Kevin's musings

Here it is the middle of February and I’m just writing my 2015 objectives and plan. It’s been in my head, but, like I always say, a plan that is not written down is a plan that will fall to pieces. So I’ll start with the objectives and then plan how to get there.

Running distance for the year: 2500 km which works out to 208.33 km per month

Biking distance for the year: 500 km, this is cross-training in the summer when it’s warm. I don’t like to ride when it’s cold.

Foot races:

• 1 March: 3 Pigons at Fontainebleau, France 21 km trail run
• 8 March: Paris half marathon, with an objective to set a PR of 1:34
• 21 March: Ecotrail Paris, 50 km
• 12 April: Josas Trail, France 50 km
• 3 May: Oise Trail at Compiegne, France 60 km
• 17 May: Cerf Trail, Yvelines, France 50 km
• 13 June: Laurel Highlands Ultra, PA, 70.5 mile (113.5 km)
• 13 September: Infernal Trail, Vosges, France 72 km
• 4 October: Poigny la forêt trail, Yvelines, France 35 km
• 14 November: Trail Flambeaux, Yvelines, France 18 km

In that list there is the one road road, the Paris half, while all the others are trail runs.

The year has begun well with 203 km run in January, a month when just getting out on a run is a good achievement given the less than ideal weather. February has started well also with 108 km covered by mid-month. One of those runs was 35 km, which is a good distance for early in the year. Yesterday morning I had a minor setback, however; when I turned my left ankle by stepping into well-concealed sidewalk pothole. It was still dark and a car was passing, causing a moment of inattention. I will have to give it a few days rest.

My first race of the year will be the 3 Pignons, tn the Fontainebleau forest. There are a few small hills and lots of rocky terrain so you will have to be extra careful and keep maximum concentration on the trail directly ahead. This race will be a “warm-up” with no fixed objective except to go out and enjoy a run through the forest.

The following weekend, the 8th of March is the Paris Half Marathon. I’ll be running with 40,000 of my close friends, so that is definitely less than ideal. My PR of 1:35 was set at a Paris half back in 1997. That is a pace of 4:31 per km and will be difficult to beat. Although I’m in good shape and have a good base of km for preparation, more intense preparation needs to be done to approach that time. In the next three weeks leading up to the race I plan to do some intense interval workouts designed to increase speed. Also, to have a chance at a PR, the weather will need to cooperate and I need to get myself as far forward as possible at the mass start so as to be able to run freely throughout the race.

Two weeks later is the Ecotrail de Paris. It’s a week earlier than last year when I did the 80 km. Because of the earlier start, I decided to do the 50k this year. This will be my first long race of the year. It starts in the park at Versailles and winds it way through forests into Paris and finishes at the Eiffel Tower. The last 10 km are flat along the river so it is a relatively easy 50k. I think I can complete it in 5:30. Here is the elevation profile for the race:

Ecotrail de Paris 50k elevation profile

The next scheduled race is the Jouy-en-Josas 50 km trail which is just south of Paris. It will count for the Nature Trail Challenge which consists of 5 races in the Yvelines department. The challenge is to finish 4 out of the 5 races and accumulate points according to your finishing position in your age category; 200 points for 1st place, 199 for 2nd, and so on.  I missed the first race in late January, so I will try to do the remaining 4: the 50 km Cerfs on 17 May, the 35 km at Poigny in October, and the 17 km Flambeaux night race in November. Elevation profile for Jouy-en-Josas:

Jouy-en-Josas Trail elevation profile

On 3 May I will be seriously tested at the 60 km race in the Compiègne forest. Last year I did the 35 km and enjoyed it. The 60 km course has 1,400 meters of positive elevation gain and is constantly going up and down hill. A finish in under 7 hours would be an excellent time. Elevation profile here:

Trail Oise at Compiègne

The 50 km Cerfs in mid-May will be another challenging run with lots of hills and 825 m of positive elevation gain. Elevation profile here:

Trail du Cerfs elevation profile

The four 50+ km races from late March to mid-May lead up to the first major race objective of the year, the Laurel Highlands Ultra in Pennsylvania. Last year I successfully completed the 70.5 miles (3,200 m positive elevation gain) in under 19 hours. It was an exhilarating experience with lots of ups and downs; geographical, physical and mental. Aside from finishing the race again, my objective is to go under 18 hours which used to be the time limit for a successful finish. Here is the elevation profile:

Laurel Highlands Ultra elevation profile

July and August are empty right now as far as races go. I’m looking for a race in the beginning of July and another for late August.

The other major race objective for the year is the 72 km Infernal Trail (2450m positive elevation gain) in the Vosges Mountains on 13 September. Two years ago I ran 2 sections of this race and I confirm that the trace is quite gnarly. The race starts at 3 AM so the first 30 km are very dark. Here is the course profile:

Infernal Trail elevation profile

As far as races are concerned, I will complete the year with the two final races in the Nature Challenge, the Poigny 35 km in October and the 17 km Flambeaux night race in November.

So there you have it. That is a full schedule and barring injury, it all seems do-able. I will post a race reports as I go along.

2014 has ended and here is the review of my year of running. To make a long story short, it was a highly successful year considering I successfully completed my three major objectives: the 80k Paris Ecotrail, the 70 mile Laurel Highlands Ultra and the Marathon de Mont Blanc. To get the details and read about my ups and downs, keep reading.

