of the course was a lot easier. The sun was out and it was a beautiful blue sky. I was glad that we had made the effort to get out early as the temperature was still very comfortable.

I made good progress for the remainder of the run until the final hill pulling out of Aurillac town centre. This hill must be at least 20% gradient and I ran up it but at a walking pace. What a relief to get to the top and then pull away along the top and descend to run in hard for the last 400m.

A good run to complete the efforts for this week. All up in 1:42:26 so no records today but this wasn't surprising after yesterday's blast.

Monkeying around

Came back late afternoon with the boys from "accrobranche" in Le Lioran, basically cables strung between trees that you use to make a passage amongst the treetops. Safety is assured using 2 lines from the harness onto a safety wire. The passages are graded much like skiing with the colour indicating the difficulty. Good fun all round.

Since there was not too much time before dinner, I decided to do the St Simon circuit which is 9km and normally takes me around 40 minutes. I set off at a slowish pace as there is quite a lot of hill-climbing at the beginning (see the profile if you don't believe me) I reached the bridge at St Simon in 18:28 for 4km exactly. The route back is along the main road and I stretched out nicely coming back and finished the run in 38:30. Most pleased with the 5km coming home which I did in 20 minutes exactly or 15km/h. New P.B for this route.

Hill training

Encouraged by my brother's comments, I got up early (well just after 8:00 am when you're on holiday feels pretty early to me) and ran the route that the boys and I did on the bikes the other day.

The route involves running up the crest road, "la route de crêtes" from Aurillac towards St Jean de Dône. Once you're on the top you carry on until the next crossroads and then drop down back into the Jordanne valley to run back in along the main road from St Simon.

I Gmapped the route just to get an idea of the profile. You can see it here : http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2086880.
So just over 220m of uphill between 1.5 km to 6 km so over 4.5km. This makes an average gradient of 5%; so not really steep but a long slog. I managed the total 12.8km in 1:01:46 so I'm fairly pleased considering the height gain and the slow pace at which I set out this morning.

When I got back, I had a quick bite to eat and then went out with the boys and Roger on the bikes. We cycled along the old road to St Simon and then up the long hill to Boussac. Henry showed us again his hill-climbing prowess and I stayed behind with Paul to encourage him up to the top. They really enjoyed it along the top once the height had been gained and before too long it was a fantastic descent into Velzic and then back along the main road to St Simon and then Aurillac. Route was gmapped for a total of 28km . The hills on this side of the valley are higher than on the North side, so we actually climbed for over 300m. I'm tempted to run this route before the end of the week.

Off to play golf now with the boys before going to the restaurant this evening. What sport packed days these are !

Duathlon

No running today but a bike and swimming duathlon instead.

I took the boys out on the mountain bikes today to give them some exercise and to get them away from the television. I decided that it would be good if we got some height in order to admire the views on another fantastically sunny day here in Aurillac. So, despite my fears about the moans that would inevitably be caused by this announcement, we kitted the boys out and got on the bikes. Laurence stayed at home since she was lending her bike to Henry, and so it was with some trepidation that I set out up the route des crêtes with Henry and Paul.

Henry has discovered a talent for cycling now that he gets to use a full-size MTB and after 5 minutes of uphill, he was already some distance in front. I stayed behind with Paul encouraging him to stay constant in his efforts, not to burn all his energy immediately and to enjoy the views as he went. Anyway, I had a problem with an excess of pressure in the rear brake system and the brake was creating an extra drag on the rear wheel.

We cycled up to St Jean de Done which is over 3.5 kilometres of uphill, so I was extremely pleased with both boys performance. They were happy with what they had achieved too and we carried on the road along the ridge until we reached the St Simon sign to descend. This was the road that the tour de France took to go up, right at the end of the Aurillac stage, and we went down at top speed today. Paul loved the downhill but Henry declared that he preferred cycling uphill to down. Along the road from st Simon to finish and the boys both left me as by now the extra heat had caused the rear brake system to grip even harder making every turn of the pedal feel like going up a 20% gradient. Nice ride doing about 13 km in total.

