Blustery Cora run

It was raining this morning when I woke to go for the usual Saturday run with Nick and Andy. Not only was it raining but it was very blustery too. It's still mild for the time of year, and it was about 11°C when I set out towards Nick's house to pick him up.

Nick was dressed up ready for his long run when I called round. He was going to continue on to run 30km this morning and he had water bottles around his waist to stay hydrated over the distance. We called in at Andy's next, but he was pretending to be absent, probably hiding under the bedlinen until we had disappeared again, either that or another late night with Tom Clancy, which meant that he just didn't hear us.

Nick and I set off together and ran to Cora chatting. The change in volunteers at the running club was the main subject of discussion with some of the proposed modifications having caused a few upsets amongst some members. This is what happens when you belong to a club comprised mostly of older runners: they get riled easily when changes are made to the routines. It's all a bit of a storm in a tea-cup and will blow over soon enough.

We ran at about 4:40 pace to Cora and around before heading back up to Pavillon de la Muette. I left Nick just after the railway line as he was heading right towards Croix de Noailles and I was running back home. I ran the route back to Le Mesnil at about 4:30 pace which is where I feel comfortable at the moment. In fact, I felt so good that I decided that since I wasn't able to enjoy a nice cup of tea at Nick's house, as usual, I would continue on to the town hall and finish along the main road.

16.5 km all up in 1:18 or an average of 4:42 per km. 96.5km this week in training which is my record for the week. I was wondering whether to push it to 100km for the week but I'll save this for next year now !!

Cora with Andy

Nick was away today so I had organised with Andy to run to Cora for the usual Saturday run.

I wrapped up warmly and set out to Andy's house. We ran off easily into the forest at about 4:35 pace down the hill. We chatted about work and running and our training sessions this week. Andy has been running intervals with 30-30 sessions and kilometre intervals. I was trying to convince him that endurance running was better for performance, interspersed with some races for speed and the adrenaline rush. We decided that our next race together would be Issy in early December, but I'll have to see how quickly I can recover from the marathon 2 weeks earlier. I don't want to be pushing my body too quickly after the marathon, provoking an injury. This is what happened to Laurence earlier this year and it took her months to recover.

We got to Cora in a quick time having averaged between 4:35 and 4:45 pace all the way along. Andy was running a lot better than last week and is now fully fit after the Yvelines marathon relay. After about 8 km, we slowed coming back up the hill to Pavillon de la Muette but only to 12km/h or 5:00 per km. This was a lot better than last week and I explained that this was probably due to Nick not being there to slow us up ! (This should provoke at least one comment!) Andy looked good running all the way around and not as tired at the end as he has been.

15.1km all up in 1:13 or 4:42 per km. Nice, easy run to finish the week with 84 km managed in the course of the week.

Andy lent me "Running with the buffaloes" which I've been reading avidly throughout the day. Great book about the training schedules and lives of the University of Colorado cross country team in 1998 with their lead runner Adam Goucher and the coach Mark Wetmore. I fully recommend it to anyone interested in running seriously.

Cora and back

Best run of the week as I get to run with some friends and can chat and relax as I run.

Nick and Andy were both running this morning and we set off and soon got chatting about work and running. The weather has taken a turn for the worse recently. Although it's not as cold as it has been, the rain has finally arrived and a slight drizzle had set in this morning. It was also dark. Despite the fact that we were setting off at 8:00 am, the sky had still not brightened and it was hard to see where we were putting our feet, running through the forest at the start.

We picked up speed gradually until we were at 4:35 pace. This was just before we got to the pond at Cora, and then just after one third of the way around, Andy began to drop off the pace and was clearly struggling to keep up. We slowed down a little to run with him and to encourage him around the course. From then on, it was a struggle for him all the way. I thought he looked pale and the initial speed had worn him out. Hopefully, it's nothing serious and he'll be back into form quickly.

All of this talk about bugs and illnesses is getting me paranoid at the moment. I'm trying to avoid any sources of infection before the marathon as I don't want to interrupt my training now. I've been in such good form lately that I'm really looking forward to this one and my next attempt on the 3 hour barrier. It's definitely within my grasp this time.

Anyway, an easy run today and I'll attack a long run tomorrow out towards Feucherolles and St Nom la Breteche.

15.3km in 1:15:30 today or 4:56 per km. Only 64 km this week due to the lack of a long run last Sunday.

