Bets - 2011 challenge

I've got a bet on with Nick for the following times and distances to be achieved before the end of the year :

Race Estimates for JAMES HIGHNAM
5km Time	10km Time	15km Time	Semi Time	Marathon Time
00:18:01	00:37:33	00:58:13	01:23:34	02:56:09

I hadn't looked at these for a while following our exchange back in April and I thought that I'd beaten the 10km time with my race in Les Clayes. Turns out that I missed the objective by 2 seconds so I'll have to keep trying. The objective is to beat 4 of these 5 times by year end and Nick pays for the beers all evening. If I don't manage then it's my shout.

The real difficulty is going to be planning all of these races around the events that are already scheduled. Now where's my race calendar ... ?

Bis repetita X-country training

Second week of cross-country training this morning and Nick and Anne very kindly picked me up to take me to Marly for the session. Nick has been suffering from a bad back lately with both neck pains and lumbago causing him pain and to ease off on the running recently. I know just how frustrating this type of injury can be and the tension that it causes within the family. When Laurence and I have been injured, after a week of not being able to run, the partner just avoids confrontation totally as any disagreement turns into a row within instants.

So I was intrigued by how Nick had been managing this week to treat the problem and his explanations were a real eye-opener for me. Firstly, treatment by the osteopath (nothing too unusual here), then massages and electrode treatment on the buttocks (now we're getting kinky!), followed by an in-house yoga session with a class of females only and a female instructor. Apparently, the instructor (a young, dark, foreign beauty by all accounts) was not satisfied at Nick's attempts at suppleness and proceded to force him to the floor by pushing with her hands then treading on his back. It was only Nick's male pride (and the fact that he was overwhelmed by the instructor) that stopped him from crying out in pain at the treatment. Anyway, this might not have done the trick to heal him completely, but he seemed determined enough to want to return for more punishment next week. He was ready to come to training at least.

A far larger crowd at the training session this week with the runners from last Saturday joined by Bruno, Jérémie, Mireille and Delphine amongst others. Nico turned up on time for once and even looked as though he'd managed to have a decent night's sleep; so either his poker friends were away for the weekend; or, more likely, he'd burnt through his pay-packet again and was waiting for next month's salary. Whatever the reason, it had done him some good and he was fresh and eager to start the session. Delphine was back from Les 4 Chateaux race, flushed with success and the fact that she'd been chased around the course by 2000 men.

Miguel had planned the same session as last week (3 blocks of 3x3') and after a warm-up lap, dictated by the trail runners who insisted on finding the muddiest, steepest tracks in Marly park, we set off on the session proper. Nico and I started the first flat session and I stayed with him, closely followed by Jérémie until the first slight uphill when I fell back slightly and Jérémie came past. The second interval was uphill and Jérémie showed both Nico and I the power he has, leaving us for dead up the steep hill as we finished our interval about 2/3 of the way up. He paid for this from then on though as he hadn't realised that there were 3 blocks to do and he was already in the red. We then attacked the next hill where I stayed with Nico until about 3/4 of the way up and he pulled slowly away from me again.

This was the pattern for the rest of the session but I was a lot closer to Nico than last week and I felt far more regular in my effort. We finished the session with a warm-down around Marly park, chatting about the session and how we both did better than the previous week's efforts. I could feel the improvement already and I am convinced that a few more sessions like this and I'll be able to maintain far higher speeds up the hills. The flat sections are not a problem and I can hold my own with Nico and Jérémie but as soon as we hit the hills - I'm useless.

15km all up so a good long session in the cold. Snow/heavy frost/hail on the ground and the park was absolutely beautiful to run around. A real pleasure this morning. My only regret: that the kind runner who brought along the Thermos with the tea for the stretching at the end of the session didn't do the warm-down and so ther was none left by the time we finished!

Cross-country training

Cross-country season is looming on the horizon and approaching quickly. I can feel the atmosphere already: cold, frosty mornings with a thin layer of ice over waterlogged fields that crack underfoot, plunging your feet into pools of icy water. Fields that are rapidly churned into full-blown mudbaths with clods that cling to your soles as you try to plow through the ruts without twisting your ankle. Courses designed to take you up the same steep bank 14 times in the space of one loop and where 10km races last well over 40 minutes. Delightful.

This was the first session of training for the cross-country organised by the club and coached by Miguel. The same Miguel who had prepared any potential candidates for training very carefully by basically informing everyone on Thursday that if you weren't Superman, it wasn't worth turning up. It was with a little trepidation that I waited to be picked up by Nick and Anne this morning to head to Marly park where the ordeal would take place.

We were only a small group (not surprising after Miguel's prep talk) comprising of Nick, myself, Philippe, José, Miguel and a couple of other male runners I didn't recognise. The ladies were better represented with Anne, Christelle, Pascale, Catherine and Aude. We weren't prepared to hang around as it was chilly so without wasting too much time we set off on a warm-up around the circuit. We reached the far end of the lake when we saw a familiar figure running towards us: Nico who'd obviously slept in, judging by his dishevelled look. Another rough night apparently.

We finished a first loop and then began the session proper: 3 blocks of 3x3' off 90 seconds recovery. The aim was to attack all of the hills at the beginning of each 3 minute acceleration so as to work out the legs good and proper. I set off with Nico for the first interval which was mostly along the flat. I was able to stick with him until the first slight uphill and then off he went. My problem is definitely on the hill work where everytime we hit an uphill, I would fall off Nico's shoulder and José would come past. José advised me to take smaller paces up the hills at a faster rhythm. This worked to some effect but it wasn't sufficient to stay with the 2 of them.

