Last run in Cam

Did about 4mi on the Cam this morning. Legs are stiff from the weekend! Taking most of this week off for tourism, then biking hard over the weekend!!

Grantchester

Today I did my second favorite run, the Grantchester loop, around 5.25 beautiful miles. It's a beautiful sunny day, everyone is procrastinating (exams for the undergrads start next week). I saw a Williams sweatshirt on my way down Grantchester Meadows; I was wearing some Eph gear as well so we exchanged smiles. Must be a Herchel Smith?

Baits Bite Lock

Check out the resolution on UK satellite maps! Insanity!


Today I ran probably my favorite run in the world, Parker's Piece <-> Baits Bite Lock. The crews were out, prepping for May Bumps, the sun was shining, there was a nice tailwind on the way out (and stiff headwind coming back, ah well). With yesterday's rest my legs felt great. I did 7mi in 50 minutes.

I ran into The Man right near the Grafton Centre on my way out. He was surprised to see me in Cambridge, but I stopped and we exchanged quick hellos. It's funny, since leaving Cambridge, I always see him while running (he runs the towpath too).

Three

Last night: was finally able to get into the INRIA salle de musculation for a circuit. 

This morning: I ran the somewhat hilly 3mi loop up through Parc des Etangs then down on the back farm roads. Must do more hills before I'm back in flat, flat Philly. 

I depart for London/Cam on Saturday morning.  Xiao has hooked me up with some sweet, sweet Emmanuel College housing on Parker's Piece. Hooray!! Tomorrow is a rest day, so my next runs shall be in Angleterre! The great dilemma: do I run Grantchester or Baistbite Lock? Or both?

Six

Morning run of the west river loop: down to the "secret trail" I found last week and back up to the house == six miles and change. I got a later than normal start this morning, so no sunrise, but it was still crisp and beautiful. The sky is 100% blue today, and the sunlight lit up the white limestone (?) bands on all the mountains. Grenoble is stunningly beautiful (when it's no raining).

Morning running is addictive, which is a good for me because it is kind of a necessity in the Philadelphia summer heat. Addictions get a bad rep, but I like having the good ones ("a non-fat yogurt", running at sunrise, etc.)

Quick trot

Ran from INRIA on the river loop = between 3.5 and 4 miles. 

9

I was a lazy bum yesterday. I was going to run before mass, but woke up too late to squeeze a long run in. Then I planned to do it right after, but when I got home I wanted to eat lunch, then wait for the food to settle, then Said's birthday party was on. So instead of logging some miles, I found myself eating cake. Nice right? The mother of the family I'm staying with has decided she has to fatten me up. She keeps saying so and yesterday kept trying to slip more cake onto my plate. Sigh. Anyways, a few ping pong games later, I finally headed out to run, at 9pm. The sun had already sunk behind the Vercors and one mile in, I realized that running in the dark was not going to be much fun, so I packed it in...

... and woke up this morning at 5am to a beautiful blue sky, a glorious sunrise coming up over the Chaîne de Belledone and turning the limestone of the Chartreuse and Vercors a brilliant white. The running felt great. I didn't push too hard, but just tried to keep good form and an even pace for the whole thing. 9 miles total.

Procrastination

I slept and slept and slept today. Then I slept some more. I was out from 12-5.15 and then 6 to 2. Nothing like 13+ hours!

The nasty weather outside helped. Today was one of those days where the clouds and rain are so thick that sun's presence is hardly noticed.  I put off my run until late in the day. I almost wimped out, but finally just put on my ziptop and hat and braved the rain for 6+ miles, at pace, on the west river loop. I feel much better now.

INRIA lift

Did a quick upper body circuit in the INRIA weight room: 3x12 of bench, Sean's rowing thing, military press, curl, tri raises.

