Real recovery

Friday is normally rest day in the marathon training programme. Since we'll be driving back from the Alps tomorrow and we might not make it back before dusk, we decided that we'd go for an early morning run from the centre before we had breakfast and put the skis on. Laurence slept badly and was worried about running alone at this time in the morning so in a fit of gallantry and eager to take it easy, I volunteered to accompany her on her recovery run.

We followed the same route that I ran on Wednesday and ran up the back roads to Megevette higher up the valley. The morning was fabulous with not a cloud in sight and the views along the valley to Mont Blanc were beautiful. We took it easy up to Megevette and then admired the layer of mist lying in the valley bottom with the snow-covered hills towering above the valley on both sides.

I convinced Laurence that we should run beyond Megevette despite the fact that her programme only scheduled a 45 minute run and this route would take a little longer. Laurence agreed, returning the favour for running with me, and we ran up to Chaumety before running back down the main road. We both stretched out down here and Laurence and I ran the last 3 kilometres in under 5 minutes each in 3:49, 3:40 then 3:32.

11.5 km all up in 1:03 or an average pace of 5:34 over the distance. Lovely relaxing run and a great start to our last day on holiday here.

12 x 200m

An easy session on paper, especially if you respect the marathon plan which demands a 200m recovery between each interval. There are only twelve intervals which is probably a concession in a tough week of training otherwise. However, the combination of cross-country skiing, downhill and marathon training was taking its toll on my body.

I tried cross-country skating yesterday. This is where the skis are completely smooth underneath and the skiers glide from side to side with a graceful skating movement. I put the skis on and spent the next hour looking like a dork waddling with pathetic little steps trying my hardest not to fall over. I was passed by pensioners, by 3 year olds, by everybody in fact. I felt like a twerp. After an hour and 5.5km, I took the skis back and replaced them with classical cross-country skis. In the meantime, Laurence, who had been miles behind me on Monday, had finally got the hang of classical cross-country skiing and elatedly waited for me at the top of every slope as I struggled up valiantly but gracelessly. Going running and doing intervals this morning would be a rest in comparison.

I started the warm-up with Laurence and I knew I was in trouble. Despite the large breakfast, as I'm permanently famished at the moment, I had very little energy and even running 5:15 pace was hard work. The altitude was affecting me and I started the run accompanied by a slight nosebleed which happens occaisionally when I'm in the mountains. Even though it wasn't the hardest of sessions, I really couldn't envisage picking up the pace to start.

After half an hour of warming up, we found a quieter spot to run and I began. The intervals went:

37, 41, 39, 38, 36, 38, 36, 40, 40, 40, 37, 38

I ran the rest of the session with Laurence who was doing 6 x 1000 in 4:30 before heading back to the car. I was glad to have go this under my belt and felt better running with Laurence towards the end of the run than I had at the beginning and during the intervals. I'm just made to run 4:30 pace - full stop.

14.25 km all up in 1:12 or an average pace of 5:03 / km.

Another recovery

I don't know if calling these recovery runs fully conveys the effort necessary to run in conditions such as these: -10°C, hills everywhere, early morning after a day's skiing, and ice on the roads. Whatever, I'd set the alarm to 7:00 am and I was going to run for an hour, just like the programme stated.

I almost changed my mind when the alarm rang and it was barely daybreak outside. I put on my skins, a couple of tops, some gloves and my new running hat. I headed out in the direction of Monday's route, up the back roads to Megevette, along the valley and then back down the main road.

The start was similar to Monday with the first kilometres run at 5:00 pace and then 5:30 up the hills. Once the uphill behind me, I was running along the valley at 4:30 pace. I reached the main road, this time avoiding the traipse across the snow-covered field, and coasted back down the hill to Onnion. There is a real difference in temperature between the plain at Megevette and a few hundred metres lower in the valley towards Onnion. This was really appreciable as I raced down the last section of road to the centre. At least I avoided frostbite where it hurts most.

11.7 km all up in 54:47 or an average pace of 4:41/km. Now for the cross-country skiing again.

