12 x 500m

Well it is now definitely brass monkey weather. I wrapped up warmly to go out for my early morning run this morning at 6:00am and just as well as it was -4°C. Not many spies around either to spot me going for my run with a woman :
i) Because it was 6:00am and only complete idiots get up and go out at this time in the morning.
ii) Because it was bloody freezing and hanging round for a minute in that weather would leave any monkey emasculated
iii) Because no woman was insane enough to accompany me

I had decided after this weekends attempts to keep up with Nico that I needed some interval training and a little speedwork to improve my running. What better than a nice session of 12x500m to cheer myself up ? I remembered my marathon training back in September and running an even longer session similar to this in Stockholm where I ran 20x500m averaging 1:47 per interval. So how will I compare to that today?

I ran down to the Seine and began after a kilometre warm-up (warm-up being quite a ridiculous expression in the circumstances - it would have been more appropriate to refer to it as a 'refrain from freezing'). I felt quite good running the intervals and I seemed to recover quite quickly off a distance of 200m. It was only when I got back home that I was able to see what I'd achieved:

1:54, 1:53, 1:58, 1:54, 1:57, 1:51
1:51, 1:54, 1:52, 1:55, 1:52, 1:51

3rd and 5th intervals are due to crossing the main road and then a slight uphill, but average is still around 1:53 without these 2 anomalies.

So in summary, I've still got a lot of work to do to regain my form prior to the marathon. I am aiming for a reasonable time for the 10km in Houilles so more effort is needed. I'll see how I do over 15km at the weekend.

12.5 km all up in 58:47. I'm off to top myself now: hypothermia would be suitably ironic.

Snow season

Laurence doesn't work on Mondays. No, let me correct that: Laurence doesn't go to school on Mondays but spends her time preparing lessons for the week and correcting homework. I had a day off and to make the most of my day off I decided to spend it with my wife while the kids were at school.

So what better way to spend a whole day with your beloved than starting by going for a run ? We planned a nice little saunter out to Cora and back along the wall to Maisons Laffitte down by the castle and home. A 20 km saunter to be precise. Having planned all of this, we almost changed our minds when we woke up this morning and saw a nice 5cm of snow that had arrived during the night. The thermometer was showing -1°C and it was looking decidely cold. However, being the determined folks that we are, and a plan being a plan, we wrapped up warmly and went out.

We set off slowly and headed into the forest. The forest was absolutely stunning with a light sprinkling of snow covering all of the trees and the paths. There was a distinctive silence as we ran with the surrounding snow absorbing the noise of the few roads, traffic or even the occasional pedestrians out walking their dogs or exercising. It felt as if Christmas had arrived early and we ran down to Cora at a very steady pace of about 5:25 per km.

Laurence was running really well and looked comfortable at this, her marathon pace. But, she told me that we needed to ease up as the initial schedule had been to run at around 6' per km pace. We slowed at Cora to 5:35 pace but this was as far as we went and we both carried on back from Cora along the old wall through some of the most isolated part of the forest back towards Maisons Laffitte. The conditions were ideal with the snow but no wind and the forest was fresh and crisp around us. It looked just like a Christmas card as we ran and I wouldn't have been surprised to see deer and robins appear. All we managed were a couple of squirrels though !

Ran back into Maisons Laffitte and then down Avenue Albine towards the castle where we managed our fastest kilometre at 5:18 pace. This was good going after 90 minutes of running in our legs already. Back along the Seine to finish in 1:54.

20.3 km all up in 1:54 or 5:38 average. Nice meal in St Germain at a new Italian restaurant to celebrate. What a great day off.

Sunday club session

Sunday already and Laurence and I headed off to the club for our 9:00 am rendez-vous with Miguel and the other runners not taking part in any of the various events around the area this morning. It was a cold morning again with the temperature just hovering around the freezing point. There was no wind and no snow had fallen during the night.

I wrapped up warmly with 3 layers on top, ready for the warm-up session rather than the intervals themselves. When we got to the club, there was a good turnout despite the number of local races and Laurence was happy to find a number of fellow female fun-runners (couldn't find an appropriate noun with 'f' - any suggestions ?) with whom she could natter during her session and I saw Nico, Thierry, José, Bruno, Vincent and Anis. A 5x5' session had been planned off a 2'30" recovery so with these running companions, it didn't look as though I be doing much talking for my intervals.

We ran down to a section of forest near Poissy known as Les Mouchoirs. Didn't see many handkerchiefs hanging around so no idea why this is named like this. Anyway, I was surprised to see that we managed to make it in the first place since Michel was leading the way and as usual he tried to take the most complicated, tortuous route possible but luckily for the group, his sadistic unconsciousness failed to surprise any victims today.

We set off on the first interval and I took the lead. Not that I am the fastest amongst the group but nobody else seemed willing to make the pace. So, despite the fact that I didn't have the faintest idea of where I was supposed to be going, I led the first interval with Nico just on my shoulder. I took the wrong turning at the end, but since we were just about to complete the first 5 minutes this didn't really matter. Flushed with success after this first interval, I took off in the lead again for the second, but quickly let Thierry past to lead since he knew where he was going. Nico and I hung on to him closely and we let Anis come past, running a good kilometre per hour faster than us, another league entirely.