Swim this afternoon in Aurillac pool. Did 70 lengths and then played with the boys going down the slides.

Round and about

Beautiful blue sky. Not a cloud in sight. Still cold early morning though with the thermometer stubbornly stable at 7°C at 9:00 am.

Laurence had decided that she wanted to finish the 20km round that she hadn't managed the other day after our "discussion". We took the car out to the 10 km spot where we had split up the other day and started off from there. I stayed with Laurence to begin with as the route is not that well indicated. We did the first hills around Belbex easily and I was happy to run at a very easy pace, just ahead of Laurence. After about 2.5 km Laurence told me to leave her and to run at my own pace as I was stressing her. This was quite a shock as I hadn't said anything to her up until that point. No comments on the pace, on her objectives, even about the weather, but my sheer presence was enough to stress her; so I left.

This second half of the route is the hilliest section, with the roads going up and down interminably and it's very steep in places. So steep that the temptation to give up and walk is tremendous. I kept on (and so did Laurence as she told me afterwards) and I ran the first 10 km in about 52 minutes. Towards the end of this section the roads were flatter and I lengthened my stride to a pace that I still felt comfortable with but left me with an impression of "real" running.
The sun was now higher in the sky and the temperature had risen to around 22°C.

The second half was completed at a faster pace but the fatigue and the heat were taking their toll on me by the end. I kept thinking that this distance wasn't even a half-marathon and how would I cope having to carry on for double the distance. Obviously, these thoughts weren't very encouraging and I was happy to run through the park and by the stables to find the car after 20km. 1:39:03 all up for the distance so a little over 12 km/h for the whole route. Not bad considering the heat and the hills. I was pleased with my run.

Fête nationale

I ran a short route around St Simon this morning with the boys accompanying me on their bikes.

The road heads off East from Roger's house in Aurillac up the Jordanne valley and we followed this alongside the allotments before a steep rise up the valley side. I set off slowly still feeling the after-effects of yesterdays run up another hill and my legs were not so keen on this repetition this morning. The leg muscles only warmed up after St Simon about half-way around the course. I reached the bridge in St Simon in 20:00 having run just over 4km. Not impressive by any standards.

The road back was a lot faster and I sped up and stretched out along the main road. I extended the run to the roundabout at the end of Gué Bouliaga and finished the course in 43:33 for around 9.3km. A nice run to decompress after yesterday's efforts.

A swim in the afternoon to finish the day sportily. I swam 80 lengths doing 2km and felt better about my swimming prowess than my running.

Smoking kills

I'll explain about the title at the end of the blog. Having read some books on writing recently, the reader is supposed to be kept in suspense until the end. So here goes ...

Race day in Murat. Murat is a small town in the Cantal with a population of just over 2000 inhabitants. Situated in the Alagnon valley it is just East of the Plomb du Cantal, part of the massif central, the mountains that separate Aurillac from Murat. The town is at an altitude of 900 metres and overlooking the town is a large, white statue of the Virgin Mary some 140m above. The race was to run from the town centre to the statue.

I'd seen news of the race in the running magazines prior to coming down to Aurillac and I didn't know what to expect. How many people took part, what the times were to get to the top, nothing. So when I arrived with all the family in the town square, it was a relief to see plenty of other runners, some more serious than others. I signed on at the town hall and was told that I was 28th to start. The runners are set off at 30 second intervals, with the timing and places finally determined at the top. I did a little warm up through the streets of the town and my fears were confirmed: the roads were very steep around here.

I lined up with a real motley crew for the start. About half a dozen runners were dressed up as old women with brooms, shopping baskets, and feather dusters. A couple of men, dressed as ambulance men, were carrying a stretcher with a baby doll lying inside. I watched nervously as the crowd disappeared one by one at 30 second intervals and soon enough it was my turn to start.