8 x 1000m

The marathon training plan says 8 x 1000m at 80% max HR. I've never really tried to work out what this session is all about and I've mostly tried to run this as close to max HR as possible. Today, I was taking a morning off skiing to find a flattish stretch of road and run these intervals at 3:45 pace instead. My reasoning behind this was that with the altitude and the cold, I'd have to compensate in terms of pace.

I programmed the Garmin for the intervals and set off up to Megevette along the main road for my warm-up. I was still tired from last night's recovery run and I hadn't been looking forward to this morning's session anyway. My worst fears were confirmed from the start: this was going to be tough.

I left Megevette on the main road and thought that I'd better start here. The road beyond this village is a long straight section over 1 kilometre long and after a fairly flat start it then rises gently before heading up to a col some 4 kilometres after this. I set off and tried to push the pace, imagining that I was on the track at St Germain and chasing Nico, leading Fred and Thierry and in shape. Unfortunately, this didn't translate into any performance today on the road and my legs started to tire after a couple of hundred metres. I looked at the Garmin and saw 580 metres .Great, I've only got 400m to go, just a lap of the track. I looked again at the Garmin a minute later and saw 190m. Marvellous, it works as a countdown and I still hadn't finished my first interval. I finished the first and looked forward to the slight downhill back. The idea was to run this up and down 3 times and then continue for the final two intervals back down the road towards Onnion and benefit from the downhill. It was a real relief to complete that third uphill interval and for me, the sesssion was virtually over from that point on.

The intervals went as follows:

3:54, 3:40, 3:55, 3:37, 3:52, 3:40, 3:44, 3:34

You can spot the uphills easily in the times above. The temperature was a good -10°C and I was a real sight with frozen snot around my nose and mouth by the time I got back, completely shattered.

16.2 km all up in 1:14 or an average pace of 4:36 / km. This was a tough one.

Recovery (!) run

We arrived in the Alps on Sunday evening and it was good to be back. There is plenty of snow and the views are fantastic. We dumped our bags into our rooms, had some dinner and then planned the activities for the following day. After getting all of our ski gear sorted, we decided we'd start with downhill, do some cross-country skiing in the afternoon and then I'd go for a recovery run just before dinner.

ALl went according to plan and we drove back from the cross-country skiing and I slipped into my running gear and set off. I headed back up my old route towards Megevette on the back roads as I fugured that this loop was about 13 km and would take me an hour.

It was tough from the start. Whether it was the day spent skiing, the altitude, the cold temperature or the hills, I struggled to run at a reasonable pace. I started off at 4:46 but soon dropped to 5:00 then 5:30 as I attacked (relatively speaking) the hills. The road was icy but I managed to avoid slipping on the patches of black ice that spotted the track up to Megevette. The best part was after 6 kilometres when I normally run along a track through a field to Chaumety at the far end. This was covered with a layer of snow about 40 centimetres deep and as I ran I was up to mid-calf in snow, slowing me down to 6:00 for this kilometre :/

I ran back down the main road through Megevette and back down to Onnion. I was shattered at this point and my vision blurred with the tiredness, causing me to see double. I knew I was struggling as on this downhill section I can usually exceed 15 km/h but today I was struggling to maintain 4:15 pace. Really pleased to get back to the centre and have some dinner.

13.1 km all up in 1:00 exactly or an average pace of 4:39. I struggled out there today.

Retour à la Pointe

Laurence, having picked Bertrand and me up at Ajon in the car, decided that she too was going to conquer la Pointe de Méribel by running there and back on Friday morning. The rest of the week having been filled with long hikes and cycling, Friday was the last day possible before our departure from Onnion.

Having seen Bertrand accomplish the ascent in 1:15 earlier in the week, Laurence decided that she would need slightly longer and was eager to take on the 800 metres of ascent and a total circuit of close to 15km. She prepared herself mentally and physically by having an extra large helping of breakfast and a couple of extra slices of bread and she was ready for the challenge. She kitted herself up and without further ado, she headed to the entrance hall, primed the Garmin and set off.