Here was the list of objectives formulated in Dec 2013:

• half marathon at Rueil-Malmaison on 2 March
• the 30k trail at Auffargis on 16 March
• the 80k Ecotrail Paris on 29 March
• the 42k Maratrail at St-Leu-la-Forêt on 13 April
• the 35k trail at L’Yonne on 4 May
• the 54k trail de Donjons at La Roche-Guyon on 18 May
• the 70 mile Laurel Highlands Ultra in Pa on 14 June
• the Marathon de Mont Blanc on 29 June
• the 21k Cul d’Enfer at Mondeville on 31 August
• the 72k Infernal Trail at Remiremont on 14 Sept.

I did not participate in seven of those ten races for various reasons. I had to adapt my training as the year went on.

It got off to a bad start with foot problems that basically prevented me from running during the first 5 weeks of the year. At the end of January, I was thinking that the first 6 months of the year were compromised. I went to the orthopedist and he made me some arch supports that seemed to get me back on track. Through the month of February I slowly ramped up the mileage each week. I skipped the Rueil-Malmaison half marathon because I thought it was too early and too risky to race. In a race it’s easy to get caught up in the event and end up getting hurt. Instead I did my first easy long run of 30k.

I decided to skip the 30k at Auffargis because in my prep for the 80k Ecotrail, I needed a longer run that weekend – a 50k which I did on a 6 hour outing in the Marly Park. That gave me time to taper off before the Ecotrail 2 weeks later.

For the Ecotrail, I was fortunate to have nice weather. With a lot of determination I completed it in under 11 hours. Given my relatively short preparation I was happy just to complete the race. At that time, that was my longest race to date. It was a great confidence builder. I took long rest breaks at the aid stations to refuel. With a more thorough prep and shorter rest breaks I believe I can do that race in under 10 hours.

The Maratrail (42k) that was in April other years was not held in 2014. Instead I did a nice 25k run on the 25-hill trail in Fontainebleau forest with Thomas. Then during the next two weeks I came down with a cold and sore throat that prevented me from running the planned 42k Gatinais trail marathon that I wanted to do to replace the Maratrail.

On the 4th of May I did the 37k trail at Compiegne. They offer a 60k race as well but because I was still somewhat recovering from sickness I didn’t attempt it.

In mid-May the Trail Donjon closed out before I got my entry in so I missed that race due to poor planning. A lesson was learned. Get your entries in early for trail races because often there are low limits on the number of runners allowed to participate.

In late May, on my own, I did a 42k and a 50k on successive weekends to prepare for the Laurel Highlands Ultra on 14 June.

The LHU was a great experience. Read the write-up here LHU for the details. It took me nearly 19 hours to complete, but with the help of a good support crew, a good pacer (thanks John W.!), and a lot of effort I got it done.

Back in France two weeks later the Marathon Mont-Blanc was waiting. On a cold, rainy day Thomas and I set out from Chamonix on some serious mountain climbs. The write-up is here: Mont-Blanc. It took me twice as long as my last Paris Marathon, but I finished.

I had to skip the last two scheduled races for in the year, the Mondeville Trail and the Infernal Trail because I had other things going on.

My last race of the year was the night Noctutrail at Sully. This was my 4th participation and I ran my best time on the 17k course.

I didn’t race much over the last three months of the year but I had a lot of consistent training weeks logging more than 60k. I finished the year with 2252 km total which was 125 less than 2013 but still a good total.

Shortly I will post the objectives and plan for 2015.

If you ever get bored with running marathons on city streets just sign yourself up for the Marathon de Mont-Blanc. I guarantee you an unforgettable challenge over terrain best fit for mountain goats. To estimate your finishing time, just double your normal marathon time.

I was able to finish this one in 6:58:59. The stats:

• distance: 43.23 km (26.86 mi)
• pace: 9:41/km (15:34/mi)
• elevation gain: 2,343 m (7,687 ft)
• calories burned: 2,962
• 135th place out of 232 in my age category
• 1569th out of 2291 total runners

Thomas and I arrived at Chamonix the day before the race to pick up the pre-race packet. Here is a photo of Mont-Blanc from Chamonix.

We had a few hours to kill after picking up our race numbers so we visited the sports shops. I bought a collapsible water bottle. We came to the Salomon shop and there was a crowd gathered around one of the world’s top trail runners, Kilian Jornet who was signing autographs. He was the winner of the vertical km race the day before and would go on to win the marathon as well in something like 3:23.

We got some dinner in a local sports bar and watched a world cup soccer match while properly hydrating as you can verify in this photo.

We were in a convenient hotel that was just a few hundred meters from the start line. Wake up came at 5:30. I ate a banana and an energy bar, got my gear ready and peeked out the window to see light rain falling at dawn. We made our way to the start where it was still raining and about 12°c. I recorded a video. Start line video.

And the obligatory selfie. 

Here is the course profile with my final stats.

The first 10 km were runnable and a good warm up. There was space to run despite the 2100+ runners. Here’s a photo showing what it was like. That’s Thomas just behind me.

Just after the water stop at 10k we ran into a choke point where the trail started uphill on a single track. It took about 10 minutes before we were able to advance at a walking pace up the hill. Thomas and I got separated in the mass of runners waiting their turn to go up the trail.

It was only 7 kms to the next aid station but it took about an hour to get there given the waiting and single track. There was a nice downhill stretch that was easy to run. Here are a couple pics from this section.

At the aid station I ate some banana, crackers, chocolate and filled my hand-held bottle. As you can see in the photos, I didn’t use my backpack with camelbak. The aid stations were close enough together so that I didn’t need to carry more than the 750ml bottle. Also, on a rainy, cold day I didn’t need to hydrate like is necessary when it’s hot. I had a belt that has pockets for gel paks. My shorts have a pocket where I kept a little plastic sack containing salt pills and energy tablets. I put one energy tablet in each refill of my water bottle. The tablet dissolves in about 5 minutes. I take in a salt pill about every 2 hours. This keeps me from getting cramps. In long training runs and races I’ve never had cramps since I’ve been using the salt pills.