The adrenaline had begun to flow and I set off briskly up through the streets of the town, winding between the few shops and bars situated there. It seemd that a large part of the poulation were in the streets, shouting and clapping as the "nutters" set off up the hill. This was a real boost and as I left the town, I had almost caught the runner who had set off before me. The lactic was also rising and now my speed reduced somewhat and it seemd like ages before I could pull alongside this first runner and noticed that 2 more runners were also within my grasp as the tarmac gave way to a gravel path up the hill.

"Ici commence l'enfer" - Hell starts here had been written in chalk on the last of the tarmac, but actually the slope felt easier here. I passed the 2, a father and daughter, who had set off a minute and 90 seconds before me respectively. As I left the trees on the first part of this slope more crowds were encouraging the runners, "Profitez du faux-plat". The incline eased and the path was flat for all of 50 metres before it turned sharply left and headed what felt like vertically up the final slope. My pace slowed, my stride shortened and it felt as though I was at walking speed now. In fact, my ungs and legs were aching and I walked 50m up the steepest section before breaking into a jog again. I could see the top now and hear Laurence and Paul encouraging me on up the final 100m. As I turned the last corner, I was caught in turn by 2 runners who had set off after me and I finished seconds after them. 1.37km and 130m higher than the start. I finally finished in 8:17 seconds according to my watch the slowest I've ever run over the distance at a speed of 6 minutes/km or 10 km/h. If I believe the fell-running adage then every 100m of height gained is equivalent to 1km. This would give me an equivalent time of 8:17 for 2.67km which equates to 3:06 per km. Slightly excessive perhaps, but it makes me feel a darn sight better.

I sat down at the top, my lungs were bursting and I felt sick. Luckily I hadn't eaten anything 6 hours prior to racing, or I am sure that it would have been covering the top of the Rocher de Bonnevie by now. To cap it all, my legs were like jelly. As I recovered on the top, the coughing began and I spent the next 2 hours coughing to sooth my lungs. I hadn't coughed like this for a good 20 years when I used to have to finish every training run by running up Causey Hill. So much for not smoking.

Hill training

I saw that Tom had put in some hill training this weekend too. The choice of today's run was not so much to emulate him but since we're now in Aurillac for the week, you don't have much choice but to do hills when you run around here.

I wanted to do a long run this morning since tomorrow, I've decided to run this silly race up a hill in Murat. It's only 1.25 km of race but unfortunately there is 220 metres of uphill over the distance. An average incline therefore of around 20%. To get some mileage in today, I convinced Laurence that it would be good to run the 20km around Aurillac. There is a walking route that is well signposted around the town and we decided to run this. The total uphill on the route amounts to something around 250m so this was good hill training for both of us.

We set off at a very steady pace for Laurence, in fact too slow in my judgement, and by 10km we had a heated discussion and Laurence announced that she would run straight back through town. We had done 10 km by this time in just over 1 hour (around 1:01:00) to be precise. I thought that she could go faster and that she was holding it back in reserve at this pace. She didn't agree and so we went our separate ways at this point.

The route back is even hillier than the first half and going up some of these hills was a real struggle. God only knows what it's going to be like tomorrow - read it here for the final verdict ! I managed to finish the whole loop in 1:49:26 so it sook about 48 minutes for the last 10km. As I said: those hills are tough ! Lovely morning here in Aurillac with sunshine but a little breeze so it wasn't too hot. We spotted many of the cycling teams at the hotels around the town as the Tour de France ended the stage yesterday in the town: Lempre, Française des Jeux and Caisse d'Epargne. They were on the way to Figeac for the start of the next stage today.

Laurence had got back 18 minutes before me and welcomed me with a smile. All was forgiven (but not forgotten - will probably hear about this again the next time I annoy her during exercise) and she has decided to run the second half of the loop tomorrow while I accompany her on the bike. I couldn't help thinking that I'll need to do a lot more training like this if I'm ever to finish the Mont Blanc Marathon at twice the distance and over double the climbs.

Back to Grouchy

Grouchy by name and grouchy by nature today.