The third interval went well too with me leading for the first 3 minutes and then Anis coming past initially closely followed by Nico. I let them go as I was beginning to tire slightly, which in retrospect, is my biggest mistake in that I am not ready mentally to make the effort when it counts. We finished this interval with Vincent and José just behind me with Bruno just after them. The fourth interval was the hardest as I entered the red zone and could feel my legs tiring, especially after yesterday's hills. We took a wrong turn near the start of the interval and then had to chase hard to go past the rest of the group and get to the front again. I trailed Anis, Nico, José by a long way and just concentrated on staying with Vincent, catching him at the end of the interval with Miguel just on my shoulder.

Disappointing last interval as we took the wrong path again and ended up running along the disused railway track, and then walking, scrambling a section to get back on the right track. All in all a good session, and feeling the effort in my legs at the end. Nico is still a level above in terms of speed on these intervals, and I came away telling myself that I need to push myself harder still. I always try and keep a little in reserve, instead of just going all out and not thinking about what will happen next.

15km all up in 1:26 with the intervals run at around 3:50 pace. Only 51km this week in 4 sessions so it has been a light week in terms of mileage.

Bis repetita X-country training

Second week of cross-country training this morning and Nick and Anne very kindly picked me up to take me to Marly for the session. Nick has been suffering from a bad back lately with both neck pains and lumbago causing him pain and to ease off on the running recently. I know just how frustrating this type of injury can be and the tension that it causes within the family. When Laurence and I have been injured, after a week of not being able to run, the partner just avoids confrontation totally as any disagreement turns into a row within instants.

So I was intrigued by how Nick had been managing this week to treat the problem and his explanations were a real eye-opener for me. Firstly, treatment by the osteopath (nothing too unusual here), then massages and electrode treatment on the buttocks (now we're getting kinky!), followed by an in-house yoga session with a class of females only and a female instructor. Apparently, the instructor (a young, dark, foreign beauty by all accounts) was not satisfied at Nick's attempts at suppleness and proceded to force him to the floor by pushing with her hands then treading on his back. It was only Nick's male pride (and the fact that he was overwhelmed by the instructor) that stopped him from crying out in pain at the treatment. Anyway, this might not have done the trick to heal him completely, but he seemed determined enough to want to return for more punishment next week. He was ready to come to training at least.

A far larger crowd at the training session this week with the runners from last Saturday joined by Bruno, Jérémie, Mireille and Delphine amongst others. Nico turned up on time for once and even looked as though he'd managed to have a decent night's sleep; so either his poker friends were away for the weekend; or, more likely, he'd burnt through his pay-packet again and was waiting for next month's salary. Whatever the reason, it had done him some good and he was fresh and eager to start the session. Delphine was back from Les 4 Chateaux race, flushed with success and the fact that she'd been chased around the course by 2000 men.

Miguel had planned the same session as last week (3 blocks of 3x3') and after a warm-up lap, dictated by the trail runners who insisted on finding the muddiest, steepest tracks in Marly park, we set off on the session proper. Nico and I started the first flat session and I stayed with him, closely followed by Jérémie until the first slight uphill when I fell back slightly and Jérémie came past. The second interval was uphill and Jérémie showed both Nico and I the power he has, leaving us for dead up the steep hill as we finished our interval about 2/3 of the way up. He paid for this from then on though as he hadn't realised that there were 3 blocks to do and he was already in the red. We then attacked the next hill where I stayed with Nico until about 3/4 of the way up and he pulled slowly away from me again.

This was the pattern for the rest of the session but I was a lot closer to Nico than last week and I felt far more regular in my effort. We finished the session with a warm-down around Marly park, chatting about the session and how we both did better than the previous week's efforts. I could feel the improvement already and I am convinced that a few more sessions like this and I'll be able to maintain far higher speeds up the hills. The flat sections are not a problem and I can hold my own with Nico and Jérémie but as soon as we hit the hills - I'm useless.

15km all up so a good long session in the cold. Snow/heavy frost/hail on the ground and the park was absolutely beautiful to run around. A real pleasure this morning. My only regret: that the kind runner who brought along the Thermos with the tea for the stretching at the end of the session didn't do the warm-down and so ther was none left by the time we finished!

Early morning run

I allowed myself the luxury of lying in bed for an extra 45 minutes Friday morning before getting up to go for my usual early morning run. This week at work has been even more hectic than usual and I had to be at work early Thursday and then left late so Friday morning was my only alternative.

The fact that I hadn't been running for 3 days, plus the 45 minutes extra sleep, showed in my starting pace. Although I was wrapped up with as many layers of clothing was feasibly possible whilst still permitting movement to the legs and arms, I set out quickly probably to avoid freezing solid within 5 minutes. It was pretty cold and every breath sent a blast of icy air into my lungs. But, I was happy to be out, relieved to be able to stretch my legs after what felt like an eternity being cooped up in an office.

So first km in 4:21 then second in 4:20. I eased up after this and ran the next few between 4:30 and 4:35. Again, I felt a weight coming off my shoulders after the 6th kilometre and I really enjoyed the run home, thinking about all and nothing, daydreaming as I ran.

10.3km all up in 46:26 or 4:28 per km on average.

