Coaching the girls

I'm running the cross country this weekend for the club veterans with the veterans, so I was supposed to be taking it easy tonight. Miguel, moreover, had arranged an easy session for all the crossmen so I decided that I'd accompany Katia and Laurence as they've begun their training for the 80km Ecotrail mid-March. Tonight's session had been concocted by the other coach, Michel, and it was a real humdinger. 30 minutes of warm-up, followed by 7km at marathon pace, and then finishing with 15 x 200m off 100m recovery. This was going to be a 90 minute training session and well over 16k all up.

We started with François and Stéphanie who were also taking it easy and we warmed up with everyone to begin with and then completed a quick tour of St Germain in a loop bringing us back to the club. Another shorter loop and we completed the warm-up and then the 7km at around 4:45 - 4:50 pace.

We then started the track session with the aim to run each 200m in 48 seconds and recover for roughly the same time over 100m. They ran very consistently starting at 48 seconds per interval and speeding up to finish the intervals in just under 45 seconds. They've both improved so much in running ability that it no longer feels slow to run alongside them but a pleasant, comfortable pace. Katia was trying to talk Laurence into a 3:20 marathon attempt in Berlin and they're both capable of doing this based on their current form.

18km all up in 1:35.

Recovery run(s)

It's now a tradition on New Year's Day to begin the year with a gentle run around the forest of St Germain. The purpose of this is twofold: eliminate the excess of alcohol accumulated from the previous night; and secondly start the year on the right foot (so to speak).

Laurence, Alec and I begin the first loop to Chateau du Val with Sophie, my niece and what was intended as an easy run soon becomes a full blast run for Sophie. Laurence is impressed by her speed and manages to beat her own record around the course in the process in 36' or an average pace of 5:02/km.

We start again but with Jack this time. Laurence runs her own route to complete a 10km run for the morning while Alec, Jack and I set off for the same route as before. We get in the forest and I stretch my legs to see how Jack responds and we run together through the forest at a quick pace, leaving Alec behind in the process. Whether it was the fuzz of the alcohol or the simple pleasure of pushing Jack along, we abandon Alec and I check over my shoulder every bend to check that he doesn't get lost over the route. We finish the circuit in 31:37 or an average pace of 4:25/ km. Alec arrived a couple of minutes later and was not pleased to have been left behind when the initial intention was to all run together (which I understand completely and I don't know what overcame me).

So a good start to the year with 15km clocked up for the morning.

Photo of the gang:

Aurillac circuit

I told Laurence that we would get off to a good start in Aurillac with a long Sunday run around the town so the Aurillac loop was decided on. This loop is 20km around the extremities of the town and not only is it a very pleasant circuit with some excellent views, but it also has a load of hills, especially towards the end making it an excellent work-out. There is around 300m of uphill that has to be negotiated over the last 8km of the loop, just when you're beginning to feel it.

I told Laurence that I wanted to accompany her around the circuit as after the Corra run yesterday, I had made all the effort I wanted to for the weekend. We set off and I felt easy whereas Laurence assured me that she was already at 5:35 pace which was not the relaxing start she wanted. I adjusted my pace to hers from then on and we continued to accelerate over the first half of the course. The flat sections would be run at around 5:10 pace and then on the uphills we would slow to around 5:50 pace.

Just after half-way, I began to tell Laurence that she would beat her record over the loop if she continued on at this pace. I had to manage my communication carefully at this point as we have an unspoken agreement that I am not to push her or in fact say anything that can be construed in any manner possible as either a criticism or encouragement when she is beginning to feel tired and hungry. We have started this tour of Aurillac several times in the past and only on a couple of occasions have we managed to finish the circuit together. In fact, possibly all I ever learnt about tact and diplomacy was thanks to running with my wife.

However, the improvement in Laurence's running is really noticeable now and it was obvious that the circuit was less tiring on her at this faster pace than on any of our previous runs. We finished the 20km loop in 1:49 or an average pace of 5:29 per kilometre and I promptly told her that within the next couple of years she'd be able to run this circuit another 10 minutes faster. Damn, I knew I should have waited until after breakfast before slipping this in. A refresher course in tact and diplomacy is definitely necessary...

Map of the loop:

Corra

After a few days off with the achilles tendon still sore from the trail, I felt it was time to try and get back into the usual training routine with Nico and head out to Corra. I can't remember who invited who, but I do remember that I made Nico promise to take it easy.

It was my first session back after a while and I didn't want to kill myself. We set out and I had energy abounding. After being cooped up in the house for a while, it was a relief to be out again and feeling good on a run. The niggle in the achilles was still there but it wasn't such a distraction that I felt the need to ease off or stop running.

Caro and Laurence were out with us too, but both on their bikes. It was drizzling lightly and we were all equipped for the cold but it looked as though it would be the wet and not the mild weather that needed to be dealt with. We set off esaily and after a couple of kilmetres Nico started to push the pace unconsciously. I followed and then moaned after a couple of kilometres that quite frankly 3:49 pace was not easy in anyone's books. He promised to ease off after Corra which is what we did and then we gradually increased the pace again on the route back.

We arrived back home with the girls completely soaked on the bikes. We'd completely the circuit in 1:01 whch was an excellent time by anybody's standards.We had to strip all our clothes off in the basement before traipsing through the house and sitting down to breakfast after a relaxing shower. The Christmas holidays could begin...

Forest run with club

It was an easy choice tonight: a track session with Miguel or an easy run in the forest with Michel and the girls. My ankle has not improved much from Tuesday and I decide that it's not wort risking further injury or prolonging the injury I have by running hard over a track session. This was a shame as José and  Jérémie were there and I'd been enjoying our regular track sessions these last few weeks.