By the end of the session I was well and truly knackered and coughing my lungs up due to the effort involved. It was good to see Nick run all the session, bar the last hill, following his recent back problems. He was sporting a nice new pair of trainers which looked about 2 years old by the end of the session.

14 km all up in 1:26 but a really good workout and one which I'll try and keep up over the next few weeks.

Slothful Saturday

Just a short run with Nick this morning as he's taking part in the Ekiden tomorrow at Taverny (together with Nico who'll be running in the Senior team). We jsut ran into the forest towards Cora and then turned back after about 3km.

We pushed the pace uphill along the forest path in order to get a bit of speed in before Nick's race tomorrow. I felt good all of the way around.

After I got back, Laurence and I accompanied Paul on his run to Chateau du Val and back. Paul is running better and better and every week he is showing some improvement. Today he ran the first kilometre up the hill in Le Mesnil in 5:42 and then ran the next kilometre at exactly the same speed. He sped up slightly for the third as the path flattened out and then descended slightly and slowed to 5:40 for the uphill section of the 4th kilometre.

I told him at this point that he was going to beat his record and I could see that he was concentrating on maintaining the pace and had a look of determination to beat the 40 minute barrier for the course (7.2km). We ran back into Le Mesnil and back along the road to finish. This was the only point in the course that he ran slower than last week (5:02 v. 4:50 a week ago) which also showed that his speed had been steadier and that he was tired to finish. No sprint this week at the end but a good time of 39:03 or an average of 5:30 per km. Good to see such an improvement and really pleased for him. If he continues to improve at this rate, he'll be leaving Laurence behind soon and me next ;o)

15km all up in 1:18. Very easy going today.

Saturday run

The usual run to Cora again today with Nick for company. All our other running mates were busy, injured or away. It was nice to just chat to Nick easily and we ran easily at 4:40 pace to begin with, building to 4:30 pace by the time we got to Cora.

It was a warm morning, with a temperature hovering around 16°C. It also looked very dark and the risk of a sudden downpour was high. Both Nick and I had donned set seather gear to begin with but when the rain didn't materialise, we stripped these off as it was too warm. This may explain why I found the pace so tiring, but more likely are the late nights, lack of sleep, and high mileage I've been racking up lately.

Still the run was mostly uneventful until we crossed the railway line on the way home, after Pavillon de la Muette. I went to take a small path to the left and put my foot on a length of kerbing, only to find it slide away from under me and finding myself falling. I put out my hands to break my fall but I rolled over a couple of times before I came to a stop. Nothing hurt, except for the jarring in my neck which was not the ideal way to deal with my current problems here. Nick was impressed and after checking if I was alright mentioned how the fall was quite spectacular.

No more mishaps after this. 15km all up in 1:11 or an average pace of 4:46 per km.

Triathlon de St Germain

There was no escaping this triathlon. We'd signed up again but it was hard work to get up early this morning, to get out of the house and to take part. I wasn't really over my neck problem either and it wasn't the most sensible idea to go diving into a lukewarm swimming pool at 8:30 am in the morning.

However, there we were again and plenty of participants organised into 2 teams from Le Mesnil. I was in the English team composed of Nick, Paul, me, Sophie and Axel; and there was a second team made up of Didier, Eric, Patrick, Laurence and Pierre-Henri. Didier had done all the organising and everything was ready when we arrived at the pool.

After a quick warm-up in the pool, about 150 athletes waited in the water for the gun to be fired. We were off and the water went white with thrashing of arms and legs. I had a few blows from feet and arms in the head and torso and my googles were hit causing me to go sightless in one eye as they filled with water. An order was then created based on the speed of the different swimmers and I settled down into a steady rhythm, abandoning front-crawl for breaststroke despite the neck pain that this caused.

I thought that I was swimming at roughly the same speed as Nick until the guy I had mistaken him for dropped half a length. I climbed out of the pool to see Nick already changing into his cycling gear. We exchanged a couple of words and he was off outside, 30 seconds later I left to see that he'd already disappeared and that I was chasing again. I was on my old bike so that I could benefit from lighter weight and not need SPD shoes. The saddle was too low though and I lost some time from not being able to use more leverage on the pedals. I was relatively steady, but it was still a relief after 20k when I could leave the bike and start running.

As I had entered the bike park, I'd seen Nick leaving on the other side for his run. He had almost exactly the same start on me as last year when he beat me overall by 50m. This was my chance to see if I could run faster this year, and catch him before the end. I set off feeling good in my legs and running at around 14km/h (an estimate since I didn't have a watch to check speed or pace). I picked up speed as my legs got used to the run from the bike and I started catching other athletes and overtaking them.

When I reached the last hill alongside St Germain terrace, I could see Nick now about 100m ahead and I concentrated on catching the runners between him and me and chasing him down. I knew that there was about 500m to go when we left the terrace wall and he was about 25m ahead. He saw me on the last corner as he looked around going past, and I made an enormous effort to catch him and another runner from Houilles. As I drew alongside, he asked if we were going to sprint to the end or finish together. I didn't fancy a sprint to the line now and I was pleased at the idea of finishing together so that's what we did, crossing the line in 1:18:43.

Didier had finished ahead and his bike training paid off as he gained 2.5 minutes on us. Paul finished about 6 minutes behind and Laurence just after Paul in 1:27.

