Stage 2 - Orléans Océan

My time on the "podium" was short lived, due to problems with a painful right hip which caused me to walk quite a bit today. My third place overall has quicly sunk to fourth, as Vincent, Patrick and Renaud are all running well. (Today's first marathon took me 4hr 22min, compared to 4hr flat yesterday.) But I used the slower pace to take in the scenery and snap a few photos. It was another beautiful day on a superb course.

The day was filled with chateaux, bateaux, sunflowers and vignobles, most especially the winery at Vouvray, whose output was a regular tipple while we lived in Tulsa.












This is a superb race with a great friendly atmosphere. Dominique and Annie should be very proud!

Location:Rue du Saule Michaud,Montlouis-sur-Loire,France

Stage 1 - Orléans Océan

First stage of 37 miles happily disposed of, in just under 6 hours. The route is quite flat and mainly paved, so I reached the marathon point (26.2 miles) in just 4 hours. The scenery was beautiful; the weather was sunny and a little hot for running but generally pleasant; the volunteers and race organizers were wonderful; beer, food and showers were provided at the finish...this is as good as stage racing gets.

A longer 45 mile stage tomorrow, so I hope I kept enough in the tank to maintain my "bronze medal" place. Naptime in my tent looking out at the Loire now.

Location:Rue de la Place,Vineuil,France

Ah, the glamour

As I arrived at the first stage campsite on the outskirts of Orléans, race directors Dominique and Annie Chaillou gave me a very warm welcome and some delicious lunch, although I politely declined their offers of wine and beer. They have done a wonderful job of getting this brand-new race off the ground. The two tentes Barnum - one for food and one for sleeping - are unique, but I have opted for solitary splendor in my own tent, so that I may keep annoying snoring to myself.


A celebratory drink and welcome dinner is coming shortly, to be followed by a (hopefully) dry night and sunny morning. The view of the Loire from my tent is superb. I'm ready to go! But of course doucement, doucement...



Next to the finish banner each day is a bell that the runners ring to signify their finish. A nice touch. I'm sure I will enjoy ringing that bell on several occasions.

Here's Annie with my friend (and race leader for the longer Loire Intégrale race) Hervé Rozec, a strong and intelligent runner:


He's looking very fit after 10 days' running at 10km/hr + pace.

Location:Rue Gaston Deffie,Saint-Pryvé-Saint-Mesmin,France

Orléans and its maid

The planes, trains, automobiles - and even buses - cooperated wonderfully today, and everything ran like clockwork. My hotel by the station was expecting me. Travel gets no better than that these days.

Before the sun set, I wandered off to explore this interesting town. There's lots of Joan of Arc stuff everywhere:






Then another half-mile on from the main square I finally glimpsed my watery companion for the next week, the Loire:






Allons-y!!! Let's go!!!

Graffiti

I love French trains and the scenery they pass through. I've already seen deer, hares and bunnies. I've crossed a sweeping reach of the Seine, and seen splendid fields of ripening wheat and barley. But one major thing you just can't miss in France is ubiquitous graffiti - or more specifically "tagging". It is visible on almost every surface beside the tracks. No exageration. Here's just one of millions of examples:


Call me old-fashioned...I love the Banksy/ trompe l'oeil stuff...but this graffiti isn't close to that. It's neither pretty, interesting, clever or rare. It's just wasteful, boring and pointless. Or am I becoming a grumpy old curmudgeon?

Location:France

3 days until Orléans - Océan

Travel day tomorrow, hopefully ending with a night in an Orléans hotel. Literally a day of planes, trains and automobiles. Then a week under canvas begins with race check-in on Friday afternoon. Stage 1 starts early on Saturday morning with a westerly 37-mile jog along the Loire in (hopefully) the direction of the Atlantic. Reaching St Nazaire by next Friday is my only goal, a little over 250 miles away.


I'm looking forward to seeing old friends and familiar faces from Transe Gaule, Trans Europe and Ultra Trace St Jacques. Generally good weather is predicted, but of course you never can tell. The Loire is a river, so the course must be flat and slightly downhill, right?

Who's stealing whose Olympics?

Today's Independent newspaper has an article entitled: Can amateurs' 'Real Relay' steal the Olympic show? Armed with their own torch, runners hope to eclipse official 'celebrity tour' this week.

