36th Marathon des Châteaux du Médoc

Here we are, and it's about time, on the starting line of my 7th marathon 🏃‍♀️ 🏃‍♂️ Those last 3 years have been tough: Covid-quarantine, lack of motivation, moving to the house, getting a second star to my dad jersey... Well-deserved break, but it's time to shake those legs before they rust!

Yes I know, I'm wearing a Luigi costume. SO WHAT?! You don't expect me to run the BEST marathon in the world in boring clothes? Wait... Are we talking about THAT marathon? 😲 YES WE ARE!

Good looking dudes at 4:21!

I spent 10 years of my childhood in Bordeaux, South France, and with family still living there, I usually regard this place as Home. Bordeaux for most people, it's the powerful wine, the delicious food, the sun, the salt of the ocean, the wild beauty of South France. But for most runners, it sums up in one event: the Marathon (des châteaux) du Médoc! And I grew up tired of fellow runners asking me if I ran it already? Time has come, put on your shoes, find yourself a cheesy costume and follow me. I'm taking you to the longest marathon of the world! 🍇

Why longest? Well you will quickly get the idea. After two years of postponing the event, the 36th edition of the Marathon du Médoc is finally back. Willing to run my 7th marathon this summer, I spent 2h refreshing the subscription page and I probably was the first one joining! My motivation was contagious. One week later I received an email from my step dad: "I'm in, find us some kick-ass costumes!" 🥳

That's how we end up this morning in Pauillac, 1 hour North of Bordeaux, on the starting line of a route sneaking around world-famous wine castels 🏰 Yeah, that's him in the Mario outfit. With our Italian roots it was an easy choice and we are reuniting the epic duo for this 36th edition 🍝🤌  Each year has a theme and this year it's the Cinema 📽 🎬 Yes, that explains Marilyn holding Captain America's hand while talking to Forrest Gump in front of me! Outfit mandatory, first rule of the marathon 🤠🤡👹👽

The morning is chilly but the sun is rising above the Garonne river 🌤 My mom drove us up there, prouder than ever. I'm a bit disapointed she refused to dress as Princess Peach! Everyone is in an amazing mood, singing, laughing. The show right before the start is grandiose, with music and acrobats. My legs are nervous, they did not cover enough distance during training and they NEED to run! Finally its the Grand Départ. No starting blocs, no waves, no elite... Just 8000 runners dressed up in crazy costumes starting to run, yelling and waving arms like kids 🥳🎉🎊

Let's get back to why the Marathon du Médoc is considered the 'longest' in the world. Let's be clear, as you keep repeating to your work colleagues how long a marathon is, it's an official 42.2 km distance you will have to conqueer. But let's be honest too: we havent dressed in outrageous costumes and come to the Médoc to run even splits, keep an eye on the watch and focus to beat our PR by 1min⌚️ Runners are here to eat, drink and party all along the way. I am actually questionning if some of them have any running experience. It all looks like a giant bachelor party 😜🤠🤹‍♀️🤸‍♀️💃

As we are reaching the first aid station, the real party is starting: breakfast with croissants and wine tasting 🥐🍷To my astonishment, everyone is jumping on the plastic glasses offering the holy nectar. Really? That early in the race? "Sure, answers me a band of Robin Hoods. We trained really hard... Drinking I mean, not so much running!" But Mario and Luigi play the safe card, no magic potion before the finish line🙊

We don't cover more than 2 km before reaching another aid station, and I am starting to understand the concept: where most events offer you 42 km of running with occasional aid stations, the Marathon du Médoc is 42 km of aid stations with ocasional running between them! You barely leave one, you are already looking forward to the next one. No one could blame you, I have never seen aid stations like this. The food is great, tables are covered with cookies, cake, crackers, candies, croissants, cereal bars (my favourite), fruits 🥯🍪🍫🍬🍌 Here and there, people are handing you fries 🍟  pop-corn 🌽 or canelés (French caramel little cakes, speciality of Bordeaux). All served inside the gardens of beautiful wine castels that open their doors and greet you on this very special day 🏰🍇 Music groups are playing everywhere, people are singing and dancing, drinking and laughing with each others 🎸🥁🕺 It's easy to forget that you still have 35 km ahead of you!

