Marathon training with the girls

Still feeling pretty tired after the race but decided that an easy session would do me the world of good so I settled on a marathon training session with the girls in preparation for Paris marathon in a few weeks time. They had a couple of 30 minute intervals to do at future marathon pace (marathon pace - 10 seconds per kilometre) and that suited me fine.

Turned up with Laurence at the designated starting point in the forest close to St Nom la Breteche waiting for the others to turn up. There was Katia, Sandra, Catherine, Laurence (of course) and Philippe who had turned up to accompany Catherine. We set off at an easy pace for 10 minutes before starting to run at 4:50 pace. In fact, we managed to average around 4:45 pace for the first 30 minutes and then enjoy a 5 minute recovery before the second 30 minutes which were completed at just faster than 4:50 pace. Considering that the target pace was 4:50 and they all looked fairly comfortable in achieving this, I was most impressed. They have been very serious in their preparation and in following the marathon training plan, and without any major meteorological incident or injury, they should all be very close to achieving the 3:30 objective.

It's a really nice group and I thoroughly enjoyed accompanying them over the distance. I was able to relax and recover and yet participate in a tough session for them and encourage them at the same time. The only disappointment was Philippe feeling a pain in his achilles tendon (which was later confirmed as tendinitis) thus forcing him to pull out of the Paris marathon.

13.8 km all up in 1:08 or an average pace of 4:56 / km.

Ecotrail photos

Just a few photos taken of me and the gang on Saturday to give you a picture of what it was all about:

Recovery (and praise...)

I tried to make the most of my performance over the weekend by turning up at the club for the Tuesday session to hear everyone wax lyrical about my Ecotrail run. I ended up getting caught in a jam, turning up 5 minutes late and missing everything.

I ran a few loops around the track, just taking it easy as I wasn't able to do anything more anyway. The pain in my thighs was still present and I didn't want to push it. Plenty of people cam up to me to congratulate me on a great run, which thrilled me to bits. It's always a pleasure to be cheered on by your peers who understand the pain and the efforts necessary to complete these events.

I ended up running 9.5 km around the edge of the track in just over 57 minutes or 6:00 / km. Faster than this was just not possible. I understand why they advise to stop running for a week after a race like this.

Ecotrail - 80 km

I entered the Ecotrail several months ago. I don’t really know what force motivated me to participate but I’d decided that it was a good challenge to take up and it would also give me points to enable me to enter the UTMB next year. It was one of those ideas that seemed good at the time. Last night, I began having serious doubts about my bright ideas, especially having seen the weather forecast which was predicting a lovely sunny day with an uncharacteristically high 21°C for springtime.

Laurence drove me to the start in St Quentin en Yvelines to the leisure park. The last time I’d been here was to take part in the cross-country championships a couple of years ago. Then, it had been a freezing cold January morning. Today, it was a very warm, sunny spring day – too warm to be running 80 kilometres in my opinion. The distance was going to be the clincher. I’d never run this far before as the longest race in which I’d participated was a measly 58km, still a half-marathon short of the distance to be covered now. However, I wasn’t to be alone, as the crowds in the fields surrounding the lake proved. There were over 2000 people lining up for the start of this race.

Laurence kissed me goodbye and wished me well. She was going back to the house to relax before meeting up with François, Katia and Sandra to travel to Paris and come to St Cloud to meet me at 7:00pm in St Cloud so that we could run the last 10km together. I’d assured them that I would not be outrunning them at this point and that they would have no problems in keeping up with me. I was already mildly stressed about this: would I make it to the meeting point in time, would I be able to manage the distance, how would I cope with the heat. I talked to some friends of ours at the start. Philippe and Anne had run the race last year and were now back again, gluttons for punishment. Other runners from the club were there too and we chatted and took some commemorative photos before the start, discussing our race objectives. Mine was to finish in under 8 hours. An average speed of 10km/h seemed appropriate considering the uphill over the course and the total distance.

I lined up at the start and waited in the middle of the pack. I had begun by winding my way through the field to begin with but I was bothered about seeming to ambitious in such a relaxed atmosphere. With all their rucksacks and water pouches on their backs, most of the field looked like they were about to set off for a picnic. Peculiar bunch of people these trailers. The gun went and we were off. It took me about 40 seconds to get over the start line but I figured that this was not important considering what lay ahead. It wasn’t a few seconds that would determine my performance and finishing place today. We set off through a large field to begin with before joining a wide track that followed the lakeside. I set off at a comfortable pace at about 4:50/km, passing people steadily and gradually working my way up the field. As we rounded the far end of the lake, I could see the front of the field about 500m ahead. I wondered how fast they were running to have made so much distance after only 3 or 4 km and how on earth they could hope to keep this up over the total distance.