I was asked today by some French friends about the meaning of 'Wot'. I've added the cartoon caption below featuring Kilroy and his famous 'Wot no .....' whatever was appropriate depending on where the graffiti had been written.

If you want any more information, I suggest that you look here.

Wot no intervals

Still taking it easy. The strain from work is taking its toll and it's extremely hard to get out of bed in the morning after 6 hours of sleep again.

The good news is that yesterday I had too much work to stop for lunch so when I got on the scales this morning, I weighed in at a spritely 74.8kg. However, due to the fatigue, I haven't been able to make the most of this small weight loss and I struggled around this morning at a very leisurely pace.

I'd run 6km again before I even imagined running a little faster and I moved up a gear from 4:45 pace to 4:35 pace before dropping back down again after a couple of kilometres effort. Thighs are still aching and right knee is playing up which isn't helping things. The only real solution is a couple weeks of rest and recuperation on a nice sandy beach somewhere. Since this isn't going to happen in the short term, I'll just keep plodding on and thinking about my alter ego somewhere in the multiverse, training for my next sub 2:30 marathon ! I've been reading a book lent to me by Nick called the fabric of reality, and it's inspired me (somewhere in the multiverse).

Thoughts to Nick who's struggling to get rid of his back problems - best of luck mate.

10.3km all up in 46:47. No great chills.

Sunday training

A relaxing training session today. Turned up at the club with Laurence and planned to do either the 1:20 session with 20 minutes at threshold or the 1:45 session with 2x10 minutes threshold. 2 radically different choices now which one would I chose?

It was a muddy, wet, dismal morning and Laurence and I both felt tired after going out last night. It was already a challenge to get out of bed and to get to the club for 9:00am. My legs were tired, my soles were aching after running in trail shoes yesterday and I didn't want to do anything strenuous. I told Laurence that I would run with her, but from the start she headed off to the front so I spent time chatting to Bruno about marathons and to Nico about everything else.

We ran through the forest in the direction of Cora, but I was content just to follow the crowd. When the first group, supposedly the easy group, took off for the start of their 2x10 minute intervals, I set off in pursuit, worried that Michel would lose them all in the forest. I checked with Jean-Claude where we were supposed to be going and then ran to the front and alongside Pascale and Christelle. We managed to run the 2 intervals and it was mostly uneventful, I was just happy to coast along at about 4:35 pace. Laurence was running well and was just behind the leaders. We finished the intervals and since we still had another half hour to run, Laurence, Pascale and I headed off on another small loop around the 'Mare des Canes' before heading back to the club.

17km all up in 1:40. Relaxing run.

Cross-country training

Cross-country season is looming on the horizon and approaching quickly. I can feel the atmosphere already: cold, frosty mornings with a thin layer of ice over waterlogged fields that crack underfoot, plunging your feet into pools of icy water. Fields that are rapidly churned into full-blown mudbaths with clods that cling to your soles as you try to plow through the ruts without twisting your ankle. Courses designed to take you up the same steep bank 14 times in the space of one loop and where 10km races last well over 40 minutes. Delightful.

This was the first session of training for the cross-country organised by the club and coached by Miguel. The same Miguel who had prepared any potential candidates for training very carefully by basically informing everyone on Thursday that if you weren't Superman, it wasn't worth turning up. It was with a little trepidation that I waited to be picked up by Nick and Anne this morning to head to Marly park where the ordeal would take place.

We were only a small group (not surprising after Miguel's prep talk) comprising of Nick, myself, Philippe, José, Miguel and a couple of other male runners I didn't recognise. The ladies were better represented with Anne, Christelle, Pascale, Catherine and Aude. We weren't prepared to hang around as it was chilly so without wasting too much time we set off on a warm-up around the circuit. We reached the far end of the lake when we saw a familiar figure running towards us: Nico who'd obviously slept in, judging by his dishevelled look. Another rough night apparently.

We finished a first loop and then began the session proper: 3 blocks of 3x3' off 90 seconds recovery. The aim was to attack all of the hills at the beginning of each 3 minute acceleration so as to work out the legs good and proper. I set off with Nico for the first interval which was mostly along the flat. I was able to stick with him until the first slight uphill and then off he went. My problem is definitely on the hill work where everytime we hit an uphill, I would fall off Nico's shoulder and José would come past. José advised me to take smaller paces up the hills at a faster rhythm. This worked to some effect but it wasn't sufficient to stay with the 2 of them.

By the end of the session I was well and truly knackered and coughing my lungs up due to the effort involved. It was good to see Nick run all the session, bar the last hill, following his recent back problems. He was sporting a nice new pair of trainers which looked about 2 years old by the end of the session.

14 km all up in 1:26 but a really good workout and one which I'll try and keep up over the next few weeks.

Thursday club session

Following my session in the morning, I was able to get away from work early and since I was at La Defense, it only took me 30 minutes to get out of Paris and to St Germain for the club session.

There was a farily good turnout at the club with a lot of unfamiliar faces. Some of the faster runners were absent such as Jean-Marc and Bruno but the regulars were there (Nico, Gérald, Nick back from injury, Thierry, José etc.). Ther really good news that I learnt on arriving was that in addition to the Beaujolais Nouveau tasting after the session (which was probably my main motivation after all), we were supposed to take it easy this evening with 45 minutes of jogging on the cards.