I put on the headlamp and ran with Katia and Laurence after the usual warm-up run around St Germain. We set off and ran towards Poissy at the end of the cycle track, we waited for the slowest member of the group to catch up and then we set off again. And then we repeated the exercise. It wasn't as though we were running fast either. At an average pace of 6'45/km, we weren't exactly pushing it. So, I was basically very frustrated, regretting my choice of sessions for the evening, despite the fact that it was pleasant to chat with Katia and Laurence. The achilles felt alright and the dull pain that was present at the start of the session had virtually disappeared by the end. I did, however, have other niggles that started such as pain in my right knee and pain under the sole of my right foot.

A couple of laps around the outside of the track when we got back to the club with Katia and Laurence and we managed to complete 12.2 km in all. It just took us 1:22 to manage this though! I'll just count this as a very slow recovery run, helping the achilles back into shape.

Club session

It was with pleasure and a little intrepidation that I went to the club session tonight. The achilles is not completely better but a few strides with casual shoes on convinced me that it was no longer as painful as before and that an easy warm-up with the club couldn't do any harm.

I met François, Momo, Nico at the club and we warmed up together. When Nico and Momo asked if I wanted to speed up a little during the warm-up, I agreed as the achilles was pulling and I could feel a dull ache, but nothing like the pain I experienced on the trail when it all started. We sped up to around 4'30/km pace - I can't be sure as my garmin was still charging on the bedside table when I left for the club.

After the warm-up, the group was running 20x200m and I decided that I would definitely give this a miss. I ran with Laurence and Katia instead on their intervals with 20x200m run in 41 - 43 seconds per interval with a 200m recovery. Katia was slightly ahead with François, who was also in recovery phase after the trail too, and Laurence and I were about a couple of metres behind. Both the girls were very constant and it was good to see them working on some VO2 max sessions for a change. I checked this pace on McMillan when I came home and it corresponds to a 44' 10k pace and it would be good if they could both go under this for their next race.

A quick warm down at the end and we were done. I calculated that we ran 14km in all for the evening.

Trail du Tour du Canton - 82km

"Why was I here ?", was the first question I asked myself on Saturday morning when I got up at 4:15am. It was only the promise of obtaining 2 points for completing the trail around the Normandy countryside that would then allow me to enter the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) and its 160km and 10000m of uphill that pushed me to participate. You might find this hard to fathom, and I have to admit the logic isn't clear to me either, that someone only enters a 82km trail to be able to compete in an even harder, even longer trail next year. Well, not only was I here, but I'd persuaded François to take part too whereas Laurence and Katia were running the 42km trail a little later in the day.

After an early breakfast, we hitched a ride with Fabrice (a guy we met the previous night at the hotel who was running too) and by 5:45am we were all ready, dressed in running tights, compression socks, a couple of warm layers and the headlamp ready for the briefing by the organisers. So there would be lots of mud, plenty of refreshment stops and the hardest parts were at the end - that was as much as I could take in at this time in the morning.

We walked down to the start from the gym and waited patiently for the off. They lit the red flares, played the loud music and we were off. It waas an impressive sight as the headlamps flickered down the streets in the red shadows cast by the flares.

François and I set off together, slowly working our way through the runners until we were in about 20th position and running at a steady 5'15/km pace. I'd hoped that we'd be able to manage 5'/km for most of the race but François was unsure of his capacity to maintain this, never having run further than a marathon before.

I was a little cold despite my 2 layers on top with a cold wind that was cutting through the fabric. My jacket was in my rucksack but I couldn't be bothered to stop and unpack it, besides which it was too big for the elements as I'd erred on the side of caution with a jacket adapted for heavy Normandy rain. The paths went through fields and we soon had an idea of the mud that we'd have to run through. Nevertheless, the first kilometres were also along plenty of tracks which were generally dry and fairly rapid. 1 hour already and the first 11 km were under our belts. A couple of kilometres later and we were at the first feeding station and I took the opportunity to eat and drink rapidly.

It was still dark for the next hour too and we ran another 11km at a steady pace. François was slowing slightly and I would wait every 4 or 5 km to let him catch up and to start again together. Despite trying to run alongside François and to let him set the pace, naturally I would drift a little ahead, building a gap of 300 - 400m in 20 - 30 minutes. This was not a problem since we didn't talk much with both of us focusing on the job in hand. The second feeding station was at 25km and day was jsut beginning to dawn when we arrived. We both enjoyed a nice soup here and some more food before setting off again. I could see that François was feeling more tired now and the pace was around 5'30 / km compared to the initial 5'15 we'd been averaging. I was still feeling very easy at this stage and wondering if I'd feel this good until the end. There were fewer road sections now and more fields and tracks through the woods. Would this have an impact?

A typical muddy field that we'd have to cross. The terrain was generally mostly flat in the first half of the race.








At 37km we entered Bolbec, the main town in the area, for the third feeding station and the roughly halfway point. We had organised a bag to be here with a change of clothes but neither François not I felt the need since it had not rained. We were joined by Fabrice, our driver, who asked if he could run with us so we set off again after some more soup as a little group with a couple of extra runners who'd also tagged on. I chatted easily to Fabrice about our experiences on the CCC and waited every now and then for François. It was just before the next feeding station at the 50km mark that disaster struck. I was crossing a muddy cornfield with the plants reduced to a cut down stump, forcing a higher stride when I felt a pain in my left achilles tendon. No doubt that I'd strained this again. However, it was when I left the field and ran along the road to encouragements of how it was tarmac until the feeding station that I realised just how bad it was. My achilles pulled incredibly and the agony was almost unbearable. I adjusted my stride to a shuffle, gritted my teeth and carried on to the next stop where I had some soup and waited for François. I told him about the pain and that I continue at my own pace in the best manner possible.

