This week has seen me and Niandi step up our training for our next challenges. Both of us have had a relatively easy few weeks; I was recovering from Marne et Gondoire Marathon and the Lakeland 50 recce, Niandi was primarily recovering from Comrades and Marne et Gondoire Marathon too.
So, the new targets – well we are planning a ‘killer’ week for the end of August. This will see us running 170k over 4 days on tough trails, climbing 22,000ft and carrying all our kit and food. It is what is called a ‘through hike’. We will be travelling light and moving fast. By ‘fast’ I mean we will be walk/ running – not strolling along. I have set out the distances so it simulates something like the MDS, so, 40k on the first day, 60k on the second, 45k on the third and then 35k on the last day. We will then have two days rest and go and run a road marathon (not for time) but to add some ‘tempo’ to what will have been a gruelling week. This is all in preparation for a 100km race some 4 weeks later; the ‘100km de Millau’. This is a road race over some tough undulating terrain in the South of France, so, it represents a real challenge. Niandi has run this race before but we hope to go this year and set a new PB. A month later we will then head to Venice for the marathon where I plan to thrash myself into the ground and set a new PB. So, method in the madness as you can see...
Anyway, back to this week! I have been in Paris all this week planning ahead for 2011 and the EcoTrail de Paris. What a week to be in Paris..... SO HOT! The temperatures have been extreme. Both Niandi and myself have run every day and we have cooked. Consistently in the 30’s but temperatures on Friday reached 45 apparently! Training wise it has been an ‘easy’ pace week but building on mileage. So how did the week look?
Monday – recovery 4 miles
Tuesday – 14 miles
Wednesday – 15.2 miles
Thursday – 9 miles (hill repeats)
Friday – rest
Saturday – 16 miles
Sunday – 23 miles
So, a really great mileage week and all run at a nice steady pace to help re establish the endurance base. Not much point in going into too much detail in regard to the runs but on Sunday I took out my camera and I thought it would make a nice photo story of the 23 miles covered, so, hear goes....
Sunday 11th July 2010 – Paris, France
We set the alarm for 0600 with the plan to be out of the door and on the road at 0630. Temperatures once again were going to be ‘hot’ in Paris and considering we were heading out for potentially 4 hours it made sense to slowly adapt to the increasing heat from a nice cool start. We filled up our camel backs with electrolyte and headed out.
It was already warm, no, it was already hot! No rush today so the plan was to tick along at 9 min miles and just run nice and steady.
We ran along the Seine and headed to the Pont de Sevres, crossed the Seine and then ran along its banks heading towards Longchamp race course and the Bois de Boulogne. We had decided to run along the trails and around the Lakes of the Bois to build up some time and distance before re crossing the Seine and heading into the Parcs.
The Bois de Boulogne really is so special. It’s that touch of green and escapism within the centre of Paris. Of course, if you have run Paris Marathon, you will be familiar with the Bois as it leads you into the finish of the race. Early on a Sunday morning the Parc is quiet; rabbits crossed our path, we saw grey squirrels, red squirrels, all sorts of birds, ducklings on the lake and transsexuals in the bushes........ OMG !!!! I am open minded but I wasn’t quite prepared for this one! Women (or men changed to women) are everywhere AND they don’t wear much.... Big boobs, long legs and basically just dressed in underwear – so much for keeping my HR at 75%. Niandi was telling me the story of where all these ladies (men) come from. Apparently, Brazil.
I am so naive sometimes. “NO, she’s not a man” I would say and then Niandi would categorically confirm that he/ she was! At this point I started to feel a little queasy..... One or two of them were pretty good looking! Or was it the heat? Maybe it was dehydration... Tell you what, the miles ticked by for a while until our path was blocked by a motorbike. Of course, a motorbike in the middle of the trail can only mean one thing... so, the sensible thing would have been to put your head down, keep your eyes forward and keep running. Oh no! Not me... way too curious for that. One quick glance left to see a lady (or man) on both knees praying to the young motor-biker – it was Sunday after all!
Suddenly 10 miles were covered and were doing a lap of Longchamp and then crossing the Seine to head through the village of Saint Cloud and then enter the Parc de St Cloud.
The Parc de St Cloud is our local running ground. It has it all. Trails, pathways, stunning views and great architecture in the Style of Versailles. We ran a large loop covering elements of the ‘EcoTrail de Paris’ route. The temperature now was just getting hotter but the Parc does offer some natural shade. I was having a few nutritional issues; basically a slightly upset tummy meant that I wasn’t taking enough liquid in or energy. 19 miles came and I just needed some energy and liquid. We took a detour and called at a Boulangerie for the best can of cold Coke I have had in some time – nectar! The sugar, the coldness and that burn you get from the bubbly liquid was just what the throat needed. With a good dose of sugar inside us we headed back into the Parc, ran back down to the Seine and then finished our run off with a nice gentle jog through the Isle St Germain to finish off back in Issy les Moulineaux some 23 miles later.
Great run and a great day out....
MORE PHOTOS AVAILABLE HERE:
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