I set off with Gérald and Nico, having wasted 4 minutes with the Garmin struggling to find enough satellites to start. We caught up the others and then stayed at the back for an easy loop around the streets of St Germain. Most of the runners headed to the track at this point, including Gérald, but Nico and I sped up a little with Thierry, Jean-Michel and some others to complete a second loop. Most relaxing with a good chat about the upcoming races and aches and pains we're currently suffering from.

I went back to the track at this point and then as Nico was stopping to get a shower before hitting the wine heavily, I ran around the track with Laurence and her friends doing 6x300m off 100m recovery. Apparently, my presence stressed the women out (Laurence, Pascale, Christiane, Catherine and Christelle) so I had to put up with a lot of banter from them. The 300m section was honest enough with all of them running between 1:10 - 1:12 for each one, but the recoveries lasted 5 minutes as they stopped; had a gossip; and then began sauntering to the start line for the next interval. Even my powers of persuasion weren't enough to get them to speed up for this part!

12km all up so over 25km for the day. Not bad going, even though there was no quality workouts in either of the sessions.

Not 8x800m

I went to bed on Wednesday night telling Laurence that I had to do some more interval sessions. Since the marathon training, I've been taking it a little easy and I've put on a little weight and the mere thought of a fast interval session is enough to bring on a panic attack. I thought that if I told Laurence about my intentions then it would be some moral pressure on me to do what I had committed to. Laurence did an 8x800m session on Tuesday night with the club, so I thought that I would do the same Thursday morning by myself; at 6:00am; in the dark; after very little sleep; having worked very hard recently.

OK it never happened. I woke up at 6:00am to the sound of the alarm, got out of bed, looked at my running kit lying on the floor before me and instantly wished I was somewhere else - like back in bed! Despite the dark and the cold, I was strong enough mentally to pull on my kit and head out of the door, but my willpower stopped here. No way was I in any fit state to run 800m intervals this morning: my legs ached; my eyes were barely open; and I was still exhausted.

I just ran out of the house and around the usual route, turning the legs over and just telling myself how brave and courageous I was just to have made it out of the house. There are days like this, when your body tells you it's had enough and I wasn't going to argue.

As usual of late, I began to perk up after about 6km when I made it into the park at Maisons Laffitte. I love this section as you come off the road and run along the gravel paths parallel to the road, which is a huge relief to your legs and feet. I decided to make the most of this by running a large loop around the park before heading back out and up to the church in Le Mesnil. I was feeling a whole lot better now and carried on to the townhall and then back along the road to home.

13.7km all up in 1:02 or an average of 4:40 per km. The intervals will just have to wait until another day.

Easy Tuesday

Bloody hell. I didn't think that running could hurt so much. The combination over the weekend of a race Saturday night and the intervals on Sunday had left their toll and my legs and thighs in particular were reminding me that exercise isn't always good for you.

I counted my injuries as I hobbled the first kilometre this morning around my usual course: sore hamstrings - check; painful left ankle - check; sore toes from tight trail shoes - check. I felt definitely sorry for myself as I struggled to get under the 5 minute barrier for the first km. Having made it that far, I told myself to try and relax and enjoy it as the roads were dry and the temperature was cold without being chilly. However, no matter what I was trying to impress on my brain, my body was having none of it and refused to ease off until I passed the 6 km marker.

Splits are here just out of interest:

4:57, 4:48, 4:46, 4:50, 4:47, 4:43, 4:34, 4:32, 4:28, 4:18, 4:06 pace (348m)

So 10.3km all up in 48:13 or an average of 4:40 pace but boy did this feel hard this morning.

Other news is that the challenge is on. Bruno has run his second marathon in 3 weeks in 2:58 again. He has now declared that his sole objective next year is to set a time in London marathon (and beat me in the process). The gauntlet has been thrown ...

Sunday club session

I decided to go training with the club despite the race last night with the intention of doing a few kilometres and runnig some of the tiredness out of my legs ;o)

There was quite a large turnout but all of the fastest members were missing: Nico and Gérald were in Ermont; Jean-Marc was unaccounted for; Thierry was with family; Bruno was in Nice for the marathon. This was fine by me since it meant that I wouldn't have the habitual peer pressure to put in the extra effort for the session. The plan was to run 3x5' then 2' and 4' to finish.

I set off and chatted to Nathanael about his race doing Les Templiers. I still can't understand the motivation to run over 11 hours to do 70km of trail. From what he said it sounded more like torture than enjoyment. Anyway, after 25 minutes of warm-up we set off. Gérard was leading the session and we were running a triangle in the forest close to Le Mesnil.

I set off in the lead to set the pace, running the first 5 minutes at 15km/h almost exactly. 2 minutes recovery and we set off again. I slowed a little over the session as I began to feel the race in my legs. So much for running off the tiredness ...

I managed to stay in front for all of the intervals despite being pushed by Jean-François closely on the last one.

Had a chat with Delphine and Christelle at the end. Apparently Delphine worked hard during the intervals but didn't catch up on any gossip. Most disappointing!