Other equipment I had with me: gaiters, a windbreaker that folds up into one of it’s pockets and has a strap that I put around my waist. Inside the windbreaker, I had the obligatory space blanket and whistle. On my arm I had a strap with pocket to put my telephone. To keep my arms warm I had sleeves that are very practical. If you get hot you can just slide them down to the wrists or take them off and put in a pocket.

I use my Garmin sports watch to record race data: pace, distance, elevation, etc. The battery only lasts 5 hours so I hooked up my portable duracell charger at the start of the race. The cord wraps around my arm and is held in place with a sweat band. When it beeps with low battery, I take the charger out of my back pocket, connect it, turn it on, and carry it in my hand. The watch recharges in about 30 minutes. This system works well for me.

After the second aid station, the 4.6 km climb to the Col des Posettes begins. It’s a steep 717 meter climb on single track, over rocks, roots and slippery difficult terrain. Three quarters of the way up you break out of the forest into the open on a ski access road. Up until then the rain was keeping us cool, but when we hit the open area the wind and rain hit us head on. A lot of people stopped and put on their windbreakers. This looked like a good idea so I did the same. As the the climb kept going up and up and the wind and rain continued, the temperature and wind-chill went down and down. It took me about an hour to do the climb. At the top there was a water stop to refill my bottle which I did real fast. Elevation is 2000 meters at the pass and my only thought was to get out of the cold and down into the valley as quickly as possible. Photos of me near the crest:

The next 6 km were downhill on a rocky access road and I cruised down at a good pace (10km/hr), being careful not to get out of control. Near the bottom I met a 4×4 ambulance vehicle making it’s way up to rescue somebody. I have to admit that the conditions were a bit extreme up there.

In the valley there was another aid station and I fueled up again and was still feeling relatively good after 29 km.

Next came the steepest, most rugged part of the race. There were two climbs and an incredibly difficult descent between them. I suffered mightily. A lot of people had poles with them. Supposedly it helps to push with your arms on the climb and helps with stability on the descents. With the slippery, muddy, rocky trail, I can see how poles would help. Somehow I negotiated the terrain without falling. These two hills seemed never-ending. They were in the forest and the end was never in sight. All along, I was being passed by other runners/walkers. Going up, everyone was walking. Finally I broke out of the tree line and saw the summit at a ski station above me. I went around the small lake and pushed hard up to the top where there was food and drink. I felt kind of dizzy and stunned at this point.

There were 6.4 km left to get back down into Chamonix. My legs were no longer fresh and the descent was not over easy terrain. Again, I had to let lots of runners pass me, completing those last 6.4 km in 54 minutes.  In Chamonix, the streets were lined with a good crowd of people.

Here are my splits:

At the finish there were lots of cheers, with music and it was a great feeling to cross the finish line.

I wasn’t sure if Thomas was in front of me or behind me. I recovered a bit and looked around the finish area. He arrived a little later and I snapped this photo.

That was without doubt the toughest marathon we ever ran. It’ll be hard to find a more difficult one considering the terrain and conditions.

Here is the Strava data.

Here is the Garmin data.

I successfully ran and finished the Laurel Highlands Ultra on 14 June.

• Distance, 70.5 miles.
• Time, 18:54:08.
• Elevation gain, 3,218 m (10,558 feet).
• Calories burned, 6,653.

Here is the garmin trace with the details.

Here is the full report.

First, the preparation was kind of “on again/off again” over the last 6 months because of various injuries. In late December, the outside of my left foot started giving me pain along with the chronic pain in my left big toe and I had to miss about 5 weeks of training. At that time with 4 months until the LH Ultra, I had serious doubts about being able to run it. I saw a podiatrist and he prescribed some arch support inserts that seemed to help clear things up. He said the big toe will always hurt due to onset of some arthritis, but the added arch support should help alleviate the pain.

In February and March I got in some good training weeks and was able to complete the 80 km (50 mile) Paris Ecotrail on 29 March which included a good finish and gave me a lot of confidence. See the write up here: Paris Ecotrail.

In April I came down with a sore throat and effectively missed 2 weeks of training time where I only was able to do 34km and had to skip the Marathon de Gatinais.

The 37 km Trail de l’Oise at Compiègne on May 4th got me back on track.

Then in mid-May I planned to do the 54km Donjon Trail, but the week before, I injured my right achilles tendon during a day of yard work around the chalet. I missed about 10 days of training to give the achilles time to rest.

Training time was getting short, but I was able to put together two good weeks of training with a 42 km run one weekend and a 50 km run the next Sunday, backed up with a 20 km the next day. Then for the final two weeks before the ultra I went into my pre-race taper.

As I stepped to the ultra start line at 5:30 AM on 14 June I was feeling confident considering the last month of preparation and the 80 km race where I proved to myself I was able to push through extreme fatigue.

The start line video.

I had the pleasure of running with Terry and Joe on the first leg. Our tactic was to start near the back of the pack and conserve our strength until we got over the first hills and reach the top of the mountain with still some degree of freshness remaining. Somewhere along the way Terry took a tumble and blood did flow. As we came into the first aid station at mile 11 we were huffing and puffing, but feeling strong. We ate lots of raspberries and blackberries, topped off our liquids and headed on down the trail.

Aid station #1 video.

We got separated about 3 miles from the checkpoint and I came in a few minutes before Terry. I got some stuff to eat: pretzels, bananas, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, potato chips. I need to replace lost salt or else I get cramps. Every couple of hours in the race I reached into my back pocket and took a salt pill.

