The Chaulieu-Sourdeval Run in Normandy.

Today's run (2 June 2013) with my runing buddies Francesca Bostock and Leaharna Marsden: 9.9 km - 57.22 min.

Struggling at 500 m to the finish.

Leaharna came second in 40 minutes, and Francesca, only after three years of running, has outrun me by nearly a minute! Congratulations! 

Lovely cool day, intermittently cloudy and sunny, +16ºC at the finish. 

It is a small local run organised by the Sourdeval athletic club. The crowd was just over a hundred runners, probably because the club couldn't get it put on the official French athletic federation qualifying roster for 10K. Hence the irregular distance - 9.9K. The participants were mostly local, very fit and motivated members of athletic clubs. 

No matter what, it is a pleasant, mostly descending course. It goes along the chemin vert from the old disused railway station at Chaulieu to a park in Sourdeval.  Most of the course is sheltered by overhanging trees. On a sunny day, like it was yesterday, you just can’t help admiring the beauty of the path itself, all dappled and lush green, and the surrounding countryside.

One drag is that the chemin vert has compacted gravel surface with quite a lot of loose gravel, which hampers the grip. And when it turns to tarmac in places, there are a few potholes to watch out for. 

Otherwise, I'd recommend this annual run to whoever happens within a driving distance. 

It was the third time I ran it. True, I wasn’t on top form this time, but I don’t regret I did it again. 

Full technical details and results on the Normandie course a pied site.

Francesca finishing (centre) with Leaharna Marsden pacing in support (right) and me only entering the final lap (left).

Photos by ©Jonathan Bostock. Published with permission.

End of the year run in Normandy.

End of the year run: Les foulées du bout de l'an, Sourdeval, Normandy, 30 December 2012: 

5.7 km - 28.31 min, +9ºC, generally sunny, clouds, windy. 

We were lucky with the weather! It's been raining for days.

Huffing and puffing.
Photo by Jonathan Bostock.

My official time was 28.48 min. I came 174th overall and 22 (out of 28) in my age group.

This was a hard one. Blasts of cold wind made me gasp.

It was three laps in the streets around town and three laps on the stadium with dirt softened by recent rain. You have to push hard on this relatively short distance, the race is quite fast and, as usual in France, there are very few fun-runners and hardly anyone raising for charity. But the announcer made a point of naming all companies, small and big, that sponsored the run. Inscription fee was 8 euros online and 10 euros on the day. To run in a race in France you need to be a card-carrying (licence) club member or produce a certificat medical from your doctor.

Most runners are club members, very fit and competing for points toward an overall ranking in the Normandy and French athletic ratings.

Not having had time for a warm-up, I started slow and gradually picked up pace as I ran. On the last two laps caught up with a pretty blonde woaman who was beginning to struggle. Just started chatting and encouraging her when three or four of her fellow club-members, who had already finished the race, descended on us and paced her ahead of me! Not fair!

The course was a bit boring but this was compensated by the great crowd of onlookers who cheered us, runners, with 'allez-allez!' Someone even recognised my CCCP t-shirt and shouted 'Allez, Russie!'

There were over 200 adult runners including (very!) pretty young women, ladies and gentlemen well over 60 and a man with only one an arm. 

And lots of children competing on shorter distances after the main race - 400 m, 800 m and 2.3 km, including an English girl who couldn't have been older than three. She finished last to a great cheer! The winner was an incredibly fast boy who was about a hundred metres ahead of the rest, simply amazing.

There were no water stations but - hear, hear! - a French woman had a table with beer for some reason. A row of cans and half-full plastic glasses ready to be picked up! There was a small crowd of fun-runners in fancy wigs. I won't be surprised if they really did have a beer or two while running. 

They finished last except one who dashed ahead mid-distance and finished with a respectable 20 minutes+ time.

Great way to close the year!