Fireworks, Trails and World Records

Another week has passed and more miles in the bank. This last week saw a similar total mileage as last week but with some added tempo work. Not ‘speed’ work, just tempo. The main reason for this is not to become too sluggish and get used to a really comfortable endurance pace. A key session of the week was Sunday. Last week I ran 23 miles in a real steady 3:40 – this was about time on the feet! However, the plan this week was to go out and run a similar distance but substantially quicker (not marathon pace). This I did over a muddy, hilly trail route in a constant drizzle. Although I covered approximately a mile less the time was 2:57, so, this was perfect.

The weekly schedule was as follows:

Monday – rest day

Tuesday – AM: 7.5 miles tempo. PM: 12 miles steady

Wednesday – 18.5 mile trail run

Thursday – 8 miles tempo

Friday – 13.2 miles tempo

Saturday – 8.2 miles ‘loco’ (getting faster and then a cool down)

Sunday – 22 miles trail

You will see that at the moment I am not doing double days (except Tuesday). The reason for this is to re-build and allow a little more rest. The individual days have been relatively high mileage or have had some pace and so therefore I have wanted to layer gradually. This coming week will see more double sessions. The following week I will drop volume, double session most days and alternate with tempo and easy runs ready to go into the next phase in August.

One particular run this last week was really great. On Wednesday, Bastille Day, a public holiday in France, we were confronted with some horrendous thunder storms. We therefore spent most of the day relaxing and itching to get out. Our patience was rewarded with a brilliant end to the day. So, at 5pm we headed out for a planned 16 mile run (this turned into 18.5). We headed out along the Seine and then up a steep little climb called the ‘Cote des Gare’ which lead to the Observatoire and stunning views over Paris.

The Eiffel Tower and Sacre Coeur clearly apparent on the horizon. From here we headed into the Foret de Meudon. The forest really is a running paradise and much of its trails get used in the ‘EcoTrail de Paris’. Heading out we then ran through some small villages to arrive at ‘Versaille’.

What a great way to go sightseeing; run! From here we re-joined the EcoTrail route and re navigated back towards Paris taking in more woodland trail and some beautiful towns. A nice run around a lake.

Through a park, back to Ville D’Avray and then we were back in the Parc de St Cloud to re trace to the Seine and make our way back to the apartment. Great run.

Always nice to run on new trails or re-run trails that you haven’t run on for some time.... we all fall into the trap of running the same routes week in and week out. If you really want to spice your training up, just head off and do something new. Maybe run a ‘usual’ route the opposite way, get a train somewhere and then run home (a favourite), nothing quite like the incentive of ‘having’ to reach home!

So it has been a good solid week of training. When you add to that some really great Parisian weather, firework displays, Bastille Day and of course some great weather, you realize what a great sport running is!

As I write this, Nick Weston and James Letley are competing at IRONMAN ROTH – I currently know that Nick has smashed his PB and just clocked a 9:54 – bloody great! That was our best case scenario for the race and Nick has come up with the goods. Well done. James was still out on course when I had to leave the transmission so I didn’t get an update. He was on for around 12:30 if he could keep his run pace but I know that James was in many ways dreading the run.... he will have finished though, I am sure!!!

Finally I need to mention Chrissie Wellington. Chrissie is our ‘elite’ Ironlady and once again she set Roth alight with not only a win but another IM world record – 8:19 !!!! Amazing. She was so quick that she would have got 6^th place in the men’s race.

Keep training – don’t wait for tomorrow for something you can do today!

Hot in Paris !

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 11^th 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:

http://picasaweb.google.com/runwild.runfree.uk/July2010#

Julie Deadman

Julie Deadman post Paris Marathon has really taken her short distance running to a new level over the last months. She has consistently placed highly and whilst juggling a house move and a busy work schedule. Well done Julie!

Norwich 5k - 2nd May - 21:59 (4th place overall, 1st in age group)

Liverpool Womens 5k - 9th May - 22:39 (3rd overall, 1st in age group)

BUPA London 10k - 31st May - 47:10 (17th in age group)

Chester 5k - 13th June - 22:04 (3rd place overall, 1st in age group)

Tatton Park 5k - 20th June - not timed as I always run this in memory of my parents (2nd place overall)

Reedham 10k - 27th June - 47:31 (2nd in age group)

Reedham 10k - 27th June

Great local race in Norfolk, with an interesting undulating course. The race attracts some of the best East Anglian club runners and City of Norwich AC bagged first 3 in the mens race and also first lady.

Just watching people milling around at the start was inspiring - you could see the quality of the field!!!

The race went off in 88 degrees of sunshine and the course did not have one shaded part! There is a stiff hill between 2 and 3k which caught a few out who had attacked it too hard in the early stages of the race. The course itself starts in sleepy Reedham which was invaded this year by 450 runners, taking in the villages of Limpenhoe and Freethorpe.

I loved the race and although I had misjudged the pace early on and gone too slowly, it was a great feeling to pass so many on the long drag up between 8.5 and 9k! I had a battle royal with another runner on the run in and completed the course in 47:31. I'm still chasing a 10k PB this yearm but given that most club runners were running about 5 minutes off their PB's, I was very pleased.

Definitely one for next year and the warmth and encouragement from other runners and spectators was great. I am lucky enough to have good friends in Norwich so visit the county frequently. I'll be back on 23rd July for the Worstead 5 miler.