IMHO, the headline speaks volumes about how our lives have become taken over by corporate and commercial interests, using put-down words like "amateurs" and "stealing". Whatever happened to those long-lost Olympic ideals of amateurism? And whose Olympics is it to steal anyway? Grrr... What EnduranceLife are suceeding in pulling off is a brilliant, grassroots, green, non-commercialized, "by the people, for the people" event. Huge kudos to them.

Anyway, rant over. I am very proudly looking forward to participating in EnduranceLife's Real Relay tomorrow, running Stage 522 from Saffron Walden to Haverhill. If there are any more larcenous non-professionals out there who'd care to join me covering 12 great Essex running miles, the more the merrier. You won't even need to buy your own £200 torch! Meet me at the War Memorial in Saffron Walden at 3:20pm, Tuesday 10th July.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/news/can-amateurs-real-relay-steal-the-olympic-show-7923543.html

Round the Island race 2012

While 1,900 very expensive yachts were heading counter-clockwise around the Isle of Wight this weekend, 120 or so intrepid runners were gimping clockwise around the Coastal Path, a journey of 70 miles (plus a couple of extra miles of getting lost, in some cases).

Getting to the island was rather fraught, as the ferry company had one of their two ferries out of commission, so both the queues and the traffic in Southampton were wretched. But when we finally dumped the car and got onto the high speed foot passenger ferry, things started looking up. The sights in Cowes harbour when we arrived were pretty impressive:


We were warmly welcomed by Neil Thubron and the good folks from Extreme Energy, who were hosting the event. Friday night was spent on the gym floor in Cowes High School, a very typical stage race experience. Our co-residents made the usual amount of noise before and during bedtime, and a disturbed night was had by all, which was finished up with some heavy rain and wind.


But by the time we were ready to start, the weather miraculously improved, and remained nice all weekend - sunny and dry, but with some serious headwinds. We walked a mile or so to the East Cowes chain ferry, and as the drawbridge lowered all set off on our respective journeys of 38 miles.

The course was pleasantly varied on both days - a mix of narrow coastal paths, English seafront promenades, steep climbs, woods, cliffs and small roads. On the evening of Day 1, I spoke for a while at the runners' dinner and enjoyed getting to know quite a few of the runners. We were staying at a 1930s style campsite (which was apparently when the carpet was installed). It was primitive, comfortable, fun and very retro; it was like going back in time several decades.

On Day 2, we headed into some very stiff headwinds towards the Needles, and then enjoyed some easier tailwinds as we returned to Cowes. I spent most of the day running with four very nice guys - Hamish, Dave, Will and Ben. Our worst misadventure was getting lost in a Borneo-like jungle of brambles and thorns. Two highlights were meeting up with our friend Leah at Checkpoint #2, and then catching up with Claire shortly before the finish.



Once our medals were hung around our necks, we headed off to our hotel in Cowes, The Fountain. Award-winning fish & chips and two pints of IPA did not disappoint, nor did the "full English" breakfast this morning. It's great to run all day, but it's nice to stop too.

Location:Isle of Wight

Isle of Wight

After much ferry hassle, we made it to the island with plenty of time to spare. This setup is regrettably not for us lowly Round The Island running types, but rather for the much better-heeled yachting types who are starting off to circumnavigate the island in the opposite direction at 7am tomorrow:



Hmmm...$100 sneakers vs. $250K boat, and with (hopefully) less puking and danger of drowning. Happy to be a landlubber.

Location:Town Quay,Cowes,United Kingdom

Round the Island Isle of Wight Multistage Ultra

Next Saturday and Sunday we have a two day stage race, 70 hilly miles around the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England. Claire and I are running with our Texas friend Leah - Baltic Run 2010 redux.

Isle of Wight weather has recently been wretched, with rain and high winds dominating. With eight days still to go, things will hopefully turn around. After some weeks of training in the Texas heat, we hope to enjoy more sensible highs in the 60Fs.

Cowes is famous for yacht racing, and we expect to see some wonderful yachty sights off to our left as we circumnavigate the island in a clockwise direction. My last visit to the Isle of Wight was by bike; I remember little except for squally rain, thick fog and pub lunches with my Beaconsfield biker friends.

Back in Texas...

...where everything is trying to kill you!

Location:Austin,United States

Speaking in Eastbourne

Thanks again to Kate Treleaven and the good folks at EnduranceLife for the opportunity to speak at one of their excellent Live More Lectures recently. It was a great audience of runners and their families, and fellow speakers Mimi Anderson and Danny Bent were inspiring and entertaining.