I'd told her that I'd give her 15 minutes start before setting off myself in pursuit and so in turn, I got ready and set off. I took it far easier on the lower slopes on the road than last time with Bertrand. I focused on trying to run every section, even the steepest parts, despite having to reduce my pace considerably to do so. This worked well and I arrived at the Rocher Blanc in just over 27 minutes, only slightly behind Monday's time but having been far more regular and a lot less tired.


I negotiated the road across the plateau now and was surprised not to see Laurence at all ahead of me. From half-way over the plateau, you're able to see the road section right up to Ajon and since I couldn't see Laurence, I wondered if she hadn't taken the route on the east side of the plateau, along the tracks. I continued along the road past the foyer on the plateau and then took the right trun up the road to Ajon, staying on the road permanently this time as opposed to Monday when I took a short-cut across the fields. It was only in the final section just before Ajon that I saw Laurence walking up the road as I plodded steadily. I overtook her just before Ajon and told her that I'd wait at the top.

I checked my watch again now. I'd been running for 49 minutes and I wondered if I could make it to the top under the hour. I kept it steady and followed the track around the hill rather than heading straight up like last time. A final effort when I saw the line of crosses and I finally reached the top in 59:52 - oooph - by the skin of my teeth ! Laurence finished 5 minutes later in 1:20 and was really pleased to have managed the achievement. We ran down the road easily together to finish back at the centre.

14.5km all up in 1:50. I felt better about my achievement this time having been more regular despite the slightly slower time for the climb up.

Pointe de Méribel

The above photo shows La Pointe de Méribel, the highest point above the plateau at Plaine Joux. This summit is 1581 metres high and, despite its relatively low height, gives an amazing view of the surrounding countryside from Lake Geneva to Mont Blanc. This was also the destination of the challenge between Bertrand and myself in our ambition to set the target for the fastest climb from Onnion to the top, 800 metres above the start.

The challenge involves running up a first section of road and then onto the path up to Plaine Joux at Rocher Blanc before heading up to Pointe de Méribel from the plateau. The old quarry at Rocher Blanc is the half-way point both in terms of difficulty and height gained but there is still more distance to be covered in crossing the plateau and the final climb to the summit. I wondered how to approach the final section with a choice of using the tracks around the east side of the plateau or carrying straight on up the road. I finally settled on the road which although it added almost an extra kilometre of distance, it provided stable footing and more regular inclines.

Bertrand and I met at 7:15am for the start of the challenge and we'd arranged to be picked up by Laurence at 8:15am at Ajon, the last hamlet below the summit, so we could get a lift back down in time for breakfast. My strategy was clear: I'd follow Bertrand up the road and path until the Rocher Blanc and then accelerate on the road section and leave him behind here to win the race to the top! We set off from the centre and as happens too often, I forgot all about my pre-race strategy and pushed a steady pace up the road with Bertrand following just behind. When we left the road and joined the steep path that cuts up the montainside, I was already too tired to run and had to walk. Bertrand had fallen behind on the road section but he caught me again now as I put my hands on my thighs and tried to push my legs to move faster as I climbed the slope.

Bertrand didn't overtake me as I feared and I saw him slip further and further behind as I ran where I was able and walked as quickly as possible when the slope became too steep. This section up to Rocher Blanc is only 3 km in distance but with almost 430 metres in height difference, the average slope is just over 15 %. I think that I ran all of the sections where the slope was less than 20% and walked the rest. I arrived at Rocher Blanc after 27 minutes and then carried along the road.

I could see Pointe de Méribel ahead of me now and I wondered if the road option was the best solution, rather than taking a short cut across the fields. There was no sign of Bertrand now, so I stuck to the road as originally planned and tried to pick up the pace along the flatter section here. As I came to the end of the flat section, the road turns left and I succumbed to temptation by running up through a field full of cows as I cut off a good 800 - 900 metre of distance if I'd followed the original plan. At the top of the field, I was no longer sure that I'd saved any time as it was impossible to run due to the steep slope and the tiredness in my legs and thighs was now intense. I put these thoughts behind me and trudged jogging up the final section of road to Ajon.