Laurence did a fantastic job finishing as 3rd woman and 2nd veteran overall. I was happier with her performance than my own as both Nick and I completed a minute slower than a year ago. Race didn't do any good to my neck and lack of sleep was a factor too. Still it was good to see everyone taking part and hopefully we'll have an even bigger team next year.

Conflans 10k - Fin d'Oisienne

Stress is a bugger to deal with. This race had been on my mind for days and I couldn't relax about it. The competition and the banter with Nico had grown to a head and I couldn't spend any length of time without wondering what sort of form I was in, what sort of form he was in, and if I could improve on my best time over 10k. I thought about this frequently and told myself to relax: it was a race after all and not the end of the world. This sort of rationalising is all very logical but when you're stressed, nothing works.

Laurence was in a similar state to me and doesn't like racing because of this. We picked up Nick this morning and drove to Conflans arriving about 1 hour before the race. Several other runners from the club had already arrived and we all chatted together, pinning our numbers on and then set off on a warm-up before the start. Nico, Bruno P, Bruno W, Ephrem, Nick B had all arrived. Nick let slip a laconic "7 guys from the club and I'm going to be the last!" while we were running around. Only 3 women from the club with Laurence, Christelle and Madeleine.

After a 4k warm-up, I lined up at the start with butterflies in my stomach. A huge mixture of feelings swirled around inside me: apprehension, worry about being beaten, worry about my form, fear of the 10 kilometres ahead. It's true that I don't like 10km races. They are just too long to be able to go out and run full blast, but they are too short to run at a comfortable speed. They are simply a test of your cardiac performance, with your heartrate pumping to close to max all the way around but for over 30 minutes. Sheer hell !

The start was a bit confusing as the race was also the inter-departmental challenge for the youngsters from the region "Espoirs" and "Juniors". They started on the start line and the other runners started 5 metres behind. I was convinced that they would be trampled to death within 100m after the gun, but I was to be proved wrong on this count. The gun went and I wasn't really ready. Since everyone surged forward, I wasn't going to argue and set off at this point.

The pace was fast but I felt good and slalomed between some of the youngsters, notably the girls, while the lads remained a good 20 metres in front and were leaving me behind. There were a lot of runners in front of me and since I finished 20th in this race last year, I was convinced that I would catch up with most of them and overtake them later on. This didn't happen. I felt strong in my legs and I finished the first small 2 km loop in 7:04 as the timekeeper shouted out as I passed. This was identical to last year's race and I was pleased. The other reason for satisfaction was that I was the first runner from St Germain. I'd noticed that both Nico and Bruno W., my 2 main rivals, were behind me from the start. I was now concentrating on keeping them there.

The second large loop started well and I joined a group of runners, keeping an eye on a runner from Issou and another from Méry just ahead. I ignored my watch as it beeped the kilometre splits and the second real notion of how I was doing was when I passed the official clock at 5 km showing 17:54. This was good. I calculated that I could lose 5 seconds per km and still beat my record at this point and I allowed myself to relax slightly as I was starting to suffer from the pace. Between 5 and 6 km was a killer as it's up a slight incline (really very slight but the pace was beginning to tell) and I wondered if Nico and Bruno would catch me at this point. I prepared myself mentally to be overtaken but I seriously thought about dropping out at this point. I banished these thoughts from my mind and told myself that even if I was overtaken, I would still finish the race, even if I had to drop the pace slightly. I concentrated on finding a rhythm and staying with the guys around me.

I was running with 2 youngsters now and catching a third just ahead. I tried to pull them along and this worked for a couple of kilometres until 8k and then they stretched ahead slightly down a hill. I was shot now. The last 2 kilometres were the worst. I lost speed and let runners pass me without responding. I just wanted to cross that finish line. I wondered how I would react if Nico pulled alongside now and knew that I didn't have the energy to respond. The last uphill was agony and it was a relief to go under the starting arch and to finally pull into the stadium. I managed a semi-sprint just to keep ahead of a couple of runners breathing down my neck at this point and I crossed the line in 37:15. I was elated at being the first St Germain runner and beating Nico, but slightly disappointed at the same time that I hadn't been able to beat my record, which was on the cards until the 8km point.

Nico finished 26 seconds behind and congratulated me. I was disappointed for him too, as he's capable of doing better than this and he will be beating me soon regularly over this distance. The rest of the club finished in a bunch just behind with Nick finishing last of the 7 (as he predicted) in a very respectable time of 39:17. He was pleased that he'd managed to catch a 70 year old in the last 500m to beat him over the line ! Admittedly, the 70 year old in question is triple European champion in his age category and is till running 10k in 39:27. I hope I'm in this condition in 30 years time.

Laurence ran into the stadium in 46 minutes and I cheered her on over the last 200m. She finished in 46:49 smashing her record over the distance by over a minute. We were both thrilled.

Good race and mixed emotions. Glad to have held off the club competition but slightly disappointed to have finished 18 seconds down on last year's time. This was due to my endurance over the last 2k which I need to work on. I'm confident for the marathon now and this is the next main objective. I have to admit that I far prefer the thought of running a marathon to a 10k. How weird is that ?

Full race results here: Conflans 10k

Preparation run

I'm preparing for the race tomorrow at Conflans. Normall y all the textbooks advise tapering before a race in order to rest the body so that it is perfectly ready for the event to be run. I looked at my blog from last year, the day prior to this very same race and saw that I'd run to Cora and back. So why not do the same this year ?

I met up with Nick and Nico, but they told me straight out that they were only going to run a short course of about 30 - 40 minutes. I think that Nico was very stressed about the race and didn't want to waver from his training programme which said that a 30' session was sufficient prior to a race. As his blog now states, he's lowered his expectations to a sub 37 race for the 10k and he's been a lot quieter of late about his chances of beating me !