The path was relatively flat and easy to run along. There were a couple of slight slopes that lasted a few metres but these were no problem to run up and it was easy going and a steady 4:45/km pace when we finally left the leisure park after 8 kilometres and headed into town. I felt we’d stepped into a different world at this point: people going about their Saturday shopping with bags and pushchairs watched this troop of back-packing lunatics running over footbridges, beside tower blocks and through their parks. We had a few words of encouragement and a few people clapped, but most looked at us as though we were aliens, just stepped off their spaceship from a different planet.

Laurence called me on the mobile phone after an hour to find out how I was doing. The phone was part of the obligatory equipment necessary for the race, along with a headlamp, a survival blanket, food and a reflective armband. I answered the phone at the second attempt, fishing it out of the rucksack pocket as I ran through the forest. At this point, I was speaking to Laurence with the phone in one hand and overtaking other runners. I felt really good, passing the others with a nonchalant look all the while telling Laurence how I was doing. How long would this last?

The first feeding station was at Buc after 22km. I’d been running for just over 1:45 now and I still felt good. The heat was bearable and I’d been sipping a water/orange mix from the camelbak regularly to keep myself hydrated. I made the most of this stop and helped myself to the food on offer: some slices of sausage, a handful of raisins, a few cheese crackers and a complete refill of the camelbak. I was out of the feeding station after 3 minutes and 30 seconds, no time wasted and back onto the track. The path was hillier now having been relatively flat for the first 20 kilometres with only a couple of hills just before Buc. Still, I was confident that I would be fine until the next feeding station at 35km as they would be more regularly spaced at around every 10 km or so.

Laurence called me again and told me that I was in 89 position overall and 29^th veteran at this point (in fact I was 118^th but I must have misunderstood/misheard). I was pleased and this gave me a boost to know that I was so far up the field having run at a fairly easy but steady pace to now. Nevertheless as we passed the 35 km mark, a runner passed me (first during the race) and I pushed on slightly to stay with him. I asked him how he was doing. Apparently fine, as he told me that he’d run at his 24 pace for the first couple of hours and was now moving up the field. He asked me what place we were and I told him that we must be around 80. He announced that he was chasing a position in the top 30. I was slightly mystified as to what his 24 pace meant and asked him to explain. He was saving energy and had adopted his 24 hour race pace. “Marathon too short for you?”, I enquired. He was an extreme distance runner and as the path rose through the forest, he carried on at his pace leaving me behind. I walked.

The feeding station never materialized at 35km. I pulled out the roadbook the organizers had given us and looked closely. There wasn’t a feeding station, just a spot to give-up for those tempted. The next feeding station was at Meudon at 45km and it was water only. I was tempted but carried on regardless. I was a little down-hearted by this news as I’d been looking forward to a rest and some food. It was hot now and I was drinking steadily from the water pouch. I could tell that the rucksack was considerably lighter than at Buc. A couple of sugar tablets helped improve my mental state and I focused on my time and distance and how long I had until St Cloud where I was meeting my support team.

Meudon took a while to reach and the organizers hadn’t taken the simplest path. 45 km under the belt and 35 km to go. I was over half-way. I filled my camelbak here completely. I’d finished 2 litres of water in the last 2 hours and 23 km. I was slightly dehydrated and very hungry. I wolfed down some Gü Chomps, which tasted delicious and instantly lifted my spirits. I must have been severely low on my blood-sugar levels and hadn’t realized. The Garmin was showing that I’d already burnt off around 3500 calories. This was some crash diet. I tried to rationalize my thoughts now. I was tired and slowing, having run only just over 10km in the last hour. I had 25 km to St Cloud and the meeting point and 3 hours to get there. I could slow down further and still manage this easily so no panic on this front. I set off again.

There was a large panel at 47km showing 47km. Apart from the feeding stations there had been no signs up until now. What on earth? It was a control point. I was asked to empty my bag and show the obligatory equipment: headlamp, identity card and reflective armband. Damn, I’d forgotten my armband and now they were telling me that this would cost me 10 minutes of forced wait. I said that I hadn’t realized (which was true as the roadbook I used as a reference that morning to fill the bag didn’t mention this) and they saw the union jack on my bib and “James”. “Are you English?”. I hesitated wondering if this was a trap: 2 French xenophobes eager to dump me in the sin-bin. I replied in the affirmative and they said that I could carry-on. The relief was enormous and I waited until I went around the corner before trying to call Laurence to tell her about it. I pulled the phone from the rucksack pocket and wondered what all the pink fluff stuck to it was doing there. I looked closer and the phone wouldn’t move screens despite me punching all the keys. After a quick look in the pocket, the pink stuff was discovered to be the roadbook that had disintegrated when I’d sprinkled myself with water back at Meudon. The pocket had become wet and the phone had stopped working. Shit, shit, shit! What was I going to do now? I held the phone in my hand and ran for a while with the pocket open, hoping it would dry rapidly in the heat. I tired of holding the phone while running and slipped it back in the pocket. It was too late now. I just had to get to St Cloud for 7:00pm and hope that nothing happened to me in the meanwhile.