To make matters worse, the course began to get difficult from here on. there were virtually no roads until the end. We ran down paths that had been washed away and that looked like riverbeds that had dried up, twisting your ankles as you ran and sending pointed stones into your ankles as you scuffed them with your feet. I was tired with the pain and the distance and to add to my woes, I had problems with my eyes focusing on the track ahead. I was seeing double and my only solution was to close one eye as I ran. This was the low point of the course : cold, wet, in pain and unable to see properly, I seriously thought of abandonning now. I just wanted to get to the next feeding station to see how things would be, knowing that this was situated at 64km and there would only be 18km to go.

When I finally reached the feeding station, it was lovely and warm inside. I called François to see where he was and to encourage him with the news that the resting place wasn't far. He arrived a couple of minutes later and he looked as tired as I felt.We sent a couple of messages to the girls and after another cup of tea and some food, we headed back into the cold to finish the final legs. I ran with François all the time now and we felt good knowing that there was only one more feeding station before the final leg of 8kms back to Beuzeville. I encouraged François to try and overtake an older man we'd seen at the last feeding station who looked like he was a V2 (over 50). We caught up with the runner in front, only to find it was a young man (who was running like an 80 year old due to the tiredness!).Having overtaken this runner, we were soon able to see another runner 250m ahead. I didn't dare tell François that this was our guy, having made the mistake once already. I caught up with him and checked first. It was the V2 runner, so I waited again for François and urged him on. We didn't catch up with him for another kilometre and then we stopped and chatted together at the last feeding station. I felt better now, knowing that we'd made it as there was only another 7 - 8 kilometres before the finish.

François asked for a cup of tea and I couldn't believe it. Here we were next to the runner he wanted to beat and he asks for a cup of tea. The V2 leaves the feeding station and I hassle François to finish his tea and go. This last leg is the muddiest section yet. There are 2 deep ruts full of water and mud or the middle of the track which is deep mud. Hobson's choice: I chose the ruts - at least the water wasn't as slippery as the mud in the middle. We caught the V2 runner and I left François at this point, trying to accelerate to catch Laurence and Katia who I knew were ahead having run the 42km with the same last 8 kilometres to the race. The phone rang and it was Laurence asking where I was as she had just finished. I explained that I was about 5k from the end but didn't know exactly as my Garmin had died after 4 hours. I spent the next kilometres chasing down the competitors from the 42 km (and 1 from the 82k race) and overtaking them. I finished exhausted and waited for François who came in 10 minutes behind me. What a relief.

It was a good race with an excellent organisation but unfortunately my achilles wasn't up to it in my trail shoes. I finished 26 overall in 9h11 with François in 9h21 in 28th place (and just in front of the 4th V2!). The girls ran well finishing 2 and 3rd from scratch and 1 and 2nd in the V1 category. Laurence was thrilled.

The recovery went well from the race and I'm only nursing the achilles which I hope will improve in the next few days. Quiet now until the end of the year.

Andrésy 13.5km

It was a last minute decision to take part in this race. It's Katia's home territory and she convinced Laurence to take part, so I decided to come along for the ride. It's been 4 years since I raced here in the race  in Andrésy and I thought that with my recent form that I could finish in around 50 minutes and with a bit of luck even go under this time. I'd also noticed that Olivier from the club had entered  and that I could give him a run for his money. Since he's a member of the club elite, this could be a little "feather in my cap" and an added bonus.

It was a perfect day for running with the temperature hovering around the 11°C and only a little wind to make the going hard on some stretches. The whole town had been cordonned off for the race and Laurence and I jogged a couple of kilometres to the start line to register and pick up our bibs. Due to our late decision to enter, I was runnning under another vet's name from our club and when I explained this to the organiser, they couldn't be bothered to make the changes and asked if I minded. Since the distance wasn't officially recognised and I knew the club would make the changes on their website, I let this go.

A quick warm-up with Katia, her nephew and Laurence and we lined up for the start. I stood next to Olivier and told him my plan to stick with him throughout the race. He said I should try and beat him instead! That was enough to spur me on. When we set off, I sat on his shoulder and felt comfortable with the pace. So comfortable that I upped the ante immediately and overtook him after 500m, taking off after the front runners. I was in 7th position here and the 2 leaders had made a large gap immediately and there was a group of 4 just ahead. The garmin beeped for the first kilometre, showing 3:28 which I felt happy with. I wasn't going to explode at this pace and I knew that we'd soon settle down.

The race was over 2 loops with a first loop of 6km and then a longer loop of 7.5km which takes in a steep hill which I remembered from last time. I ran that first loop which is practivally flat at a steady pace watching the group ahead as one guy pulled up and stopped while the 3 runners he had been with carried on and now had a 15 metre lead on me. I contemplated moving up a notch just to protect myself from the headwind but the effort necessary was just too much for me to muster. I finished the first loop with the following splits:

3:27, 3:30, 3:38, 3:40, 3:38, 3:37

I kept thinking about Olivier and wondering how far behind me he was. I dared not look in case that this should spur him on and I just watched as a runner from Andrésy dropped back off the group ahead and I wondered if I could catch him. The hill came: a 300m long wall at 16% gradient. I'm not a good hill runner so it was a surprise when the gap between me and the runner ahead shortened to 5 metres by the time we got to the top. He accelerated away though at the bend at the top and I paced it a little easier as I figured that there was still 5 km to go to the end. I chased him the rest of the way and I really thought that I could catch him as I closed down the last hill before the final straight with the wind in our backs. He knew I was there though and as we slalomed between the other back enders doing the 5.8km race, he pushed the pace just sufficiently to discourage me from making a move. I think that had he been a veteran himself, I would have sprinted to try and beat him to the tape. The motivation wasn't there though and he crossed the line 5 seconds before me while I managed a 49:26 and 6th place from scratch. I was second veteran and waited 50 seconds for Olivier to cross the line a place behind me and 3rd veteran. What elation!

3:39, 3:42, 4:25 (with the hill), 3:49, 3:43, 3:35, 3:33 and 3:31 pace to finish.