Running on pillows

Wow. After a running lifetime of looking for shoes that don't make the soles of my feet feel like they've been beaten with steel rods, I found these. Thanks to Marshall Ulrich and many other bloggers for the recommendation - Hoka One Ones:


Definitely funky looking...but miraculously light and wonderfully comfortable right out of the box. I'm in love.

Location:N Carolina 54,Durham,United States

Looking back on St Jacques...

Race organizer Patrick Bonnot gave us a wonderful and cheerful send-off at last night's awards dinner. (The French really dine in style, an art which seems to have been lost in our anglo culture. Every evening we had delicious, plentiful, freshly cooked food served at a leisurely pace; nice aperatifs, wines, cheeses, desserts.)



So I have my shell, finisher sweatshirt and very sore feet to prove that I just ran 450 miles in 12 days. Today I experience the joy of doing absolutely nothing except eating and sleeping in a real bed. The race was a difficult one for me given the conditions we faced - cold, rain (and thus mud!), and wind. I confess to being a fair-weather runner. But the scenery, companionship of runners & volunteers, and the sheer history of what we passed through was unforgettable. I will forever be on the lookout for more of these trail signs!



I thank my French friends for their warm welcome, and apologize for my dilapidated French. And also thanks to my new Dutch friend Bram who made the wise and insightful comment that you should not spend more time running each day than you would expect to spend at work. Ultreia!!

Location:Place Floquet,Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port,France

Final stage to St Jean Pied de Port

It's done, and what a difference a day makes! The blister pains receded overnight, and once again normal running was resumed. It never ceases to amaze me that major issues can be overcome by a stubborn refusal to quit.

The day was warmer, quite sunny and very windy, and I have to say I enjoyed it - keeping up with the "fast boys" for the first half, then enjoying a solitary scenic coast into the splendid finish line, the ancient ramparts of St Jean:



Tonight will be a nice celebration and a night in a hotel with clean sheets and towels. Ah, the little things we take for granted!

Location:Route de Caro,Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port,France

Stage 11 to Navarrenx

Today's stage can be divided conveniently into thirds.

The first third comprised very cold temperatures, driving heavy rain, gale force gusts of wind, and of course the by now customary rivers of mud. Without risk of hyperbole, it was misery.

The second third was heralded by a brief appearance of the sun. Patrick had thoughtfully laid on pizza at the aid stations, and many wonderful slices were consumed to restore warmth and energy.

The final third was miserable for me for a whole new reason - blisters! They had started yesterday, due to some foot swelling aggravated by constant moisture and mud. The best I could do for the final 8 miles was to limp along with my new best friends, my ski poles. (The best 39 euros I ever spent!)

Hopefully I'll be able to sort out these issues overnight, and be able to limp to tomorrow's finish line in St Jean Pied-de-Port still in seventh place. After the struggle which was today, I'm ready to be done. But still, it has been a wonderful and unforgettable experience with fine runners and benevoles.

Location:Avenue de France,Navarrenx,France

Stage 10 to Arjaqc

The day started chilly as usual and later became very (head)windy. But within the first five miles, we were greeted with the most amazing sight - the snow covered Pyrennees lining the horizon:



After toiling every day for more than a week to get to this point, it was a very moving moment. I reflected on the early pilgrims who went from Le Puy to Santiago de Compostella, and wondered what trepidations they had as they saw these huge masses looming in the distance.

The day was a mix of runnable roads and industrial quality slip'n'slides. Here's just one typical example to give a flavor - river in the middle, ankle deep clay either side, and thorny brambles framing the whole affair:



All shoes and socks will have to be disposed of as soon as Wednesday's last stage is past. Just two 40-mile stages to go!

Location:Chemin de Longy,Arzacq-Arraziguet,France

Stage 9 to Nogaro

What a day! Patrick said at the pre-race briefing that it'd be 40% mud today. He was spot on, and here's a shot of my shoes to prove it:



Luckily I took my new ski poles for their first outing - they saved my life! It rained heavily and repeatedly, and the path became a quagmire of epic proportions.

The 40-mile stage ended in another first for me - in a bullring! I guess this part of Gascony still practices this "sport", but at least it's the bloodless kind here:



I was only lost once today, as I left the unfortunately named town of Condom. Spotting the trail signs is often pretty tricky here, especially with fatigue, rain, barking dogs, and a hundred other distractions.