I completed the first section in 4:30 which was 40 minutes slower than I had done last year which is a lot. The footing was somewhat slippery and I wasn’t taking any chances. One of the bridges was wet and wobbly. Fortunately I was forewarned by the guy in front of me who nearly did a double backflip onto the jagged rocks below. Likewise, on the downhills, I was being extra careful and not taking any unnecessary risks.

Section 2 has a lot of hills, including the stretch through Seven Springs ski area. Tiredness started to hit me here as I  made the climb to the lake in the open under the sun. Thoughts of the remaining 40+ miles came into my mind. I tried to avoid those thoughts and just think about getting to the next checkpoint to refuel, regroup, rest and then go on from there. I finished the section in 3:09 compared to the 3:01 time of last year. So that put me almost 50 minutes behind my time of last year. I was aware that I was going slower but remained confident that I could keep it going longer that way.

Section 3 is the second toughest out of the 5 sections because it’s long (14 miles), rocky, with treacherous footing, starts with 3 quick hills, ends with a series of hills and includes hills in the middle. When you start this section you’ve already done 32.3 miles and you’re not even halfway done yet so you try not to think about that. In this section I was able to keep running for the most part, except of course on the steep climbs.  As I approached checkpoint #3 at Route 30 I heard the distant rumble to trucks. I crossed the road trying to maintain good form for my fan club. All the cheers lifted my spirits.

My time ended up being around 3:07 for this section as I crossed Route 30 at 4:15 pm. That time compares favorably to last year when I ran the section in 4 hours, completely disintegrated and was forced to abandon.

I enjoyed a well-earned 10 min rest in a lawn chair, changed shirts, refueled and headed out to the section of trail I know best that goes between Route 30 and Route 217, and which passes within about 2 miles of home sweet home where I grew up. After crossing the famous Forbes Road, the trail takes you down to Machine Run and you attack the major difficulty in this section, the 500 foot climb back up to the top. Before the race I said to myself that if you can just make it through the climb out of Machine Run, then you’ll be able to finish the race. Well, the climb did just about do me in as I had to take frequent stops to catch my breath and rest my legs. About 8 other runners passed me on this climb as I suffered both physically and mentally. Finally, I made it to the top and continued on through well-known territory, that brought back memories of many camping and hiking trips. On top of the ridge the forest opens up with sparsely scattered trees and a forest floor covered in a sea of luscious green ferns. It’s very pleasant as you jog along the trail with the sweet scents of ferns.

From there until checkpoint #4 I did a lot of walking also so I completed this relatively short 10.7 mile section in 4:11 which turned out to be my slowest pace for any section. The support crew was there waiting for me so I pulled up a chair and got some hot ramen noodles into me. It was about 8:30 PM and darkness was coming on so I put on my headlamp and also picked my small hand-held flashlight out of my bag.

I met up with John who graciously volunteered to be my pacer even after putting in a strong 14 miles earlier in the day with our relay team. After a 20 minute rest, we stepped off into the forest and I somehow got my legs moving again. We quickly got into a pretty good rhythm, alternating between jogging and a fast-paced walk. Somewhere in the first few miles the hot soup kicked in to give me a boost and I started to feel stronger. Also being with John  definitely helped keep the positive attitude going. We chatted and swapped stories as we went along. It would have been difficult to be out there all alone in the dark, both mentally and physically. Pretty soon we started to pick off the runners that had passed me back at the climb out of Machine Run. It’s always a motivator to be the passer rather than the passee.

We made it to the dirt road and in the distance at the end of the road saw the final aid station. We arrived in good spirits, still with good legs, I had a couple cups of hot potato soup and then, set off again for the final push. There was one hill remaining which turned out to be less daunting than I feared. Then it was really all downhill from there. My thighs were aching quite a bit on the steep downhills, but fortunately I had no cramping.

The final few miles are quite rocky and treacherous in the darkness. We picked our way down the hill being very careful about foot placement. Amazingly, all day long, I never fell, never turned an ankle, never stubbed a toe, or never slipped over the entire 70.5 miles of trail. If I estimate that I took a step for each yard of trail, that makes 124,080 sure-footed steps without a mistake!

Anyway, as we approached the finish at nearly 00:30 AM we heard the generators whirring and saw lights ahead. I went into my final “sprint” to look cool for anyone who happened to be crazy enough to sit out in the middle of a forest at that hour waiting for even crazier runners to arrive. To my surprise the entire fan club was there back-slapping and high-fiving! What a great feeling to have completed the race!

Some final stats. I finished in 18 hours, 54 min for 74th place overall out of 145 runners and 105 finishers. There were at least 3 older guys that finished ahead of me so I didn’t get on the podium for my age group. Average pace was 16 min/mile or 6 min/km.

The next challenge is the Mont-Blanc Marathon on 29 June. Leaving for Chamonix tomorrow morning.

Here is the report on the Trail de l’Oise at Compiègne that I completed on May 4th. I’m posting this 7 weeks late so the event is not too fresh in my mind at this point.

In the train-up for the race I was recovering from a sore throat that made me miss the Marathon de Gatinais the previous weekend. In the previous two weeks I only logged 34 km total during that time. Because of this lack of preparation I did not attempt the 60k that started one hour before and ran mostly on the same trails.

I ran the 37 km (23 mile) race with 784m of positive elevation through the Compiègne forest. It was a good day to run with a cool temperature of around 8° C at the 8 AM start time. The sun was out and it warmed up for comfortable running for the entire race.

The trail was about 60% single track, dry, not very rocky and mostly runnable. There were a few short steep hills, one of which had a rope installed to help with the climb. The course started in the park and passed in front of the castle giving a nice long vew out over the park. The first 5 km were on the flats and I started out with a good 5 min /km pace. When we turned left up into the hills the pace quickly dropped off of course.