I ran back along the course now to encourage Katia and Laurence. Katia was first woman and Laurence was a couple of minutes behind in 3rd place for the women. I could see that she'd given everything and I ran into the finish with her, chuffed to bits. 1h00 for Katia and 1h02 for Laurence in 1st and 2nd place as vet women and 1st and 3rd place for overall women. What a great result.

Photos of the podium. Too bad that my moment of glory was spoilt slightly by being called Philippe!











A quick warm down and 21.5km for the day.

Threshold+ club session

A very exclusive turnout at the club tonight. Apparently the cold weather had put a few people off and then when Miguel stated in his opening brief that Michel proposed 40' jogging and for the others it was 1500 + 3000 + 1500 + 1000, well most people's eyes turned upwards and I could tell instantly that the track wouldn't be crowded later.

François, Katia and Laurence were there together with the hardcore runners such as Jean-Marc, Momo, Mireille, Sébastien, Wilfried, José and Bruno. We warmed up quickly with François leading the warm-up at the breakneck speed of about 5' / km or at least 1'30 faster than is usually acceptable. Back to the track where the serious business was to start. Ilyes turned up at this point asking for the keys to the changing rooms, so it would be a short session for him. We set off.

I set the pace for our little group for the first interval at a speed which felt fast but not uncomfortable. I knew that we had 7 km of intervals tonight and I didn't want to blow everything on the first. Wilfried was just on my shoulder and José just behind him. Jean-Marc and Sébastien were well in front. This would be the pattern for all of the intervals except that Jean-Marc and Sébastien drifted back towards us and as I pushed the pace faster and faster with each interval, they were slowing down until we caught them at the end and overtook them. I was particularly pleased with the last 1 km when Ilyes came to the front to run with me and take the pace. We were flying and it was a great feeling.

Intervals went as follows:

5:20 (3:33 pace/km) ; 10:52 (3:38 pace) ; 5:11 (3:28 pace) : 3:17

Another great workout and I'm feeling very confident for the next few races. We'll see how it goes.

Laurence and Katia ran well too with Laurence very happy with her efforts. She's back on track. François is running well too and focused on the 82 k trail in December. We'll be fine.

14km all up.

Club session - 10 x 300m

François is turning to the dark side. Not only has he just invested in a nice new Salomon rucksack with the latest Camelbak, but he has now bought a new headlamp for those night trails too. His conversion is almost complete. He only needs a pair of poles and he will have completed his mutation from Mr. Marathon to Mr Trail Runner.

While we're on the subject of running, I found this video which captures the essence of my conversations with people who are non-runners.

So, back to the club session. Fewer runners than last Thursday, but then the absence of free wine on offer post-run probably had something to do with this. I warmed up with François, Katia and Laurence and then met the group with whom I'd be running my 300m intervals: Momo, Mireille, Jean-Marc, Sébastien, Jérôme, Grégory and Robin. So, a group of youngsters with only 3 veterans : Mireille, Robin and myself.

I set off, telling myself that to go under a minute for each 300m would be good so when we set off on the first interval and I find myself in the lead, I'm very surprised and wondering if I'm going too fast as there are 10 to do. 55 seconds, so it was not excessive and I still feel comfortable and with 100m recovery, we set off again quickly. A repeat performance, except this time Momo has set off with us and he leads from the start to finish 5m ahead but I lead Jean-Marc again down the back straight. 54 seconds this time.

The series carries on in the same fashion and although there are a few intervals when Jean-Marc overtakes, I finish within centimetres of him and I'm always faster on the last straight.

Intervals went as follows:

55, 54, 53, 53, 53, 52, 53, 52, 52, 51

So thoroughly pleased with this result and it confirms my shape at the moment. I've decided to run in Andrésy this weekend as a result over 13.5k.

Nico was doing his last sessions before the marathon and was running strongly. Laurence was delighted with her return to the track too, completing the same workout at about 1'08 per 300m on average.

11 km all up.

Rain, rain, rain ...

It wasn't as cold as I'd expected when I got outside and started running with Nico. I'd put a windproof jacket on to keep the windchill off me as I ran and this could be described as water resistant rather than waterproof. No that this was a problem now, as the rain had abated and the major problem was avoiding the puddles that were 10cm deep.

Nico had a whine about clearing leaves in his garden having spent all Saturday afternoon doing the job, he awoke this morning to find that the garder preety much looked like Friday night before he'd started with the wind and rain having brought down a fresh, new packet of leaves overnight. I think he felt a little like Sisyphus. I was glad that I'd persuaded Laurence to postpone this job ;)

We spent the next half an hour dodging puddles and branches in the forest as we ran past the club and through to the stables by Chambourcy before turning right and heading towards Katia's for the girl's run. Nico left me after 10k and 45' to head back home in his last long preparation before the rerun of Florence marathon. He was looking easy whereas I was finding the going a little tougher after the cross-country training yesterday.

I arrived at Katia's house after 12.7k and 57'30 to meet up with Laurence, Katia, François, Sandra and Pascal. François was modelling the latest trail sack from Salomon and looking very dapper with his training for ironman t-shirt on too! A quick chat and we headed out westwards through Orgeval and along Katia's trail rout with the intention of a 2 hour run and 20  - 22 kilometres. It was very easy going but the drizzle began to fall and the puddles seemed to get bigger with every stride. Avoiding the puddles was one preoccupation with the second being to avoid the shotgun pellets with hunters in every field that we passed. I presumed that we'd be fairly safe until they started on the aperitifs and then we'd need to be more careful.

We carried on running and the drizzle bewame more persistent and then finally decided to turn into rain. My water resistant jacket became less resistant and more of a heavy, wet mess wighing down on my shoulders. The belt with the water bottle now runnbed against the jacket which in turn was rubbing a lovely little red patch into my waist causing severe discomfort. It felt colder and my leg muscles began to stiffen with the cold. The water dripped down my neck and back, making me regret not having worn my buff which I'd brought especially for the run but had left on Katia's kitchen table. I was feeling great.