I ran with both of them for a about 3k at a very easy pace (just under 10km/h) before leaving them and carrying on to Cora. I didn't run around the lake but back along the usual route, completing the 13k course in 1:06 or an average speed of 5:12. When I'm by myself, I just can't run as slowly as 10km/h and find that without concentrating I approach 4:45 pace or just under 13km/h.

Very easy run and looking forward to tomorrow's race just to see what I'm capable of at the moment.

Cora and back

Another beautiful day, sunny and a pleasant temperature. I ran around to Nick's house this morning as neither Nico nor Paul were answering my mails about going for a run. Paul is either still on holiday or else still in bed as his house was still fast asleep when we ran past it twice both times. Nico had no excuse, bar his usual too many pizzas, too many beers ...

Very easy run and most enjoyable. Nick and I chatted easily all the while running at 4:35 - 4:40 pace. Great run that makes you feel good about being out and exercising.

1:09 for 15k or an average of 4:37 per km.

Will go for a long run (2:30) with the trailers tomorrow at the club as they're preparing the Templiers trail for end October. Looks like the London marathon is on for next year with about 20 runners from the club participating. Should be fun!

Long Sunday Run

A deviation from the marathon running schedule for today which only required 1:40 of effort with three intervals of 10', 12' and 14' at threshold speed. I decided I would go back to my long road route through the forest to St Germain, along to Feucherolles down through St Nom la Breteche and back through St Germain to home.

Good news was that I was not alone for the run: Nick had agreed to run at least the first 11km with me up to the top of Princess Road. He would then head back and I would carry on. Further good news: Laurence was accompanying me on the mountain bike with a camelbak and so I wouldn't need to carry a bag and I had somebody with me to encourage me.

We set off easily enough and did the first km in just over 5 minutes. In fact, this would be the only kilometre that I would run under 12km/h. It was a nice morning and there was some sunshine but the temperature was probably hovering around the 14°C mark. We gradually built up speed until we were running steadily at 4:35 per km until the hills began. The first climb was up to the lycée horticole which we ran well and then the long slog up util the top of Princess Road. I felt good going up the hills and was concentrating on not bending my back but trying to run as upright as possible.

We left Nick to run back home from the top and we carried on to Feucherolles from there. I tried to run at marathon pace from this point and was covering each kilometre at about 4:15 - 4:20 pace. I carried on until St Nom la Breteche, enjoying the downhill sections to maintain the pace. I felt slightly tired but not excessively and was happy with the feelings as this was my first long run for a while.

By the time I got to St Germain, I was a lot less fresh and taking on water more frequently. The hills had taken it out of me and I just wanted to finish now. I managed to continue running and not to stop and everything was going well until about 2.5k to go when Laurence punctured. I offered to stop and help but she waved me on and ran with the bike back home. I was able to find a little bit of energy to actually increase the pace (now that I knew that the end was in sight) and finished at 4:26, then 4:10 then 3:58 for the last kilometre.

34 km all up in 2:33 or an average pace of 4:31 per km. Very pleased that I was able to get around and thrilled to manage in this time. I was probably better trained just before Paris as I was able to run faster the "marathon pace" stretches but definitely not in this shape at this stage of the preparation. Total mileage for the week 103 km - second week ever where I've managed over 100k!

Laurence got back safely 18 minutes after me ! Puncture still needs repairing - any offers ?

Cora and back

Despite the call to arms yesterday to the guys, only Nick responded positively to the invitation for an easy run to Cora and back this morning. Andy is injured suffering from back problems and Paul is still on holiday.

Struggled to wake up this morning, despite a good night's sleep and almost missed my rendez-vous with Nick for the start of the run. We headed out very easily at around 12kmh and just enjoyed the fantastic blue sky and a very comfortable temperature of around 14°C. It was just a perfect day for running and so it was a bit of a surprise when I got back to find out that the UTMB had been cancelled due to bad weather. Apparently, the decision was taken at 1:00 am this morning to stop the race due to the torrential rain and the mudslides in the mountains. It must have been a really difficult decision to take both for the particpants and the organisers but probably the wisest in the end. ALL races: UTMB, TDS and the CCC were stopped. The only one for which there is no news is the PTL which would appear to continue. If you're mad enough to enter a race for 240km and 18 000 metres of uphill then even attrocious weather conditions like this aren't going to stop you !!

Nick and I had a good chat and coasted around the Cora route at about 4:35 pace after the intitial slow start. 15km all up in 1:11 so an average of 4:47 per km.

Intending to go out for a long Sunday run tomorrow morning and to skip the club session. If I do over 30k tomorrow, it'll take my mileage this week to over 100k.

Evening session

Doubled up today with an easy session at the club this evening. The honorary coach, self-appointed, for the evening was Michel and despite the warnings given by Nick, Nico and myself it was off into the darker regions of St Germain forest for a menu of nettles, brambles and thick undergrowth. Lovely!

It was nice to meet up with the guys again and we spoke about what we'd been up to over the holidays. Nick has only just started training again while Nico is training like a maniac, doubling up twice a week and determined to thrash me at Conflans.

Session was very easy, just a gentle jog through the forest, avoiding the obstacles unfortunately, but chatting to Nick and Nico. 10.1k in 59 minutes.