And that's probably the little trap of the event: You quickly catch the party bug and forget about the marathon-side. It all feels like new-year's eve or the 14th of July 🎉 (French national day). But once you get a few hours of running from aid station to aid station in your legs, reality hits you: you still have to run 42km if you want that medal! 😖

There is not much to say about the route, it gets quite boring rapidly, especially for a trail runner like me. You run on alphalt roads and dusty narrow trails full of stones all the time, lost in the middle of endless vineyards 🍇 Fortunately, the beautiful castles pop out like mushrooms around us 🍄 (gamers will get the reference) and my plumber bro is motivated for two. We are holding one, one aid station as a time, enjoying the ride and even more the stops. The Marathon du Médoc is all about its runners, and they are on fire! Costumes are amazing, in spite of the heat and distance to cover: Courageous Indiana Jones in leather jacket, Marylins in long dress or TRexs in full costume... Not to mention the "chars", customized rolling floats pushed by a group of crazy runners who I'm sure lost a bet to be doing that for 42km!

The weather has been perfect today, not too hot, not too cold, as we reach the last castle around the 35th km. The sun finally rises above the clouds and strikes us pretty hard 🌞 while we cover the last few kilometers on a long road along the Garonne, leading us back to Pauillac. I feel tired, legs are hurting more than ever and I realise that we are paying the price of all these long stops along the way 😫 The last aid stations are not helping: Entrecote steak 🥩 ice cream 🍦and even oysters 🦪 ! Yuck... Mario and Luigi keep the head straight, fighting for those last hundred meters, cheered up by all the kids calling our names. Remind me to send a thank-you card to Nintendo for renewing the license! 🎮

We cross the finish line hand-in-hand after 5:35 hours on the road, including a good half hour spent in total to the different aid stations. The finish is grandiose, people are cheering us like if we were the first finishers 👏 Kudos to the Super Smash bros, who finished the game one more time, after hearing every 2km that the princess was at another aid station! The amazing volunteers cover us with gifts: a medal🏅, a backpack, a bottle of wine (of course), a plastic cup, and more goodies I cannot count. I am happily surprised that we get so much back from the 100 euros entry fee, not to mention everything you eat and drink on the way!

We enter the finishers tent and once again I am speechless: dozens of tables covered with food, wine, beer, music, people still finding the energy to dance and party 🍺💃Bro and I fill up a plate and go lie down in the grass, enjoying the sun. Short break before we head back home for a well deserved shower and nap. But not before I treat myself with a glass of Médoc 🍷 After all, that's what brought us all here today :)

All in all, I would finish on this thought: The Marathon du Médoc is an amazing event, which deserves to be on any runner's bucket list. The whole concept is truely unique, offering a perfect balance between a sports event and a weekend party with your friends. This is probably the most French thing I've done in my life! I rarely come back to the same starting line but I would love to run that one again and enjoy the party even more. Who knows, maybe you and I will meet there one day, in hilarious costumes, and share a glass of red wine on the longest marathon of the world🍷 

Event Page:

https://www.marathondumedoc.com/en/

Generali Berlin Half-marathon 2022

I can't believe it's been 6 years already, since the 2016 Berlin Half and Marathon that I ran with my Cheeselady. But with our busy life as exhausted parents and our families living far away, we ain't got much time to train and run events together... 😵 That needs to change! 

Very cozy half today, nice weather and uplifting atmosphere as usual. It's our 3rd participation and although I'm not found of the route (too much asphalt for me, I prefer my woody trails), I was really happy to share this moment with someone I love 🏃💑

Krummenseelauf 2018

"Autumn is finally here"... says no one ever 😓

For most, it's usually not the happiest time of the year. Stuck between summer and Christmas, days are getting shorter and colder, work deadlines more stressful. But a positive runner always see the bright side of life 😁

I love October and November runs, for the breathtaking colour palette nature is displaying. Sometimes, you don't even know where to look and you just let the music of the wind in the trees, the creaking trunks and the rustling of your shoes on the carpet of dead leaves rhythm your steps.

If you ever come to Berlin in autumn, you gotta go out for a run! The two regions are sprinkled with lakes, 80 for Berlin and more than 3000 for Brandenburg (no-one knows the exact number). Villages flourished around them and people all have a nearby lake they like and are proud of. Proud enough to organise a run around it! This is why, whatever the time of the year, you will always find a lake run in the area.

With walking or running distances usually ranging from 3k to half, sometimes even full-marathon, everyone is attending: Papa, Mama, the kids, the grandparents! It's a family event in friendly mood, no hassle. People who don't run volunteer to help, prepare the soup, grill the sausages or bake cakes. Everyone knows each others, people are joking and laughing all the time. You can end up having more fun than on a reputed race 😋

That's how I found myself running a 15k this morning. Last-minute decision motivated by the still-good-but-for-how-long weather. Very nice event, with a charming route along the Krummensee lake and in the colourful woods around. Short distances are ideal to test your cardio and I ran way faster that I'm used to. I'm paying the price now, with sore and painful legs! But I finished the 15km in 1h17min, which is a really good time for me. The organiser even called my name while I was about to leave. It turns out I made 3rd place in the M30 and I won a delicious doughnut offered by the local bakery 🍩 Now, THAT's what I call a sponsor ;)

Enjoy the last days of autumn and see you soon in Berlin for a lake run!