It was a relief to get back to some wrm and dry at the end of the run and to be able to change into a dry set of clothes that Laurence had thoughtfully brought along in the car. A couple of cups of tea, some toast and jam later and I was feeling almost human again and ready to attack Sunday lunch.

33km all up in 2'45 and 103km for the week. Running well and will probably fit in a couple of races in the weeks to come.

Marly cross country training

Laurence agreed somewhat reluctantly to come with me for the annual cross-country training sessions that take palce in Marly park prior to the start of the cross-country season. The improvement in form of the girls (Laurence, Sandra and Katia) has encouraged a healthy pressure to be put on them to take part in the races this year to represent the club. I encouraged them to do some specific training as, even if the cross-country season is not a specific objective as such, these races do help in general performance with the hills and cardiac work in training.

We arrived in Marly to find a smaller turnout than the usual track sessions (thank goodness as the track is very crowded at the moment). Miguel was there to encourage everybody on and to make sure that there was not too much slacking. I chatted to François, who was there for the first time, and we spoke about the benefits of this training. We warmed up around the course, showing the newcomers the difficulties: the first long slope lasting 440m with an average gradient of around 8 - 9%; the second stepper slope lasting 200m at 15% and then the final 1.5k with it's fast downhill and then the long slog in the tall, wet grass before the final bumps to the end of the loop.

Miguel had decided that since it was the first session that we'd only be doing 2 loops instead of the usual 3. Yoan arrived at this point and ran to the front with Ilyes. We set off up the first hill and they both distanced me immediately. A new guy, Stéphane, comes past me up the first slope but I'm closing on him towards the end and I catch him up again on the recovery. I resolve to stay with him and on the next slope I can see that he's suffering already, having gone into the red too soon. On the last section of the first loop, he passes ahead again but I catch him in the grass and overtake, gaining the satisfaction of finishing the first loop ahead of him.

We set off on the second and this time I'm in no-man's land. Yoan and Ilyes are way ahead on the hills, Stéphane is behind. I ran at my own pace and am slightly slower than the first loop, going up the first slope in 2:00 compared to 1:55 for the first time around. I missed the competition from José was was taking it easy before a half-marathon race tomorrow.

I ended the session by running the last section again behind Laurence and Sandra and could see that Laurence was enjoying herself and finding it easier than she had imagined.

13.3k all up. With a long run tomorrow morning, I should hit the 100k again for this week.

Lisbon

Spent a week in Lisbon on holiday with Laurence and one of our sons, Paul together with some friends and their daughter. Great week and enjoyed a little bit of running with lots of eating and drinking (mostly whisky!).

Sunday:

Easy jog around Lisbon discovering the city with Laurence and Katia. 11.3 km in 1:02 so an average pace of just over 5:30 / km. Boy the city is hilly though. Unless you're running alongside the river there are hills wherever you turn.

Monday:

Hill training with a 15 minute warm-up around Edward VII park and then 6 hills lasting 550 metres up the right-hand side as can be seen in the photo.

Reps went as follows:

2:42, 2:34, 2:29, 2:27, 2:26, 2:24

Completely knackered by the end.

12 km all up in 58 minutes.


Tuesday:

Went out in the evening with Katia, Laurence and Jacques around Lisbon. We did a couple of reps up the hill in the park and then headed off around town, almost getting lost in the process. Very easy pace and we did just over 10km in an hour.

Friday:

Laurence wanted to test her leg after the thigh injury she's been suffering from for over 2 months now. We down to the river and along to Belem before turning back and heading diagonally across town back to the flat. 16 km all up in 1:24 - a really good effort.

Easy week overall but lovely to be able to run in reasonable temperatures again instead of the autumnal weather back home.

Hell starts here - Marvejols Mende 22.4km

The half marathon of Marvejols Mende is a classic in the French running calendar. About 5000 people take part in this 'half-marathon' as they like to call it while the official distance is 1.3 km longer than the description would lead you to believe. This race has been the favourite of Dominique Chauvelier for many years, he having won it on 5 occaisions and having finished 2nd another 4 times. It was a race that had to be run and I can't remember now if it was Nico or Jean-Marc who suggested that we all took part, but whoever, we were all now in Marvejols picking up our numbers on the eve of the race.

We had run a warm-up on the Saturday morning along the start of the route and had seen the beginning of the the first hill. When I was young, we used to live on a hill overlooking Hexham and for me Causey hill was the worst hill that existed. Living half-way up meant that every run either started with a nasty uphill or finished with one. There was no escaping it. Well, next to this hill Causey hill was a piece of cake. 400 metres of uphill over 4km so an average slope of 10%, with sections over 16% in gradient. This was no joke and had to be taken seriously. We were warned from the start and the writing was on the wall (well the road actually)

So having done a recce of the route both by foot and then later by car, we lined up for the race some 45 minutes before the start in order to get a good position behind the elite. Laurence, Nico, Jean-Marc, Greg and myself waited patiently for the start wand we were joined by Stéphane from the club who was on holiday in the region. The gun went and with it some joker had set off a tear gas or pepper gas bomb. I spent the next 500 metres coughing and spluttering to get rid of the awful taste in my mouth and throat. Not a good start to the race.

Profile of the race with the 2 hills to be managed.