Four runners have abandonned thus far. I'm tired but uninjured, and so fairly confident I can stagger through the last three days.

Location:Impasse des Cordeliers,Nogaro,France

Stage 8 to La Romieu

A birthday stage for me today! Race director Patrick's delightful teenaged twin sons presented me with a gateau religieuse at the finish - apparently a birthday tradition here. Loved it!

The course today started with a pleasant flat run for 10 miles along the Tarn canal towpath. Then it was back to muddy paths and roads. The last few miles were quite taxing, with headwinds, hills and the mileage on our legs. Wisteria is in full bloom at the moment, and seems to drip from every building:



The finish line for today's stage outdid all others - the Collegiale in La Romieu, a typically splendid building dating back to the twelfth century. We finished in its cloister:



Four days to go, and as usual by this stage I'm ready to be done. But celebrating a birthday with thirty European friends - both old and new - in an ancient building is decidedly cool.

Location:La Romieu,France

Stage 7 to Moissac

From last night's gite - the ever-present image of St Jacques:


During this morning's pre-race briefing, the word boue had come up more than once. My rusty French had wrongly thought that boues were cobblestones. Well, I was epically incorrect - la boue is in fact mud. At least a third of today's 43 miles was a sheet of slippery, cloying clay. The spring rains have turned the slippery slopes into semi-vertical ice rinks. At a couple of points today, forward progress became totally and almost hilariously impossible. It felt like mud wrestling but without an opponent. I had cleverly left my ski poles - which would've come in mighty handy - in my suitcase.



But when actually running was possible, I felt surprisingly good today. The weariness of the previous couple of stages seemed to desert me, and I ran strongly and fresh - at least between mud baths.

At the end of a long stage, we arrived to a big gym with warm showers. Life is good.

Location:Avenue de l'Uvarium,Moissac,France

Stage 6 to La Rosiere

Last night's dinner was poignant and very moving. Our gym was next door to an old peoples' home, and we were invited to dine there. We were greeted by Mme la Directrice, who was brimful of cheer and personality as she served us Kir, wine and a great meal. But sitting in the margins of our dining room were a few of the poor elderly residents who had nodded off after their meals, and had to be woken and then escorted back to their rooms in various states of confusion. The contrast in vitality between these folks and the runners was so stark - I hoped that each of them had led a good and active life before ending up in such a sad but caring place. Remember to live every day...

So today was another great day in the Lot valley. Despite a few very heavy showers, we kept mostly dry. The path was very stony and/or muddy for miles which made for some tough going - here's just a typical sample:



Aid stations were great as usual - today as well as soup and sandwiches I tried the white wine on offer - very acceptable. Towards the end of the 40-mile stage, we passed through Cahors. Amazing sights (like this ancient bridge over the Lot) were on offer, which I'd like to have seen more of:



Tonight we're luxuriating in a gite (like a hostel, with real beds and ensuite facilities). Grande luxe indeed!

Location:Chemin du Pech de Gadal,Labastide-Marnhac,France

Stage 5 to Cajarc

You've got to accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
And latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between

OK, so today started very positively. As I'm in the "fast group" - just - I got to luxuriate in an 8am start, well after the peloton had headed off into a downpour at 7am. The heavy rain causing miles of calf-deep mud on the trail? No worries. A pleasantly short 54km course (only 5 miles more than a marathon) - very agreeable. A glass of Languedoc Shiraz at the penultimate aid station - first rate. A few moments of sunshine to help separate the downpours and dry out soggy clothing - a big merci for that.

Now lying in my sleeping bag trying to warm up on my slowly deflating air mattress - no Mr In-Between here! Just one week to go. This is such a wonderful part of France to visit on foot. Today we ran past dolmens so ancient that they made churches dating back to 900AD look modern. The sense of history here is overwhelming at times.

Location:Rue de la Cascade,Cajarc,France

Stage 4 to Livinhac

Apart from a very chilly start, we enjoyed beautiful sunny skies and good temps as we got through our longest stage of 69km (about 43 miles).

The first part of the day took us along the lovely Lot - here's a sample of it at Estaing:



Then we made our way down to the ancient pilgrim stopping point at Conques. Unbelievable sights, made even nicer by an almost total absence of tourists.






But then the fun started. I have never, ever climbed a longer, steeper, rockier path than the one out of Conques - and I've trekked to Mt Everest base camp! But the view from on high was worth it, at least in retrospect:



It's very nice to be done for the day, in a spacious gym with hot showers. Another day - the longest! - done. Smiley face.