Cora, Cora, Cora

I managed to persuade Nick and Andy to go out this morning. Neither seemed particularly keen since we're racing tomorrow with a 4 man version of an ekiden. Still they agreed as long as they didn't have to run the whole loop.

I was happy to have the company and we ran together for 5.5km before they headed back left off the Cora track and towards home. I carried on along the normal loop, around Cora and ran steadily for the remainder of the circuit at about 4:20 pace. There are far fewer runners out now since the weather has become slightly colder. I find this hard to understand as the forest is really beautiful at the moment and the cooler temperatures make running really pleasant.

I stopped at the bakery on the way back and brought home croissants and pains aux chocolat for everybody. Washed down with a few cups of tea - what a fantastic start to the weekend.

15.3 k in 1:10 or 4:35 per km. This brings my total mileage to 66 km for the week which is a little shorter than I've been doing recently due to the lack of a fourth 10k run mid-week. Still, I'm running well and consistently at the moment so this shouldn't be a major problem.

Looking forward to the race tomorrow which should be fun. It'll be nice to watch the others run and to cheer them on and then take part in the final leg. To see the final result tomorrow, watch this space. Laurence is running a 10k race in Velizy tomorrow and is as worried about how she's going to get there in the car as running the race itself. More news tomorrow.

Catch up

I woke at 7:45 this morning, ready for my 8:00 am run with Andy and Nick. I'd been really looking forward to this run, not having been able to get out since Tuesday due to the new job and work constraints. As it was early, I wasn't focused on getting ready quickly and I sauntered downstairs before having an orange juice and then heading to the toilet before putting on my trainers.

Oh dear, it was now 7:59 and we were supposed to start at 8:00. Worse was since I've also swapped phones, I hadn't been able to confirm to Nick and Andy that I'd be running with them today. Still, it wasn't too late, surely they'll wait just a few minutes for me in case I show up.

I ran to Nick's house and there was no sign of him. I went up to the house and opened the front door, but it was dark inside and there was no sign of movement. He's left already, and I ran out of the house, closing the door quietly behind me, and ran up to Andy's lane. No sign of anyone here so I picked up the pace and ran along the usual route, hoping to catch up with them.

I was feeling full of energy, having rested for a few days and I was running easily but determined. As I ran down through the forest, I could see the silhouettes of 2 runners about 500m in front of me. I put on another burst of pace and considered shouting out to them but they were still a long way in front and I didn't want to disturb the calm of the forest at such an early time. I chased them down through the forest and over the railway line. We crossed the main road and they were still ahead by about 200m now. I ran harder still and finally caught them after 4 km from home or 3 km after leaving Andy's house. Splits were: 4:33, 4:12, 4:03 and 4:00. So much for an easy run before the race tomorrow !

Having caught them now, I was able to relax and chat as we ran together. The rest of the course was run at a steady pace of around 4:45 per km and we were able to chat about all that had been going on over the week and our plans for the marathon relay next weekend. Andy reckons that we should finish in 2:57 - I'm ready to bet a round of beers that we finish in under 2:55. Are you on for the bet Andy - over 2:55 and the round's on me, under and you're paying.

Finished the course of 15km in 1:11 so not a bad time at an average pace of 4:46. Banking on Andy running faster than this if we're to break the 2:55 barrier !!

Looking forward to tomorrow's race - want to do well in this one. We'll see.

Back to reality

It was refreshing to be able to head out into the real world this morning after 3 sessions in a closed, dark room; even if it did mean getting up at 7:45 when a lie-in would have been appreciated.

I met up with Nick and Andy and we headed out along the usual paths to Cora. I had plenty of energy after a reasonable night's rest, far longer than anything I had managed during the rest of the week. As a result, I was happy to lope along at 4:30 pace to begin with, chatting to the guys and seeing how their week's had gone.

By the time that we got to Cora, I could see that the sustained pace had got to Andy as he was dropping off the back slightly. Nick and I slowed up here to let him catch up and then we would talk together and Andy would gradually drop behind again. I don't think that this was any reflection on Andy's form, rather the great shape that both Nick and I are in at the moment.

Andy's suffering continued in this manner for the remainder of the run, while I enjoyed the trees, the breeze and the hills as I ran rather than the treadmill.

All up in 1:13 for 15.2 km today. I've run 75 km this week, so slightly down on previous week's mileage due to the Paris-Versailles race being shorter than the normal Sunday run. I have signed up for a 10 km race tomorrow in Vincennes which I'll be running with Laurence, accompanying her to a new PB I hope. She's been running well recently and a good race will do her the world of good mentally in preparation for the marathon.