Depressed by work both for specific and general reasons, which I won't bore you with here, I decided that I would make the most of the opportunity of the midday run to burn off all that frustration and anger and convert it into speed and accelerations. Well, so much for the plan.

The reality... went running with François-Xavier on our usual swimming pool run. The day has been cooler than usual and it is very overcast. Perfect weather for running, we decided and despite F-X's pitiful attempt to convince me that he was feeling a little tired after yesterday's run and that we shouldn't force the pace too much today, we set off at a lively canter.

Down the hill from the pool into Osny centre and then the first effort as we climbed the hill on the far side to go up to the Chateau. I pushed the pace up the hill just to see how F-X was really feeling (I know - I'm a nasty piece of work...) and then we coasted around in front of the Château for the start of the first loop. I was feeling really good: the pace was comfortable; the temperature was pleasant; and the scenery is lovely in the grounds. At the end of the first lap, there is a sharp rise back up to the entrance of the grounds and I could feel that F-X was lagging slightly on the hill.

The problem running with F-X is that there is never any rest periods. Normally, on a solitary run, whenever the going gets tough you reduce the rhythm and catch a breather. Not so today, whenever I tired, F-X would pick up the pace and I'd be obliged to show him that he wasn't going to drop me. I'd then feel a little better and push the pace myself, and so it went. By the third lap F-X had begun to warm up and we pushed it hard up the hill at the end of the castle grounds and onto the final stretches on the road.

The effort was constant now and the final 1.5 km went by far faster than the previous kilometres. We both pushed hard to the roundabout before making the U-turn and down the other side of the railway track back through the town. The last 300m is a killer as we turned up the final hill back up to the pool. I used my last bit of energy to pull away again in my best effort at a sprint finish. All up in 46:42 so another 17 second improvement on last week's run. What on earth made me decide to take part in the hill run this Sunday?

Best part of this run is the cool down in the pool at the end. I definitely need to invest in a 25m pool at home - now where's my Loto card gone ?

Security flaw

It has been worrying me for a while, but luckily somebody else has spotted the problem and the biggest IT companies in the world are now working together to solve the flaw in internet security.

I now realise that it must have been these niggling worries that have prevented me from running faster than I ought to of late. I set out at 7:00 am this morning into a world gifted with a beautiful blue sky and little or no wind to complain about. My running cap was pulled down low over my head so as my eyes were not too dazzled by the bright sunlight so shortly after having woken up. My head was clear and my legs started running at a moderate pace.

It was the usual 11 km route today and I managed the first 2km in 8:40. Although this is not exactly fast, it was a 20 second improvement on Tuesday's time and I felt good about it. The pace had thus been set and the rest of the run went accordingly. I left the park in 28:00 exactly after 6.5 km so I knew that I was slower than last week but I felt comfortable and wasn't pushing it. I didn't look at my watch until getting back home from then on. I managed the course in 47:25 today so 4:16 per kilometre. I calculated that if I want to achieve my goal of running a marathon in under 3 hours then I will need to maintain this pace for 42.2 km and even then I still need to find another 18 seconds for the sprint finish !

I have been discussing marathons with Laurence quite frequently recently. We have decided to enter the Yvelines marathon at the end of October this year. this leaves a little time to prepare for the event and I'll do better than for Paris by setting up a true marathon training schedule prior to the event. Laurence wants to achieve a time under 4 hours which I think she's perfectly capable of, given the appropriate training.

P.S. I don't really worry about internet security, but I haven't found any other satisfactory reason to explain my performances recently.

Recovery Run

More of the usual for me as I set out early (well 7:00am felt early enough) this morning to do my extended road training run.

The legs were having none of it this morning though. The first few strides determined the rhythm for the run and it was definitely going to be slow. I started thinking of the title for the blogs message for the day, "Recovery Run" it was. From that point on, I stopped forcing myself to go any faster. The left thigh muscle was extremely tight following the race on Sunday and the first 300m were more of a fast limp than a run. This gradually wore off as I headed down to the Seine and ran along the banks of the river. The 2km marker loomed and I looked at my watch - 9:00. Well, this was no real surprise as the pace had felt slow, however, I had to fight the compulsion to increase my stride and my pace. One of my problems is that I'm always trying to improve my times and performance over a given course. This can be stressful and frustrating and it spoils some of the pleasure of just going out and enjoying the run. Today was going to be different. I knew I was tired, so if that meant running 4:30/km then so be it.