I was struggling to run under 5:30/km now. The effect of the heat, the distance and the uphills had all taken their toll and my legs were aching, mostly in the thighs. The phone rang. It was Laurence and the heat had dried out both the rucksack pocket and the phone and I was able to answer. She was in the car with François heading to Paris on the motorway. In fact, I wasn’t that far from them and this encouraged me to keep pushing and to get to our meeting point. The terrain was slightly easier now too and there must have been a good uphill rise to Meudon as the going was flatter here and not quite as tiring. I met up with another lone runner, Pierre-Yves who started chatting to me. It was his first long trail too and, as a 2:53 marathon runner, he was more used to the road. We had a lot in common and chatted together before a slight uphill got the better of me and while I gave in and walked, he jogged on.

Chaville, the feeding station at 55 km arrived sooner than expected and I was able to fill up again on food and water with my camelbak not as empty as last time due to the shorter interval. I rinsed my head and face again and soaked my neckscarf that was protecting me from the sun and keeping me cool(ish). I spent a good 5 minutes recovering here before finding the energy to push on. I no longer had the energy to run fast downhills; I was walking every uphill; and I was counting down the kilometres to St Cloud. I ran down to Ville d’Avray and the ponds there, just concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. I sincerely regretted the marathon where I would have finished over 10 km ago. My body, and most especially my legs, was a wreck and I had to watch my stride as an unfortunate footstep would start minor cramps in my ankles, calves or thighs depending on whether I was running uphill, downhill or in a rut when I was careless with my foot placement. Pierre-Yves was 100 metres in front now but I was catching him while he walked. I took satisfaction in the thought that we all suffer in the same manner. A lonely figure stood next to his bike in the woods watching the race and as I passed he called out to me: ‘Keep it up James’. I looked at him more closely and it was Jean-Marc from the club. Had he not called out, I would have run right past him without noticing. He accompanied me for a while on the bike but had to leave in order to get back home before dark. He left and I walked instantly, relieved he wasn’t there to see me.

Laurence called but when I pulled the phone from the pocket, I couldn’t answer it. The phone was damp again and I'd done exactly the same thing in Chaville as Meudon. I cursed myself for being such an idiot. She rang again and again and all I could do was to watch helpless. I had to meet up to explain but that was still a while off.

Running was painful now. Each stride hurt my thighs: a constant, deep ache that was tearing at my muscles. It was a permanent battle to keep from walking as this was the only way to stop the hurt. I focused on my Garmin and the distance left to cover. I was getting closer to our meeting point and I could see that I’d be ahead of schedule. I remembered stretches from last year and knew that it wasn’t far. I entered the park in St Cloud and ran down the edge before cutting back over the main section and saw the fannions and arch of the Ecotrail that marked the feeding station. Would they have arrived yet ? I entered the feeding station and saw 4 red Florence marathon tee-shirts matching mine. The support team were there waiting for me. I was so relieved and happy to see them. I was almost home now.

I had some food and drink and unloaded some excess and unnecessary items (like the phone) on them. I was thrilled to be able to run with people I knew who’d help me to the end now. We set off again and I relaxed down the hill, running the next couple of kilometres in 4:45. The girls looked worried as they were at 10km pace, but I knew that this was too good to last. At the bottom of the park, the road rose ever so slightly, the sort of slope that you don’t normally bother about, but I told Laurence that I’d need to slow down. She looked at me with surprise and adjusted her pace. François was taking revenge for Etampes and kept a few metres ahead, taunting me unconsciously with his energy and pace. I struggled on and we ran 5:15/km for the next couple of kilometres.

I stopped to walk. The others continued running. I wondered how long it would take them to realise I was no longer with them. 10 seconds later, they stopped too, surprised, astonished even, to see that I’d reached such a nadir in terms of energy that I'd need to walk. It wasn’t just the energy though, there was the constant pain that had not disappeared. I might be with friends, but this enemy wouldn’t leave me alone. We ran alongside the Seine past Issy and then under the ring-road into Paris. The Eiffel tower was visible now. The end was in sight. I reckoned that we had 4 kilometres to go.

We were caught by a couple of runners but I was beyond caring. Pierre Yves caught us and admired the fan club. He accused me of cheating and so Sandra felt sorry for him and ran alongside him to give him some encouragement too. Mind you, Pierre Yves was not the only one who admired our little group. A few cars beeped their horns as a sign of encouragement and passer-bys admired the women and cheered them on too. I had made the effort but passed by almost unnoticed in such glamorous company. We dropped down to the banks of the Seine and we were almost there now. A last flight of steps and then marshals blocked the traffic so we could cross the street to the foot of the Eiffel tower. I picked up the pace for the last time and high-fived Miguel who was on the podium with the mike. The atmosphere was fantastic and I was over the moon. We ran to the foot of the tower and were each passed a ticket to go up the stairs to the first floor and the finish. 369 steps later and we passed under the finishing arch on the first floor. 7 hours 33 minutes and 59 seconds of effort to cover 78 kilometres and 1700 metres of uphill and finish 47^th overall and 14^th in my category. Beer and coke were on offer however I just looked around for a chair to collapse into but they were all taken by other exhausted runners. It was finally over. An epic account of an epic race.

