Slogging it out

Tough session last night. You could tell that the holiday season is over by the number of participants at the club: a huge crowd last night. Anne and Nick were back from their holidays to attend the session, along with Bruno, Fred, Jean-Marc and Nico, to name but a few (and not the least).

Michel was taking the session, as unfortunately, despite the end of the holidays for most, Miguel was still away. Michel declared that since everyone had to work a little harder than last week that the session would be 2 series of 4x1 minute. This sounded fairly easy and most agreeable so it was a little bit of a disappointment when Nico asked if I wanted to carry on the specific 10k training programme he's been following. Sucker that I am, I agreed.

I wasn't the only runner to be convinced by Nico and both Bruno and Fred agreed to come along too. Nico's session was 2', 4', 6' off 1 minute rest and then 2 minutes rest over the longer 2 intervals. All of this was to be done twice. We warmed up easily enough for 25 minutes and then left the rest of the group to do our session in Le Mesnil forest. I was awarded the honour of chosing the track so we headed off towards the Mesnil car park and then Chateau du Val.

It was a warm evening, though slightly cooler than of late, and I was soon sweating freely. I set the pace with Nico over the first series and both Bruno and Fred seemed to struggle slightly as they been enjoying some rest over the Summer holidays. By the time we started the second series I was already suffering from tiredness, having pushed a little hard probably from the start. The garmin showed later that the intervals were all run about 16km/h average or 3:50 pace to be more precise.

The second series was harder going and on the last 6 minute interval both Bruno and Fred came past as they had been keeping some strength in reserve. I was shot and struggled to stay on the back, recovering slightly at the end to finsih a yard behind Nico and 15 behind the others. Niso has improved considerably over the Summer and he's going to prove hard to beat at Conflans. Bruno will be tougher still but I have to think positively.

Laurence had a good session with Anne and was pleased with her run. She's getting better and better by the day and I'm really pleased for her. She should beat her objective at La Rochelle if she carries on in this manner.

12.6 km all up in 1:08.

Dehydration

Long steady run planned for yesterday and when I woke up it was another beautiful day, confirming my choice to run out to Feucherolles and St Nom La Breteche in a long loop along the roads.

I got out of bed and before setting off on the run, I decided to weigh myself: 75.9 kg. This is fairly normal at the moment, so no great surprise there. Laurence was leaving for a long run too so we each picked up a 500ml Powerade and set off.

I headed up into the forest slowly as I could feel the tiredness in my legs from the previous day's efforts to Cora and back. Despite the great feelings that I'd had on that run, the exertion was taking its toll on me. I ran through the forest towards the clubhouse at St Germain at around 4:35 pace, telling myself that I would need to save my energy for later since I estimated the total course distance at around 32km.

5km and I passed the clubhouse, chasing another runner along the road, passing him and then carrying on towards the stables and then the agricultural college. This is a sharp pull uphill and I suffered the ignominy of being overtaken by another runner up the hill. The shame quickly passed as I recognised him as a runner who sometimes trains with the club and is in a completely different league to me. I continued my run to the top of this hill before a quick descent and then a long slog to the top of the Princess Road. This was the same run that we did last week when I went up easily in 4:40 pace. Today I was struggling at 5:00 pace and at the top, I allowed myself a breather and a slurp of Powerade.

The heat was constant now and the effort in getting to the top had further tired me, and quite frankly, my motivation was waning. I'd only done 11 km and knew that I still had around 20k to go. The raod was easier now and I ran along at about 4:20 pace. In retrospect, this was probably too fast because when I reached Feucherolles at 16km, I stopped again for a quick rest and drank some more.

Feucherolles is a lovely little village and the road that leads from Feucherolles to St Nom is fantastic: a gentle downhill with magnificent views over the surrounding countryside.

I ran into St Nom at about 4:30 pace and then struggled up the hill back out of the village, finishing my Powerade in the process. I was at 21 km now and wondering which would be the quickest route back. I finally decided on running alongside the road back into St Germain and then out by the castle and swimming pool to head home.

Having made the decision, and knowing I was heading home, my pace improved and I finally reached St Germain 5 km later after covering the intermediate distance at around 4:20 pace. Everything went pear-shaped from this point, however. There's a large hill to pull up into St Germain and with the sun and the heat and my general fatigue, I just walked most of this. I reached the top and then jogged through the town out to the swimming pool. Despite being so close to home, I just couldn't summon the energy to turn my legs over to get me back. I ran into the forest and reached 31 km before deciding to call it a day and walk again. The tiredness, the heat, the lack of water: it was all too much and I didn't want to repeat my last marathon experience.

I was furious with myself and unhappy that I didn't have the stamina to carry on. As I reached the clearing in the forest, I began to run again and to finish the last 1.5 km back to the house.

