Cora with the boys

Nico asked if I was going ot Cora this Saturday and whether we could run together. Nice idea I thought. It's good to run with some company and Nico and I have a good chat together, talking about the club and what goes on and the forthcoming races etc. I receive a mail on Friday saying that Jean-Marc is coming along too. Now I know that I've been injured and made a fairly good recovery so far, the thought of running with Nico was fairly daunting but running with Jean-Marc is a step up again. It's an easy run James. Don't worry. They'll be taking it easy.

I left the house at 8:00am and Nico was ouside a couple of minutes after. Jean-Marc arrived, parked his car and we set off though Le Mesnil and up to the crossroads before heading off into the forest. The first kilometre was easy enough in 5:12 but as soon as we got into the forest, the pace heated up to 4:33 and it felt quick and then 4:23, 4:30, 4:27.

We left one part of the forest and crossed over the road and then down the wide path into the second section of forest that surrounds the Cora lake. Nico and Jean-Marc were increasing the pace gradually and I was just concentrating on not acting like somebody not able to keep up and clenching my teeth in the process. They looked easy; I didn't feel it. 4:03 and I thought that the Garmin had gone wrong. We were close to Cora now and I thought that we could ease the pace going around the lake. And we did: 4:14, 4:14, 4:11 and then up the hill to Pavillon de la Muette where I always slow down to accommodate for the hill. Well I slowed down but Jean-Marc and Nico didn't - 4:20.

This carried on to the end of the run when we hit the tarmac again and the roads back though Le Mesnil to the house. We finished at 3:47 pace and a total time of 1:04:25 or an average pace of 4:20 per km for the 15km. I was shattered but pleased to have made it around so fast. Nico and Jean-Marc both admitted to having felt a slight tiredness in their legs towards the end. But I think they were just being kind. I felt a large void where my lungs and heart were supposed to be, but it's improving. Gradually.