Running Renaissance: One Skip Ahead of my Doom

[flav]

Have a good trip!

 

[azrivest]

Bon voyage!

 

[superchime]

Have a great time in Paris!

 

[NYC_MW]

Bonne Chance! Excited to follow along!

 

[jmasgat]

Congrats on your finish! Hope it went well--impressed with your time, and your negative split (hot and night are not 2 factors that would add up to a fast race)

 

[GollyGadget]

Road to Paris - Week 18/18

Planned:
M - Easy 4
Tu - Rest/travel
W - Easy 5
Th - Easy 4
F - Easy 3
Sa - Race
Su - Rest

Completed:
M - Easy 4
Tu - Rest/travel
W - Easy 4
Th - Easy 2.5
F - Rest
Sa - Race
Su - Rest

Total miles: 37.24
Strength sessions: 0

Race weeeeeeeek! My last run in the USA was Monday morning and it felt like running in a rainforest it was so hot and humid. Sometimes I can't believe I survived an entire summer of running like this. I'm definitely using next summer as an off-season. Unless, of course, I win entry into some other once in a lifetime event

Anyway, our accomodation was slightly outside of the city center but near a nice little park where I could run a few laps. As you can see, I skipped a few miles. Travel and sightseeing had me a bit tired so I decided to err on the side of less is more.



Outside of running, there were lots of steps. On Tuesday we walked from the Arc de Triomphe to the Louvre. Stopping for some ice cream along the way






We got an early start on Wed to catch our first Olympic event, race walking. We were all a bit surprised at how popular it was so we didn't have the best view, but it was fun to be part of the crowd. After race walking was some more sightseeing until beach volleyball that evening.










Thursday was another full day with the AM athletics session followed by women's water polo. Unfortunately, I must be bad luck because we watched Team USA lose to Australia and there were several heartbreaks at the athletics session. I've decided I can't attend any more morning sessions because there aren't any gold medal moments to balance out the heartbreaks.





Friday was packet pickup day so I'll cover that days events in the pre race post .

 

[RuntheMouse]

I’ve been waiting not so patiently for your trip/race report!

 

[Blue Caterpillar]

I’ve been waiting not so patiently for your trip/race report!

Me too!

 

[GollyGadget]

Road to Paris - J-1
First thing I did Friday morning was packet pickup. There was some discussion about spectating part of the marathon swim but we all decided that we'd rather take it easy. Citius Mag was also hosting a shakeout but I sort of forgot about it until too late . Anyway, the line to get into the bib pickup area was a bit insane. It took up the entire width of the road with all its switchbacks.



Once inside, it wasn't all that crowded and the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower was picture perfect. The whole thing took about half an hour so I was fairly quickly ready with my bib, wristband, and spectator wristbands.



I was very fortunate to receive spectator wristbands. They were allocated based on a random drawing and my spectators had people trying to buy them off their wrists!

After bib pickup, it was time to head north for Diving. But first, the mandatory bib picture



Diving was fun to watch but would have been more fun if there was some Team USA representation. That's something that I really didn't expect. You buy tickets for events so far ahead of time that you really have no idea who you'll be watching. We were lucky to get the water polo session with team USA. It was nice to see our first medal ceremony though. The athletes and fans were so excited




After diving, we found a cute little cafe for some charcuterie before the evening athletics session which was an absolute blast! The highlights for me were the medal ceremony for Davis-Woodhall, the women's 4x100, and Hassan's second medal of the games (just 1.5 days before her marathon ). Honorable mention for Holloway's medal & Benjamin earning his gold.








We had a long day ahead of us on Saturday, so we took the metro home and got some rest.

 

[GollyGadget]

Road to Paris - Race Day (pt 1)
As I mentioned, our accomodation was slightly outside of town but it was also very conveniently about a mile away from km 34 of the marathon route. This worked out perfectly as it was very easy for me to spectate part of the race. Unfortunately, the spot that we picked was a little obscured from the runners by a fence but it was still a lot of fun to cheer for them.






Originally the plan was to do some exploring in the am before I took an afternoon nap. Instead, I pretty promptly fell asleep on the couch when we returned. Whoops. Guess I needed more rest. (Turns out I'd been averaging 90 minutes less sleep per night than normal). When I opened my eyes around noon, my partner asked my lunch plans. They didn't really exist but I knew that I needed food soon so that I could eat a small dinner before the race.

We found this lovely little brasserie not far from our place. I ate as much pasta as I could handle (which really wasn't very much. I'm not the biggest pasta fan ) and then we stopped in the grocery store and local bakery for a few rations.



During lunch we made a plan for the rest of the day. I wanted to get downtown in time to find something to eat and my partner really wanted to watch the USWNT in the gold medal match. I didn't really want to do much beforehand though to conserve my energy. So, I sent my travel buddies on their way while I relaxed in bed and took another nap .

I woke up just after 3 and started to get ready. This included clipping my toenails, packing my gear bag, and having a little snack.