Nico had pushed his way through the crowds in an agressive fashion to get a better start and I only caught him after 500m telling him that he would have to do better than this if he wanted to lose me so quickly. The first 5 kilometres before the hill were relatively flat and I was trying to make the most of this section to run at marathon pace before the hard work began. The kilometres went as follows:

4:11, 3:53, 3:58, 3:56, 4:03

I hit the hill and just grinned and bore it! Knowing that uphills are not my strong point, I shortened my stride and concentrated on running at a pace where my heart rate didn't race too hard and that I knew I could maintain for a while. I was just waiting to see Nico who'd I'd left behind me at the start come past me. I was actually surprised that most of the runners around me were not overtaking me and that I was maintaining my place and actually gaining a couple of places, passing runners who had obviously set off too hard. Ireached Goudard where the road flattens for about 500m before continuing uphill again for the final section of the first hill. I began to believe that I would get to the top of the hill before Nico and that I wasn't beaten in this race just yet. Someone on the side of the road shouted out that there was 800m of uphill to the top and I pushed again eager to begin the downhill where I knew I was stronger. The last few bends were completed and I passed the feeding station on the top of the col, gulping down some water before the downhill.

I'd got to the top in the following times:

5:44, 5:30, 5:32, 5:27

And now it was downhill and I let blast. I just let myself go and stretched as far as I could down the slope, letting gravity do the work for me. I was easy on my lungs but my legs were hitting the orad hard and I tried to improve my stride to reduce the road slap as my feet and legs turned over. I couldn't believe it when I caught up with another St Germain top and passed Mustapha on the downhill. I had a couple of words and told him that Nico was behind and he dropped back to run with him.

3:20, 3:17, 3:22, 3:38

The downhill was over too soon and we turned left onto the main road which roase steadily before the second hill a few kilometres beyond. This transition was hard and I now realised how much energy I'd lost in the downhill and the going became very tough, very quickly.

4:00, 4:21, 4:43, 5:44, 5:43

and I walked. I just couldn't take any more :too hot and too tired, I stopped running for 15 seconds and walked before jogging again. I figured that if I could reach the top of the second hill before Nico then I had a very good chance of beating him. Unfortunately, the walk was just enough to lose the ground I had over him and he appeared on my should towards the top of the second hill. I was running again but I didn't have his pace uphill and he managed to put another 20 seconds on me before the top of the second hill and the last downhill section.

3:56, 3:41, 3:24, 3:46

and I was catching him down the hill. He had about 20 metres on me as we truned into town to run the last 500m up the hill to the finish line. I'd lost in my head though by here as I knew that I couldn't stay with him uphill. Sure enough he gapped me again and passed the line 25 seconds in front of me. It had been our closest race in a while and I was thrilled to have gotten so close to pulling it off but a little disappointed with myself not to have run to the top of the second hill and to have grit my teeth when it counted.

I finished in 1:37:30 in 168th position, 9 places behind Nico in 1:37:08. Jean-Marc finished in 1:41:00 in 232th place, Mustapha in 1:42:42 in 269th position, Greg in 1:57:33 in 863rd place and Laurence in 2:01:58 in 1176th place and 32nd in her category.

A great run by all and the hardest road race I've ever run. My muscles are still aching 2 days afterwards and I'm wonderinng how on earth I'm going to complete the CCC with all of the uphill (5600m +).

Thanks to Caro for the photos and for finding the short cut through the cemetary to take us home. It really was one hell of a race.

Orgerus - 15 km

My prayers had been answered. God exists.

It rained last night. It rained and rained and rained and then it rained some more. When we went to bed last night it was 21°C and we left the window open all evening. When we got up it was 16°C and a lot fresher in the atmosphere. The one downside was that with the window open, the sound of the rain had kept me awake most of the night and I'd slept quite fitfully. The whiskies, wine and cider after our evening out hadn't helped either and I was definitely a little rough around the edges when I woke up this morning. Still given a choice of running in 24°C, which has been the average temperature recently and 16°C, I would chose the latter anyday.

We drove to Orgerus with Nico and Ilyes and met up with François, Katia, Pascal and Sandra before heading off all together for a warm-up around the start of the course. It was fairly ideal conditions with a cool temperature but a stiff breeze that might prove to be difficult to manage on some of the more exposed parts of the course. As we warmed up, we noticed some of the other good runners taking part. Already from our club we had Mustapha, Anis, Ilyes, Nico and Eric - it didn't look as though I would be even part of the first 5 members of the club home.

I lined up at the start with Nico and Fleg who suggested that we run together. I didn't know what sort of shape he was in in but I thought that we would be closely matched. The gun went and it was soon obvious that I wouldn't be able to stay close to Nico today. He was running well ahead and was just behind Eric on the initial downhill section of the course. I ran with Fleg and we shouted out 3:30 as we went through the first kilometre. After 1.5km we head right and start up a muddy track and I picked up a few places here and felt very good in my legs. I saw that I had closed on Nico and Eric and I began to feel that perhaps if I maintained this pace that I would be in for a shouting chance at the finish.

Unfortunately, all too soon I was running by myself. I stuck with a runner for a while but he moved ahead and I saw him catch Eric who'd now been left behind by Nico.

The kilometres went by as follows:

3:31, 3:45, 3:53, 3:46, 3:47, 3:48, 3:59, 3:57, 3:53, 3:53, 3:50, 3:52, 3:53, 3:50, 3:38

I tired at the half-way point as the continuous hills took their toll and I began to look over my shoulder just before 10km to see where Fleg was behind me. There was a good gap at 10km but this had narrowed rapidly by 12km and I was convinced that the group of 4 runners that he was with would catch me and overtake me. I prepared myself for the worst but it never happened and I was able to maintain a pace to hold them off.

I could see Nico and Eric in front all of the way around but they never came back to me and Nico, particularly, ran a great race finishing 2 minutes ahead of me in 55:41 while I crossed the line in 57:39, my best time ever for the course. Fleg finished only 12 seconds behind so I was grateful that I had the energy and guts to push until the end.

François had a good race beating Jean-François home with Pascal finishing not too long afterwards. I ran back to see how the women were doing and Katia beat Sandra in a final sprint to finish in 1:11:24 and 1:11:25 with Laurence finishing 30 seconds behind in 1:11:53.