Beet juice, freezing runs and big projects

What does not kill you makes you stronger - Nietzche

I'm the kind of person who always need goals to aim at in my life. I don't like them unreachable but I want to fight for them. What's the point in running after easy victories?

This is the time, this is now. I feel it in my guts. I'm just a long-run away of breaking the ultra barrier. And this year, no excuses, I'm ready for the Eco-Trail de Paris. Following the footsteps of my brother-in-run, who nailed the 80k some years ago. But I shall be happy with "only" 45km. It will be a helpful step before my ultimate goal of 50km, planned for this spring/autumn :)

But there isn't much time left for training. I need to hurry up! Here I am back on the trail, pushing the 20's to reach the 30's, until a tough 38k before tapering.

Winter weather makes everything hard, I'm always too cold or too dressed. I'm running 3 times a week, every time the weather has a bit of sun to offer. The new backpack is helping, lighter than air and perfectly wrapped around my back. New shoes should follow shortly to replace my good old Salomon which scored more than 600km. Maybe a new watch too, as my disappointing forerunner can barely hold 30km before running out of battery :(

Amazing 28k and 34k lately. The doc put me on vitamins and freshly pressed veggie juice every morning and I'm recovering faster than ever. Although I'm still dying of exhaustion right after a long run until I get a good night sleep.

To complete my training, we spent 4 days in the Erzgebirge mountains, at the Tcheck Republic border. Ski, snowboard, fresh air, good food and daily exercise, all I needed for a healthy break between two long runs.

More to come and good stuff, I promise! :)

Godspeed 2017

Merry Xmas and happy new year!

This is my last post of the year. And what a running year! 2016 was punctuated with failed attempts to recover and climb my way up to the marathon distance again, but 2017 made up for it! A full year of training, more than 1000 km, multiple halfs (Potsdam, Grünewald), my first trail marathon (Schorfheide), and all that without a break, not a single injury, and new personal bests! Yeah me :)

I've never been that close to my goal. 42km... Only 8 more to go and I can close this blog and go back to my couch ;) There is no time to rest, I have big projects for next year, starting with the Eco-trail of Paris in March (45km), the long time dreamed 50km this summer (still looking for a race) and maybe the marathon du Médoc for this automn (running dressed and drinking wine!)

But for now, I'm spending the end of the year in South France. 15 degrees, sunny landscape, way too much to eat and drink, as usual. Santa's been very generous this year (or I've been a very good boy!) and brought me a new running backpack from Raidlight, the one I've been dreaming of for so long. I know I said I would buy it after running a 50k, I'm cheating a bit, but I'm sure it will help me reach my goal :)

I'm testing it on short 5ks around the house. Hard to run when your belly's always full! But so far it is amazing. 200g empty, a micrometric screw to tighten it, 2 flasks on the front, you just don't feel it at all. And it is made in France, in Saint Pierre de Chartreuse, where I spent all my summers and winters as a kid ♥ I'll write a review about it as soon as I have done a few long runs with it.

That's all for this year folks. As said, I had an amazing time training and I'm so proud of having nailed a trail marathon. 2018, here I come, bring on your dirty roads!

Grünewald half-marathon 2017

We all have a non-runner friend who keeps asking why in hell we pay that much money to torture ourselves during all those kilometers, swearing this is the last race but ending up at a starting line all over again? Usually that makes me smile, but not today, with two hours in front of me to think about all the great stuff I could have done with the 35€ entry fee 😓

(Un?)fortunately, I am not as fit as two months ago, so I subscribed to the half only. Thank God for that, the weather is terrible and it's pouring rain. I didn't sleep well and I cannot swallow a bite. I resist the urge to call it off and go back to bed! But today is the perfect occasion to test my equipment and score a new best time.

One hour of train, I manage to eat a sandwich and a banana. My coffee to go starts doing its job and I feel better already. I make a friend on my way, Ben, English, nice guy. We manage to find our way up to the event, through muddy trails. I am all wet, despite the umbrella.