The stats: 

      -          2 049 starters

-          1 694 finishers

-          47^th overall in 7:33:59

-          14^th V1 (40 – 50) veteran

-          78 km from St Quentin to the Eiffel tower

-          1 700 metres of uphill over the course

-          4 feeding stations of which 3 had food

-          Fastest time of 5:45 for Erik Clavery (world trailer champion)

-          One sleepless night as leg pain woke me every time I moved

-          3 days for the aches to wear off from my legs

Easy club session

I hadn't made it out running once this week, so I was pleased to be able to get to the club on Thursday for an easy session with the guys. I wasn't bothered about not running as I was tapering before the Ecotrail but I couldn't help feeling a pang of remorse for not having been getting out before then.

I turned up with nothing special on my mind for the session. I was pleased to see François and to chat after his excellent run in Rueil where he beat 1:24 finishing 2nd in his category in the process. He was planning a 12x200m session with Nat and I was happy to join in with them.

Before starting we made the most of the evning light by all heading into the forest for the warm-up. There was a good turn-up and plentyn of discussions around the forthcoming races and the events in Aubergenville. Nico ran a good 35:17, slightly disappointed I think not to beat the 35 minute barrier and Jean-Marc pulled out, together with Ylies and Eric C. Most of best runners from the club pulled the lever, leaving Momo to rock home in 31:50, a new club record over the distance.

Back to the track and the seriousness began. Not for me, but for Nat and François who were both aiming for their 200m intervals in 38 seconds with a 100m recovery. They went as follows:

37, 37, 37, 36, 37, 36, 37, 36, 36, 36, 36, 32 (just playing for the girls!)

Recoveries were all around 50 seconds long.

10.7 km all up in 1:05. Nice, easy session as it wasn't too long but allowed me to stretch my legs for the week.

Ecotrail here we come.

Rueil half marathon - playing the hare

I had been in 2 minds about this race for a long time. Laurence had a half-marathon planned in Rueil while Nico was looking for a showdown with Jean-Marc in Aubergenville. As there is still one week to go before the ecotrail, I had decided that I wouldn't take part in either. But I wanted to see them both ...

It was Katia who finally decided it for me, telling Laurence that it would be a good plan to hire me as a pacemaker for the half-marathon with both of them wanting to break the 1:40 barrier for the first time over the distance. I was thrilled to bits to be asked to pace. Normally Laurence tells me that I stress her out, but here she was asking me politely if I wouldn't mind acting as her hare in the race. I accepted willingly.

We straightened out the rules from the start. I would run at 1:40 pace (4:45 / km) as long as there was someone beside me, be it Katia or Laurence. If both slowed then I would slow too but as long as one kept going I would lead the way. Phewww - I wondered if my marriage would survive this race.

It was a mild, dry day for which we were thankful as the weather had been threatening over the weekend. We met up at the start with Katia, Muriel and François, who was looking to beat 1:24:30 today in line with McMillan for a sub-3hour marathon. I would be coaching the girls. We had an easy 5km warm-up and then headed to the start line ready for the race to begin.

We set off and the start of the race was crowded but not too agressive and we were all able to keep together for the first kilometre in 4:38. Slightly fast, but we'd got over the worst of the traffic now and were able to run more freely. In fact, I spent the early part of the race urging the girls to slow down. There was another woman from the club, Brigitte, and I could tell that both Laurence and Katia were itching to beat her. I just had to remind them that 20 kilometres left them plenty of time in which to do so.

5 km in 23:14 and we were still all together, managing to chat a little so they were holding up well. The course was basically over 2 laps and there was a slightly uphill section between the 6th and 8th kilometre before running beside the Seine to finish the loop. 1 lap gone now and 10 km under our belts in 46:43 still well on target and no undue signs of exhaustion from either of my nymphs. The first sign of easing off came from Laurence around the 13 kilometre mark as we came through the street section of Rueil for the second and last time.

I turned around now and watched her, worried that I'd have to put my plan in action and leave her while I ran with Katia. She urged me to go ahead and to keep the pace while she dropped back a few metres. We came back through to the uphill section in the park and this time it was Katia who fell back and Laurence who came past, overtaking her with a slight burst of pace. The slight uphill section was managed in 4:49 just below pace but with Laurence's acceleration we ran the next in 4:34! Katia fell back and we wouldn't see her until the end of the race.