I reached the house in 2:35 after 32.75 km of running. This gives an average of 4:44 but is not the full picture since it doesn't include my walk in the forest or the rest in St Germain. I weighed myself when I got in just to satisfy my curiosity: 72.8 kg. I had lost 3.1kg of water during the run, which if I include the 500ml of drink absorbed, means that I lost 3.6 litres of water for 33 km or just over a litre every 10k. No wonder I was shattered as the dehydration had left its mark.

More can be read about the effects of dehydration here, but with 2% water loss the effects become noticeable and at around 15% water loss, death may occur. Since I weigh 76 kg and normally the electronic scales tell me that I'm 65% water, this amounts to 49.4 kg of water. 3.1 kg of water loss amounts to 6.3 % water loss which apparently is around my running limit. Will take all of this on board for the next marathon !

Venitian mosquitoes

I almost changed my mind about going for a long run early this morning. I was in half a mind to stay in bed and sleep for a little while longer all because of a few little insects. The said insects, mosquitoes, woke me up at 3:30 am and I felt obliged to kill all the little b**tards in order to stop them buzzing me with a fly-by every 2 minutes.

It had been so hot yesterday, that we experimented with the window open last night to try and let a little fresh air into the bedroom: bad move. With the fresh air, there was a small squadron of the little b**tards, that also decided to share our living space. Early this morning, it all became too much for me and I decided that I'd rather die of heat exhaustion and suffocation that be sucked to death by a bunch of b**tard insects. I closed the window, went on a killing spree, spraying the bedroom walls with our own blood, which is rather satisfying since at least you know that you've achieved pay-back big time !

The alarm rang at 7:45 am and I hit snooze. 9 minutes later it rang again and this time I thought that I'd better do something about it, so I got up. Half asleep with the early morning exploits, I dragged my kit on and my carcass out of the flat to go for a run. I set off in the same direction as usual, heading for the north of the city and Piazzale Roma. The morning was hot, despite the early start, and the effort to run at 4:40 pace was intense. There was no air, not a whisper of a breeze and the humidity was also very high. I struggled down the quays to Punta della Dognana and the 5 km mark before heading over to St Mark's Square and the Bridge of Sighs. Due to the early start, the Square was virtually empty and the run towards the public gardens and the Biennial exhibition was easier since there were no crowds to avoid. I still suffered at the 7 - 8 km mark though feeling the heat and the exhaustion in my body.

I slowed the pace down and ran around the public gardens to St Elena at the farthest end of the island and then started heading back. The most wonderful sight appeared at exactly 10 km when I came upon a water fountain in the park. I was able to fill my cap and pour the water over my head 3 times, before carrying on the run. Back up to St Mark's Square, then over Rialto bridge before back home thoroughly exhausted.

13.5 km all up in 1:05:05 or an average of 4:48 per km. Faster on the way out and then struggling to finish in 5:15 pace. Pleased to have run anyway as I'm sure that runs like this do wonders for my endurance.

Now where's my mosquito swat ?
Picture of the little b**tard!

Venice duo

Laurence and I ran together this morning again. I managed to wake her slightly earlier this morning but by the time that I'd dealt with 2 phone calls from my boss, it was 9:40 am when we left. It's frightening how much contact I still have with work when I'm supposed to be on holiday. How will they manage in a couple of month's time ?

Another fantastic day weather-wise: blue sky, 30°C, and high humidity. It's easy to tell that the humidity is high since having washed the towels after yesterday's excursion to the Lido beach, they're still damp despite hanging out to dry all evening. So lovely weather for sauntering around, not so ideal for running though.

Laurence set off at a steady pace of about 5:30 per km and I ran with her. We headed out along the route that I'd taken yesterday as this avoids many bridges and allows you to get into a steady stride without having to avoid tourists, and climb tens of bridges. This pace is faster than Laurence's planned marathon pace, and so she kept reminding me of how hard I would find it to train at this comparative speed in full sunshine. We ran steadily until passing the Punta della Dogana after 5 km and then we slowed down slightly. The heat and the narrow alleys and crowds were too much at this point and we dropped the speed to about 10km/h.

7.7 km all up in 43:23 or an average of 5:38 per km. Just another 34.5 km at the same speed and Laurence will achieve her 4 hour marathon objective.

Accademia bridge with the museum just behind.

Venice morning run

I've been feeling guilty these past days that I haven't been out for a long run. Yesterday was lovely to run with Laurence but it still didn't help me feel any better about my lack of distance recently. Today, I was hoping to change all of that and run by myself for a long run.

The plan, before I set out, was to head out in the same direction as yesterday towards Piazzale Roma and then along the quays to Punta della Dogana, back up to Accademia over to St Marks square and then along the front to the public gardens, back to St Marks square, up to Rialto bridge and over the bridge back to the flat. In fact, I actually managed to do the route as planned, however, the manner in which it was done, left a lot to be desired.