Rambouillet Half Marathon - Yvelines

The gauntlet had been thrown. I'd declared that this year I would beat my 24 year old half-marathon personal best set in the Great North Run when I was 17. My running objectives for the year were public and declared: the half-marathon had to be run in 1:22:30.

I spoke to Tom about this last weekend and he asked me why I wasn't just trying to beat 1:24:30 as this is 15km/h or 4:00 per km over the distance. I decided that this wasn't sufficient and since the 20k in Paris last year, I knew that I was capable of beating this but a 1:22 target was more ambitious.

We arrived at the race with plenty of time and Nick, Laurence and I got ourselves ready before going out ofr a warm-up. A nasty accident happened before we even started as I put out my hand to shake hands with Bruno and Laurence rose at the same time catching my fingers directly in her left eye. I felt really bad before we'd even started and hoped that this wouldn't have any impact on Laurence's own objective of beating 1:45 in the race.

Plenty of runners from St Germain were present: Nico, Olivier, José, Bruno, Mireille, Gérald, etc. and the quality of the runners was high. I expected this as although the number of runners that can take part in the race is limited to 2000, the quality is very high and I epxected to arrive only in the top 10%, compared to 5% in a standard race.

We lined up in the first starting block, pretending to look like runners capable of running under 1:20 !! Unfortunately, there is no timing mat on the start line so only the gun result counts, meaning that plenty of runners try to start as close as possible. The gun went (on the second attempt) and we were off. I ran with Nico as I'd set the virtual partner to 3:53 per km and he agreed to stay with me at this pace. We could see Bruno and Mireille running together just ahead and we caught them up in the second kilometre to give ourselves a chance of beating Mireille over the distance.

The first kilometres were quick but I felt good in my race shoes and there was no pain from the ankle. Nico and I ran together and we overtook Bruno on the first hill at around 3 kilometres when he dropped off Mireille's pace. I couldn't keep up with her either now and she pushed on, racing another female for 2nd place. We finished the hill and turned off into the forest and I pushed again, making the most of the slight downhill. I was really happy with my pace and my sensations here: my legs were comfortable and fresh (was this due to the new Skins I was wearing ?), my ankle was fine and my pace was around 3:50 per km. At about 7km, Nico dropped just behind me and I pushed on, hoping that he wouldn't be able to follow. Mireille was still in front and showed no sign of coming back to me. I tried to tag on to a little group of runners and stayed at the back of this group until the 10km point. There was a timing mat at this point and I crossed the mat in 38:29, not bad for a 10k and faster than my last race in Houilles !

I felt good again at this point and between 10 and 12km I stretched and pushed the group a little. At 12km though, I began to tire and wondered if I could keep this speed up. I was hungry and despite the little water that I'd taken on at the feeding stations, I was losing energy and had a little stitch. It was the countdown from then on. The kilometres seemed longer and longer although my speed didn't reduce drastically. My 3:50 per km pace slowed to 4:02 by kilometre 17 and then kilometre 19 went by in 4:13. This was due to the fact that I stopped to take on water and had to negociate the slight uphill out of the forest back towards Rambouillet.

I could still see Mireille about 300m ahead but she was not coming back to me. I was just hanging on in now, praying for the finish to come into sight. I guy in a triathlete suit came past and encouraged me but I couldn't stay with him. I passed the 20km marker and with 1km to go I was encouraged and put in a last little effort. Even so, I only managed the kilometre in 3:58 and then the sprint at 3:39 pace. I crossed the line in 1:22:12 a new PB and beat Fabrice's time in Paris of 1:22:35 so I was pleased. Nico had been dropped but I hadn't caught Mireille who'd run a stormer and the best half-marathon time for a female vet in France by over 5 minutes this year !!

Gérald finished next in 1:23 then Bruno and Nico in 1:24. Nick ran a personal best in 1:26 and then I ran back to find Laurence. I figured it was going to be close when I got to her but she was looking good, not red in the face, so she'd obviously run steadily and intelligently. We turned the corner and into the last straight with 250m to go. I could see the clock hit 1:44 and told her to sprint. She said she couldn't but she picked up the pace towards the finishing line to finally cross in 1:44:56 - a new record by over 5 minutes. She was stonked.

Good race all round. Definitely back next year to do this one again.

Week 7

Another week into the training schedule for the marathon. Time passes so quickly at the moment that I find it hard to beliwe that I've already finished the third week's training. So how did it go.

Sunday - Ran over to the club to run the Sunday course with the others. It was a long run with 3 intervals planned of 12', 15', then 12' off 3' rest. I started well, running at about 3:48 pace for the first interval. Second interval was longer and harder and I was at about 3:54 pace when disaster struck and I fell down on the ice going around a corner. I came down hard on my side and totally winded myself and restarting I didn't have the same energy or motivation. The last interval I struggled again as Mireille and Bruno were ahead and I was running now at around 4:04 pace. Ran back home to complete 27 km all up.

Tuesday (skived Monday as tired) - Early morning intervals of 4x 1500m off 3 minute recovery. Ran each interval at 3:52 pace and was very steady. Hard work by myself but pleased to achieve the session as planned.

Wednesday - Early morning recovery run of 11km around the park and down by the town-hall.

Friday - More intervals planned. 10 x 400m off 100m recovery. Schedule stated to run at 1:35 per interval. I ran all in and around 1:31 so at about 16km/h. Didn't feel too tiring a session and probably could have run a few more. 10 km all up.