12.2 km all up in 1:10. Have to fix my next objectives now but most likely to be the 10km at Houilles at the end of the year. Will try and convince Nico to take part to so that we can decide our head to head of the year. Congratulations to him in setting a new PB for the 10k at Ermont (37:09). Gérald still managed to beat him but it's getting closer.

Les Flambeaux - Montfort l'Amaury

Laurence had entered us into this race following our entry 2 years ago where we'd both enjoyed the atmosphere and the course for this race but where unfortunately I'd got lost in the middle of the circuit. This year, I was determined to do better and to finish the race. Unfortunately, Laurence pulled out of the race due to her continuing problems with tendonitis under her left foot following Toulouse marathon. I was on my own now, especially since Nick had also announced that he was going to pull out since his back problems still hadn't improved and a test run with Anne during the week confirmed that running was still impossible.

I drove Anne to the race and we arrived with plenty of time to pick up our bibs. Despite Anne's fears that due to the lousy weather there would only be about 50 runners, the hall was filled with about 10 times this number. Two races were organised for the evening, the 18km race for which we were entered and a 10km race which started 15 minutes after the first race and which used the same circuit bar a 7 km extra loop which we had to do.

The weather had settled down for the start of the race at 8:00pm and the rain had fallen to a slight drizzle with a temperature of around 13°C. It was actually fairly warm and I wondered if my T-shirt underneath my race vest was strictly necessary. Too late for this now, and we lined up at the start with about 400 other runners and we were off heading uphill into the town centre.

The start of the race was lined with flaming torches shining alongside the road that we were to take. We headed up a steep hill into the town centre and then up some steps to the ruined castle at the top of the hill. I was already feeling my legs at this point and then we headed back down some more steps out of the town and onto a road out of town into the forest. This road was also a steep uphill and I began to remember the route from a couple of years ago. Strange how you remember how hard things are only when you have to do them again! The race had settled now and the fastest runners (about 20 I imagine) had already run off into the distance and I was left with a group of 6-10 runners who were all fairly steady and we settled into a rhythm. One guy beside me was breathing like a steam kettle about to boil and the noise has was making was really unsettling. I just hoped that I could lose him to get some peace and quiet.

This wasn't to happen as when we headed into the forest and along some of the most waterlogged tracks that you could imagine, I just did my best to stay with the group (including Mr Wheezer). We hit another uphill after approximately 4km and I fell off the back of the group. There were 3 runners ahead of me now and another 2 or 3 just behind. The light from my headlamp was just enough to light up 5 metres ahead of me and up the hill I could see my path getting lighter as another runner caught me with his headlamp, far more powerful than my own.

As soon as the uphill section was over, and having managed to keep ahead of my pursuant, I could see the group of 3 about 300m ahead of me now. Surprisingly, they were not making any more ground on me and I was catching them very slowly. We left the forest now and hit a stretch of road which was slightly downhill. I increased my pace immediately and the Garmin showed that I ran this kilometre in 3:53. I was catching the group and I told myself just to keep up the effort and that it would be easier to run with them than to struggle by myself. Another kilometre further and I finally caught them and tucked in behind them to recover slightly. After a minute of running like this, and since we were still on the road, I decided to push the pace and they all followed me now. I was just wondering how long I would be able to keep this up when we left the evenness of the road and went offroad again. The first incline uphill and I was falling off the back again. I concentrated on keeping them in sight and pushing as hard as I could so as not to lose another 100m on them. The track flattened out slightly and we had finished the 7km extra loop of our race and were now catching the tailenders of the 10 km race. This was a new motivation as we overtook runners permanently now. I caught back up with my group of 3 and one of the runners suggested that we took it in turns relaying to stay with the front runner of the group.

I was back into a rhythm again now since we'd left the last of the steep uphill behind and the path through the forest was harder underfoot. The group of 4 of us were still together and we arrived at the road which I recognised from 2 years ago and told myself that there must be 3km to go at most. I took off at this point, telling myself that if I was capable of running a marathon, I had the endurance necessary to win this fight. The 3 other runners fell back now and I accelerated to just above 15km/h. I was encouraged when runners from the 10km race shouted out encouragement with one remarking "Look at this jet go!". Downhill now back into town and I knew that there was only one difficulty left, the climb back up the stairs to the ruins before the last descent to the finish line. I was determined that they wouldn't catch me now, but as I arrived at the bottom of the steps, I slipped and fell, winding myself slightly in the process.

The climb to the top was a killer and I could hear one of the runners from the group catching me, trailing me by about 10m now. I hit the top and let fly again down the steps and then down the cobbles through town. He was still trailing me and I passed the 10km runners at top speed, determined not to lose in this final 500m. A sprint to the end around the last bend and I finished in 1:23:07, about 10 seconds ahead of my rival. We congratulated each other and then the 2 others as they arrived 40 seconds later. Really satisfying to have held them all off at the end and I was pleased with my run which, I have to admit, was mentally draining after the marathon still in my legs. I suffered on the uphills and need some hill training if I want to do well in the approaching cross-country season.

Renault, Stéphane, Anne, Dominique and Pierre-Yves finished after me in this order. Anne ran really well to finish in 1:46 despite losing her shoe in a mud puddle at one point in the process. This was an 18 minute improvement on her time with Laurence 2 years ago and shows how much both have improved since then.

