Col de Jambaz

This course from Onnion up the slope into Megevette and then past the church and up the east side of the valley now figures as one of my classic routes from our holiday club. It's just over 18 km all of the way around and my record is just under 1:20 which I (almost) recorded last year but the Garmin had no battery left and so it's an unofficial record.

I set out this morning in the pouring rain. Laurence and I set off together to the astonishment of everybody else present at the club when we left. The rain was chucking it down and it took all over 90 seconds for the rain to seep through my waterproof (sic) running top and to soak me to the skin. A quick stop to sort out Laurence's garmin and then I was off, not willing to hang about and just eager to get back to the warmth and shelter of our lodgings.

The first section up to Megevette is steady uphill and the garmin was showing between 4:30 and 4:40 per km so I was pleased with my progress. I hadn't been running since Thursday when I ran 20km with Laurence and a friend so I was well relaxed and had plenty of energy. I cut down right after the church in Megevette and then ran the flattest section but through a muddy field before rejoining the main road and running the last 3km uphill to the col. I looked at the watch at the top: 45 minutes to run 9 km so 35 minutes to run back the same distance.

I let myself go down the hill and saw a couple of splits of around 3:53 before choosing to ignore the watch and to just enjoy the pace at my own rhythm. I was coming back down the long straight into Megevette when I saw Laurence ahead and realised that she was not running the 12km that she'd said she'd run. I passed her at speed and waved as I went by. It was still chucking it down and I thought about running with her before deciding rapidly to push on in order to try and beat the record and get back to the dry as quickly as possible.

The easiest section was now after Megevette where the road goes downhill again with a good slope. I ran 3:50 here and fished with the little uphill back into the centre. 1:19 to complete the course so I'd made it down in 34 minutes for the last 9km. My kit was completely drenched from the shoes, to the shorts, to the jacket and cap. Felt very good with the run, where I wasn't out of breath or struggling at any moment.

18 km all up in 1:19:42 or an average of 4:25 per km. Laurence ran her 15 km in 1:26 so slightly slower than last year but without forcing either.