Saturday - A lovely daylight run (!) with Nick to Cora and back. First sign of sunlight in my training schedule this week which made a change. Weather was slightly warmer too at around 2°C but the ground was still frozen in the forest. 15km all up in 1:11 which is a good average time for the Cora run. Nick is back from injury and beginning to run well again. I felt good this morning so I hope that this bodes well for tomorrow's cross-country race. Can't say that I'm really looking forward to it.

74km all up for the week.

Cora with Nick

Andy, where are you ?

He didn't answer our call to go running this Saturday and I fear the worse: a bad case of New Year's blues where running is playing second fiddle to mountain biking. Whatever the excuse, Andy wasn't available for the Cora run so Nick and I went out by ourselves around the 15km loop through the forest next to Maisons Laffitte.

There's nothing lke a good run to Cora to recharge the batteries and to improve my motivation and this Saturday was no exception. Nick and I had a good chat and the time seemed to pass by really quickly. It was beautiful in the forest with the cold and there were no other runners around. We headed out to Cora at a good pace, gradually speeding up to 4:27 per km before we eased off around the lake and then headed back up the hill to Pavillon de la Muette.

I got back feeling fresh and looking forward to the weekend. I managed to get some wife credits by buying the croissants for breakfast before Laurence got back from her run too. Good start to the weekend.

15 km in 1:12 or an average of 4:48 per km. Total mileage for the week amounts to 61km.

Boxing Day - Cora

It was Saturday after all and so Cora it was to be. I tried to convince Nick to come out and join me but an excess of alcohol and turkey together with the early start proposed dissuaded him.

I set off to Cora by myself when I woke up. It was supposed to be an early start but not setting the alarm and with no pressure to get up, I only awoke after 9:00 am. I kitted myself out and set out for a run before taking Dad et al to the airport.

I wasn't in any rush and I pretended that Andy and Nick were with me running at the usual pace (OK guys - only kidding. I wasn't running that slowly ;) ). I'd done about 5k when I saw a familiar figure running towards me at full pace. It was Nick running around in the opposite direction to usual in order to meet me. Too bad that I'd set out so late or we could have run together after all. He was putting in some interval training after a few weeks off with tendonitis, so it was good to see him out again.

I sped up after this, even managing a kilometre at 4:15 before I calmed down again and told myself that I was racing the next day so not to go wild.

15km in just under 1:09. 60.5k for the week.

La Rochelle Marathon - Serge Vigot

La Rochelle marathon used to be organised by Serge Vigot, a marathon runner himself, before his untimely death in 2005 at the end of the Marakech marathon. La Rochelle was the second biggest marathon in France after Paris, but has now been surpassed by the Nice-Cannes race. Over 7500 runners had signed up for the race this year, slightly down on the 8800 runners registered last year. The quantity is there but the quality of the runners is also very high. Last year 452 runners went under 3:00 for the race or 6.3% of the finishers compared to 1009 in Paris or 4% of the finishers.

So, I wasn't going to be alone in my quest to break the 3 hour barrier. As the commentator in this year's race says quite clearly: "In a marathon, there are those who can finish in under 3 hours and they'll never forget their race, and there are those who finish just outside and they'll never forget either but for the wrong reasons". We arrived in the TGV with Nick and Laurence from Paris on the Saturday morning into La Rochelle station. The weather was lousy: a real gale blowing, decidedly cool and humidity in the air. The weather forecast wasn't showing any sign of improvement for the Sunday either. Before we checked into our hotels, we went into town to get something to eat.

La Rochelle is a lovely town, centred on the old port on the Atlantic Ocean. We figured that there must be plenty of bars and restaurants around the port and we headed off in that direction. There were plenty of bars and restaurants but they were all ful of runners who'd just arrived in town. The first restaurant told us that we'd have to wait half an hour ot be served so we left for the next. A plate of pasta later and we split up to go to our hotels to check in and then meet up later at the marathon village.

Laurence and I checked into the Mercure hotel in La Rochelle which is ideally situated for the women's start, approximately 2metres50 from the front door. We left our luggage and met up with the others at the marathon village just a few hundred yards from the hotel. We found this to be the most practical aspect of the race: everything was just so close to the course, the town centre and it was all so practical. 9 of us from the club were entered in the marathon and we all met up at the village: Nick, Laurence and I, Patrick, Patrick V, Marie-Laure, Christèle, Damaso and Marjo. Christèle had come down with some supporters: Madeleine and Norbert, her husband. We arranged with them to eat in the restaurant that evening while the others organised a pasta party between themselves.

Sunday morning started at 6:00 am for breakfast. I'd slept really badly, worrying about the race and thinking about work. Laurence and I met Christèle for breakfast in the hotel and ate as much as we were able to hold down at that time in the morning. I promptly went back to the room in order to get some more sleep while Laurence had a paracetemol for her sore throat and then had a shower. The wind was still as fierce as ever aznd our motivation was at its nadir. I really couldn't picture myself running in these conditions: dark, damp and utterly windy. The sort of day where you can quite happily stay in bed until midday with no regrets.

I lined up on the start line by myself in the cold. Laurence and the women had a different start point in front of the hotel, whereas I was lined up with the men, just behind the elite runners. I waited patiently for the gun, eager to be off and running. We waited for what seemed like an eternity, being blown about a little but admittedly less affected as part of the crowd. The gun finally went and I set off at what seemed like a moderate pace. I knew that there was a long distance to be run and I didn't want to blow it all in a mad start. I felt good and the climb out of the town centre wasn't too bad. I set off at 4:03 pace for the first kilometre and then 4:11. In fact, 4:11 was the pace that I'd set on the Garmin as my virtual partner so this wouldn't have been too bad but for the fact that this second kilometre was uphill out of the town centre.

