Water Belts

The rest of last weeks purchases where of no use at all today:

• A cap to keep off the sun (no sun today 16 degrees and drizzle)
• A utility belt (water carrier) Of no use in a race of only 12k and with 3 feeding stations.

Although there was a guy waring a water belt, and he overtook me on one of the first hills. Tee hee, I tucked in a few meters behind him and decided that there was no way he was going to finish before me. Just a little mind game. I imagined that he could not have run the distance before otherwise why carry the extra weight.

True to form, he did not last too long, he petered out after only a few kilometers.

Came in at 50 minutes (plus a couple of seconds) not sure about position yet. Waiting on results posted on the Internet. Mostly trail and "undulating" somewhere between 250 and 300m of elevation gain.

Frotting

It is somewhat difficult to spend money running (on kit) but at the weekend I gave up and bought 3 bits of new gear.

The first, essential item was some "Anti Frotting" shorts. I had been out the day before and with it being hot had gotten some bad chaffing of the upper thighs. Not pleasent to run with. So the new shorts where just a test to see if they would work. (Decathlon specials)

And it does work, great. In that I have been on 3 runs with them and no chaff of the thigh. However, it has moved the chaffing (small amount) to a rather more tender area only men have.... Seems I need to alternate or get a better pair of Anti Frotting shorts.

Karl had another idea, run naked.  This does appeal, but I will wait till he shows me exactly how that works.

Certainly,no photo of the problem is required. No need to bring up your dinner.

No Photo

After a skin full of wine and whiskey with Max last night and several none running days behind me, I forced myself out into the afternoon sun in an attempt at not doing any toxic mileage.

All was going swingingly badly (I was 10 minutes slow on ball run) It was a "head run" that is I had to force my head not to give in and walk -  disengaged the walk gear, that seemed to work Anyway, I took a right turn off the road at the end to finish on a trail, which is alway nice to do, it being quite remote.

Imagine my surprise to be greeted on the turn by a naked woman sunbathing in the field. A lovely sight to motivate me through to the end. (Pity though I was unable to add a loop and return to viewing the wildlife, it would have been too long)

Black Toe

Finally, my black toenail from the Beaujolais Marathon has grown out. Remarkably it did not fall off, simply grew black for a while.

Just a reminder, this is what my nipple did to my tee-shirt:

I did a quick health inventory: Not sure sure if I am better for running or not. Certainly fitter, but legs hurting most mornings. I wander if I will live longer, and if I do, will I be in more pain?

Pebble Dashing

Over the weekend, spent time in the Morvan with Gareth and family. The weather was lousy and I only managed one run.

But I made an 8 minute gain on the last time I ran round the Lake (1.06 for 14km) while I was doing that, Gareth was pebble dashing the toilette and being an overall jessy.

Something I noticed in the cafe and will not be doing.

Look! My Shoes - (passemontagnes)

Toxic running

Bugger me! It was hard to motivate myself NOT to do some toxic miles. The DOMS had set in good time on the tops of the legs.

To force myself not to do the slow jog, I hauled myself to the top of "Ball Run". No matter what time I do that in, It always tires me out. And as it turned out, not too shabby today, under 50 minutes.

Born to run

Born to run?

So why do I get sore nipples and "chaffing"?

Too fat? Too old? 

Painfull nipples again!

The Trail Des Passe-Montagnes was the long run this week. My aim was to get round and understand just what I have gotten into with the Cross. (I had no idea as to how hard that kind of length of run and height gain was)

Great weather, neither hot nor cold. The rain had cleared up, so the ground was soft but not muddy.

Well, now I know how hard it is to run that kind of course, and it is hard. Although I read just the other day that you should walk before you have too and so I had this in mind during the run and it paid off. I was not too exhausted at the end. I ran out of energy at about 18km, but then it was just a matter of pointing down hill.

The race. I lost 30 places in the last run down from the top of Mont Thou - If I am to believe what the kids where saying as I passed. Wow... And I did lose time against the guys I was swapping places with through the second half of the race. I have always been crap at the down hill, I just did not realize that I was that bad!

But never mind, my time was about what I wanted 2:43 for 24km with 1200m gain. The Cross has virtually no downhill, so that may help (well, maybe not, that just makes it even harder)

The course was described as "Technical" and in a few places it was. But mostly it was simply hard up and (for me at least) hard and long down. But I suppose that is why Karl did not enter - far to hard, must have gotten scared.

Running is not expensive?

I had two short runs yesterday. I simply dropped the car off for a service and ran back to pick it up. Well that cost me more than E700.... Now they are real "Toxic Miles"

Fair Weather Runner

It has been raining here for the past 3 days, and being a "Fair Weather Runner" and all round mincer that I am, I have avoided stepping past the threshold. Today tough there was a window of 20 minutes of no rain so I donned a tee shirt and shorts and braved the 5 degrees for a quick run. Spring in France.....

At the end, I thought, good, keeping it small [run] and stay away from injury. Then I took of my shirt, and ouch, wrenched my shoulder - Not much, it made me laugh.

Some Snaps Satho Vert 2010

Check out that chi-running flat foot (not so sure about the back foot!)

Things got a bit flat in the middle (rain had really started)

By the end it got a bit more fun. The camera was not on  a hard bit of the course, but it gives an idea: Take a look at some of the others doing the same part: I am looking gracefull in comparison.

Satho Vert Photos

Bad day

Rain yesterday, so I was wandering if I should bother with my long run. In this case the Satho'Verte 15km "course nature" I had a vague idea where it was and was not animated to get there in the rain.

However, I forced myself out of bed, dealt with the kids and got over there. And what fun it was. The first 10km was as "normal" pretty hard run lots of vertical and mostly off road. But then came the last 5km. Wow. fantastic fun. The track was very much a footpath that traversed the woods. This path was wet, slippery, steep and get it wrong you could end up in the bottom of a ditch or worse in a river.

A couple of runners I passed had been in ditches and one unfortunate with a pair of decathlon specials on his feet, simply could not get up the slope. I think there was 3 water crossings, one of witch I needed my hands to get up the other side.

Lots of ropes for both the up and down. I was not at the front, but close enough that I had some "room" to line myself up for the down's. Take a look at the slope without somebody pushing or getting impatient.

I was laughing all through the last 5km.... Even when some guy overtook in the last kilometer - It was paved at this point, and he had gotten fed up with being behind me (I could hear him getting up momentum to pass) What was funny 50 meters afterwards I heard a loud "Ah.... Putain" and he stopped tired from the exertion of overtaking and the hill that came with it... I gave him some encouragement as I got closer.

The atmosphere was fantastic after the race. People recounting various "bad bits" most where happy about the course and the weather - it was not cold after all (15 degrees or there abouts) Pity I could not stay for the post run meal, had to get to the in-laws for a birthday meal.

Elevation Gain was 562m From Garmin Training Center, 200m From the web page or 350m from the publicity.

Time:

01:18:30

Avg Speed:	11.6 km/h
Max Speed:	19.1 km/h