Here is the link to my stats and the course layout http://connect.garmin.com/activity/492754893 I averaged just over 6 min per km and completed the race in 3:47.

That was good enough for 43rd place overall out of 155 runners and 9th out of 22 in my age category. It was a good race and I think I’d like to do it again, either the 37km or the 60km.

start of 37km Trail de l’Oise at Compiègne

Last Saturday, 29 March, I successfully completed the ecotrail. Successful, because I finished and because I bettered my objective of 11 hours. I also set a new PR for distance.

The weather was unseasonably warm with clear skies and a temperature of about 60°F (15°C) for the noon start. Into the afternoon, it continued to warm up and rose to well over 70°F (21°C). That was warmer than I was accustomed to for so early in the year and made the mid part of the race more challenging than expected.

Gaby dropped me off at the start area at the park in Trappes. There were 1582 runners at the start line.

Here is a link to the course map and elevation profile: http://ecotrail.livetrail.net/parcours.php?course=80km

Copied image of the profile:

There were 4 aid stations on the course and here are my entry times at each:

The first 12 km is flat and makes for a good warm-up. With all the other runners you have to be vigilante and avoid unexpected obstacles like holes, ruts, and branches while at the same time be careful not to be tripped by other runners as you jostle for position in the crowd. The track was on compacted dirt and gravel.

I was feeling good at the 1st aid station but probably did not drink enough for the warm race conditions. I started out with a full 2 liters of water and still had some left when I got there. I topped off the tank and ate some bananas, chocolate, crackers, and peanuts. I recorded a video with my phone: 2014 Ecotrail Paris Buc 24km I was out of the aid station relatively quickly in less than 10 minutes.

The next section was long and difficult with numerous short but steep uphill climbs during the warmest part of the day.  Positive elevation gain was a significant 637 meters over the 22.6 km length. I had to do quite a bit of walking to keep from exploding. After successive climbs I was suffering both physically and mentally, with thoughts of abandoning entering into my mind. I was thinking about how I would be able to get home once I reached the next aid station. People were passing me right and left.

I trudged into the aid station after about 3 hours of effort and runners were scattered all over. I realized that everybody else was suffering as well. At the chateau where the aid station was located, there is a dominating view toward Paris and the observatory which is just across a short valley. I tanked up again, got some sustenance in me and recorded this video:   2014 ecotrail paris Meudon 47km

After a good 15min break I got my legs going again, down into the valley, through the town and up to the observatory at Meudon. There again, there is an esplanade with a beautiful view of Paris in the distance. I told myself that I’ll have to come back and enjoy the view in a more leisurely manner. Over the ups and downs of this 11.2 km section, I was walking quite a bit and had an average speed of  7.6km/hr (taking into account the 15 min I rested at Meudon).  I got to Chaville 1h 30 min later as the sun was setting.

At Chaville I got some hot soup, found a chair and took this video: 2014 ecotrail paris Chaville 58km.

Mentally I was in a much better state of mind at this point and was having no negative thoughts. It helps to chat with other runners. I was sure that I would be able to finish. I put on my arm sleeves to keep warm and after making a pit stop at a portable toilet I left the aid station after a 25 min rest.

The next section to St Cloud was 12.5 km and had a few hills at the beginning, then some nice downhills that I was able to run. For this section I had my head light on. The trail was not very rocky and fairly easy to negotiate even in limited lighting. I arrived at St Cloud in the darkness at 21:13, a 8.0 km/hr pace (taking into account the rest at Chaville).

The aid station overlooks Paris in the distance with a nice view of the Eiffel Tower all lit up. I got some more hot soup and laid down in the grass and darkness and shot this video: 2014 ecotrail paris St Cloud 70.6k.

Out of the St Cloud aid station there is a nice downhill section that leads down to the Seine river and from there the trail follows the river all the way to the finish at Trocadero. The trail goes onto the Ile St Germain and thru the park and also on the Ile aux Cygnes, before crossing the river at the Pont de Bir-Hakeim, then up several flights of steps toward Trocadero.

I was able to cover the 9.6 km at a 7.9 km/hr pace. I was feeling tired obviously, but was able to keep running almost the entire time. I was even passing some walkers and bettered my overall race position by 27 runners. That always helps the morale.

Here I had to walk after getting up onto the bridge.

The finish line is in sight!

The final sprint!

And deliverance!

In my category v2, I finished 124th out of 283 starters and 228 finishers. There was an 18% abandon rate in my category. Overall I was 820th, in the middle of the pack.

Here is the video I recorded at the finish: 2014 ecotrail paris finish 80k.

My garmin measured the distance as 77.3 km, but it samples only every 20 meters or so, so I think it “loses” real distance traveled considering all the twists and turns on the trail.

Physically, I was really tired, but I had no cramps or injuries. I consumed 5 or 6 salt pills along the way and I think that helped me avoid my habitual cramps. My feet held up ok despite the usual pain in my big toe. After 2 or 3 days of rest the body was fully recovered.

Overall, this is a relatively easy ultra with the flat start, the short hills and the downhill / flat finish. It is a good confidence builder for the more challenging races coming later this year. Stay tuned.

After a few weeks resembling a couch potato, I was able to put together a good week of training with more than 50 km logged.

Last Saturday, the podiatrist looked at my left foot and told me, “hey, that must hurt”. Unfortunately, there’s not much that can be done. He’s making me some orthotic inserts to help distribute weight and impact.

Today was a nice sunny day and relatively warm for the season. I did an encouraging training run of nearly 20km. I kept an even, steady pace thru the forest that had some muddy trails. The feet fared well with no new aches or pains. Legs responded well, breathing and cardio were under control.

