Parcourir Montigny Urban Trail 2018

Last Sunday I ran in my fourth Urban Trail in Montigny-le-Bretonneux, the town where I live. It's a race which has evolved over the years, from a 2x5k loop back in 2014 to a 13k 'urban trail' this year. It's a challenge as the race includes both urban areas and wooded trails, with steps and slopes thrown in as often as possible.

I have to say I increasingly enjoy the local race with the number of participants in the hundreds, as opposed to the thousands taking part in the big Paris races. I felt ready and was keen to put a decent time on the board.

The weather was pretty grim, windy and overcast with little let-up forecast. I arrived early and actually had the pleasure of an empty departure line!

The race itself was pretty uneventful. I was aiming for in and around 01:05:00 and I finished in 01:04:44, 59/216 overall and 22nd in my category. There's still the niggling feeling that with more application, time and effort I could do much better and actually knock a lot of minutes of my finishing times. This was my 26th race in France and nothing else is planned for the moment. I'm looking at different options between now and the end of the year and I'm aiming at putting in the kms with some longer runs over the next few weekends. I'll be sure to update.

Happy running.

Paris - Versailles 2018

Another Royal Run (what could be more Royal than a race which finishes on the avenue leading to the Chateau de Versailles?), but overall a bit of a damp squib I'm afraid.

This was my third Grand Classique (16.2km from the foot of the Tour Eiffel to Versailles, a course winding its way from the banks of the Seine up through the close western suburbs and through the Meudon forest to the royal demesne) and it might just be my last.

First things first, the race itself. The course itself never varies, and the main challenge is the steep climb from Issy to Meudon, just outside Paris.

This was particularly challenging this Sunday due to extremely windy conditions, which resulted in a 3k slog uphill battling strong head-on gusts. The actual organisation didn't quite help either, with no preferential starting pens, and 1.5 hours of waiting in a crowd with little or no movement.

As is par for the course in this race, the first 6k before the hill climb went smoothly, with a nice jog along the Seine.

Things got tricky however once I hit the wind uphill and my time dropped considerably. I also began to notice a less than chivalrous attitude from other runners (''putain" sprinkled liberally), which is somewhat surprising as this is not a race designed for setting PBs by any means.

The management of waste and discarded items left a lot to be desired, too. Please, please stop using single-use plastic water bottles for these events!

In any case, I made it to the finish line on the Avenue de Paris in 01:25:53, 4 minutes more than last year, mostly due to the struggles on the uphill section.

(with a strong wind still blowing!)

I'm in two minds now. It's a particular experience, and a race which finished not far from where I live. However, there need to be some improvements made to the overall organisation or it could be become an entirely unpleasant event in which to take part.

I can say that the medal provided was inspired:

Nelson Mandela:  "I never lose. I either win or I learn." Wise words. And words I will definitely take to heart.

Next race: Parcourir Montigny

Montigny - Guyancourt - Buc - Guyancourt - Montigny

Reading back over the past few posts I realise that things seem very despondent.

I hadn't been able to shake off the lingering feeling of failure following the marathon in April. 

However, today I had a beautiful Sunday afternoon in September afternoon stretching out in front of me and I decided to make the most of it but going on a Long Run to Buc, run through, well, up, the actual town itself (with Paris-Versailles and the Cote des Gardes in mind) and then back towards Montigny and home.

 And, apart from a soft blister on my left foot, it went perfectly. I'm getting back into the groove and I can't wait until the 23rd!
 
Highlight:

• The beauty of Les Etangs de la Minière

It's been over two months since I last posted an update.

Every year the feeling is that the summer months will see an increase in the amount of km's I put in, but once again July and August have been pretty sparse. This has been down to holidays but I think it's more the lingering effect of the marathon. I had hoped to get out much more during two weeks in and around the Périgord, but losing one of my runners soon put paid to that. A measly 6k around our gite was my only holiday run.

 I have begun to begun to put the miles in again, however, with lot of short evening runs, and my first 'long' run this afternoon (well, 16km). It was a beautiful day to run in and around the park surrounding the Chateau de Versailles, with both small airplanes and hawks buzzing overhead.

I chose 16, because it's the distance of my next race, La Grande Classique Paris-Versailles, a real Royal Run. It's a race I've already run twice, with my most recent participation being last year.
 

The race starts at the foot of the Eiffel Tower and finishes on the Avenue de Paris in Versailles, just before the Chateau. It's wonderful but a real challenge, including a 3km steep incline after 6k, which is a real test (The Cote des Gardes, which even has its own Twitter account!).

I'm looking forward to it and I hope to continue putting in the hours and kms beforehand.

First race since Le Marathon

The name of the blog is Royal Runs, partly inspired by this race in particular, a 15km jaunt through the gardens of the Chateau de Versailles, La Course Royale, no less. Full transparency divulged, I haven't really hit my stride since the marathon. Nor have I have been anywhere within walking distance of my stride. It's been a tough few weeks, professionally and personally, and running has taken somewhat of a proverbial backseat. I did know, however, that this race would be the follow-up to the marathon, and I've always enjoyed the course and the atmosphere. It would be my fourth Course Royale in total. Preparations were sound:

and I felt relatively confident, despite having very little preparation. I went for the 1h00-1h15 SAS, something I hadn't done in previous races. The atmosphere was fantastic:

There was even a mention of Father's Day!

The race itself was pretty much standard. A lot of grass and cobblestones during the first 5k, which eased into flat paving and some magnificent views of the Chateau. I finished in 01:10:08, 20 seconds down on last year's time, but enough to motivate me to book my place for Paris Versailles this year, and to continue Royal Runs. A la prochaine, Dec.

Montigny - Bois D'Arcy - Fontenay - Bailly - Fontenay - St Cyr - Montigny

This morning was my first long run since the marathon and it was pretty heavy going. I managed to keep the pace under 5 mins per km for most of the run, but I struggled at points, particularly with the uphill sections. It was great to get out again and really attack a long run. Sunday mornings on the Route de Bailly are calm with the road blocked off for normal traffic.

It's a beautiful run, with the only distractions being other runners out early and kestrels hovering overhead. I made my way towards the Ferme de Gally, an educational farm and shop just outside the eastern boundaries of the Chateau de Versailles near St Cyr.

It's a real pity that the gates to the gardens are closed as a result of the ongoing Vigipirate measures in France. It would make for a fantastic run if you could continue into the grounds of the chateau itself.

I made do with a run into St Cyr itself, and then back home to Montigny.

It's been a while, and it hasn't been interesting. It's just over a month since the Paris marathon and I've contented myself with a few local sorties, nothing too challenging and nothing at all enthralling. I do feel a certain increase in speed, but this is probably due to an eagerness to stretch my legs and see what I can actually do. I've yet to go beyond 15k since the marathon, but the May bank holidays will provide the opportunity. I'd also like to answer the question, "why do yo you run?", and to begin opening up the blog. In the meantime this is just a standard evening run: I'm also going to discover the Foret de Versailles in more detail, find some interesting trails! Until then, good running!