I set out earlier than yesterday, at about 8:45am, hoping to avoid the worst of the heat. It soon became apparent as I left the shade of the narrow alleys around the flat, that I was very optimisic as the sun was already up and the day promised to be a scorcher. Not a cloud in sight, and the thermometer was probably already around 33°C. To make it worse, the paths along the quays offered no shade and my cap did not provide anough protection from the sun for my liking.

I was running well to begin with covering the first 5 kilometres at an average of 4:38 per km. I crossed over the bridge at Accademia and on to St Marks Square and along the front towards the public gardens and I began to suffer. At just under 7.5km I stoppped for a short rest in some shade. I was desperate for a drink of water but there were no fountains here. I told myself that I would continue as planned but just ease off the pace so as not to wear myself out in the heat and humidity. My pace slowed from this point on and I ran the kilometres at about 5:10 pace.

I admired the yachts tied up alongside the coast towards the public gardens, including Cloud 9, which you can hire here: http://www.charterworld.com/index.html?sub=yacht-charter&charter=mycloud-1546 if you happen to have the 350k€ necessary per week available.

I ran back to Rilato through the narrow streets from St Marks place, which was a pleasant relief since these were a lot cooler than in full glare of the sun. Avoiding the tourists was hazardous enough though.

11.5km all up in 56:47 or an average of 4:57 per km so no great shakes as far as pace is concerned. Good to get a longer run in. I struggle in the heat though - but this is not new ! Map of run is here.

Traffic on the grand canal in summertime in Venice

Venice

There are 409 bridges in Venice. These bridges are not flat affairs since the boats, notably the gondolas, need to be able to pass under them and so they tend to rise steeply with short steps and then flatten out before descending rapidly with more steps on the far side. These bridges are beautiful to look at and form part of the charm of the city. But boy, are they are bugger to run over.

Laurence and I went for a run this morning around the city. We're staying in a flat in the Sante Croce district of the city, almost in the centre and I had a plan to run to the quays on the southern side of the city in order to avoid the crowds and have as much space as possible.

We set off at 9:45 am which was too late really, since the sun had already been up for a couple of hours and the temperature had risen to the low 30°Cs. We headed off to Piazzale Roma and then down to Dorsoduro and Zattere. We just ran easily and I was really enjoying the sights and the sounds of Venice at a comfortable pace when my left shoulder muscles tightened and spasms started. It was like a torticolli in my shoulder, causing intense pain every time I tried to move. I carried on with Laurence but I had to drop my arm in order to find a comfortable position in which to run.

We ran 7.4 km all up in 46:01 and Laurence didn't suffer from any pains in her knee which was good. The bridges were hard and worth any amount of hill training. Lovely city and holiday is going very well.

Mad dogs ...

Another roasting hot day today. Since I hadn't been able to get out with the club yesterday, I packed my running kit into a bag this morning and threw it into the car, hoping that I'd get the chance to go for a run at lunchtime. Sure enough, I was able to get out and I even managed to get François-Xavier to come along with me.

As we left the building, the first blast of heat caught us. It was probably 31 or 32°C and we both agreed that we wouldn't try and beat any records but just take it easy for a 10k run. We went to the swimming pool to get changed and then ran towards Grouchy Castle along a new path that I didn't know about. We were able to avoid the first hill which was a start, but the heat was already taking its toll after only a couple of kilometres. My legs felt heavy, my muscles were sore, my throat was parched and my head was sweating profusely.

I had decided that we would run 3 laps of the castle grounds but by the end of the second lap, F-X wanted a breather and told me to run on. We were running around 12.4 km/h pace at this point, but I began to feel slightly better now and picked the pace up ever so slightly to around just over 13 km/h or 4:35 per km. I was guessing now as to the pace as, stupidly, I'd left my Garmin on my desk before leaving the building. So much for technology ...

I caught F-X up towards the end of the third lap and we ran back to the swimming pool together. The last hill over, I changed into my trunks and the relief of jumping into the pool was tremendous. Now Summer has arrived, the pool roof has been retracted and the enjoyment of an open air pool is just amazing. It really feels like being on holiday.

10 lengths later and I had to get out already. Great swim and pleased that I'd made it out for the run. Wondering if the antibiotics aren't having an effect on my legs or if it is purely down to the hot weather.

10km all up in around 48 minutes.

Trail du Vexin

It was a beautiful sunny morning when we woke up and once again the weather forecasters were completely wrong about the rain front that was supposed to be crossing the country. This was a relief as I didn't really want to run through muddy fields with 2kg of mud attached to each foot, but I left the house with a cap to protect my fragile head from the sun anyway.