I encouraged Laurence on now and she was running well, motivated but tiring. Next up, I saw Françoise from the club flagging and coming back to us. I told Laurence that she was catching her and Laurence wouldn't believe it at first as it had ever in her wildest dreams occurred to her that she would beat this runner. She was caught and overtaken in the next couple of kilometres and now there were only 3 to go. Laurence dug in hard and although the pace dropped, I told here that she'd still beat the objective and that all that mattered now was to focus on the finish. The final straight was probably the hardest for me as I wanted her to stretch for the final line but there was almost nothing left. A slight increase in speed to 4:43 pace and she crossed the line in 1:38:01 - a new record.

Great run and I was most proud, both of her and Katia who finished 20 seconds behind. Katia had promised me free beers for an evening if she beat the 1:40 objective so I was a very happy man.

Photo of Laurence in the final straight. Can you tell if she's trying hard or not ?

Saturday long run

I made the most of the fact that Nico was runing in Aubergenville the following day to concentrate on my mileage and to get another long run in before coaching Laurence and the girls over the half-marathon course tomorrow.

I decided not to make to many changes and headed off down the usual route to Corra. I'd had a couple of days off running and was feeling so much better than Wednesday night. It's amazing how much good a bit of sleep does to you and the 2 days rest did no harm either. I set off easily enough but after a couple of kilometres in the forest I was soon running at 4:10 pace and since I felt good, I just decided to see how long I could keep this up without feeling tired. In fact, there were only a couple of kilometres where the pace dropped and this was due to the narrowness of the track rather than fatigue on my part.

I ran around Corra and then back along the wall towards the far end of Maisons Laffitte, near to the racecourse. The track is very narrow here and particularly deserted so I only saw other runners when I got back to the park in Maisons Laffitte. I was still feelig good so I put in a couple of kilometres under 4:00 and ran through the half-marathon distance in 1:29. Not bad for a morning jog.

I ran back along the Seine towards home and then a lap around the house as I pushed to run over 24k to finish. 24.1km all up in 1:42 or an average pace of 4:17/km. Pretty much 3 hour marathon speed all the way around.

Evening run

Perhaps it was because Nico was feeling so guilty about having sent me in the wrong direction yesterday for the club run that he called and asked if I was interested in running with him this evening. I imagined a gentle jog around Maisons Laffitte and so I accepted with pleasure. It's always better to run with somebody than by yourself.

When I met Nico for the run, he had something else in mind though. The quiet run I had in mind flew out of the window when he announced that he wanted to run 3 x 1000m. I'd had a hard day at the office and was physically beat, so the idea of running even 3 short intervals was not very appealing. I was happy to have the company though so I shut up and figured I would see how it would go.

We ran my usual route through Maisons Laffitte as it was dark. My unlit spot down the track to the Seine covered in potholes was not enough to trip Nico up and twist his ankle. Damn it! I still needed to find something to put him off his intervals.

We ran to the 5km marker as a warm-up and then began. As soon as we started, Iknew that I hadn't been making it up. Neither my head nor my legs were interested and it was all I could do to keep Nico in sight. 3:33. The second interval was worse when Nico left at breakneck speed and I lifted the pace before the end as I couldn't take any more. 3:32 (and 3:17 for Nico) and then the third... I jogged while he ran.

I caught him at the end of the park and we ran back together. 12.8 km all up in 54:36 or an average of 4:17 / km. Good job it was just a recovery run.

Doubling up

This would be my only just to get to the club this week so I planned on an easy early morning run to get in a few kilometres before. The main motivation to get to the club was to hear the results announced about the Rambouillet half-marathon and to see the others to congratulate them on their performances.

My legs were only feeling slightly better than yesterday so I didn't push it excessively. However, it was one of those days when you just feel good about yourself and my speed just increased progressively kilometre after kilometre.

I started out at 4:40 then 4:30 down to 4:20 and then ran the second half of the course at under 4:10 pace. I zipped down the hill to finish at 3:49 pace and all up in 54:57 for the 12.8km giving an average pace of 4:17/km.

I only just made it to the club in time so missed my moment of glory. It was great to see everybody again and plenty of congratulations on my performace and encouragements to beat Nico next time! I received instructions from Laurence that they were heading down to Poissy so I ran down in that direction in the hope of catching them having arrived 10 minutes late at the club. After looping round the railway in Poissy there was still no sign of them so I headed back up towards the track.

I was running along the cycle path from Poissy when I spotted a gaggle of female runners in front and was fairly sure that it was Laurence and the gang so I put in a spurt to catch them. True enough, they'd been good enough to come and search for me and I ran back quietly with them. It's actually quite easy to be quiet because they talk enough for double their number. Really pleasant running and we headed back easily to the club before finishing around the track.

11.5 km all up in 58:45 so an easy pace at 5:06 per km. 24 km for the day.

Recovery run

A recovery run around the normal route this morning to try and run some of the fatigue out of my legs. The other ambition was to get plenty of mileage in this week in preparation for the ecotrail in a couple of weeks time.

Legs felt considerably heavier than usual and I could feel how much yesterday's race had taken out of me. Just focused on making it around the course without looking at my watch.

