Days 16-26: Marathon Training in France

This is just going to be a large summary post because honestly the combination of marathon training + doing touristy things meant that I didn't have very much energy to aggregate my thoughts during the trip.

Day 16 (July 14): We arrived in Paris around 11am Paris time.  After a transatlantic flight it felt like a rest day was in order.  We walked to see the Notre Dame and walked around the Latin Quarter.  In the evening DH and I went to the Champ de Mars to watch the Bastille Day fireworks were absolutely amazing.

Bastille day fireworks - they literally shoot them out of the Eiffel Tower as well :-)

Day 17 (July 15):  My first run in Paris!  It was pretty hot outside by the time I managed to get outdoors and start my run - lucky me - I went to Paris during a rare summer heat wave. I was trying to find my way along the Seine and wound up getting blocked by a big shipyard that blocked the south bank of the Seine near where we were staying.  I had spotted a public toilet the day prior near the Notre Dame (about 3ish miles from the apartment we stayed at) but it was closed when I ran.  I ran 7.4 miles on this day, which was above my planned 7, but such is what happens when you get a bit lost in Paris.

Mmmmm sexy sweat.  Notice the lovely Eiffel Tower in the background.

Day 18 (July 16): Another hot day!  6.3 miles which included running from my apartment and to and around the Tullerie gardens.  It was quite beautiful, but again I had issues with finding an open (and free) bathroom.  Normally I don't feel the need to use the bathroom during my shorter weekday runs, but travelling meant different eating habits than I usually have in NYC.

The Louvre in the background. I need to master the art of the during run selfie.

Mmmm.... water. These wonderful water stations were located all around the river.

Day 19 (July 17):  Cross training - DH and I went to Versailles and walked so much!  My step count for the day was 34,257 steps, which according to my watch is the equivalent of 13.3 miles of walking.  We were going to rent bikes but failed on the front.

Day 20 (July 18): 5.1 mile run with DH.  I took him to the Tullerie gardens because they are beautiful.  He took a break in the gardens while I ran around them.

Action shot in the gardens, taken by DH.

Day 21 (July 19): 7.5 miles which included going around the Champ de Mars.  This was a pretty enjoyable run :-)

Week 3 Summary:
Miles: 31.3
Pace: 12:15 min/mile
Stayed on Plan: I completely failed to do any core work or strength training in France, but I did get my planned mileage done with some days swapped around.


Day 22 (July 20): Unscheduled rest day.  DH and I traveled to Strasbourg and were unable to check into our hotel early in the morning.  By the time we checked into the hotel it was really hot, the fitness center at the gym was not air-conditioned and had a single treadmill.

Day 23 (July 21): 6 miles - 2 in the AM in hot, hard to breathe Strasbourg, 4 in the PM in the park near the Eiffel Tower.  DH hung out and picnicked while I ran, and then I joined him afterwards.  Yay for 11pm dinners.

Day 24 (July 22): Cross training!  DH and I did a 40km bike tour of the Loire Valley and visited a couple of really beautiful Chateaus.

In the Loire Valley

Day 25 (July 23): 8 miles in the morning!  This was a pretty difficult run and my GPS signal kept dropping out :-(

Day 26 (July 24): Last day in Paris - I did a 6.2 mile run in the morning running laps of the Champ de Mars.  I rolled my ankle about 1 mile into the run (ouch!) but I managed to finish the run.  Our flight from Paris left at 4:30pm so we got lunch before we flew out.

General notes on training while traveling:  I think that being flexible but committed to meeting my mileage goals was key.  I definitely swapped days around and was a bit fuzzy with hitting the exact mileage, but I at least made my weekly mileage meet the goal total.  Eating strange foods and drinking alcohol almost everyday probably made training a bit harder on me because I certainly wasn't getting optimal nutrition, but I did try to eat reasonably other than the whole dessert with almost every meal plan that I seemed to follow.  I didn't count or log calories because I don't have international data on my phone and getting to MFP to estimate calories while eating didn't seem worthy of my time.  I am glad to be home and back to my normal routes but I am definitely still acclimating to running in the heat.  We also had a washing machine in the apartment that we rented, which meant that we could travel with carryon only for a 10 day trip including all of my running clothes.