I'm looking to jog back from the race so I need to find a pleasant route back home. A quick search of Google maps should do the trick.

Cora

Ran with Nick and Andy this morning on an easy run to Cora and back.

It was good to run with the lads again and we had a good chat. It was a sustained pace to begin with at around 4:39 to 4:40 but we slowed down around Cora in order to give Andy a breather.
Poor lad is only just recovering after a severe bout of man-flu so Nick and I were both very understanding and slowed down to stay with him (this won't happen again without another very good excuse !).

I didn't notice the time pass, as the wether was lovely again and the conversation was good. The weather has been dry for several weeks now and the tracks through the forest are extremely sandy again making the going tough in places.

15 km all up in 1:15 so an easy pace. This was exactly what I wanted with the Paris - Versailles race tomorrow. A big week for me, this last week, with over 90km run during the week. Feeling remarkably good and looking forward to tomorrow to see what result I can manage.

Wet and windy

The Summer is over. Definitively. The clouds have rolled in, the temperature has dropped and all thoughts of eating outside have been postponed until next year.

Luckily, this observation could only be made around midday today, long after I'd finished the run with Nick and Andy this morning. We set off to Cora and the weather was reasonable: patches of blue sky and a light breeze. The recent rain had made the going underfoot easier than of late, with the tracks hardened by the wet sand. This made for some good going and since I hadn't been running since Wednesday, I had energy abounding and had to be reined in by the other two.

We ran the first few kilometres at 4:30 pace and then slowed down as we reached Cora with Andy peeling off to run around anti-clockwise and Nick running around with me in the other direction. We slowed down up the hill as And and Nick wanted a breather. We then ran back from La Muette at a steadier pace of around 12km/h whike Nick and I tried to convince Andy to take part in the 10km race next weekend in Conflans. Andy was having none of this and told us that he would be training instead. We have set up spied to ensure that this now occurs.

15km all up in 1:11 or an average pace of 4:46. 68 km for the week as I missed a session due to a heavy workload. Back to normal service next week.

P.S. Laurence and I consoled ourselves about the end of Summer with a trip to Planet Jogging. A session on the foot machine (universal and not pronator as I thought) and some shopping relief with a new pair of shoes for me and some Gore kit all around. Lovely !

Almost intervals

Andy's back from holidays looking fit and healthy and ready to get in some solid running training before our relay race in October. We managed to roganise to go running together yesterday and the idea was to head down to Maisons Laffitte track to get some intervals in before running back. I had planned a nice 5 x 1200m session in 4:30 per interval, just to see how I was faring up.

I picked Andy up outside his house and we ran easily down to the track at around 4:50 pace. We got to the stadium only to find that it was closed and not going to open for a good half hour. We headed off to Cora instead, chatting about the holidays and how well Nick is running at the moment. Nick wasn't around as he'd decided to take the easy option and take part in a raid in Normandy with Anne this weekend instead.

The pace was steady still at just under 5 minute kilometres, but despite Andy's intensive bike training, I could see that he wasn't used to the distance and was beginning to tire slightly. We ran up the hill to Pavillon de la Muette at a slower pace and then took it easier on the way home.

15 km all up for me in 1:16 or an average of 5:06 per km. Going to need to go faster than this Andy, if we're to beat the 3 hour marathon objective. Good week of training for me distance wise. I managed to beat the 80km barrier this week and do 84km in total for the week.

Saturday recovery

In the recent series of aches and pains, I started today with a sore left ankle (strapped up to protect it), small pain in the base of the back, blah blah. OK it's too boring to read so I'll skip the injuries. Suffice to say that I was looking forward to running with Andy and Nick and having a nice jog around Cora lake.

We set off at a moderate pace at around 4:44 per km and then over the next few kilometres through the forest, we picked up the speed a little to reach about4:40 pace. By the time we got to Cora, Andy was a little tired, having suffered from a bit of a cold this week, so we slowed down on the path home.

Weather was pleasant at around 12°C so it was ideal for running. The pain in my ankle disappeared, and I only felt a slight discomfort in my back and thigh. A new problem arose though with a small tightening in the left thigh. It's pathetic I tell you ! I'm beginning to believe that achange of running shoes will do some good.

15km all up in 1:17