12.8km all up in 57:40 or an average pace of 4:31 / km.

Rambouillet half-marathon

This was to be the second encounter in the Nico - James challenge for 2012 and I had some hopes for the occasion. Admittedly, most of these hopes hinged on Nico running into some trouble during his race and me running a blinder, but as with any race these things can happen. So how did it all pan out ?

French - English rivalry is centuries old and our own racing rivaly is very deep-seated. Following our training together, we are fully aware of each others weaknesses and although Nico is almost sure to beat me over any distance up to and including 10km, beyond this the gap narrows and my endurance compensates for my lack of pace over the shorter distances. Admittedly, I was not confident going into the half-marathon having seen some of the sessions that Nico has been churning out in training these past few weeks but one never knows and sometimes miracles happen.

The taunting began early with an invite from Nico to drive me to the race as he estimated that this would be the most time we'd spend together this morning. I reminded him of the famous English saying of 'pride comes before a fall', wishing that someone out on the forest route would be holding the branch to assist him in the process. We arrived with plenty of time to spare and ran a warm-up over the end of the course. It was immediately obvious that he was full of energy and in fine shape, a week's rest having done him the world of good. In comparison, I felt a little hampered by the humidity and the relative warmth (10°C) and wondered what I would feel like during the race.

There was pressure from all sides too as Nico was best placed to finish in front of me but Benj, his brother ran a 36:47 10 km race in Etampes and was running Rambouillet too, leaving me with no choice but to go out and run my socks off. My main objective for the day, aside from beating my biggest foe, was to beat my PB and go under 1:20 for the first time ever. I'd programmed 3:45 on the virtual partner on the garmin which would lead to a 1:19 finish so I knew I had a minutes leeway.

We set off fast and for the first 3km I sat on Nico's shoulder feeling relatively relaxed and unconcerned about the advance on the designated pace. As soon as we hit the hill on the 4th kilometre though, Nico gapped me and put in a 10 second lead by the top of the hill. We then entered the forest and the gap remained fairly consistent until 10 km which I passed in 37:06 and Nico in 36:53.

I now began to feel the pace though. I'd already begun to tire slightly at 7 and 8 km wondering if I'd be able to keep this up over the half-marathon but by 12 km and a slight uphill section again, I was seriously beginnning to doubt my capability of completing the course. I ran this in 3:50 and although it doesn't sound like much of a slow-down compared to the 3:45 pace set, it felt like the beginning of the end to me. All thoughts of catching Nico disappeared now and I was determined to beat the 1:20 time objective, calculating every kilometre how much extra time I had over the objective, with still being able to complete the goal.

At 14km, Mr Mustache from Houilles caught me and overtook me. I tucked in behind him and overtook him back, passing the 15km marker in 56:02 and a metre ahead of him. He overtook me again in the 16th km and this time I let him go preferring to concentrate on the time objective instead and also since I was worried about red-lining whilst chasing him. There was another runner with him and I followed them both to 18km when the road headed uphill again. I caught them both here and this time I could smell the finish and concentrated on lengthening my stride and reminding myself of my distance training for the marathon which would carry me through.

I passed the last bend and 400m to go and I was cooked. I wondered if I would have the strength to follow if Mr Mustache overtook now. Luckily I never had to try and finished in 1:19:25 - thrilled to bits to make it under the 1:20 barrier. Nico finished in 1:17:47 some 90 seconds ahead and had run the second half of the race a lot better than me. He was chuffed too and already notching up the 2-0 counter in his head.

A good run today and my best race performance of all time, according to McMillan. A good base for the rest of the year but I'm going to need some longer races if I'm going to get close to my French friend. Thank God for an english victory in the rugby - that should keep him subdued on at least one subject.

Pacing Laurence

Laurence is also following her own marathon schedule and as I was racing tomorrow and didn't want to run hard, I promised her that I'd run with her and help her to achieve her objective of 7km in 33 minutes. This equates to 4:42 pace so I wrapped up and we set off together for a half hour warm-up before we attacked the programme for the day.

We ran down towards the hippodrome and began the 7 km after a 5 km warm-up. I was actually quite stressed about my pacing duties and didn't want to set off too fast and tire her or too slowly and miss the morning's objectives. I set up a new screen on the garmin to see the lap pace and used this as my reference. We were very regular and only one kilometre was run slower than the designated pace in 4:43 while the others were well under.

We finished the exercise in 32:33 so well ahead of schedule and I probably gained as much satisfaction doing this as achieving my personal bests over my own training routes. Laurence is running very regularly and her progression in training and racing is most impressive. I'm sure that, barring any unexpected incidents, that she'll beat her PB over the marathon in Paris next month.

14.25km all up in 1:13 so an average pace of 5:07.

Doubling up

I was travelling for business yesterday and I just didn't have time ot fit a run in at all so I went for an early morning recovery run in the hope that I would be able to get to the club for an evening session too.