I looked at the watch as I arrived at the hamlet : 47:00. Some wild ideas had been thrown around at the holiday centre by the guides that it was possible to get to the top in 45 minutes. May well be, but not in my shoes anyway. I focused now on pushing as hard as I could to climb the last 180 metres in height to the summit. Too steep to run, I concentrated on pushing down on my legs with my hands and forcing them up the slope. Another quick check behind and Bertrand was still nowhere to be seen. I wondered if he'd taken the same route or given up somewhere en route. I saw a small car winding its way up the road below and knew that this was Laurence arriving to pick us up and take us back down to the centre. I crossed the last fence and arrived at the 14 stations of the cross which lead the path up to the summit and the statue of the Virgin Mary. I had my own cross to bear though as the garmin showed 57 minutes and I had a last effort to make. A quick jog and a last scramble up the final gulley and I was at the top in 58:12 exactly.

I sat on the summit, catching my breath and admiring the views in all directions. To the west, I could see Lake Geneva, Geneva and Lausanne and to the east, Mont Blanc was rising, snow-capped above the clouds. The Aravis summits including La Pointe Percée were all visible and closer to home Pointe de Chalune and Chavasse were also clear. It was a beautiful morning. I waved to a figure stood next to the car on the road below, figuring that it was Laurence and watched Bertrand finally appear along the road and slowly jog up first to Ajon and then up the final slope to the top too. He made it in 1:14:59 some fifteen minutes behind me and his first words were: 'James - you're a war machine!'. Made my day !!

Just under 7 km to the top using this route and just under an hour to manage this distance and almost 800 metres of ascent. I was elated to have finished in under the hour and using the 100m=1km converter equated this run to a 15km flat course. The time appeared correct in this respect. A new record for the course and should now be written down for posterity in the holiday centre's annals to be beaten in the future.

Col de Terramont

I ran on Saturday with the intention of running up col de Jambaz and then on to col de Terramont from Onnion before heading back to the holiday centre. It looked good on paper as Terramont is only a couple of kilometres from col de Jambaz and I fugured that this would make for a 22 - 23 km round run. However, like all of my best plans, I could tell as soon as I started running that this one wouldn't pan out as I'd initially planned.

My legs felt heavy from the start which was a bad thing. I ran a kilometre up the hill to Laitraz in 5:50 which was a very bad thing, and I felt absolutely bloody awful running with even slight hunger pains, which was an extremely bad thing. This was the same route that I'd run a week earlier feeling in the best shape of my life, the same route that I'd run with Alain, chatting top him all the while, talking about marathon and semi-marathon training. This was the same route that I was now traipsing around wondering when I would begin to feel better.

My old injuries were playing up: the right thigh was still aching (I must go and get this sorted out properly now); the knees were a little shaky and the calves were fatigued from hill-walking. Nevertheless, I soldiered on, determined to add some distance and some more hills to the basic training. I got to the top of col de Jambaz in 47 minutes so no great shakes but not completely useless after all as I'd been dreading. The lack of performance was more in my head than in the legs so I carried onto the next col. From Jambaz the road turns off left and winds its way easily up the left fork of the valley before gaining rapidly in steepness on arriving in Mouilles. I stopped here before making the top of the col as I was worried about getting back in time for breakfast and I was rapidly running out of energy. The watch was showing just under an hour's running and I figured I needed at least 40 - 45 minutes to get back. Breakfast ended at 9:15am and it was now 8:20am - time to turn around.

I didn't accelerate outrageously downhill but let myself get into a steady rhythm without pushing it. I was running at around 4:15 pace compared to the 4:00 pace I'd been running a week earlier over the same section. By the time I got to Mégevette, I realised that I was seriously cooked and dangerously close to running out of energy completely. I lifted off the pace over the last 3 kilometres and the last hill back to the Chavannes was a killer as I was now wasted.