I have never seen such a depressing starting line! No more than 50 runners are queuing under the rain to get their bib. A poor fella with a microphone is trying to motivate us, while playing cheap music we can barely hear. They give the start to the women half and marathon, 30 min before the men. Why aren't we allowed to run together? I don't bite (not before 30km!). Oh, they have a real gun with blanks to shoot the start, that's probably where all the budget went 😄

After changing and leaving my bag, I'm waiting for the start... under the toilets poarch! It's definitely the best day to test my rainy-run equipment: waterproof jacket and pants (that I just got from Decathlon yesterday), gaiters to prevent wet socks and my god old Speedcross which are hitting 500km. They finally call us to the starting line, short countdown and GO! Did they fire the gun, I didn't heard... Maybe they only had one bullet! 😆

We follow the wet trail on the first 5km, jumping above puddles of mud. Half and full marathoners started together, with no distinction (like a different colour on the bib). I'm overtaking some of them but impossible to know if they are in for the full experience! However, based on what I hear, most of them only for the half like me. I wonder how many just changed their mind on the starting line! Indeed, the marathon is actually running twice the 21km loop. Another reason I was not really motivated to do it.

We arrive on a very long bike lane flowing the highway. Asphalt, noisy cars and no supply point at the horizon, not really the first kilometers I was hoping for. I take over more runners, pace around 6:30. My goal today is to score a new PR and finish in less than 2h15. The rain intensifies. It's not unbearable, but forces to keep the head down. My tummy is growling. Hunger, but I feel some discomfort too. I am on vitamins this month and I have some digestion issues. Hopefully it won't bother me to much...

Finally, at the end of the lane and after more than 7km, the first aid station appears. I'm ok but I pity the poor marathoners who won't have more support than this! Bananas, tea, dry fruits and some drinks. The water is too cold, the tea is too warm, I have to mix them. Everyone is overtaking me, barely stopping. Most runners don't take the time to refuel. I will finish before them in the end!

After following the highway, we are now following the road... And they call that a trail race! We run along the banks of Wansee. I catch up on the others and overtake them. The puddles of water and mud change us into jumping goats :) But so far I don't feel wet. Jacket and trousers are protecting me perfectly, for less than 50€, merci Decathlon 👌

I have been holding a good pace for some time and a quick estimation makes me realize that I could finish in 2h, if I manage to keep it. Unfortunately, that's when we reach the steep climb up to the Grünewald tower, highest point of the route. Lungs burning, striving to breathe, I keep a steady pace, while my heart flies to unknown territories. I try to keep it below 180 bpm but it's damn hard. The runners behind lose ground on me. Cardio, I got you babe! Training the skipping rope like a little girl finally pays off 😊

I reach the second aid station at the top. Water, tea, banana, and I'm on my way. I swallow a cliff bar I brought with me, that should hold my craving until the finish line. The route is getting down again, still following the road. I let gravity do its job and catch up on the delay accumulated while climbing up. My peace is still good and the 2h drive seems more reachable than ever. But my belly aches are giving me a hard time. They don't last long but are really painful. I try to massage it, play with my abdominal muscles to unlock the food stuck. I should be really careful what I eat the day before a race 😥

Finally, we are back on trail roads. The rain is less intense but the ground still like a swamp. My belly forces me to stop once or twice and runners overtake me. I catch them up again and find myself running along Ben. Quick talk, hill coming, I distance him. I lock myself to a 5:30 pace, heart still around 180bpm. Another few kilometers to hold tight and its over. I pray that my belly is thinking the same.

Finally, after a last bit of road, I enter the stadium and crosses the finish line, like I just did... 1h59 ago! Yeepeeee. I did it! Half in less than 2h! It's amazing, considering that I ran my first half in 1h50 three years ago and it was on flat concrete on a sunny day. I head to the finish aid station, the third one I found today (out of five advertised on their website, did I miss the other two?). Soup, sausage, bread and cake. I feel better already. Although it was raining all the way, I don't feel wet. My equipment did it's job. My shoes are covered with mud, but my socks are still dry. Thank God I bought the GTX version (waterproof). Time to visit the shower, change to dry clothes and head home.

To sum up, I can't say I really enjoyed the run itself. It was as expensive as my last marathon and I got way less for the price. Only three aid stations (again, did I miss the others?), nice people but too few volunteers. Men end woman running separately. Only a few kilometers of trail, mostly roads and highway. But on the other hand I am really proud of my post-injury PR, and it's nice to add a rainy muddy race to my experience. Bucket list: checked! 😁

Cold mornings, rainy afternoons and early nights

No doubt, automn is here in her colorful night gown of leaves flying around. Days get shorter, colder, it's raining every time you step outside and the rare sun makes everything quite depressing. Hard to find the motivation for a proper training!