I got on the metro and headed to the hotel de ville. We had planned to watch the soccer match there but quickly realized there was at least an hour wait to get in so we started wandering the streets in search of food and a tv. During this little detour, I took a sneak peak of the race start.





We were lucky to find a place with a nice patio and a giant tv. My friends ordered a charcuterie and I ordered some buratta & tomatoes with the promise that it came with bread. I wanted something light & simple and this was perfect. We stayed to watch the rest of the game and celebrated the team USA victory.



It was only 7 pm and the race didn't start until 9pm. We didn't want to hold the table any longer so I changed in their restroom and we did some wandering until we found a nice shaded park with a bench and a big tower.



Throughout the early evening, I had been wondering where all the other runners were... Turns out they were in this park! We sat around for a bit until just after 8pm when I declared it was time to head to the start.

To be continued....

 

[GollyGadget]

Road to Paris - Race Day (pt. 2)
Getting to the start was a bit more difficult than I expected so I was very glad that I headed that direction early. I was in start group 4 with an estimated 9:30pm start time. The official guide suggested arriving between 9-9:15. In hindsight, I'm really not sure what the organizers were thinking with that suggestion. There were ~2,500 runners in my group alone and it was very very crowded. I arrived at the entrance of the starting area around 8:30 but didn't make it into my actual corral until nearly 9 because of all the people.



Another "what were they thinking??" moment came when I saw the potty setup. My starting area had 3 full potties, 24 men's urinals and 5 women's urinals. Real glad I didn't have any major business to take care of....



On the way to the official start, the organizers had quite the party going for us. All the directions were in french but at one point we all squatted down and did the wave. It was a fun way to get out any nervous energy.



Soon enough, it was time for my start. The starting area was a bit odd in that you had to make a hard left hand turn from the corrals to cross the line. It worked out well for me as I was trying to keep to the left to find my spectators.



Before I get too far into the recap, it's probably relevant that I share my race plan. As a reminder, the course had two big hills which I was quite concerned about. As a flatlander, I couldn't even visualize what these hills would be like in real life.



With that in mind, I wanted to take a cautious approach for the first 15K and see how the hills went. I setup my race plan in Garmin and below are the details of the first ~30k. The goal was sub 4 and maybe a PR (3:57).



At least, sub 4 was the goal when I put the plan into Garmin. By the time I got to the corral, that plan was out. I was a sweaty mess before the race even began. Despite the late start, it was still 75 with a dew point of 60.

As the race started, I was just getting settled into my pace when everything came to a halt. There was a hard right turn and for some reason everyone was walking??? I still have no idea why that happened but I was able to quickly regain my rhythm. From there, I got to high five my spectators, run around the Palais Garnier and head towards the Louvre. I must admit, with the darkness and crowds, I was paying more attention to not tripping than the sights . However, there was no missing the Olympic flame so I pulled over for a quick photo.



I was nearing the first aid station, so I dug out a date to pre fuel ahead of the water. Perfect timing for this photo, if I wanted a photo of me eating in front of the louvre



I did at least manage a thumbs up . With that, I finished my first segment with an average pace of 9:14. I was very pleased with this since my entire goal of this stretch was not to go out too hot.

The first water stop came quickly and was quite chaotic. For sustainability reasons, they were using reusable cups and they were having trouble getting enough of them filled and on the tables. I had to stop and wait my turn a bit. At this point, I decided I would walk the water stations and make sure to drink two cups.

We ran along the Seine for the next few miles. Even with all the distractions, I was able to take in some of the beauty.



The crowds this entire time were very enthusiastic. Lots of "Allez!" Once we left the Seine, there wasn't as much to look at but the crowds were still cheering! The whole race was incredibly loud. It was quite different from Disney where there really aren't a lot of spectators. I did wonder how many of these folks were just out for Saturday night and didn't know about the race, but I appreciated their cheers nonetheless.

Right around mile 9, I heard shouts of my name and spotted my spectators. I finished this second segment with a pace of 9:07. Spot on for a sub 4 but I was quickly approaching those pesky hills....

 

[nancipants]

I'm so excited for your race report!

 

[DisneyParrothead]

Why does it seem so difficult to provide enough potties for women . My race last weekend started at a soccer stadium, and where we started specifically, the women's bathroom had 3 stalls.

 

[GollyGadget]

Why does it seem so difficult to provide enough potties for women . My race last weekend started at a soccer stadium, and where we started specifically, the women's bathroom had 3 stalls.

The bathroom situation baffled me. For an event focused on having equal gender representation, they sure failed on providing equal peeing opportunities.

3 stalls is not enough! I'd be looking for a bush

 

[GollyGadget]

Road to Paris - Race Day (pt. 3)
Just after mile 9, I crossed the Seine and entered Sevres. The spectators were no longer several deep, but they were still making their presence known. This part of the course appeared more residential than the rest. I wondered if they enjoyed having 3 marathons run past their doorstep in 24 hours...