I managed to get back just in time both for breakfast and before collapsing. 20.5 km all up in 1:39 or an average of 4:52. Not a  brilliant time but a real reflection of the state I was in when I finished.

Challenged Bertrand to a race up Pointe de Méribel after this so I need to improve over the weekend.

Mégevette

Organised with Bertrand to go running early again this morning. We planned a 7:30am start and Laurence decided to begin the run with us as we were going to try out a new route from Onnion to Amoulin before heading up the other side of the valley to Mégevette. I didn't sleep well last night, worrying about work, and when I went down to the lobby to meet Bertrand this morning, I wasn't in best shape.

I needn't have worried as Bertrand was waiting for us, extremely upset and embarassed as he'd only realised late last night that he couldn't come as other obligations at the centre this morning took priority. Alain, our running partner from yesterday, had decided to accompany us and so the three of us set off together down the hill.

The weather was distinctly better than yesterday and we were spared the rain although we haven't yet quite reached the bright sunshine and blue sky phase. Hopefully, this will arrive soon! It was still fairly cool and very pleasant for running. We set off into Onnion before turning left up the valley along a track alongside the river. This track took us up to Amoulin and then we turned right up the east side of the valley. We ran the first kilometre in 5:23 and Laurence had a little moan about this being her marathon speed but she carried on with us nevertheless. At Amoulin we crossed the bridge and attacked a steep uphill for a kilometre before turning left at the top towards Mégevette. We left Laurence at this point as she was intending to run 10km and the planned circuit was a couple of kilometres longer. Alain and I ran together along the road to Mégevette and then continued up the valley to Chauméty before turning back along the main road.

Alain was beginning to tire here but the perspect of running 6 kilometres downhill back to Onnion cheered him up and we sped up down the long straight back into Mégevette. About half way down this straight, he complained of a tightening in his thigh and told me to push on while he eased off the pace. I let fly at this point and enjoyed the gentle slope down and used this to speed up to 15km/h, running these last few kilometres at 4:00 / km pace.

13.6km all up in 1:05 or an average of 4:50 per km. Very pleasant run where I didn't notice the time pass as I chatted to Alain most of the way around. A couple of days rest now as we're heading up into the mountains this afternoon to spend a night in a refuge before climbing Bellegarde tomorrow.

Mégevette from the east side of the valley. Our path up the valley is hidden at the foot of the photo.

Our destination this afternoon and bed for the evening.

Plaine Joux plateau

There's a guy here at the holiday club in charge of the adult's activities called Bertrand. He runs regularly and proposed to all of the holiday-makers to go training together. Laurence and I committed to going this morning with him along with a few others. The only problem was that it was a 7:15 am start. It's bad enough getting up early in the morning to go for a run when I'm working, but to get up at this time on holiday is nightmarish.

We stood waiting for the others at the allotted time and Laurence was devastated when she found out that the weaker runners had all decided to have a lie-in and that we'd be accompanied by Alain and Bertrand only. A quick exchange of marathon times and general level of fitness only further deepened Laurence's sense of gloom and foreboding. I promised that I would run with her.

We set off on the plateau above Onnion and Laurence's fears were quickly confirmed. Not only did Bertrand like running, he liked trail running and as soon as he could, he left the road and headed off across the fields. We all followed. After running up a little slope in muddy conditions, Bertrand found an even steeper, muddier slope with large ruts, cowpats and electric fences. Bertrand was in his element. Laurence was sulking and even walked up some slopes, visibly disappointed with the lack of tarmac.

After 3 kilometres of mud and rain, the route flattened slightly. Oh yes, I forgot to mention the rain. Despite the improvement promised in yesterday's weather forecast, it began to rain as soon as we started to run. It began lightly and then settled into a steady, heavy drizzle. The path flattened and we headed around the hill to a farm before finding a stretch of tarmac and a long descent down the road back to the plateau. Laurence's face brightened and she ran alongside Alain, chatting happily. She carried on chatting despite the acceleration to 4:27 per km and then 4:30 per km for the next 2 kilometres. Unfortunately the downhill section ended here and we ran back up a steep hill where I pushed the pace just to see if Bertrand could follow. He was just behind me as we were still on the road, as soon as we left the tarmac, he would leave me up the hills easily.

