Paris XIV - 10km

I really thought that I would beat my record over the distance today. McMillan was forecasting a 36:06 and I was hoping to break the 36 minute barrier for the first time ever. I'd even announced this to Nico, Laurence and others so there was no hiding my ambition but how would it go?

I first ran this race 3 years ago and it was the first time that I managed to go under 40 minutes over the distance. I remember my feeling afterwards, elated by my race and with the distinct impression that there was more downhill than uphill despite it being 2 loops of 5 kilometres with the finish line just next to the start. Laurence was running this year too and had convinced Sandra and François to take part aswell. François was aiming to beat 40 minutes in his first ever 10km race. He was totally convinced that he would do it as McMillan predicted a 39:40 for him off the back of his marathon performance in Florence (3:06). McMillan is now his running bible and if he sees it there then it's the gospel truth.

We drove into Paris and my first disappointment was to see that the swimming pool changing rooms were no longer used to get changed and to store your clothes in. There were 2000 runners taking part this year some 800 more than when I last ran. So a quick inspection of the site and then we dropped all of our stuff off and ran a warm-up around the 5km course. The weather was quite clement with the temperature around 7°C and after the warm-up we went immediately to the start area and jumped over the barriers to push in near the front.

Despite these efforts, it still took me almost 10 seconds to get over the start line and to begin to run. I spent the next 1.5km weaving in and out of other runners while François was less lucky and tripped over a stray leg falling down and cutting his hand open. Unfortunately McMillan couldn't predict this sort of event. I focused on getting into a stride, looking at the Garmin that showed the first km in 3:33 and then the second in 3:25. The third kilometre takes you past the only big tower in Paris (beside Eiffel's of course), Montparnasse. I struggled after this point as there was a slight uphill follwed by a flat to end the fourth kilometre and then a long slight uphill back to the start point and the end of the first loop. I only managed these in 3:40, 3:35 and then 3:49.

I began the second loop and my heart wasn't really in it. It was exactly like the cross country last weekend where I went through the motions but I was preserving myself. I could feel the tiredness and I just told myself to ease off and that the pain would go away. So too much thinking and not enough racing really. During the sixth and seventh kilometres, I suffered from a slight stitch in my right-hand side and told myself that it couldn't be as bad as the runner 15 metres in front who kept holding his right hand to his side. A funny way to run but I still couldn't catch him and a couple of runners passed me at this point.

Back past Montparnasse and the 8 kilometre marker. 3:35 again for the kilometre but that was after having benefitted from the downhill. The last hard work was to come but I had already eased. I could see from the virtual partner that I was 21 seconds behind schedule putting me on course for a 36:21 but I knew that I wouldn't be able to hold it up the hill as I was supposed to be running 3:35 pace. I was right and the seconds ticked by. At the end, I didn't even bother to sprint completing the tenth kilometre in 3:54, my slowest over the course.

I just managed to hold on to 36:57 on the official clock and a real time of 36:48 as there was a timing mat at the start. François finished in 39:22 qualifying for the French nationals in the process (under 40:00 for V2), I qualified for V1 (under 37:00) and both Sandra and Laurence qualified with their times of 35:00 and 36:12 respectively (under 48:00 for V1 women). Satisfaction all round for everybody who beat their PB except me. I was relatively satisfied as it's my second fastest time ever and I can't state truthfully that I bust a gut in the process. I know that there's more yet to come.

At least there was hot soup at the finish line so some of the traditions hadn't died out. We've created our own traditions by declaring that every time a personal record is broken, we celebrate with a meal out. I think it's going to be an expensive year.