I have 4 weeks until a 30 km trail run at Auffargis and 6 weeks left before the 80 km Ecotrail.

2014 is here and I’ve put together my running objectives and calendar for the year. I’m building on a strong year 2013 in which I was able to do quite a few races:

• the half-marathon at Savigny-sur-Orge,
• the Maratrail at St-Leu-La-Forêt,
• the half-marathon at Rueil-Malmaison,
• the Paris Marathon,
• the 54k Trail de Donjon at La Roche-Guyon,
• a valiant attempt at the Laurel Highlands Ultra in PA completing 46 miles of the 70 miler,
• the 25k Trail des Moulins at Mondeville,
• 2 sections of the 72k Infernal Trail relay at Remiremont,
• and the 37 k Imperial Trail at Fontainebleau.

So what’s up for 2014?

I put together an aggresive schedule  in December. Looking at it now in mid-January, it will have to be adapted. More on that later. Here is the race calendar:

• half marathon at Rueil-Malmaison on 2 March
• the 30k trail at Auffargis on 16 March
• the 80k Ecotrail Paris on 29 March
• the 42k Maratrail at St-Leu-la-Forêt on 13 April
• the 35k trail at L’Yonne on 4 May
• the 54k trail de Donjons at La Roche-Guyon on 18 May
• the 70 mile Laurel Highlands Ultra in Pa on 14 June
• the Marathon de Mont Blanc on 29 June
• the 21k Cul d’Enfer at Mondeville on 31 August
• the 72k Infernal Trail at Remiremont on 14 Sept.

Like last year my main objective is the Laurel Highlands Ultra. Last year I felt like my training  up to that event lacked a race in the 70-80k range so this year I programmed the 80k Ecotrail de Paris in late March. That will be a real challenge for so early in the season. I figured that I had enough time to get ready with Dec, Jan, Feb and most of March.

Well, I had a major setback starting the last week in Dec, that puts into jeopardy the first 6 months of the year. In Dec. on a couple runs on cross-country ski trails, I felt a sharp pain on the outside of my left foot. It lasted only for about 5 mins each time, then went away. I didn’t think much of it at the time. That week I logged 76km, running 10+km everyday. The last run of the year, on 31 Dec, was a 14k sortie on the snowy cross-country trails.  Again, I felt some pain and decided to take some days off. With each passing day the pain became a bit worse and normal walking became difficult. On 6 Jan. I tested my foot with an easy 5km jog on the track at Marly. Again, no improvement.

As of 25 Jan, I’ve only done that one 5km run in 2014. I went to see the doc on 23 Jan and he referred me to a foot specialist. The earliest appointment I could get was on 18 Feb so I don’t know if that will happen. Maybe I’ve got a case of plantar faciitis combined with the on-going pain from the big toe joint that has been persistent for several years now.

For treatment, I’ve been rolling an ice-filled plastic bottle under the foot for 15min in the morning and again in the evenings.

The foot was better this week than last week and if that trend continues I think I should be able to do a short 5k test next weekend. That will be the beginning of Feb. If I have no problems, then it may be safe to re-start my training.

The half-marathon on 2 March still seems within reach as well as the 30k at Auffargis on 16 Mar. However, the 80k Ecotrail on 29 Mar may be too much, too soon. It may be wise to forgo that major effort and concentrate on the rest of the season.

If I skip the Ecotrail, the 50k trail at Jouy-en-Josas on 6 April is a possibility.

The maratrail at St-Leu-La-Forêt on 13 April is two 21k loops through the forest. It’s all trail, a few weeks later than last year, and could be another possibility for the first long race of the year.

In May, with my local running buddies Thomas and Emmanuel, I’m looking at doing the 35k on the 4th in L’Yonne and the 54k at the Roche-Guyon that I enjoyed last year. Those races should be a good preparation for the Laurel Highlands Ultra in mid June. There the objective is to finish under the time limit of 22 hours.

The second major objective for the year is the Marathon de Mont Blanc, a much sought after race on the 29th of June in a majestic mountain setting. I heard there were 20,000 registrations turned away before they could post that the race was closed out so I feel fortunate to be able to run it. Thomas and I will climb the mountains together.

After a rest in August a real challenge awaits in the Vosges mountains at Remiremont for the 72k Infernal Trail. This year Thomas and I both plan on attacking the whole thing. This is the type of race where the objective is to just finish.

There it is. A lot depends on how long it takes for my foot to get healthy.  With patience and a sure and steady progression back to form, lots of challenging races are possible.

Yesterday Thomas, Emmanuel, and I completed the 37 km Imperial Trail in the Fontainebleau forest. Here is the photo before the start.

We had a perfect day to run with cool temperatures and a high, blue sky. The course winds its way through the forest. Here is the garmin trace http://connect.garmin.com/activity/379261668

My garmin recorded 520 meters (1,706 feet) of positive elevation gain. Thomas recorded 545 m.

If you’ve ever been there, you know that there are boulders and rocky hills everywhere. We were constantly going up, over, down, around, between and even under boulders. Our feet took a terrible beating with all the uneven surfaces. We each fell a few times with bloody legs displayed proudly as badges of courage.

The race organization was well done, with two well-stocked rest stations at 14 and 28 km where we fueled up and took a much needed breather.

Each of us had our difficult moments considering the tumbles, cramps, and fatigue but we pulled each other through and finished together in 4 hours 52 minutes. For me, that was good enough to be 14th out of 28 in my category and 151 out of 280 overall.

This last one was taken after I had gone 43 km. I was very happy to see Thomas up ahead for the last relay.

