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!

Beating the blues

It's the third weekend since the marathon and I still haven't really managed to get back into a normal running routine. The weather has been amazing but evening runs hold less appeal, perhaps the lack of the carrot of a marathon dangling in front of me has drained my motivation. This evening I had to battle with myself to pull on my shorts, lace my shoes, and step out at 10pm for a steady 6k around the 'burbs. I'm nowhere near my pre-marathon best but at least I'm building up the km again. My goal for now is a PB for the 15k in Versailles in mid-June, and to continue this blog, hopefully with some insights about running in general and what it means to me. For now I'm just happy to be back out there pounding les pavés and vaguely dreaming of the Viking Marathon back in Waterford next year.

Back in the saddle.

I spent the last week going over the marathon in my mind, backtracking on every tactic, kicking myself on how I utterly unprepared I was for the the final 10k of the race.

Having analysed everything in relative detail, I think that my biggest issues were:

• insufficient mileage in general
• more longer runs needed
• fueling and hydration strategy sorely lacking

I don't necessarily want the marathon as an event to become my sole objective, but I would like to tackle it again, and acquit myself better.

After a week of rest, and wound licking, I slipped on an old pair of shoes and headed for the tried and tested today. 15k around the Ile de loisirs in St Quentin en Yvelines, right next door. This is my go-to running spot, and it's a perfect blend of forest trail and stretches of flat tarmac. 

Typically it takes around 10k for a standard run, but I eked out the km to see how I would react after the marathon. Everything went surprisingly well. My hamstrings and calves did feel feel a little leaden towards the end, but it was a gentle, steady run overall and it felt fantastic to get back out again. I recognise I'm falling into the trap of making this a boring review of every time I lace up a pair of runners and run a few km. I hope to make it more interesting, and much more profound, than that.

I'd like to investigate why I run, and by doing so, why running in general has become such a passion for so many people.

One reason, maybe:

"Running, like literature, like arts, helps you to remember and re-experience some of the impossible strangeness of what it means to be who and what we are, of what it is to be human."

Vybarr Cregan-Reid - Footnotes: How Running makes us Human

Not bad, eh?

Well, that was chastening. I ran my first marathon this morning and I now fully understand why it this event is such a test of human endurance.

I thought I was prepared, I thought I would acquit myself well, but this all fell by the wayside around the 35km mark as any strategy, pacing, or just general awareness of my surroundings fell away in favour of simply keeping one foot in front of the other and making it in the general direction of the finishing line on Avenue Foch.

 But, let's back up somewhat. Saturday evening was spent preparing equipment, nutrition, and ensuring my checklist was fully ticked.

This was followed by a good night's sleep with an early start so that I could be in Paris an hour before my starting time of 09:20. The organisation was impeccable, the atmosphere was electric, and I really felt prepared, something I always struggle with before races.

I started well, keeping a steady pace of of 00:04:50 per km all the way to the Bois de Vincennes, all the while enjoying the roadside music and dancers, and the fantastic spectators.

Things went haywire, however, as we left the city and entered the Bois de Boulogne for the last 10k or so. I didn't just hit the wall, I fully embraced it. I had to will my legs to keep going and slowed down considerably, to the point where any thoughts of maintaining a decent time were soon forgotten. Perhaps this is par for the course for a first marathon, but I seriously struggled.

I did manage to finish on a high and had a sprint finish on Avenue Foch, but it was difficult to find any pleasure in the whole experience, apart from the general atmosphere and involvement of everyone concerned.

It was a long journey home, with cramps and light-headedness, but the welcome more than made up for the gruelling experience.

I think I'll try to pen some more thoughts on the overall marathon experience in the cold light of day but for now, all I can say is cheers/santé and here's to the next race (a real Royal Run, and a lot shorter than a marathon...)!