Usual route around Maisons Laffitte to begin with and it was very pleasant outside. 12.8 km all up in 56:54 or an average pace of 4:27 and as usual it was a case of taking it slowly to begin with and then getting into my stride by the end.

I made it to the club in the evening, albeit 10 minutes late and I changed in the car and did the St Germain warm-up by myself. I didn't have a clue as to what session had been planned but I soon discovered when I got back to the track. I had the choice of joing Philippe, François and Pascal on the epic 20 x 500m (no thanks I've already given this month) or a pyramid session with Miguel of 1000, 1600, 2000, 1600, 1000 off 300 recovery. I chose the latter with reluctance.

I didn't want to bust a gut and jeopardise my chances in the race this weekend so I decided to run with the slower pack and let Jean-Marc lead at the front. I ran with Bruno, Bertrand, Gaël, Miguel and Basile and although I began at the back it wasn't long before I slipped to the front and assumed some pacing duties.

The intervals went as follows:

3:41, 5:51, 7:25, 5:55, 3:20

The last one was me having some fun with Gaël a youngster in his early twenties, showing that there's still some life in the old carcass yet.

14.3km all up in 1:08 or an average of 4:47 for the evening. Good fun and glad I took part. No sign of Nico who was busy resting for this weekend.

3-2-1

I stayed in bed Monday morning. I just couldn't face it. I'd set the alarm but when it rang a little voice in my head said: 'you're too tired' just stay here. So I listened for once and went back to sleep. So when the alarm rang this morning, I felt compelled to get up and go for a run. The marathon training plan stated 8 x 800m but since this sounded like far too much hard work, I settled on a 3-2-1 with the usual objectives (11:30, 7:30, 3:30).

It is getting lighter outside at long last and spring is only just around the corner. I'd put a gore over-jacket on and I regretted this as soon as I started the workout. The first kilometres seemed to be going alright but I was unable to see the garmin properly and find out at what speed I was running. It felt fairly fast, if not totally uncomfortable.

A 3 minute recovery after the first interval and I set off again for the 2 kilometre stretch. This felt better now as I'd built up my heart rate and I was running more smoothly over this section. A 2 minute recovery now and I set off down the back straight in the park of Maisons Laffitte for the final leg. I was able to see the garmin on this last kilometre and I was really pleased to see 3:27 for my final stint.

A quick analysis on the garmin at the end showed that I achieved 11:29, 7:32 and then 3:27 so I just missed the second interval but fairly pleased overall, especially with the short recovery times.

11.6 km all up in 50:37 or an average pace of 4:21

Long Sunday run

I wanted to get the mileage in before attempting the Ecotrail at the end of the month. I'm very conscious that I'm running after 2 hares at the same time (French expression): I want to beat my record at Rambouillet and go under 1:20; secondly, I want to be able to complete the 80km run through the forests of western Paris. So on one hand I need some pace training and now to taper until the race next weekend, and then I also need to keep up the mileage so I don't suffer terribly on the long run.

I chose a compromise by heading out on my long run to St Gemme and St Nom by myself with the firm intention of taking it easy and not pushing the pace too hard. Laurence had told me that François and Philippe were running a 2:15 run from the club and as I ran through the forest from Le Mesnil towards St Germain, I thought it could be a good idea to stop at the club and then to run with them.

I did just this and said hello to the girls and Nico who were doing their own plans for the morning. Laurence and the girls were going for a 2 hour run, and Nico was doing the club session. The turnout was not enormous with the Paris half-marathon on this morning and Thierry and Miguel notably absent. I set off with Philippe, François, Antoine (a friend of François) and Pascal. We headed off to St Gemme too and they informed me that they were running 3 x 15' at marathon pace which suited me fine. We took it easily up the hill to the top of Princess Road before beginning the first of the intervals.

I assumed my pacing duties for François and we set off at 4:15 pace in order to be in line with his 3 hour marathon objective. We did the first interval pretty much in line witht he objective, in fact it was run at 4:10 pace, the start pace defined by François for the next marathon. We then had a 5' recovery during which we were overtaken by a mystery runner going at a fair lick which turned out to be Thierry. He said hi as he passed but didn't stop or chat. The next interval which was a lot harder as we had to run the uphill through St Nom to finish and I began to lose François towards the end as the hill began to hurt.

Another 5' recovery now and for the last interval I headed off at my own speed as I was feeling full of energy and eager to push the pace a little. The first kilometre was 3:56 which was resonable and then I was surprised to see the second in 3:49. The was a slight uphill now and I kept the pushing the pace to see if I could maintain this speed and managed a 3:51 before heading downhill for the last section. A 3:29 pace down the hill to top off the session for the day before the warm-down back to the club with the others.

30.75 km all up in 2:23 so an average pace of 4:40 which is fairly honest. I waited for Laurence to get the lift home from the club although I had enough energy to run the 5km back through the forest. 90km all up this week.