We followed a little path and ran back to the road to finish. A little acceleration at the end to get back to the car and we ended our first accompanied run. The plan is to run the same route at the end of the week starting from the holiday centre. This will add another 10 kilometres with an extra 300 metres of uphill. Hopefully, it will be drier next time.

9 km all up in 53:00 so not fast but the conditions and the route were far from ideal.

Plaine Joux in the sunshine with a clear blue sky. Didn't even see the top of La Pointe today as it was covered in cloud.

Col de Jambaz

This course from Onnion up the slope into Megevette and then past the church and up the east side of the valley now figures as one of my classic routes from our holiday club. It's just over 18 km all of the way around and my record is just under 1:20 which I (almost) recorded last year but the Garmin had no battery left and so it's an unofficial record.

I set out this morning in the pouring rain. Laurence and I set off together to the astonishment of everybody else present at the club when we left. The rain was chucking it down and it took all over 90 seconds for the rain to seep through my waterproof (sic) running top and to soak me to the skin. A quick stop to sort out Laurence's garmin and then I was off, not willing to hang about and just eager to get back to the warmth and shelter of our lodgings.

The first section up to Megevette is steady uphill and the garmin was showing between 4:30 and 4:40 per km so I was pleased with my progress. I hadn't been running since Thursday when I ran 20km with Laurence and a friend so I was well relaxed and had plenty of energy. I cut down right after the church in Megevette and then ran the flattest section but through a muddy field before rejoining the main road and running the last 3km uphill to the col. I looked at the watch at the top: 45 minutes to run 9 km so 35 minutes to run back the same distance.

I let myself go down the hill and saw a couple of splits of around 3:53 before choosing to ignore the watch and to just enjoy the pace at my own rhythm. I was coming back down the long straight into Megevette when I saw Laurence ahead and realised that she was not running the 12km that she'd said she'd run. I passed her at speed and waved as I went by. It was still chucking it down and I thought about running with her before deciding rapidly to push on in order to try and beat the record and get back to the dry as quickly as possible.

The easiest section was now after Megevette where the road goes downhill again with a good slope. I ran 3:50 here and fished with the little uphill back into the centre. 1:19 to complete the course so I'd made it down in 34 minutes for the last 9km. My kit was completely drenched from the shoes, to the shorts, to the jacket and cap. Felt very good with the run, where I wasn't out of breath or struggling at any moment.

18 km all up in 1:19:42 or an average of 4:25 per km. Laurence ran her 15 km in 1:26 so slightly slower than last year but without forcing either.

Interval session - finally

It's the holidays, but it's also the first official week of the marathon training plan for Toulouse. Since Monday, I've been saying that I have to fit my training schedule in but when?

Tuesday was supposed to be a 2x2km session but that went out of the window when we didn't get back early enough from our day walk to l'Aiguillette des Houches. I postponed it then to Wednesday. Laurence and I went on a gentle bike ride on Wednesday morning, using the raod bikes borrowed from the centre here: Onnion - Mieussy - Sommand - Col de la Ramaz - Praz de Lys - Tanninges - Mieussy - Onnion. 50km in 2:30 with a killer of a climb up a category 1 col - this was definitely not one of my gentler rides. When we got back to the centre and told them what we'd done, they looked at Laurence with pity for being married to such a nutter!

Wednesday afternoon, we were off again for a gentle walk beside the river Risse, the same valley as Onnion. We joined the river at Pouilly and the plan was to walk up the river back to Onnion. When I say walk up the river, I mean just that - we were up to our waists in 10°C water wading upstream. A few obstacles had to be overcome just to add a little excitement: tree trunks, rapids, waterfalls and large boulders were all on the menu. It was better than an ice bath for soothing the legs after the cycling in the morning. So no training that day either. Surely Thursday would be better.