Having made this mental note to not push it, I relaxed and enjoyed the rest of the run. The smell of the horses as you run past the stables in the park; the odour of freshly cut grass; the pines that remind me of Branksome Chime when I was little. I left the park in 29:15 after around 6.5km and then it was heading for home, admittedly the long way round and I stretched out a little once I'd passed the church in Le Mesnil and then on the final straight home. All up in 49:24 for 11.1km and no new records but a most satisfactory, relaxing, recovery run nonetheless.

Monday swim

A standard swim at lunchtime at my old favourite, Osny pool.

Very overcast today so the pool roof was well and firmly closed. Don't know whether everyone has left for the Summer holidays already but the pool was almost empty when I arrived. I dived in the cool water (as opposed to the usual near scalding temperature that they usual have) and swam my 60 lengths.

1.5 km: no watch, no stress, no pressure. I was stopped at one point to be asked if I was the owner of a white Peugeot 106, but that was my only interruption for the session.

This is a great way to relax after a race the previous day and it kept me alert for the beginning of the afternoon - well for half an hour at least !!

Back to Vincennes

Well having set my P.B. over 10 km at Vincennes a month ago, I was looking forward to returning today but what happened ... ?

I'm actually disappointed with myself now. Sitting down with a beer in one hand, and a nice evening at home, it's easy to be hard on myself following today's performance.

So what exactly did happen ? The day started well enough as we picked up Nick to go to Vincennes. It was cool at around 17°C but there weren't enough clouds in the sky to my liking. Having arrived, the registration was a little disorganised as they couldn't find Laurence's number and so she was handed a spare ... n° 1. This looked like a good omen ! We bumped into François-Xavier at the start and had a quick chat about race tactics. His plan was to stick to me from the start and to see how it went. Mine was to head off hard and to try and lose him.

A quick warm up with Nick while Laurence queued half an hour for the toilet (the joys of being a man!) and I'd already broken into a sweat. It was definitely warmer than I would have preferred. We lined up amongst around 890 others and we were off.

I set off quickly as the tracks were narrow and I wanted to be in a good position by the time we hit the tarmac at the end of the first stretch. It was a little rough as there was some long grass to be negotiated trying to overtake the other runners who had positioned themselves ahead of me at the start. The marker quickly came up for the first km and I glanced at my watch: 3:37 - a little quick but I was relieved as the going had been hard and this meant I could ease off slightly. Mostly road and tarmac up to the second kilometre but very slightly uphill - 7:29 and I was still on schedule. At he far end of the road, sharp right-hander and back onto the paths but a slight downhill now to 3km - 11:13. I could feel the pace but was still comfortable and I'd glimpsed François-Xavier just behind me.

Damn, I'd thought at the start that if I ran hard at the beginning, I'd drop him and that he wouldn't catch me until well after 6km when I always have this tendency to slow down. He pulled alongside at 4 km (15:03) and although still on schedule, I just couldn't keep up with him and he inched ahead as you can see on the video of us as we end the first loop after 5km and 18:56 (thanks Paul for being an excellent cameraman).



The second loop was worse and I started to tire badly. The slight uphills were a drag and the heat was having an impact. All the usual thoughts of giving up and walking went through my mind while I gritted my teeth and tried to push on. No avail, F-X was pulling away but slowly - around 50m now. 9km (completely wrong in reality as it was more like 9.2!) in 35:25 and I pushed hard again to finish reasonably while my breathing was tortuous. Crossed the line in 38:52, 12 places and 22 seconds behind F-X. Damn, damn, damn !