Pleased with the run overall as I felt good at the start if a little drained by the finish in the legs from Les Clayes on Friday and lack of sleep. I checked some previous year's results and saw that I beat Eric's times from 2 and 3 years ago so I can still hope to improve in the next couple of years.

Les Clayes sous Bois - 10km

Piecing it all together afterwards, I still can't figure out why I was down to run this race. I can't remember who started the discussion about doing 2 races in the same weekend and how we managed to be 5 friends (Laurence, Katia, Nico, François and myself) with our names down on both lists for participation in Les Clayes on Friday night and then Orgerus on Sunday morning. Whatever the reason I spent most of Friday ruing the decision and wondering what on earth was going to happen.

When I drove into town at 7:30pm for the 8:30pm start I already had a load of excuses ready: it was too hot (23°C), I was tired after a tough week at work, I was lacking sleep. Meeting the others and then warming up around town only confimed what I already feared that the heat was going to be the main issue. We ran just under 3km as a warm-up and I was dripping with sweat already. The good news was that the course had been modified from previous years and instead of doing 3 loops with a bugger of a hill to manage, there were 2 longer loops this year.

I lined up at the start with the rest of the gang and when the gun went I made a mental resolution not to set off like a looney. I was surprised to see François ahead of me for the first 200m when he finally saw reason and Nico and I ran past in a small group of 4. We ran the first kilometre downhill together and then turned and ran up a long slope for the next 500m before turning into a little park for some greenery and views of the old part of town. This was the little respite before pulling up 2 more steeper hills albeit shorter, and then the road flattens out and heads downhill with some long flat straights to complete the circuit.

Nico had taken the lead on our little group heading up to the second kilometre marker and I concentrated on getting past the other 2 runners and not losing touch with Nico. The steeper hills killed me though and with the heat, Nico made some good ground on me here and I would never be able to get back in touch after this. I was now focussed on losing my adversary from Gally who was getting a lot of local support. He came past me at the 4km marker and I hung onto him going through the end of the first lap and then on the downhill section of the second loop.

As we ran back up the slope to the park, I put in a little effort and came past him again. I just concentrated now on maintaining the best pace I could manage as the heat had drained all motivation from my body. I could see Nico about 100 - 150 metres ahead now and knew that I had no chance of catching him. I slowed even further on the steeper hills, putting in a kilometre in 4:04 and I was just praying that the runner behind wasn't feeling any fresher than I was. I could hear him just behind and didn't dare turn to see where he was as I didn't want to encourage him. Instead, I tried to accelerate away on the flat and put some distance in to discourage him if he thought of attacking again.

I was by myself now and watched Nico turn at the 8 km marker and spot me 150 metres behind. I saw him ease off the pace and smiled to myself as he had nothing to race for now. I wasn't going ot catch him and there was no chance of a time in this heat and on this course. I couldn't ease off as I had my Gally runner behind still and he hadn't given up the chase just yet. I pushed on until the final bend and then had the last 150 metres of uphill to the finish line which I sprinted as hard as I could. If he was going to beat me now, he'd have to put the effort in with the crowds cheering him on. He finished 2 seconds behind me. Relief.

I finished in 37:16 in 7th place and 2nd vet with Nico one place ahead in 36:48. François finished in a slightly disappointing 41:18 as he's capable of beating 40 minutes regularly now - too much cycling and not enough running recently. Katia finished just ahead of Laurence in 46:52 and 47:06 respectively with them picking up 1st and 2nd place in the female vet category. Another podium and this one is becoming a regular in their racing calendar.

Good to have a meal all together afterwards after an interminable wait with one of the most verbose presenters ever encountered for the prize winners.

Easy Friday

Nico has planned a serious weekend, making the most of the bank holiday yesterday and the day off today to put in some miles and intervals. Today though was the rest day before the hard work begins again tomorrow. We planned to go for the usual route to Corra but with Laurence and Katia to ensure that no excess incurred in pace and natural competitiveness. Jean-Marc also agreed to come along and unfortunately Sandra is injured and François unavailable, otherwise it would have been the best part of the Florentine marathon expedition on the easy run today.

It was not exactly marvellous weather when we woke up: grey skies and threatening to rain. I put on a waterproof jacket and a cap to keep the rain off me, but this would prove to be a waste of time and just cause a little over-heating. We set off at an easy pace and had a good chat all of the way around. The girls were chatting plenty to start with but when the pace went below 5:00/km, it started getting a lot quieter at the front. The gentlemen that we are, we let the girls dictate the pace and made sure to stay behind them so as not to be accused of having to have forced them to run at speeds that they were uncomfortable with. Overall this worked fairly well over the circuit.

We set off at around 5:40 pace and then they sped up to 5:20 and then 5:00 and below before they realised that this was supposed to be a recovery run and not a tempo run. I could see that the effort was beginning to show on both of their faces on the far side of Corra at about the 8km mark. This didn't deter them from pushing on and we finished the whole loop of 15km in 1:17 with a 5:08 average pace.

A good way to start the day and we discussed the upcoming races, having signed on for Les Clayes (10km) on the Friday evening and then Orgerus (15km) on the Sunday. Quite looking forward to both of these now and a little stretch before I start the trails at the end of June.

Club session

Due to the bank holiday, the Tuesday club session was at 9:00am this morning. Laurence and I headed out for the clubhouse with the missus intending to do a 12', 10', 8' workout at threshold pace while I was aiming for Miguel's session of 12 x 1'/1'. All in all, I preferred the VO2 Max session to the threshold anyday.

There was a reasonable turnout and all Laurence's running partners were there: Sandra, Katia, Stéphanie, Muriel, etc. She was going to be in good company. On the blokes side Nico and Ylies were there along with Momo, Anis (back from Boston), Jean-Marc and Bruno. I decided there and then that I wasn't going to kill myself today, especially after yesterday's efforts.