Stage 3 to Espalion

Another day of "firsts".
At 5:15am we were woken by race director Patrick, who told us to go back to sleep until 7am as the weather was so bad. Then at 7am, he announced that we would be running shorter today - only the last 20 lower altitude miles of the course. The wind was howling and the snow drifting. Trying to navigate icy, stony, muddy tracks in the dark in such weather would've been reckless folly.
So we cooled our heels until 10am, and then took a bus to the midpoint of the race. Visibility was terrible, and the roads a sheet of ice. As we disembarked, the wind and frigid temperatures were astonishing. The first couple of miles were really nasty, but as we descended to the River Lot, things gradually returned to normal.
Here's the historic church at St Come d'Olt. Its spire wasn't designed thus; apparently some dodgy lumber was used in its construction many centuries ago:



The next "first" around the corner from the church was the last aid station, and a little celebratory vin rouge with my friends Gerard and Nicole. It would've been rude not to.



So now we're all recovering in a truly tiny municipal hall. Very close quarters, but so it goes. Back to a full day's work tomorrow! But the view at the finish line - mountain topped by ruins - is amazing:



For those who care, the race is being easily and brilliantly led by Jean-Jacques Moros (France) and Carmen Hildebrand (Germany). They seem to navigate the most treacherous vertical, rocky terrain with the grace of a startled mountain goat. My style is more wounded water buffalo that's been seized by a crocodile. I dropped a place to seventh in the rankings today (could the wine drinking partially explain that?), but there's still a very long way to go. Thus far, zero abandons.

Stage 2 to Aumont Aubrac

At 6:30am when we started from St Privat, our headlamps lit up the sight of a little sleety precipitation. The weather went downhill from there as we went uphill and more uphill. Sleet turned to snow at the higher elevations, with bitter winds swirling it about in every direction. It was a fairly wretched 40 miles, especially for Patrick and the aid station volunteers who provided warm food and drink every 10-15kms. I was reminded of running in northern Norway in 2009, as was Roger (another Trans Euopean finisher) with whom I ran most of the day. Except today was also incredibly stony and muddy for good measure! As the snow started to drift and coat the road signs, my big fear was missing a turn. There were a couple of tricky bits, but we made it through without serious mishap.

No photos today due to the near whiteout conditions, but here's the latest weather picture in Aubrac. It is depressingly accurate:



More of the same in the offing for tomorrow, I believe. C'est la vie!

Stage 1 to St Privat d'Allier

As we were still digesting our desert and coffee, we were herded off to the cathedral steps which were to serve as our start line. Here's race director Patrick Bonnot getting the ducks in line:



Hail started to fall as we waited for 3pm (a nice touch from the Almighty?), but we were all dying to get started whatever. Apart from a couple of brief snow showers, the weather held but was quite chilly. The scenery was superb, the course well marked, and the volunteers tremendous.

Here's a shot of our destination for today, St Privat. Like all these rural villages, just ancient and picturesque.



For once, I managed to run sensibly on day one. It was very hilly in places, and muddy, but the last 5K was a wonderful downhill cruise. A few barky dogs along the way today, but didn't need protective ski poles!

Things get more serious tomorrow with a 6am start and 40 very hilly miles. Holiday's over!

Pre-race nutrition

Only in France could one be served a delicious, huge three course meal less than 90 minutes before the start of a race:



Wonder how those green lentils (a local speciality) will settle in my stomach in a couple of hours?

Location:Le Puy En Velay

One day to go

It was a depressingly foggy, cold morning first thing. The thought of "two weeks of this" was not good - but as I headed out for a final long walk after breakfast, the mists cleared to a cold but sunny day.

I headed to the first part of the St Jacques trail and climbed out of Le Puy for a couple of kilometers.



Did I mention that it's quite hilly here? There is symbolism everywhere. Note the yellow mark on the right of the picture. Or bigger still:



Then back into town to climb to the top of St Michel d'Aiguilhe, built by Bishop Godescalc in 951AD after his Santiago pilgrimage. An amazing piece of volcanic geology with a chapel stuck on top:


Finally back to the cathedral - tomorrow's start line - to collect my "creanciale" and get it stamped. This is my pilgrim's passport to prove that I've completed the journey:


I said my goodbyes to St Jacques...


and now I'm just about ready to go...