Corra

Nico wanted to run to Corra half an hour later than usual. I was relieved as I immediately thought of the half hour of sleep debt that I could recover. I accepted instantly.

We set off at 9:00am in front of the house and took it easy up to the edge of the forest. I had envisaged an easy run all of the way around and this pace suited me fine. We ran that first kilometre in 5:06 but it stopped there. Second kilometre in 4:19 and that set the tone for the rest of the route. We can't run easily together with Nico. Whenever I pull alongside him, I think he takes this as a sign that I'm finding it too easy so he pushes on a little. I try and keep up and accelerate and so it goes on. Before long, we're running at 3:57 pace alongside the Corra pond and I have to call a break.

What is good is that with both of us having improved so much since last year, we're now still able to hold a conversation while running at 4:10 pace. By 4:00 pace though my conversation has run dry and I'm nearing the red line. We ease off for a couple of kilometres but the pace gradually creeps up again. This time we were running up towards Pavillon de la Muette when Nico had obviously caught his second wind. I'm praying now that he's going to need his habitual toilet stop so that I can grab a breather, but nothing doing. 4:12 up the hill - he's on form and I'm just holding on. I catch up on the flatter section but he's soon off again.

In fact that 4:12 section up towards the house in the forest section is the slowest kilometre we run until we finish the circuit. Even the sandy uphill section is completed at breakneck speed and even a slip from Nico on the sandy path doesn't stop us running this kilometre in under 4 minutes.

14.9 km all up in 1:02 and one of the fastest runs we've done around Corra in a while. Average pace 4:11 and it's a relief to get back, have a cup of tea and to talk about the amourous adventures of our clubmates. Plenty of gossip shared with Laurence when she gets back from her run with the girls. A long run tomorrow and then I'll wind down before the half marathon in Rambouillet next Sunday.

Recovery

This was hard, very hard. You run your socks off the night before, you come back, grab a bite to eat, go to bed and get up at 6:00 am to go running again. The motivation was there. The will to put in the mileage, to improve and to run the lactic out of the legs. But, and this is a big but, your body can only take so much.

I set off tired and close to exhaustion. It's been a busy, wearing week and I was feeling it this Friday. I set off running and decided immediately that there were to be no time objectives today. I would go around the course and be satisfied when I finished. Too bad if it took me 5 minutes per kilometre - I'd just have to have a shorter breakfast and a quicker shower.

My legs were heavy and still full of lactic. They felt as though somebody had poured molten lead into them during the night. I didn't run, I shuffled. I didn't bother looking at the Garmin after the first kilometre but when the second kilometre was beeped by the Garmin slightly too early I glanced at the time at the usual 2 kilometre mark - 9:40. At least I wouldn't have to cut the shower too short...

By the time I began running the 6th kilometre, I'd gotten into my stride. The legs were easing and I was feeling better again. I was running around 4:25/km pace now and I'd reached the favourite place of my run in the park towards Maisons Laffitte castle. The road stops and I'm running down the track alongside the road and the green. It's smoother underfoot with less pressure on the legs and I'm now lengthening my stride and enjoying the stretch. Finally I'm going to be able to enjoy breakfast too.

12.8 km all up in 56:50 or an average pace of 4:26/km. Good recovery.

20 x 500m

This is the classic interval session in the marathon training programme and last year I felt that I'd upped the ante when I ran this with Nico at an average time of 1:43 per interval off 1:15 recovery.

I turned up at the club late with Laurence waiting for me to let me into the changing rooms with the keys. She'd been kind enough to propose this over the phone as I called in from the Paris ring-road, stuck in a jam caused by the ever popular agricultural show at Porte de Versailles. I turned up 10 minutes late and we set off together on a warm-up in the opposite direction to the others in order to catch them on the way back to the track. Laurence was running a 6 x 1000m session with Sandra and Katia while I was hoping to find someone who'd run with me.

Back at the track, it soon became obvious that no-one was willing to take on such a big session so close to Rambouillet or Paris half-marathons. They were doing a pyramid session and I couldn't even convince Nico to act as a pacemaker for me. I hesitated for a moment about joining in an easier session and then decided that I had committed to doing this training so do it I would.

I set off by myself on the track and ran the 500m intervals with a 200m recovery.

They went as follows:

1:38, 1:35, 1:37, 1:37, 1:37, 1:37, 1:37, 1:37, 1:37,
1:38, 1:38, 1:37, 1:37, 1:38, 1:38, 1:38, 1:39, 1:38

And I stopped after 18 calling it a day as I was alone on the track now. I'd decided that as soon as I slowed to 1:40 I'd pull the plug. This just didn't happen so I stopped anyway - too tired to make it to the end. Thighs were aching, legs were sore and mentally it was tough. Better than the session with Nico last year but off 1:30 recovery which was about 15 seconds slower.

16.5km all up in 1:14 or an average pace of 4:29. Chuffed with this session as it bodes well for the half-marathon.