Good fun and shame that Nico wasn't there as I think that I would have given him a good run for his money.

Official results are here: results. I finished in 23 place in 1:23:05 and 8th veteran.

Running with Paul

Went for an easy run Satruday morning with Paul and Laurence to chateau du Val and back.

Paul had decided that he was not going to enjoy it today and made a fuss about the whole affair. We ended up running the first kilometre at a reasonable pace (5:40) and then it went fast downhill from then on. Finished the circuit in 47:28 or an average speed of 6:37 per km.

It's terrible to see the impact of your mind on your capability to run. Once he'd decided that it was too much of an effort and that he wasn't motivated, he just gave up mentally and didn't want to make an effort.

Disappointing run for him. I was not bothered as I was running a race that evening and didn't want to push hard in any case.

Stockholm snow

I was feeling great today. One of those days when you're just full of energy and raring to go. I'd felt this before I'd even got my running kit on but this proved spot on when I got out in the cold and began to run.

I'm in Stockholm on business and the climate change at this time of year is considerable. I left a relatively mild and wet Paris and arrived in cold, snowy Stockholm with about 10cm of snow lying around and a temperature of -1°C. I'd packed a running jacket and a headband but I'd forgotten just how cold your hands get when it's like this. I regretted not having thought about these after the first kilometre.

It was my usual route in Stockholm form the Marriot Courtyard (great hotel by the way - fully recommend it if you're staying in the Swedish capital) so down to the lake (actually the sea as I was informed by my Swedish colleagues later. Don't know whether this is a language problem for instance as the distinction between pond and lake but they insisted that this is bigger than a lake!). Anyway along to the city hall over 2 bridges to the far side and along the lakeside until the West bridge, where I changed for once and ran under onto another island. A small tour of this island in the pitch black, almost slipping on the ice, before heading back to the West bridge, over this and then back to the hotel.

10.1 km all up in 44:20 or an average of 4:23 per km. It would have been faster but for the uphills and the stretch in the dark where I had to slow down. All the flat, lit sections were run at marathon speed (4:10 pace).

Great feeling out there today. Felt like when I was running when I was young in the dark - full of energy and you feel as though you can run forever.Hope this continues...

Running in the dark

Early morning, half asleep but the first few steps are convincing enough as I seem to have plenty of energy and the pace is good. I manage a couple of kilometres like this before I ease off on the third and then gradually build up the pace again until the end.

This was really a sort of personal fartlek session where I went out fast, eased and then built it up again, finishing at just under 4:00 per km pace. I was enjoying myself so I added in an extra loop in the park at Maisons Laffitte. I spotted a couple of other runners out there both looking serious. Let's face it, you have to be serious to be running round town mid-Autumn at 6:00am in the morning.

11.8km all up in 52:38 or 4:26 per km.

Congratulations to Tom in coming 3rd in the JP Morgan challenge in Sydney - fantastic result. Proud to be known as his brother (OK make the most of it - this won't last long!)
Looking forward to Saturday's race and seeing Nick out running again, even if he won't be racing hard.
Might take up Nico's advice and turn this into a romantic blog where I post about gossip and scandal in runners lives rather than writing about my own athletic prowess. Who knows, I might get a book deal and be able to retire early - that's at around 65 here in France now that the new law has been passed!

Autumn recovery run

Just managed to find the motivation to get myself out of bed at 6:00 am again this morning but it was a close run thing. I hit the off button on the alarm radio and seriously thought about closing my eyes again and having a lie-in. Then I thought about how much I'd achieved recently and that I didn't want this patch of form to disappear simply because I was too lazy to get out of bed. So I got up.

My legs were feeling tight after yesterday's race, especially my left thigh, so I decided to just take it easy. What I failed to take into account is that autumn has finally arrived and that it's getting cold outside. At 5°C, I didn't want to be hanging around, so my easy run turned into a let's not get too cold, too quickly sort of a run.

I ran down to the Seine, soaking my feet in the process as I ran through some enormous puddles. Luckily, it had stopped raining, otherwise my limited motivation would have disappeared completely: I couldn't handle rain and cold. I didn't look at the Garmin as it signalled every kilometre with a beep as it was already low on battery and I didn't think it would make it to the end of the run. It didn't. The battery finally ran out at 10k when there was 300m left to run, so I never saw my final time. However, I did see that I was on schedule to run around 45:xx for the 10.3k which felt normal since I'd ben running between 4:25 and 4:30 per km.

10.3k all up in 45:xx then. A good start to the week and I felt far better by the end of the run, having enjoyed myself and glad that I'd gone out. Motivation is improving daily...

Cross Toto Vermet

It was the annual club cross-country race again today and I had decided that although I wasn't in the mood to take on a full-blown race so soon after the Toulouse Marathon, that I should still defend my unmerited title as 1st vet from last year's race.

The race plan was clear, I wasn't going to try and hold on to either Gérald or Nico but to run my race and to follow either Bruno or Thierry around the course and just push it at the end to win and retain my title. So much for the plan, what actually happened ?