Thomas and I completed the 72 km Infernal Trail relay in the Vosges Mountains. We finished in 9 hours 6 min and 40 sec which was good enough for 3rd place out of the 11 teams that were entered. Only 6 teams finished. We did better than three 4-person teams.

It was a difficult course over hilly terrain with 3000 meters of positive elevation gain. The race started at 3 AM after a heavy thunderstorm rolled through a few hours before. That made the trail wet and slippery and of course, very dark at that hour. I had the first leg of the relay which was 25 km with 1,098 m of elevation gain. I completed in 3 hours and 28 min (or at 6:28 AM) for an average speed of 7.5 km/hr and handed off to Thomas. I don’t know how I made it through without falling given the conditions, at night with rain, fog, on a muddy and rocky trail with ruts, holes, loose gravel, roots, branches, and other unidentified trail gremlins.

I got some food at the aide station, changed shirts and shorts, and drove to the next aide station to meet Thomas who was busy running the tough second section. Thomas came charging in, in advance of our estimated time, handed me the race number and I set off in daylight this time but still in the rain for a 16.8 km section which totaled 513 m of elevation gain. My legs felt relatively fresh still and I quickly passed a dozen or so runners on a long downhill section. The other runners were doing either the whole 72 km race or the 160 km race which started at midnight on Friday (27 hours before the 72 start).

This section included a very steep descent, a nearly impossible 100 meter climb on all fours, another long steady uphill, and a 50 meter long, 6 foot diameter culvert. The kilometers took their toll on me and I finished on very tired legs in 2 hours and 5 min for an average speed of 8.1 km/hr. I staggered into the aide station and passed the race number to Thomas for the final 17 km.

I drove back to the start/finish and was there as Thomas came in just after noon. We didn’t know it at the time but our effort got us on the podium in 3rd place!

It was a great race. I’ll try to find some photos and post them later.

On Saturday I did the Trail des Moulins at Mondeville with Thomas. It was a 25km course through fields and a hilly forest starting in Mondeville, south of Paris. It was a warm and sunny day with temperature at about 29° C for the 1 PM start. Here is a pic before the race.

There were about 320 runners. At 13 km you could choose to go left and do only 25 km, or go right and do 50 km. We chose to go left.

In the warm conditions I ran out of water just before the aide station at 13 km and about 2 km before the end of the race so I managed the hydration well. That’s a consumption of about 1.5 quarts per hour. During the first part of the race I started to overheat, but the constant drinking and the forest shade helped to cool me down.

Here are some photos:

This was a tough stretch across an open field just after the aide station.

There were several short steep climbs to negotiate on all fours.

Most of the trail was runnable but you had to watch out for those pesky trail gremlins.

The last 3 km were across an open field, with sun in our face and on a slow upgrade that seemed never-ending.

Here are two pics crossing the field.

We survived, though, to finish in 2h 48 min. That was good enough for 16th place in my category.

A finish line photo:

After the race there were barbecued steaks and chicken with cold beer which does wonders for a hot, tired body!!

The day started early at 4:00 AM as we left to drive to the start at Ohiopyle. The temperature was in the fifty’s and the sky was overcast at the start. For the remainder of the day the weather cooperated and temperatures remained cool with no rain or bright sun.

I was among the first 30 runners as we came to the first hills. It was dark and difficult to see under the trees. With the low visibility an the wet and rocky trail it was important to be extra careful about foot placement.  I was feeling strong over the first section and ran some of the short uphills. For the longer hills, I was walking like everybody else. I noticed that I was going slower than the people around me on the uphills but would then catch up to them and often pass them on the downhills.

As I came out into the clearing at the first aide station at the 11 mile mark, there was a large enthusiastic and cheering crowd which was great for morale. I stuffed down some raspberries, a banana, and refilled my camelbak. Somehow it came out that I came all the way from Paris to run the race, so thereafter, at all the aide stations I was known as “the French guy”.

Here is a photo at the first aide station.

That first section is one tough run all by itself. I think the last hill which has about a 500 foot vertical climb and leads to the aide station is the toughest part. At the top I met John West and he set off on the second leg of the relay.

As I was refueling I knew I needed some salt to replace what I was loosing, so I asked for the pretzels which were in an unopened container. Unfortunately, nobody there could open the container.

I wasn’t thinking very clearly and I forgot to pick up the Garmin recharger that was in my bag. The Garmin has enough battery power to last for about 6.5 hours and I knew that for the next section I would need it.

I set off on section 2 still feeling fine. This is the first time I had run this section. It goes over the ski slopes at Seven Springs. By the time I got there my legs were hurting with some minor cramping and I was not feeling very good. I started to say to myself that finishing this section would be all I could do for the day. The aide station at mile 28 gave me a boost and over the last four miles of the section I was able to do some consistent, sustained running. Coming into the second checkpoint at mile 32 I arrived to a enthusiastic cheering section. It gave me another confidence and energy boost. Never underestimate the positive effect of an encouraging group of fans. I refueled and started again with renewed determination.

Here is a photo of me coming into checkpoint 2.

Section 3 has a few short but steep hills in the first few miles, followed by a slow climb up to Laurel Summit Road. These hills took their toll on me and I start to have some significant leg cramps. Also, by then, my gray shorts starting giving my a painful rash. Wearing these shorts was an error. I knew before hand that on long runs these shorts would cause a rash, but I forgot about that. Had I been thinking clearly at the aide station I should have changed into the backup shorts that I had in my bag.

As I went on I had to walk more and more often. By this time I could only run on the downhill portions that were not too steep and rocky. I stubbed my toes several times which triggered cramps while I caught myself. At about mile 44 I hit my toe and fell. Fortunately I didn’t get hurt.