I almost changed my mind about the whole affair as I ran the warm-up. My right knee started playing up and every stride felt awkward and painful. It was if the joint was misaligned and jarring every time I put my foot down and I wondered if I'd be able to run at all. We got to the Charmilles park in Poissy where the session was to begin. I thought that I would run with Bruno as I couldn't see myself staying, or even attempting to get close to Nico today. However, this was harder than I thought it would be.

Bruno has been improving rapidly after a couple of half-marathons and having come back from injury. I thought that I was taking a soft option but I soon discovered that the difference between us today is minimal. I lacked the pace to make the difference and the motivation to push myself hard. The only spots surprisingly where I got the upper hand was on the slight uphill sections. Who'd have believed it?

Jogged back to the clubhouse with Nico and pushed the pace at the end, running in at 15km/h. 13.6 km all up in 1:11 or 5:15 / km. Good day and far too warm for an over-jacket. Spring temperatures have finally arrived.

Decided on the basis of these last 2 days that I'd take part in the ekiden on Sunday. Will probably run a 10km leg with Bruno running the other. The objective is to qualify the vets team in a time under 2:50 with a realistic objective of 2:45. Could do better but the seniors have pinched our 2 best vets - slackers!

Back again

It's certainly frustrating to be forced to retire from running for a while. Mind you, there have been that many business trips and early starts recently that even if I had wanted, finding time to get a run in would have been difficult enough anyway. I had compensated by doing a couple of mountain bike rides, but this had only resulted in me straining the base of my back and walking around like Quasimodo for a few days. I told myself that I would take it easy over the weekend and then start again today with Laurence agreeing to accompany me on the bike.

Laurence had been worried about letting me go out for a run on my own, thinking that I wouldn't be reasonable and continue running even if my calf started hurting. She proposed an alternative: a bike and run whereby she'd accompany me on the bike and if at any time I felt that I needed to stop, rest or take it easy than the bike would be there to take me home while she ran. This sounded like a sensible proposal and I wasn't sure how my calf would hold out so I seetled for this.

It was a fairly nice day although the clouds were looming and the rain didn't seem to be far off. I put on a waterproof top (later discovered that this was a mistake) and set out with Laurence in the direction of Corra. I ran the first kilometre easily enough although the Garmin was playing up and beeped at least 100m beyond the usual spot, recording 5:30. As is often the case after an injury, you focus largely on the areas of the body where you've suffered and I spent the next 20 - 30 minutes analysing internally every little ache and pain coming from either leg. The calf was holding up though and despite a few pulls every now and then, there was nothing untoward and I was happy with how it was doing.

I felt good along the path towards Corra and I stretched out to see in what sort of shape I was after 2 weeks of forced rest. My breathing was actually not too bad but my legs were finding the going harder, especially in the thighs. I ran 3 kilometres at 3:55 pace before easing off towards Corra and dropping down to a more sedate 4:15 pace. I tried to maintain this pace up the hill to the Pavillon, running in 4:20 and then accelerating again to 4:13 then 4:08 back up to Le Mesnil.

We took a longer alternative route back home, running past the church in town before getting back in 1:04:45. I reckon that this equates to just under 1:03 over the usual route. 15.3 km all up or an average pace of 4:15 /km. Good to be back and although I didn't feel as fresh or as easy as I have been recently, I was pleased with this run as it shows I haven't lost too much pace.

Sunday club run

A longer night's sleep and Laurence and I headed off to the club for this morning's session. We both had very different objectives though: Laurence was in marathon recovery mode and was going to run with Katia and Stéphanie for an easy 45 minutes; whereas I was planning to run whatever session that Miguel had concocted for the day.

There was a fairly small turnout today with the Easter holidays and post-marathon recoveries having reduced the numbers for this morning's workout. Nico, Ylies and Jean-Marc were there along with Thierry and Philippe for the men (François having decided to put in a few miles on the bike instead). Laurence met up with Katia, Stéphanie, Delphine and Aude from the female contingent of the club. We all ran together for the warm-up for the first 25 minutes before the marathoners turned back and I carried on for a 2 x 15 minute threshold session off 3' recovery.

Nico was still tired after another evening out and getting up early to man one of the St Germain polling stations in the French presidential election. We were running at 15 km/h to start and he was already complaining about the pace. I was feeling good, probably due to the lack of mileage this week and when I felt that we could run faster than this. I took the lead and ran with Ylies and Nico just behind me before they overtook me towards the railway line and then gapped me as the path went slightly uphill and then onto the bumps. I felt the pace now and eased off slightly, looking at the Garmin to check how long was left to go. Another 3 minutes, so I gritted my teeth and stuck in and then pushed a little harder as we came off the bumps and then uphill alongside the railway line. First interval was over with Nico and Ylies 25 metres ahead and Thierry and Jean-Marc a good distance back. I'd been averaging 3:45 pace over the interval with 2 kilometres at 3:35 pace along the flat and then downhill.

The 3 minute recovery passed quickly and we set off again, with Nico left behind as he was caught short relieving himself against a tree :)  This wasn't enough though to put him off as Ylies took the lead and Thierry followed shortly behind with me tagging onto Thierry's shoulder. Nico came past after a few hundred yards and ran on with Ylies down to the St Simon cross. Thierry gapped me and mentally I didn't have the willpower to stay with him and it was only on the last straight to Croix de Noailles that I began to reel him in. I averaged 3:50 pace on the second section and overall I was pretty pleased with my performance but still slightly concerned as Ylies and Nico gapped me significantly over the second interval.

17 km all up in 1:28 and it was good to get back to the clubhouse and have a nice coffee with Laurence, Katia and Stéphanie in the bar to relax. Good start to the day.