Thursday was a day walk to the top of Tête de Colonney. A 1100m climb and an 11km walk in total. Unfortunately, due to the composition of the group, it all talk a lot longer than initially planned and the run went out of the window again. The only consolation was running down the last 2.5km with Laurence with our walking boots on - just a little bit of endurance training!

This morning was dedicated to the run and I had my 2x12x200m interval training to fit in. We drove to a little lake in Ville en Salaz with a path around in order to do the intervals here. A long lap of the lake to warm up and then I started the intervals. I really can say that I was not looking forward to this session at all. When I began, I realised why I don't like this - quite simply, it hurts far too much. At the end of each 200m my legs would begin to tire, my breath was short and my heart felt that it would beat out of my ribcage.

They went like this:

42, 39, 39, 40, 39, 40, 40, 40, 39, 39, 42, 39 then
40, 41, 39, 41, 40, 40, 40, 40, 41, 41, 40, 38

Despite the enormity of the session, I was pleased to see that my times had improved over last week. I averaged 40 for each interval so still not as fast as I should be (37) but a 2 second improvement. In order to improve, you need to put up with this training and repeat it frequently (at least once a week). Hopefully, all of this will pay off in the next few months. Only time will tell.

I'm currently reading Bruno Heubi and I've finally understood the importance of the different training speeds and how to put together a training programme for a specific event. Really interesting, but unfortunately, despite the comprehension, it doesn't make the sessions any easier. Gentle bike ride anyone ?

Col de Jambaz - Sunday run

Laurence and I decided to make the most of the first day of the holiday here by running a longish run up to the Col de Jambaz and back. This is one of the staple long runs that we do while we here and my account of last year's run is here when I ran it in just over 1:20.

Well, this year just before I set off I discovered that the Garmin had completely run out of battery, so I left the watch behind and just ran how I felt. Laurence had set off 10 minutes before, so I thought that if I ran well I should be able to catch her by the top of the col.

I felt really good running up the hill, just taking it steadily. I guess that I was running around 4:40 pace and I caught up with Laurence with around 300m to go before the top of the col. She told me that she'd made it up in 52 minutes and she'd set off 10 minutes before so the 4:35 - 4:40 pace for 9.2 km was about right. The difference in altitude between Onnion and the col is 250m so I was pleased with the pace.

I chatted to Laurence for a couple of minutes and then set off back down the hill to the centre. I tried to let gravity carry me down and increase my stride length but the flattish section around Megevette was hard going and I tired a little here. When I got back to the centre, I just managed to grab a seat and sweat profusely for a few seconds before the clock struck 10:30am so I'd been gone for 1:20, probably just faster than last year.

Gmap pedometer route maps the distance at 18.1 km which would put the average speed over the run at 4:25. Pretty good going and I'm really pleased with this performance. I feel so much better than of late and with a few more intervals, I should manage a good time next month.

Laurence was thrilled with her run too - 17 minutes faster than 2 years ago in 1:38 !

Short recovery

We arrived in Onnion for a week's holiday today and so, having unpacked our bags, what was the first thing that we did ? You guessed it: go for a run.

The thing about Onnion is that there is not much flat around to go for an easy run: it's either up or down. We hopped in the car and drove up to Megevette where the valley flattens out and we began our run from there. I was running with Laurence, trying to convince her of all the benefits to be gained from lactate training and as usual, she was listening with half an ear. We set out to run 3 km up the flattish valley and then back. It's a lovely run as it's peaceful and scenic, yet few cars to disturb you. The only problem today was that it was raining steadily.

We ran 5:17, 5:22, 5:17, 4:59, 4:38, 5:02 and averaged 5:02 over the course of 6.5km. Laurence is improving constantly and it's great to see the progression over the months. I was happy to be back in the mountains and running in this scenery despite the cloud cover.