In the last few miles of section 3 I had difficulty running the downhills also. I was covering the last few miles at a 20 min per mile pace. As I was approaching the aide station I realized that if I continued I would have to walk the last 24 miles. At that point I decided that I would have to drop out.

When I got to the aide station at route 30 it was encouraging to see the crowd of people. I told everybody I gave it my best shot but, for today it would be best to not attempt to go any further.

It was a good effort and a new personal distance record of 46 miles (74 km) with 7,103 feet vertical elevation gain in 10 hours and 53 min.

Here is my Garmin trace http://connect.garmin.com/activity/325080187

Here is the photo at the finish with the other team members: Curt, John, Terry, and John. We set a new Billy Goats Griff team record, beating last year’s time by about 18 minutes.

The final training weeks before the Laurel Highlands ultra have been fairly uneventful and easy as I have been tapering off.

Week 27 was the week of the 54 k Trail Donjon. Here are two pics taken by a photographer on the course. The second one is at the end at the top of the castle.

In training week 28 I was recovering for the most part and did 53 km in four outings. The longest was an 19 km run on Saturday.

In week 29 I did four runs for a total of 46 km. On one of the trail runs in Marly forest I tested some new equipment: gaiters and protective glasses. I wore RaidLight gaiters and they seem to be effective and useful. They are light, attach snugly to shoes and above ankles, and have protective cushions on the sides to protect ankles. I tested protective glasses and they didn’t give any discomfort on a short run. They stayed in place well but, on a longer run, I’m worried about the tightness and the pinching effect on my temples. They are tinted so I’m also not sure if my vision will be 100% with sweat rolling across the lenses combined with low light conditions.

This is training week #30 with race weekend coming up. I did a 10K yesterday and will go out for a short run tomorrow when I get to Ligonier to keep the legs loose. Otherwise rest and laziness are prescribed.

The week after the marathon was mostly a recovery week. For the most part the soreness was gone after about 2 days. But when I tried to do some longer runs on the weekend I realized my legs were still tired and had no real spring in them.

For week 23, I took a couple of days off to rest my feet. Then on Sunday I went for a long distance run lasting 5h 15min and covering 45.5 km. I made a loop over around St Germain-en-laye forest and then back past the apartment to pick up my camelbak and head up into the forest. The weather was cool and sunny and just about right for a long outing. I zigged and zagged thru the forest going up and down lots of small hills. The trail was dry. I didn’t hesitate to break into a walk when going uphill or when I needed a breather or a drink. I ran out of food after all that time. I started at 9:15 and after noon my body started craving lunch. I had cereal bars and some gels with me but it just wasn’t enough. I felt I could have gone a lot longer if I had more food. The next long run like that I’ll pack more food.

Pace was 6:56 per km and + elevation gain was 765 meters.

For two days following the run I had some right hip pain, but that has gone away fortunately.

First the picture proof that I was there:

And here Emmanuel and Thomas:

It was a relatively cold morning at about 2°C when we met underneath the Arc de Triomphe. We made our way down to the starting area and got into our 3:45 zone. Fortunately there was no wind and no clouds so the sun warmed the temperature to about 13°C by midday.

Here are the stats http://connect.garmin.com/activity/294634443

My time was 3:31:26 which was a little slower than I wanted. Still, this was my 2nd or 3rd best time for the Paris Marathon. I was hoping to beat my 3:26 set at the Yvelines in 2005. I had no cramps or significant pains that hampered me.

Looking at the graphic of my pace you would think that I kept a steady pace. Actually, I was always changing pace to get around slower runners. Sometimes there were choke points whenever the streets were not wide enough.

Here is the graphic of the pace for each 5km split. This shows that my pace gradually got slower, not by much, but enough to miss my objective by a few minutes.

This performance was good enough to put me in 6762th place overall out of 40,108 runners. That’s out of the money…

And in the old man’s category (ages 50 – 55) I placed 728 out of 4968.

Today is m-day – 1. Physical prep for the Paris marathon is complete. For the most part the 20 weekly distance objectives were completed, surpassing the objective for 9 weeks and less than the objective for 11 weeks. Here is the graphic measured in kilometers.

The training plan so far included 2 half marathons and 1 trail marathon so there’s been a good mix of long slow distance and shorter, faster-paced races.

The weather for race day will be relatively cold with an expected temperature of around 3°C at 8:45 AM start time. The sky is supposed to be clear so the sun will warm things up to around 10°C during the race. I will wear shorts and a long sleeve shirt.

I was going to wear a belt with elastic loops designed to hold gel packs but on my last training run this morning when testing it, a gel slipped thru the loop twice and fell to the ground. I don’t think I’ll use the belt after all. Instead, I’ll wear shorts that have a pocket big enough for 2 or 3 gels and carry 3 gels in my hands. Or, better yet, use a pair of old socks as gloves and carry the gels inside the socks.

I bought a pack of 6 gels that are designed to take you thru a marathon. You’re supposed to consume an antioxidant before the start and at 20km, a blue one at 10km and 25km, and 2 fast energy gels at 35km.

For shoes, I’ve decided to wear an old pair of New Balance that are still holding together.

My objective in the race will be a new P.R., bettering my 3:26 finish in the 2005 Yvelines Marathon.

My strategy is to start out slowly in the group of people in the 3:45 pace start zone, pick my way thru the masses over the first few km to warm up and get into a rhythm. Time objective for the first 10km is 50min. I’ll pick up the pace in the Bois de Vincennes and hit the halfway point between 1:40 and 1:45. I want to cruise along the Seine at a good clip and once past the Eiffel Tower, attempt to kick it in over the last 5 or 6 km.