This was also the location of the first of the big hills. It really didn't seem that bad. It was a long stretch (3.5 miles) but it wasn't particularly steep. According to runalyze, my GAP was 9:02 (9:53 actual). I guess all that hill training paid off

Near the top of the hill was the 7th aid station. The water was still a bit of a disaster. Difficult to find a filled cup and a few empties rolling in the street. The snacks were very unusual for this American. There was sliced pound cake, a big tub of raisins, sliced bananas, and some sort of white cube. At first I thought these were marshmallows but I'm pretty sure they were either salt or sugar. No idea which. My biggest takeaway was that the French are not nearly as concerned with germs as it was all just sitting on the tables for the grabbing.

I got to enjoy a nice little downhill on my way to the halfway point. Some clever spectators had collected the stray reusable water cups and were using them as noise makers against three fencing.

I crossed the halfway point at 2:04:11. I didn't gain much if any time on the downhill and realized sub 4 just wasn't in the cards today. Oh well, I was still going to enjoy the experience!

The crowds dramatically increased as we approached Versailles. It was several folks deep again. I managed to find a spot without too many folks and stopped for a quick photo. At least I remember stopping to take a photo... That photo does not exist in my camera roll or my deleted items so who knows .

There were a few spots with race photographers but they were not as easy to spot as at Disney. I was usually already halfway past them by the time I noticed them. I did get this okayish photo with Versailles in the background so at least there's some proof that I ran to Versailles and back!


The crowds started to thin a bit and all I could think about was the upcoming "wall." That is how the race organizers kept referring to the second big hill. I really couldn't remember how far it was until I got there. It was at least 4 hours after my bedtime after all

My double water cups every 2.5km was starting to catch up with me and since I knew sub 4 was gone, I took advantage of the next potty opportunity. Fortunately the on course toilets were full service and none of that urinal nonsense. I'm not sure my legs would have wanted to squat at that point .

Soon enough, the "wall" was upon me. They tried to distract us with a light tunnel which I really appreciated. I found the hill tough but manageable. 90% of folks were walking it but I kept up my pace as best I could. At the steepest point, I debated if walking would be faster but I was still moving along quite well so I kept going. Left foot, right foot. Left foot, right foot. My GAP was 8:57 .



After the steep uphill was an equally wicked downhill. My hamstrings were a bit tired at this point so I told them to relax, the hard part was over. I let gravity do its thing but ended up with a GAP of 9:46 . Guess I'm officially better at running uphill than down.

We were nearing km 34 and I found it comforting to be back in my "neighborhood." Around this point I realized that, if I kept pace, I could finish in 4:07 and that became my new goal with the lucky 7.

I really don't remember much of the next few miles. There was a really loud tunnel, a band playing Bulls on Parade by Rage Against the Machine, and a sponsor area that was showing videos submitted by loved ones.

Before I knew it, the Eiffel Tower was in view again. Sadly all the lights were off as I approached which really confused me. Why couldn't they keep it lit a little bit later for us runners? As soon as I had this thought, the tower was illuminated again. Based on the time, I must have just missed the hourly twinkle .

The crowds were 5-10 deep again and just as loud & energized as they were at the start. We merged with the 10K runners which made the course extremely crowded again and difficult to navigate. Luckily, my ambitious time goals were long gone so I just went with the flow. As we entered the finish area, I heard my name being shouted again by my amazing spectators .

All of a sudden I was a 5 time marathon finisher with an official time of 4:07:40. . Not too shabby considering the conditions. It is my second fastest time overall.



After the race was a lot of chaos. All I wanted was some water but there were sooooo many people it was difficult to find. After walking what felt like 2 miles, but was probably 0.2 miles, I found the empty reusable cups. They were only 8 ounces so I grabbed two. Next up was finding the actual water. I managed to get my cups filled multiple times and was happily rehydrated.

My partner texted me around this time to let me know that they would meet me by the big balloon after the snacks. To which I replied "where are the snacks???". My height is a serious disadvantage in crowds. I happenstanced into the snack table and took two nectarines and a slice of cake. What I really wanted was something salty but there wasn't anything. I never did eat the cake. My body was done with sugar by that point.

After reuniting with my spectators, we walked to the metro only to learn that it was closed . The race communication had indicated the metro would be running so this was a big disappointment. My partner figured out the bus for us but it took twice as long and we didn't get to bed until nearly 4am! Not really ideal for spectating the women's marathon or spending the rest of the day at Disneyland Paris, but somehow I survived








All in all, it was a great trip and a great race! The spectators were unbelievably loud and supportive. The course and conditions were a challenge but I managed. And now I can tell everyone that I ran the marathon at Paris 2024 Olympics . How cool is that???

 

[WillRunForPizza]

Congrats! What a unique experience!

 

[Blue Caterpillar]

Congratulations on your race! and thanks for a great trip report!!

 

[RuntheMouse]

Well done! You did the hard work and it paid off, so happy for your success. When we watched the men’s marathon on tv my jaw was hanging looking at those hills but you crushed them!

What an amazing experience.

 

[gosalyn_mallard]

Congrats! Thanks for sharing your experience. That light tunnel on the mega hill looks like the start of a roller coaster incline. What a run!

 

[NYC_MW]

Congratulations!!! Such an amazing experience and you rocked it!