We ran to the start of the race at an easy jog and having picked up my bib, we all set off for a survey of the course and a 3km loop both to warm-up and see how much mud was present. I'd put on my trail shoes since it had rained really heavily yesterday and I was convinced that the path back up to the start would be waterlogged and muddy. This was probably a bad shout as the path was relatively dry with only a few pools of water on the final stretch.

All the main players were there: Nico, Jean-Marc, Gérald, Bruno W, Thierry but no sign of Bruno P (Nice-Cannes marathon next week) so that was one competitor less and I only had Thierry to worry about. Thierry had struggled at training on Thursday night on the track and I was fairly confident that I could beat him if I stayed close.

We lined up at the start, all 71 of us, and unlike most races there is no jostling as to the position on the line. Since everyone knows each others abilities, there is a natural order which establishes itself and it is one of the most courteous races in which I've taken part. We set off moderatley and I let the front runners gain a few metres from the gun. It was only after 300 metres of downhill that I started to pay attention as to what was going on up ahead and then Thierry came past. I latched onto him as he did and we passed Mireille on the first uphill section. Nico wasn't too far ahead and he'd let a little gap grow between himself and the front, with Gérald ahead of him here. I stuck to Thierry closely and as the course flattened out towards 2 km and juts before the start of the uphill back to finish the 3 km loop, I felt really easy and overtook him as I thought that he was tiring slightly.

In retrospect, this was probably a mistake and I should have hung longer on his shoulder before making an effort. As it was, I passed him and didn't make sufficient effort to make a break and another 200m later, he came past me again. I hung on tight now but mentally, he'd been saved and I could see that his stride looked more fluid. We ran past Nick who'd come along to support us. I really appreciated his words of comfort as I passed him: "Come on James. Make an effort" - thanks mate!

We finished the first lap in 11:05 and this was faster than last year for me but I definitely felt easier. Mireille finished behind beating her own record by 2" and there was a bigger gap between us than last year. The front group had made 20 seconds on us by now and I could see that Nico had caught and passed Gérald and that on the second lap that both Thierry and I were starting to reel him in. We ran up the short hill for the second time and I began to tire at this point, having run 4k of the 6k race. Thierry was running smoothly and I could see that bar an explosion on his part, I would have difficulties catching him now. Gérald maintained his distance at this point as probably both Thierry and I slowed down our pace. These positions stayed like this until the end of the race and it was only afterwards that I was cross with myself for not having made a bigger effort to catch Thierry.

I finished 6th overall in 23:04 beating last year's time by 2" but a minute down on Nico who ran a superb 21:58, despite complaining about the 15k we ran yesterday which tired him out! Gérald finished 17 seconds ahead of me and Thierry 9. I was pleased with my time and the shape I'm in despite still suffering the after-effects of the marathon. Looking forward to running at Montfort l'Amaury and the night trail.

14,2 k all up in 1:12.

Cora and back

It was a miserable day today. One of those autumn days where it feels as though the sun hasn't yet risen and the light is somewhere between dawn and daylight. Not just that it was dark and bleak, but just as I stepped out ot go for my morning run, it decided to rain too. Not a heavy rain, just a mild drizzle to begin with and then it became more sustained.

It had been a general call-out to the usual suspects but only Nico was in a state fit to run. Nick is injured with lumbago, Didier was stuck in Frankfurt airport on his way back from Hong Kong, and Paul was ... God knows where Paul was but he wasn't answering his e-mails.

Nico and I set out at 8:30 along the usual route. It was the usual route for me at least but the first time that Nico had run this route with me. I set out at the usual pace, starting slowly to begin with leaving Le Mesnil and then speeding up to around 4:30 pace. Nico is unused to training at this pace and we eased off as we approached Cora, admittedly we'd sped up unwittingly to 4:25 pace and neither of us was comfortable.

My overall feeling was that my cold that has now been with me for 2 weeks is still present and caused me to cough while I was running. My legs still haven't recovered from the marathon and I felt the bottom of my thighs ache from about 8km onwards. We finished the 15km in 1:09 which is on par for the usual route but I felt tired towards the end and recently this course at this pace has been a breeze.

So, in summary, good run with great company and we had a good chat all the way round. We had a good discussion as to our views on the lovelife of several members of the club which is always fun. We bumped into Hélène and Brigitte on the way back and they congratulated me (and Laurence) on our performance in Toulouse which was lovely. Nico asked me if I'd specially prepared my fan club to be waiting in the forest like that, but I think that this was just jealousy! Don't know if I'm ready for a race tomorrow even if it is a club event but I'll give it a try as I've my place as first vet to defend. Legs are still not fully recovered for the marathon though and that's a cert.

Thursday club session

I've been letting my hair down lately, which is ironic coming from me. The customary seriousness with which I take my training, my determination to follow my training plans, my early morning runs, etc. All of this has gone out of the window since Toulouse and now I'm paying the price.

I stepped on the scales this morning and then immediately wished that I hadn't. 77.4kg was the verdict. This is over 2 kg heavier than when I ran the marathon and 3kg heavier than at the peak of my training mileage. I have to admit that I've been drinking a few more beers recently, relaxing more in the morning and generally relaxing and enjoying life now that I don't have an objective to achieve. Where has this led ? To a big belly and a weight complex.