Morning run

Thursday = 3.25mi, easy pace. We're supposed to get some nasty storms later today (raining on France's national bike to work day, boo!) so I went for the early option. I tried a new route today. It starts out flat, but has a little elevation change in the middle. I think it's better for these short runs. The first mile is flat down to the river, then mile 2 goes up through Park d'Etangs and up the hill to the N90, then the last mile comes back down on the back farm roads to the house.

Bois Français

Ran about 6 miles, w/o my watch, to the East to the Bois Français sign and back. It is HOT and muggy in Meylan; somebody told me that it hit 28 today. The air near the river is many degrees cooler. The water is melted snow from the Alps so it must still be freezing to make such a difference in the air temperature even 1/8 of a mile away from the bank. The water level is very high and the thing is rushing fast. I'd love to have a kayak!

Yesterday I did a couple of miles up into the hills, then called it quits because my calf is acting weird. I don't know why it feels like this!! I doesn't hurt enough to stop running but I don't want to aggravate something that a few days off could cure. Dilemma. Maybe bike instead?

Happiness is:

Only two weeks to a happy reunion in London!

Discovering a secret wooded trail and a hidden lake, both right under my nose...

Running (let me interrupt this post just for a second to record the distance: 5-6mi, no watch=no timing) through a calf cramp and going harder on the second half than the first...

Reading

good

books...

Turning a sweaty face up to the sun setting behind the mountains and feeling the joy expressed in these words:

Late have I loved you, Beauty so ancient and so new, late have I loved you! Behold, you were within and I was without; and there I sought you, plunging unformed as I was into the fair things that you have formed and made. You were with me, and i was not with you. I was kept far from you by the things that would not have been, were they not in you. You called and cried aloud, and shattered my deafness; you flashed and blazed like lightning, and routed my blindness. You cast your fragrance,a nd I drew breath, yet pant for you; I tasted, yet hunger and thirst; you touched me and I was on fire for your peace. —Augustine, Confessions 10.27.38

Catching up.

Fri: also did that little bike ride back to Meylan. After a short, quick climb up to Col de la Croix Perrin, it was downhill into Lans-en-Vercors, through the beautiful gorges, through Fontaine, Grenoble, and finally home to Meylan.

Sat: ran for 36 minutes. 

Sun: ran for 41 minutes. I was going to go longer, but I just kind of wilted in the sun. I've been really tired lately. Not sure what's up. I could have slept all weekend. 

I hope to go for Alpe d'Huez next weekend!!

32:29

Morning run, into Autrans and out behind the little ski hill that pops up right on the edge of town. I was huffing today. I'm not sure if it's the hills, the altitude, or maybe just my (lack of) fitness! Biking back to Meylan--30 miles, but most of them coasting down out of the Vercors tonight...

29:52

Ran out along the D18 from L'Escandille, the converted sanitorium in Autrans where the SARDES seminaire is being held. It felt good to run hard... it's been a few days!

Autrans!

I made it! Total distance from Meylan -> Autrans is just a hair under 30 miles and about 3500ft of vertical climb from the river valley up to the Vercors. I hammered up the climb to St. Nizier (most of the vertical climb) much faster than last time. It's so much easier when you know the turns, how much farther it is. I now know why the pros spend so much time scouting out the stages of their races! I didn't have much left for the little climb from Lans-en-Vercors to Col de la Croix des Perrins.
Autrans is a cute little typical Alpine town. Lots of little hotels serving the local ski areas in the winter! I think it'll be a good first lunch stop or maybe basecamp for my June vacation.

3 and a bit

Tuesdays and Thursdays are a little boring with this training plan: around 3mi, easy pace. But today, I was not complaining at the short distance. My left side is a little tight from Sunday. I should have loosened up yesterday but it was busy going to meet Benjamin in city centre. Today the tightness loosened up after .5 mi, so I went almost to the D11 = a little under 4mi. 

The weather is cold and wet and the storm that ripped through last night left fresh snow on all the mountain peaks. I was treated to an amazing sunset on the return leg today--the kind of sunset that you only get after a big storm when blue skies appear just before dusk, and the reds and purples light up the receeding dark storm clouds.

