Hello all! I’m back with my regular recap.
Technically, this is a recap for the two weeks before the Paris marathon, my 47th marathon! I’ll be back next week with a recap of the marathon, but spoiler alert, I finished. Here’s how the taper went down…
Two Weeks Before the marathon:
Monday: Had a bit of a lie-in and opted for a spin class at Psycle after work, followed by some strength and physio exercises at home
Tuesday: 4×1 mile at marathon effort with a 400m jog in between each mile. 8 miles total.
Wednesday: Rather than a run commute to the the office, I took the train in and joined the group for a 10k run around Hyde Park. Gorgeous sunshiney morning.
Heartcore pilates after work.
Thursday: Another “session”, this time 30 minutes at marathon effort, 7 miles total with warm-up and cool-down.
Heartcore pilates after work.
Friday: Easy 5 mile run commute to the office, some of it with some friends.
Saturday: Last long-ish run before Paris, 11 miles easy, absolutely stunning London day, 20C and sunny!
We spent a great deal of the afternoon outside, wandering around Hampstead, with a stop for lunch at the best creperie stand on the high street.
That evening we had dinner at Tamil Crown in Islington; if we don’t stay in the Hampstead neighborhood longer term, I am interested in living in Islington, it’s really cute and fun (though no Hampstead Heath park, which Ruth loves)- either way, I think I’m a North London girl!
Sunday: A bit of a lie-in before a short recovery run (5 miles) with Dustin and Ruth.
Summary: About 42 miles of running, 3 Pilates classes
The Week of the Paris Marathon:
Monday: Ran to SoHo (4 miles) to take a Barry’s Bootcamp class with my colleague; probably about 2-3 miles of running in the class + arms & abs for about 6-7 miles total.
Tuesday: Took the train to work and ran Hyde Park from there, 3×6 minutes at marathon effort, for 6.2 miles total. Physio at Nordic Balance afterwards with one more session of shockwave therapy
Wednesday: Rest from running, Heartcore pilates after work
Thursday: Run commute + office run, 7 miles total
Friday: Easy 5 mile run before working a full day, then off to Paris via the Eurostar after work.
Saturday: Shake-out run in Paris, 3 miles through the Bois de Boulogne park. Gorgeous morning.
Shower, breakfast at the hotel, then metro to the expo.
I went to the expo expecting to wait in line for 90 minutes or longer, but fortunately it was not actually that bad! (Some friends ran it last year and waited a long time; my experiences in bigger European marathons like Barcelona and Vienna included long lines to get in, so I expected the worst and was pleasantly surprised.)
After the expo, we took the metro to the Eiffel Tower area and relaxed in the sun for a bit before grabbing lunch and chilling at the hotel, until dinner at Sorella (near our hotel, we stayed at the Saint James Paris, which was a gorgeous hotel and walkable to the start/finish of the marathon.)
Sunday: Paris Marathon! I finished- one of my personal worst times in a long time (other than the Médoc wine marathon in Bordeaux, but that race was just a party!) I ended up with a cold on race day, which didn’t help, but my fitness just wasn’t there. That’s what happens you miss 3 weeks at the peak of training…
My ankle/tendon was really sore after the race and into Monday, but is feeling okay now. I definitely pushed it further than it was ready to be pushed.
(Check out the guy smoking a cigarette behind me. I saw many runners light up at the finish line!)
Summary: 53 miles of running (with 26.2 at the Paris marathon!), one pilates class.
Post-marathon, we took a 45 minute train from Paris to Reims, where we spent two nights doing champagne tastings with my sister (who also ran the marathon) and her husband, which was lovely.
Unfortunately, I was coming down with a cold before the marathon, but it didn’t seem too bad; well. lesson learned, don’t run a marathon with a minor cold- it will become a major one! I completely lost my voice for the two days in Reims, and then have been sick since then. I guess its forcing me to take time off of running! I’m ready to be healthy now please….
How about this guy who ran the whole marathon dressed as the Eiffel tower? Looks so awkward!
Dustin didn’t run a PB (his time was 3:10, PB is 2:54) but due to the timing of the corrals, he was finished and showered by the time I crossed the line!
That’s a wrap! I’m linking up with Running on the Fly and Confessions of a Mother Runner; check out their blogs to connect with other fitness bloggers for workout ideas and inspiration!
Oh well done, what a relief! I didn’t do one of my marathons because I had a bad cold for two weeks before it and didn’t risk it, so I’m even more glad you got round OK. Hope you feel properly better soon, and that the tendon recovers fully.
Yes, it wasn’t my smartest move…It’s hard to know how bad a cold will be, but running a marathon with one did not end that well for me! I guess at least it was only bad AFTER the race, not during. My ankle held up, but it wasn’t happy after!
Congrats on finishing, Jessie! I know it isn’t the race you wanted to run, but at least you got it done. That’s too bad about the cold after, though. i hope that ankle calms down quickly.
Crazy about that guy running with the Eiffel tower costume. That looks like it was really difficult to do!
Yep, I’m happy I recovered well enough to do the race!
Great job, Jessie, despite missing three weeks of key training due to your ankle injury and coming down with a cold on race day. I’m looking forward to reading your race recap next week!
Thank you Debbie!
Glad you made it to the starting line and the finish line despite your ankle. Sorry about the cold — hope you feel better soon.
OMG on the post-race cig!
That Eiffel Tower costume is insane!
It’s surprising how many runners still smoke! I can’t name someone I know that smokes…
Great news that you finished. When I ran in Paris I was surprised at how many people still smoke.
Too bad you got sick but glad you’re fine now.
Looking forward to the recap.
Thanks Darlene- yes, its surprising how many runners still smoke!
Yay so glad to learn that you made it! Congrats and look forward to reading all about it
Thank you!
CONGRATULATIONS! You really had some challenges leading up to this race, but you did it. I hope it was a fun experience (regardless- it was more fun than staying home and missing it completely.)
I don’t know which is more crazy- running with that Eiffel tower costume or lighting up a cigarette at the finish, ha.
Anyway, congrats to Dustin as well. I hope you’re feeling better now!
Thank you Jenny! I definitely had some challenges, but I am proud of myself for giving it a go, even if it wasn’t my best one!
Congrats on Paris! Although you weren’t at your 100%, it’s a true testament to your fitness that you could run the marathon (with a cold, nonetheless). I hope your recovery is going well 😉
Aww, thanks Kim!
Oh man, I feel for you – so sorry about your poor marathon time and also now getting sick! I hope that you feel better soon. Definitely get some rest and listen to your body!
I have been resting like a champ post marathon!
Oh, I’m so sorry you got sick! That’s incredibly frustrating, especially with all the training you put in.
Take some time, rest up, and get yourself better!
Congrats on Paris! So glad you discovered Islington. That’s where I was going to move next before I left London.
Yay for you! So glad you could do this and finished, and that your tendon is ok(ish?) a few days later. What a bummer getting a cold too on top of that half-healed injury. I can imagine it developed into a big cold after the race. Been there, done that.
The runner with the Eiffel tower is hilarious! That must have been hard to run with.
I’m so glad you made it through the race and are feeling OK (well, not worse than when you started!). Wow on that Eiffel Tower costume, with handlers! And what is with all of that smoking in Paris? That was the one thing I really didn’t like about Paris. I couldn’t enjoy dining outside because of it. Congrats on finishing #47. That’s a huge accomplishment on it’s own. You will be back feeling strong in no time. Congrats to Dustin too! Your post race activities sound fun. Sorry the cold got worse!