As usual, having a goal helps me a lot: the Grünewald marathon is approaching and I want it on my 2017 palmares. Unfortunately, a storm hit the woods and made the route impracticable for the event to occur in October, it's been rescheduled at the end of November. It's getting hard to stay fit and ready. After a hard 21k and a better 25k, I'm getting close to the event and I realise I should not risk a bad cold or injury. I'll stick to the Halfmarathon for this time, trying to score a new post-PF best.

On the other side, I'm planning to use the winter to strengthen my upper body: push ups, chin ups, skipping rope at lunch break and running with weights. I will probably run twice a week only so I need to compensate. I'm also on a vitamins diet this month to survive the winter! It would be nice to find a nice trail running group for motivation too.

I'm starting organising next year's schedule. Not sure what it will be yet, just some ideas: finally joining the ultrarunners vip club with an eco trail 45k in March, Wings for Life in May and Marathon du Médoc in October. Hell yeah \\m//

Easy 25k to get some rest

"You shall get some rest, for any long run will bring a longer one."

- wisdom saying I just made up

This week I'm trying to rest! After my 34k  and before running longer, I need a few days off, to cool down body and soul. I ran a small 6k on Thursday and I'm planning about 24k for this Saturday.

Sunny and windy day as I like them. Still exploring the area between Hoppegarten and Müggelsee, im heading there at a steady 7'00 pace. I feel better than a week ago, my heartbeat stabilises at 150bpm. No pain in my feet, it's amazing to see how it improved in the last long runs, to almost disappear completely.

Om nom nom

No difficulty on the road. I'm starting to know these new trails pretty well... But I still get lost or need to go back sometimes! A bit of rain on my way back. I score a 2h27' at the marathon, I'm improving!

I'm finishing with a bit more than 25k at my watch, nice run overall. I feel ready for next week, when I'm planning to finish a 36 or 38k. This will be my last long run before tapering during the last 3 weeks up to the marathon. In one month I will be officially a 2-times marathoner =)

16km, home rest

Resting week between long runs. Now that I am running in the 30's, I think I should follow Hal Highdon's TP progression and change my stepped training, to alternate long and not-so-long runs, one week after the other. I did manage to run 28km and 30km with only one week of rest in between, but I doubt it is wise to do so, as the distance keep increasing and my feet have such a short time to recover.

YES, I said FEET, as I am more and more convinced that my PF is close to being healed, whereas my other foot is threatening to get hurt as well. I shall now treat both equally and take good care of them both :)

Anyway, resting week as said before the big 32k. I ran 6k on Tuesday and a steady 16k on Sunday night, while spending 4 days in the Family. Too much to eat, too much to drink, food for the body, food for the soul. Sometimes it's all you need to get fit :)

Back on tracks with a huge week and 50km ahead. Ahoi mousaillon!

28km, pushing the distance

After a week of rest with less mileage in Vienna, it's time to push some more and (re)conquer new distances.

28 km today, no big deal, although quite tired towards the end and left foot a bit sore. I'm always finishing at the edge, but recovering quicker than ever, thanks to my foam roller and drinking a lot (of water!)

The 30's are not far and I plan the big step for next weekend. I'm also trying to shift my rubbing days to do my long runs on Saturday morning and have full Sunday free.

See you on a week for more adventures :)

25km and a few things out of my trailer's bucket list

Yeeeeehaaaah !

I DID IT! It took me 8 months to reach the level I had and run the distance I covered at Berlin's marathon last September (24 km). I even broke my record of the longest distance I achieved since I injured my foot and I had the pleasure to upgrade my counter to 25km. Belissimo :)

Wonderful sunny run yesterday, with new things out of my bucket list to become a true trail runner:

☑  Attach t-shirt on backpack to dry and run topless. What an amazing feeling, although not everyone seems to enjoy the view of a sweaty smelly shirtless runner!

☑  Share crackers with ducks and chicks. Well, I do like salt on my eggs.

☑  Ask complete strangers gardening to fill-up hydratation pack. People are always so nice to runners, even if they look at you like if you were completely nuts, when it's 30°C and you say you still got 10 km to go.

☑  Poop in the wild. I heard this one's a big step you have to go through for a full trail running's experience! I guess you can't avoid it forever, especially when you are 3 or 4h on the way. Still, it feels like the whole planet is looking at you and I even checked YouTube this morning, in fear to be in the trending news!

Anyway, all that on a 25km run! Looks like you don't need an ultra to live great adventures!