The group I'm visiting at INRIA is doing a 3 day retreat out in the Vercors and I am leaving by bike at 7am tomorrow. I am a little scared. It's only about 40km away, and the biggest single vertical climb is about 1000m from Grenoble to St. Nizier, but it looks like there's a fair amount of snow up on the ridge. This could be an adventure. I am glad I own some ColdGear :-)

Long Run

I took my east and west river loops, made like GCC (a little geek humor) and fused 'em together. All told, 14.55 miles in 1:54. I was a little disappointed because my original goal was to run it at even 7:30s and I was a bit slower than that. Keeping to that pace felt really slow for the first 4 miles, but I was pleased to find out that I was right on pace as I went past the D11 bridge for the second time at 6 miles. Rather than crossing back over, I decided to stay on the far side of the Isère. Unfortunately, I don't know any landmarks over there (partially because there aren't any; all farms!) so I don't have any splits until mile 12. At that split, after running 6 miles on a shifty gravel farm road, my pace had fallen to 7:45. The last 2.5 miles home were understandable rough and dragged the pace down a few ticks more. But despite my disappointment at the pace, I was pleased to discover, based on my 12mi split, that I beat my half-marathon time from last November by at least 10 minutes, and that it was my longest run ever!

34:47

Whew! My goal was to run 5 @ 7:00 splits; I just made it. I ran the West River Loop. It's cold today, with a steady light drizzle. Not one of those magnificent days that seems made for running, but not bad either. Sometimes I get a little push from doing workouts on crappy days when everyone else is inside hiding from the weather. 

Good luck to C, Danelle, Peter, Kate, and Pavol tomorrow!!! Wish I was running it with you all. Actually, I will be, sort of: tomorrow's workout plan is 10 miles. Kate: no Giro d'Italia, but I'm planning a go at Alpe d'Huez (as soon as I find out from my step-dad if the N91 between here and there is cyclable) before C's visit, and watching the last stage of the Dauphiné Libéré in Grenoble on June 11!

23:13

ugh. not a fun day. my body feels fine, but my head just wants to lay down and sleep. plodded through my workout, not very quickly. today was supposed to be a lifting day too, but somebody at INRIA cleared out the entire room for gymnastics or something, so no dice. 

just at the end of my run, a guy went by in the other direction racewalking. it's the first time i've ever seen someone doing it live, and it's weird stuff. with every stride that he took, his joints--elbows, knees, hips, ankles--appeared to pop out at weird angles. somehow it all worked: the man was trucking. 

37:20

Ran a little over 35 on the west river trail as the sunset over the Vercors. It is a beautiful spring night, and just perfect for running--hot enough so you break a sweat (I love feeling like I'm working; there's nothing worse than running in the winter and coming back feeling drier than when you went out) but not so much that you overheat. I felt like crap though. I think Monday's hills and yesterday's lunges/run/jumprope killed my legs. The first ten minutes were absolute crap and the only thing keeping me going was my iPod. Things clicked just around the turnaround and I was feeling good once I got past the gravely bit of the trail (always hard to run on, so slippery and shifty) when around 27 minutes I opened my mouth to take a deep breath and swallowed half a cloud of gnats. On the one hand, I appreciate the extra protein, but on the other hand, yuck! After spitting out all my saliva (and, I hope, most of the bugs) I made it the rest of the way home, albeit with a very dry mouth.

Short Run

Lifted at INRIA, then ran 25 minutes along the river, then jumped rope.

Long, Hard Run.

A slow-paced, but long, steep, and hard run. I started up with a mile flat warmup, down to the river and back up to the house, then up to St. Victor, then 6X intervals on the last few hundred metres of hill there, then up to the top, around and down the Chemin de Rochasson, and down back into town. About 6 miles in total, nice hilly profile as the photo shows (I like how you can pick out the intervals at the top).