Nick finished in 39:48 and having spoken to him quickly about his race, I went back to cheer on Laurence for the finish. A bright green top and the number 1 appeared and I encouraged her for the sprint finish. She'd given everything already though and just missed out on the 50 minute barrier, finishing in 50:08.

No more 10 km races until the fall now - plenty of time to reflect on a new race strategy!

Some photos here:

Drizzle

The drizzle has arrived over the Paris basin and it looks as though it's set in for a while.

This is great news as the temperature has also decreased and the forecast for tomorrow is more drizzle and a cool start to the day at around 14°C. Let's hope it stays like that for the morning and it'll give me a good chance at beating my personal best at Vincennes in the race tomorrow.

I'll give the race shoes another good airing anyway...

Run and swim

Kill or cure - I felt really bad today: churned up stomach, lethargical, and just generally down. To cheer myself up, I decided to maintain the same Friday run and swim session as last week.

François-Xavier was having none of it though. Having run 63 km last Saturday, he decided that he needed a rest (I mean what a wimp - but then again, he is French!) so I went out by myself. It was a lovely sunny day but the temperature was still reasonable at around 22°C. I set off slowly through Osny and then into the castle grounds, doing 3 laps and building speed gradually over the course of each lap. I felt better over the end part of the course compared to last Friday and stopped the watch at the end in 46:59, an 18 second improvement.

A quick change at the pool and then 10 lengths of breaststroke, mainly just to cool down after the run. The swimming pool roof was open and the sun was shining through and this is the best way to relax after a training run. The pool was a lot cooler both today and yesterday in comparison to normal. In fact so cool, that as I dived in the breath was literally sucked out from my lungs and I spent the first length just trying to breath normally. Not quite thermic shock stuff like diving off a block of ice in a lake 1800m up in the mountains, but not bad nevertheless.

Oh yes, I timed myself over 1000m yesterday in the pool : 22:22. A real disappointment as I thought I was swimming at around 20 minutes per kilometre. James, you'd have beaten me by over 5 minutes if you're reading ! More training needed.

Lost again

Not really lost, as I re-ran Tuesday's route to see if I could manage it a little quicker.

I set off at a faster pace than Tuesday from the start and felt good in my legs as I ran down to the Seine. I knew that I was running well and this was confirmed when I went through my 2 km mark in 8:19 so 27 seconds faster than 2 days earlier. It didn't feel as though this was too much effort and I maintained the pace all the way around. The course is virtually flat with only a little rise coming away from the hippodrome and up into the park at Maisons Laffitte which was negotiated without any difficulty.



My next split was at around 6.5 km in the park in front of the Castle (in photo above) in 27:26 and then 34:50 for around 8.1 km when I turned in Boulevard Pasteur for my last stretch home. Well, actually, it used to be my last stretch home but since I've now lengthened the course at this end too, I actually still have almost 3 kilometres to run until the house. As my brain still hasn't taken this on board yet (come on ... it's early at 7:00 am. You can't expect to be alert at this time), and my legs extended their stride. I ran these last 3 km at a faster pace and finished the course in 46:24. This works out at an average of 4:11 per km or 14.3 km/h - new course record.

Lost in France

Tried a new route out today in order to increase my mileage. It worked as I got lost and ran farther than I initially intended.

As I wrote last week, I want to increase my mid-week training runs to around 10 km. I planned a new route using gmap through Maisons Laffitte in the park, extending my usual run into the park on the way out. It was perfectly planned but unfortunately badly executed and I ended up running a little further than intended.

I set out at 7:00 am this morning and the weather was perfect for an early morning run. The sun was already up and there wasn't a cloud in sight. The temperature was still cool enough to run without feeling uncomfortable with the heat. After the training at the weekend, I didn't have much energy in my legs when I left the house, so it was no surprise when I went through the first 2km in 8:46. And, as usual, the initial pace sets the tone for the whole run so when I finished after 48:12 minutes of effort later, I had completed an 11.1 km course.

It felt good to run at this speed (13.8km/h) and I came back having really enjoyed myself. That's all that counts really.