I arrived at the club with some determination this evening. Not necessarily to run a tough session but to get some exercise and to burn a few calories. Large turnout when I arrived: Nico, Gérald, Bruno, Thierry, Jean-Marc and then some fast guys: Tom, Jéremy and Mohamed. Miguel announced that the session for the evening was 500m the 4x1k followed by 300m to finish.

We warmed up and with Nico and Gérald we chatted about Toulouse and the fact that I could now die peacefully since I'd beaten Mireille's record over one distance at least which neither of the others could claim to have achieved (yet)! We got back to the track and Gérald announced to Mireille the contents of our chat (he doesn't know anything about male solidarity - we'll put this down to his age) and she announced that I'd beaten her time for now but that it wouldn't last. Bruno added that I'd better start training for London as he was going to beat me - so a lot of mouth but we'll wait for the real tests to begin.

The track session was hard. I didn't have a watch on but I ran with Gérald for the first few intervals as we trailed behind the group with Mohamed, Jéremy, Nico and Jean-Marc and so he was able to give me an idea of the splits:

1:38 for 500m, then the 1 km splits went something like 3:25, 3:30, 3:32, 3:38. Last 300m in 53 or so seconds approx.

I find the start easy enough but the lactic rose quickly over the 1k intervals and I was falling off the back quickly by the end. Mohamed was running those in 3:06, Nico in 3:18 - 3:20 and Gérald was between 3:20 - 3:30 depending on how hard he pushed. Good tough session and great to be running with the others. I haven't run intervals this hard in a while and I felt the effort. As I said to the others, it's easier to run a marathon than these.

About 11km all up for the evening.

Surprise of the evening was to hear that Bruno, having run Venice marathon in 2:58 is still intent on running Nice - Cannes marathon in a couple of weeks time after completing his marathon preparation this time. It won't be enough to beat me in London in the Spring though. Bruno you've been warned ;)

Toulouse marathon update

Here's the official link to my new PB as certified by the FFA (gun time only I'm afraid ;o) ).

Video of me finishing here: video

Just a few more photos of me that I found during the marathon last weekend. I've sorted them into chronological order with the first photos having been taken around the 20km mark.







These next photos are around the 30km mark

These 2 are around 35km and you can see how with another runner we broke away from the little pack that were with us just 4-5 kilometres back.


Well he might have been fresh enough to do the thumbs up for the camera but he hit the wall after that and finished 1:30 after me. Next photo is at 38k and I've just overtaken someone suffering in the final stages.

This is at 41.5km and I'm just concentrating on finishing the bugger !

Brussels training

We were in Brussels this weekend, meeting old friends and making the most of the long weekend with the bank holiday today. I'd caught an awful cold last week and I was having trouble getting rid of it, coughing during the night and losing sleep. I was hoping that the weekend away and relaxing away from work would be beneficial in getting me over the cold. Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy.

Laurence and I set out for a run together this morning. The appart'hotel where we were staying was just under a kilometre away from the park, and we set out in this direction. By the time we got to the park, it was obvious that the tendon pain that Laurence had contracted under her foot post-marathon was not getting any better and she told me to push on while she eased off the pace. This is very frustrating for her as it would seem that the only way that she'll get over this is by resting her foot for a while. Having completed her third marathon in a record time and looking fitter than ever, this is not exactly part of her plans.

I ran on and felt happy to be back out, with the worst of the cold behind me now. I sped up a little and saw the Garmin showing 4:16, 4:22, ... so I knew that I was running well again. A quick toilet stop in Brussels park after 5k and I carried on at my previous pace. When I left the park after 9km, I could feel my thigh muscles aching again. This is the after-effects of the marathon and it's easy to underestimate the damage that this race does to your legs and the time necessary to repair the impact. I won't push my training levels too hard until December now and try and complete a race before the end of the year, to finish this year on another high.

10.2k all up in 46:51 or an average of 4:37.

Just finished reading Born to Run by Christopher Mc Dougall. This was a really good book and discusses the likelihood that mankind evolved and survived Neanderthals by our ability to run long distances and to hunt down other mamals by running them into exhaustion. He also discusses the impact of shoe manufacturers on running injuries and basically states that most of our running injuries today are caused by the comfort of modern day shoes. This encourages inefficient running styles and exacerbates heel impact on the lower half of the skeleton. Great story, well told with some larger than life characters. Makes me want to take up ultra-trail running ! I'm definitely running with a big smile on my face at the moment.

Wednesday jog

I couldn't resist the temptation to go out for a run during the week. After the marathon you're supposed to rest and recover before you begin training again but the frustration of not going running at all is just too great. I couldn't contain myself any longer and went for an easy jog first thing in the morning just to see how the body was faring.

I really did take it easy this morning and just let myself feel good about being back outside again and enjoying the early morning feeling of running around town. I could feel the tension in my leg muscles, mostly my thighs, from the start and decided that I would be foolish to do the usual distance of around 10k but cut it short and ran the route I used to do when I first started training seriously.

I checked the Garmin after the first kilometre: 5:15 - this was perfect and then didn't look at it again but just relaxed and enjoyed the sensations.

7.6 km all up in 40:42 or 5:18 per km ! This was most certainly an easy run but I don't think that I could have managed any harder. Legs were stiff and tired and the muscle aches in the thigh are still very present.