I let other runners past me here and I was slightly depressed by this but since I was already well ahead of my average time I let them go. We joined up with the women's start after 3.5 km and I saw some veteran's (V2 and older) flying past at the junction ahead. The race was into the wind at this point so the aim of the game was to find a group of runners to huddle behind to find some shelter from the blast. This wasn't always possible though and it was tiring struggling against it. I was overtaken by a couple of women runners just before the 5 kilometre marker and I wondered just how good they were. Mireille, from the club, is one of the best club runners in France over a marathon and I couldn't help thinking that these 2 were probably overdoing it. We pased under 5 km in 20:31 or 2:53 pace for the marathon and I reassured myself that McMillan predicted a 2:52 time for me on recent performance so I wasn't overdoing it.

McMillan is excellent for me over 5, 10 even 20 km. I still hadn't managed to beat 3 hours so how reliable was this over the marathon distance ? I kept running at 4:07 pace until 15k and then slowed slightly to 4:13 pace to the half-marathon stage as we ran around the southern and most exposed part of the course, around the docks to the south of the port. The half-marathon was achieved in 1:27:27 (a new PB for me in the process) and I set out on the second loop of the course. Once again there was a climb out of the town centre and it felt a lot harder this time around. I caught up with the 2 female runners at this point Agnès Deleume (who later pulled out after 35k) and Annick Petinon. I felt happy to be catching runners when I knew I was beginning to tire and satisfied too in my judgement that they'd gone off too fast.

I was starting to tire too now and every kilometre felt as though it was taking longer, which it was, but in terms of perception it felt a good 50% longer. I had some glucose and kept drinking well at every feeding station. The hills seemed harder, the kilometres longer, and the end as far away as ever. The worst arrived after 30 kms, now the tiredness in my legs was noticeable. It was mental before, now it was physical. I'd been running for 2 hours and still had an hour to go.

My pace had slowed between 25 and 30 km to 4:18 per km and it was all downhill from now on. At 35 km, I turned the virtual partner off on the Garmin and switched to the real time in order that I could calculate just how slowly I could still run and still make the 3 hour objective. At least my mind was working sufficiently well in order to do wome mental arithmetic and I worked out that I could run around 4:30 per km and still make it. This felt like a reasonable objective but it was so hard to keep going. I really did think about throwing the towel in several times but knew that these impressions are misleading and that despite the tiredness, I would regret making a rash decision afterwards, so I bore the pain and continued.

The final straw was just around the 40 km marker when the 3 hour flag bearer passed me with a group of runners. As he passed he tripped and fell to the ground, leaving his little group leaderless. They picked up the pace again, not waiting for him and I did my best to keep with them. I was just aiming for that last feeding station at 40.5km and some more water and a little walk before heading to the finish. I didn't mind as they pulled away as I had no energy left to try and stay with them. The flag bearer caught them up and led them away as I calculate dthat I had 6 minutes for the last 1.5 kilometres.

When I saw the barrier with the one kilometre to go sign, I knew that it was now or nothing. The loudspeakers around town were filled with the commentator pushing the crowds to encourage the last runners to go under 3 hours. I lengthened my stride with new determination, not wanting to have come all of this way to finsih outside the target again. It was all or nothing. The Gamrin recorded this last kilometre at around 15.8 km/h so under 4 minutes. I was desperate to see the finish line and thought that it would be between the twin towers to the port. As I reached these, still no sign and it was another 50 metres around the corner. I could see the clock 2:59:50 as I sprinted for the line and as I crossed the clock was around 2:59:59 or 3:00:00 - I just couldn't tell.

The end result my official time was 3:00:01 but my real time (allowing for the time to cross the start line) was 2:59:56. I achieved my objective and beat 3 hours. The satisfaction was big but not quite as big as I'd expected. I will be really satisfied when I can achieve this time without the last minute panic and run a more consistent race. But brilliant news nonetheless.

I had a massage afterwards which was most relaxing and helped get some of the stiffness out of my calves and thighs and then met Nick in the tent, sheltering from the rain that had begun to fall. He'd run 3:11:31 which was brilliant and better than he'd been hoping for (3:15 objective). I was thirlled for him since he'd been running so well recently that this was a deserved result.

I started walking back to the hotel alongside the course route in order to spot Laurence at the end. She'd was to run with Philippe who'd offered to help her to achieve her target of under 4 hours. I was thrilled when I saw her at 3:53 with less than a kilometre to go as I knew that she'd done it then. Philippe was running with her and many thanks to him for his support to Laurence during the race. She finally crossed the line in 3:57:44 - a new PB for her too.

So to sum up: great race; great organisation; hotels and showers afterwards were brilliant. Laurence would like to run this again (which she didn't say about Paris). I prefered the Paris course and didn't appreciate having to run 2 loops, but the rest was fantastic. All objectives were met and new targets will be set for next year as our marathon running experiences aren't over yet. Thanks to everyone who sent in messages of support before and after the race.

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 !!

LSR - Long struggle of a run

Guilt - it is the only explanation. Guilt, my guilt, is perhaps not the main cause for my suffering this morning but it is definitely one of the causal factors.

The long run for the week is always on Sunday and for a few weeks now I've been running the same route from Le Mesnil out through the forest, past St Germain, up the Princess Road to Feucherolles, back down to St Nom la Breteche and then back through St Germain, through the forest and home. It's a pleasant route with a mixture of trails and road sections, uphills and downhills and some lovely scenery in places. Nick was starting the run with me again this morning, with the intention of runing 25k, while I was running the full circuit of 33k.