We picked up Christèle and Jean-François and headed to Issou for the start of the race. The GPS took us to the town no problem, but nobody in the car had any idea where the start was situated. Luckily, it's only a small town and the streets were full of cars spilling runners out into the roads so we decided to park and wander off in the direction that the other runners were taking.



We went though some small gates and found ourselves in the wonderful grounds of an old uninhabited castle. The registration area was teaming with athletes and as we went to pick up our bibs, we bumped into most of the other runners from the St Germain club: Thierry, José, Yannick, Nick B, Philippe, Catherine and many others. We all had a good chat and enjoyed the sunshine before the start of the first race.

2 races were organised for the morning: the first to start was the 36km race which shared the course with the second race until the 13th kilometre before adding an extra loop: and the second course, which we were entered for covering 19km.

We watched the first race go off and then lined up ours. The sun was beginning to gain in heat and still no clouds in sight. The temperature was very pleasant and I was able to stand in my singlet without feeling the cold whatsoever. My aim was to finish in my target time for a half-marathon in around 1:25 and I figured I would be in the first 15-30 runners. The best runners from the club: Thierry, José and Yannick were all down for the 36km race, so my club competition for this race would be coming from Nick B.

We set off at a steady pace. I didn't want to tire myself from the start and knew that there would be plenty of time to catch others over the distance. I ran with Nick for a few hundred metres at the beginning before he let me go. The course wound its way up past the castle and along a wooded track behind, creeping gradually upwards. I was running just behind a small group, telling myself not to let them stretch away from. The pace, after the first km in 4:30 had settled down to a steady 4:10 - 4:15 rhythm.

Already, I could feel that I wasn't totally involved in the race. My mind was elsewhere and I was going through the motions but the heart wasn't quite in it. We arrived at the first feeding station after 6km and I grabbed a glucose drink and carried on. The sun was beating down now and I was starting to overheat. I hated the long passages through the rape fields, running in ruts left by tractors and trying to overtake slower runners from the 36km race who'd set off 15 minutes earlier. Trails are so unlike road running as you can't get into a rhythm and every stride has to be taken carefully in order to avoid twisting an ankle in a rut or slipping in the mud.

At around 9 km there was a steep stretch of uphill on the road and I ran up this slowly. I was overtaken by another runner who stopped shortly after and began to walk. I overtook him again and then was overtaken in turn by Nick who invited me to run with him. I was tired and fed up now and I let him go. The will to race was slipping away and the course was getting harder and harder: the going was all uphill now and the sun was relentless.

Another kilometre further on and yet another hill and my willpower went. I began to walk up the hill and then jogged as the incline decreased. I slowed the pace and thought only about reaching the next feeding station at 13km. This one was perched at the top of the hill and I remembered from the course profile that this was the highest point. I stopped for a couple of glasses of water and then poured one over my head. Thoughts of the Paris Marathon were ever present and I was determined not to repeat that experience.

I set off again and my performance improved from then on. Nick was long gone but I could see other runners ahead now and I began to catch them slowly. I had stopped looking at my watch and was just concentrating on finishing the course. The going was easier as it was in the shade of the forest and downhill. At long last, I was able to get my legs turning over steadily and concentrate on the runner ahead rather than on the track 2 metres in front of my nose.

The last feeding station appeared and I took my 2 cups of water and repeated the operation: one for the head, one to drink. Off again and I could feel that the runner in front was tiring. I overtook him on one of the last uphills but unfortunately, he responded and stuck to me as I increased the pace. I stayed ahead for a kilometre until around 17.5km and then he set off again and I couldn't reply. 1 kilometre to go was posted on the next sign and this was encouraging. I had looked around earlier and there were no runners in sight behind. I just kept steady and concentrated on the finish.

Into the castle grounds and down a small slope: 500 metres to go. I heard a noise behind me and 2 runners came past. This was totally unacceptable. Despite my head telling me not to bother, it's not worth it, my legs responded and I followed them. Another last effort, and I overtook them on the last bend, sprinting the last 200 metres to the finish. Lose 2 places after almost 90 minutes of effort: no way!

Finished in 1:29:23 in 20th position. Nick B. finished 8 places ahead and 3:30 faster. He had been speeding over the second half of the course, putting all of that time over me in 9km.

Graph showing course profile and speed. (Note severe drop in pace uphills!)

I waited for Laurence and Christèle, expecting them to have run together. Laurence showed first though and was clearly flushed from the heat and the physical exertion. She'd left Christèle after 7 km and had suffered with her knee, still not recovered fully from the marathon.

All in all good training. I needed a good 5 minutes and several cups of water to recover from the race and heat. Don't know how I'll manage the Pastourelle if it's sunny like that. Time will tell.