Marathon pace

We woke up this morning to see that the clouds that had covered the mountains yesterday, and that had spoiled our day's walk up the Tête de Colonney, had totally disappeared, leaving a clear, cristalline blue sky and views of all the mountains in the area. Mont Blanc and la Pointe Percée looked particularly clear and most tempting. The temperature was still cool at around 14°C so it was ideal weather to go for a morning run and to burn off the excess calories from 3 helpings of raclette last night.

I wondered about running back up to Col de Jambaz (pronounced "Jambes" by the way) again today, but a few strides into the run and I could tell that my legs were fatigued so I didn't want to push it. I ran up past Amoulin and then over the old bridge towards Megevette on the other side of the valley from the main road. This path takes you up a really steep little climb and so I was happy to run up this at 4:47 pace. I reached the top, panting heavily and then enjoyed the road as it flattened out towards Megevette, turning off right along the same back road that I ran along on Sunday.

I followed this road to the end but instead of turning right to run up Col de Jambaz, I crossed over the main road at Chauméty and along the road parallel to the main road in the direction of the col. This road is fairly flat and I ran until it turned into a dirt track and began to peter out. It was just over 8 km here and that was far enough, I thought so I turned round and starting running back. The breeze was behind me now and I increased my pace instantly running back towards Onnion in the following times: 4:16, 3:58, 3:56, 4:11 (as I slowed down to run around the roadworks!), 3:56, 3:51, 3:44. Great going and a lovely feeling to lengthen the stride and just push the pace.

15.6 km all up in 1:06:43 or an average of 4:16 per km, so marathon pace over the distance which is pretty good going for a training run at altitude. Pleased with my performances recently and looking forward to the next big test with a 10k race next month.

Pointe Percée in the foreground with Mont Blanc behind.

Col de Jambaz : the return

Sunday morning, we're back in the Alps after a lovely week in Venice. The weather is distinctly cooler here as firstly, we're now at 850m altitude and secondly, last night's thunderstorm has cleared the air wonderfully.

It had stopped raining by the time I had decided to go for my run. As it's Sunday and I hadn't been running for the last 2 days, I decided to go for a longer run and run up the col closest to Onnion and the holiday centre where we're staying, Les Chavannes. I rembered having run this course last year and estimated that the total distance was somewhere between 18 and 20 kilometres.

It was one of those days, I discovered as soon as I set out, that everything felt good. I set off at a reasonable pace up the hill towards Megevette and the temperature was ideal. The sun was hiding behind a veil of clouds and every now and then it would appear and the rain lying on the road would rise in a haze of steam. My Garmin was playing up over the first 3 km as it recorded my times as 4:02, 4:17 and 3:58. I estimated that my actual pace was around 4:35 which was still good going up the hill. I reached the plateau at Megevette and turned right at the church to take the road parallel to the main road along the side of the valley. At the end of this road, I rejoined the main road and carried on up to the top of the col. I was still progressing steadily with my slowest kilometre up the hill at 5:10. I felt really good and was happy to be out of the heat of Venice and running again at a good pace. All was not lost !

I ran into Jambaz at the top of the hill and then turned back and started running straight down again. Again, a good steady pace, relaxing my legs and letting gravity take me down as fast as possible. The next 3 kilometres went by quickly: 3:49, 3:50 then 3:55. I was thinking to myself that this was fast going and then realising that I still wasn't at 10 km race pace. I hit the plateau at Megevette and slowed down slightly, returning along the side road. But even on this flatter section of the course I still maintained a pace of 4:09 then 4:21 before increasing my speed again to over 15 km/h.

I got back to Les Chavannes in 1:20:43 with 19 km showing on the Garmin. Even taking into account the tricks the Garmin played on me over the first 3 km, I reckon that the distance was more likely 18.5 km but this was still an excellent performance. I compared this to my run over a slightly shorter course up to Col de Jambaz last year, when I ran 1:24:02. So, an overall improvement of around 4 minutes when I take into account the extra distance. Very pleased.

Garmin says I averaged the course at 4:14 per km, so marathon pace including 300m of ascension, which is pretty good going.

Col de Jambaz in the Winter. Obviously, there was less snow when I was at the top this morning. View is the same otherwise.