So what went wrong ? Well, things got off to a bad start due to my guilt. Laurence normally accompanies me on these long runs on her bike and she carries the isotonic solution in the rucksack. I seriously messed up yesterday and she wasn't coming with me this morning. So what was all the guilt about ? I ran to Cora yesterday with Andy and when I got back, Laurence wasn't in the house. She had gone on a long run with a friend with the intention of running 30k, so I wasn't to expect her back for 3 hours. I got back to the house and decided that I really fancied some croissants and pain au chocolats with some fresh bread. I jumped in the car and bought 3 of each for myself and the 2 boys. I didn't buy one for Laurence. How could I be so stupid ? I assumed that since she would be back from her run just before lunch that she wouldn't want a croissant and that lunch would suffice. Big mistake. Laurence loves croissants and she would have liked nothing more than to have been welcomed back with a nice cup of tea and a croissant. As it was, she had neither and I was in big trouble. Hence, my start this morning with the rucksack on my back and a litre of isotonic solution inside. Laurence stayed in bed.

It was tough from the start. I met Nick and Anne (on her bike - Nick doesn't make mistakes about croissants apparently!) and we ran together through the forest and up the Princess Road. We got to the top of the Princess Road (11k) in 55 minutes this morning, compared to 52 minutes last week. I felt that I'd been holding Nick up all the way along. He was running very well and appeared to have lots of energy. I didn't.

We carried on along the top towards Feucherolles and then Nick and Anne turned off left to get back to St Germain the short route whereas I continued on to Feucherolles. We were running at 4:30 pace now and I didn't improve on this pace for the rest of the run. What a difference to last week when I was running 4:10 pace over this section. The route continued and I continued to suffer along with it. I was sore in my shoulders from the sack, tired in my legs and the motivation was lacking. I couldn't figure out what had gone wrong since 7 days ago when I had energy abounding.

I managed to carry on all the way around the course without walking although the temptation was great in places. As soon as there was a rise in the road, I would suffer and the tempo would slow from 4:30 pace to 5:00 pace. It was a real relief to get past St Germain and back into the forest for the last 5 km. I could see the finish now, the end to my suffering.

I completed the 33.6 km in 2:38 or an average of 4:42 per km. I put all of this suffering down to the guilt, or at least having ot carry the rucksack all the way around. I'm sorry love. It won't happen again.

LSR - Feucherolles

It was the first time in a few weeks that I have not had a race organised and was able to go for a long steady run on Sunday. I was really looking forward to it as I believe that so much of my recent improvement is due to this weekly run and the associated increase in mileage. I can't say that I was frustrated by the recent week's races but I did feel that I'd been missing out on a vital part of my training programme. My intentions to go out after the races and to run a few more miles all came to naught, as I was either too tired, or too hurt to get out.

Today was different: back to the long loop through St Germain to Feucherolles, back through St Nom la Breteche and St Germain to home. I had asked Nick if he wanted to come along for his long run too, but he only had enough time to fit in a 22km run today, so we agreed that we would run the first 11 km together before he turned back. Laurence was accompanying us with the isotonic drink solution on her bike.

As we set out, we appreciated the beautiful clear blue sky with not a cloud in sight. There was a slight breeze which turned into a definite wind a little later on but we were protected by the forest and didn't really notice this to begin with. The temperature was warmer than of late as it was almost 15°C, similar to the 18°C that we had last night at dusk. Nick and I ran slowly to begin with as we warmed up the first couple of kilometres were at 5:15 then 4:47 pace. We then settled into a pace around 4:40 per km which we kept up until the hill behind the lycée horticole, a 2 km slog uphill where we slowed to 5:11 then 4:56 for these 2k.

We said goodbye to Nick at this point, after 11km which we had covered in 52:48 or an average of 4:48 per km. He turned back down the hill and I carried on with Laurence along the flat in the direction of Feucherolles. I picked the pace up here, telling myself that I would run for 30 minutes, or 7 km at marathon pace, just for training purposes. I felt really good along here, as I still had plenty of energy, having started the run at a moderate pace. In fact, I averaged these next 8 km at 4:08 per km until I reached St Nom and the hill up out of the town. I slowed down a little here, before speeding back up once I got to the top of the hill. I had run these last 11km since leaving Nick in 46:30 or an average of 4:14 per km.

The run along the plateau above St Nom is beside the main road. The great advantage of this section is that there is a wide cycle path just beside the road so you get the benefits of a smooth main road, without the exhaust fumes of the traffic. On a Sunday morning, this road is also fairly quiet, so the traffic noise isn't an issue. I sped up again here running at 4:09 along the flat and then 3:59, 3:48 and 3:52 down the hill into St Germain. I was still feeling fresh and had energy left at this point. I was pleased by this as on my previous runs around this course, I was always shattered by this point. I crossed the main road into St Germain and then negotiated the steepest hill of the course, slowing to a fast walking pace as I struggled the 300m to the top. This takes a lot out of me and my pace dropped to 4:54 then 4:35 as I recovered after this section.

I left St Germain and ran through the forest back home, happy to be heading back and thinking of the nice cup of tea that would be made shortly. In fact, these last 11 km were also run in 46:30 or 4:14 per km. So I managed 22km at marathon pace. I should be able to manage my first marathon in 5 weeks time in under 3 hours barring a major disaster.

33.38 km in 2:27:33 or an average of 4:25 per km overall. Great run and pleased with my progress. All bodes well for La Rochelle on November 29.