Monday, January 27, 2014

Pardon My French, but I Ran in *Bleeping* Paris!

*Seriously, to those who are native speakers, I apologize ahead of time for the errors I have undoubtedly made in this post.  

Back in August I had the opportunity to join TriGuy on his business trip to Paris.  At first I considered not going because I was building up some pretty heavy training mileage (or-fay y-may arathon-may) and the thought of doing that in a new place was kind of scary.  I know. I got over it.

Our first day there was quite rainy, and since I didn't know where I was (and wet cobblestones are slippery), I opted for the hotel treadmill.

I ran 8:00 miles for 5 miles!


I was super psyched that I ran so fast, especially with jet lag...until I remembered that I was in Europe, so odds were that I had actually run 5 kilometres.

Very, very slowly.

Training in Paris was challenging because it was hard to find the right kind of food to eat pre-run.


Can you imagine?  I didn't even try.


By the way, espresso is served in the smallest cups ever made.

I kept up with my training for the most part and one day I ran almost 12 miles through the very crowded streets of Paris, seeing many of the local attractions.


In my attempt to quite literally combine sightseeing and running, I managed to impress some of the locals at Notre Dame.


*Picture not to scale.

Translation:

Looks like I still need to follow my mother's advice to watch where I'm walking. 

I found the Seine after a couple of days, where it turned out all the runners were!  It was great for running and people watching.

I used Google Maps on my phone so I wouldn't look like a tourist.  I was even asked for directions a couple of times.


Translation:


I love being mistaken for a local. 

One of the last days of my trip, I tried to run my scheduled 15 miler.   I barely managed 8 miles, and I could not take another step beyond that.  I wasn't eating my regular pre-run meals and I was exhausted by that point.  Plus, running in a different climate can really take its toll.


So, despite the fact that there were a few challenges, running in Paris was one of the most fun things I have ever done!

Now I just have to decide where to train for my next marathon!






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By the way, I was featured in Mindy's Runner Spotlight recently on her site, Road Runner Girl. Head on over and say hi!

Also, if you are like me and need a giddy-up in your git-along this time of year, please consider joining me to stay accountable, using the hashtag #ffcheckin on Instagram.  I'm trigirl13 and I will give you lots of virtual high fives and support!  Also, if you join FitFluential you can win prizes!! And it's all free!


UPCOMING POSTS: RUNGER, 5K RECAP, AND THIS YEAR'S TRAINING PLANS

63 comments:

  1. Oh, Paris!! I would jump at the chance to visit, even if it meant I had to run while I was there {kinda hard to do while I'm shoving bread and cheese into my mouth and gawking at the sights}! Loved the detail in your photos on this post, I see why it took a while to post it!

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    1. I did a lot of walking too, but running it was so fun and it kept the scammers at bay :D It did take a while to get all the details done...once I get started, I can't seem to stop!

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  2. OMG, my favorite place in the whole world! I am so jealous. I have run the Paris Marathon twice (ooh la la!), plus many different routes around the city. I had a favorite 8ish mile loop that took in the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomph, and Notre Dame. It's been about 12 years since I've been there and I miss it a lot (can you tell), so I am totally jealous of your trip. As always, I love the pics (and the French :-) ).

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    1. The marathon would be cool! I saw those places too :) I would love to go back!

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  3. HAHAHAHAHHAAA That is French for HAHAHAHAHHAAA !!

    love your story and as always, your pics! Tres jole

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  4. BAH HA HA HA HA HA AH AH AH AH AHA HA HA AH AH! I literally just thought I was in Paris watching you trip over things are you were sight seeing. Did you bump into a horse near the Arc De Triomphe? Did you run up and down the Eiffel Tower STAIRS?!?! Common now, BAD ASS ;)

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    1. I did not see any horses near the Arc de Triomphe but there were a zillion cars that could have run me down! And *no* Eiffel Tower stairs for me...I'm deathly afraid of heights! I'm amazed I didn't end up as one of the many people I saw with their wrists in casts from falling on the cobblestones.

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  5. Attendez. Une Rock Killer!! Mange le croissant pour le carbs fattening ....

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    1. C'etait un accident! Ne t'inquietes-toi pas, j'ai mange like, at least 500 croissants.

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  6. I did the same thing when I was in Sydney. It's the best way to see things you would have never seen by just walking around. You can cover so much more ground.

    I love your drawings BTW. Want to draw a children's book I'm going to right? #notjoking

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    1. although, I need to learn the difference between right and write. :)

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    2. I agree! It's such a great way to learn about a city! And yes, yes I do want to draw a book with you!

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  7. Ahh I love this post -- hilarious. These cartoons are great! That sounds awesome -- running in Paris, a dream!

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  8. Very jealous! Running or walking in a city is my favorite way to see a city.

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  9. Merci beaucoup for the virtual run through Paris! You nailed so many things so well - right down to the dollhouse-sized espressos! I'm surprised you could even figure out how to use the treadmill! I love to run when I travel, but sometimes it is hard to figure out a safe running route.

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    1. You're welcome, Coco! The treadmill looked exactly like every other treadmill, which was what threw me. I agree about safety; I always had my phone with my so I could check my map, plus I had looked up my routes before leaving my hotel. Luckily there were always lots of people around too.

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  10. BWAHAHA! Love it! WI WI WI WI So Jealous!

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  11. So exciting! What an amazing experience:) Yes weird how small their espresso cups are, or should I say weird how big ours are? ;)

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    1. It was cool. I was there for 10 days, and I have to say that when I came back I felt like our coffee cups were HUGE. I got over it though :)

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  12. Augh! So fun! What a dream...besides the tripping part. ;)

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    1. It was fun for sure! And the tripping was just part of the adventure...

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  13. This is such a great recap to running in Paris and of course, love your drawings! lol

    Maria @ The Good Life

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  14. I think if I were in Paris i would find it difficult to concentrate on anything other than sight seeing.

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    1. I also walked around a ton sightseeing. I was pretty exhausted!

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  15. This is awesome - AS USUAL! And your French was great - I knew what you were saying before I read your translation :) You did an awesome job keeping up with training while there - not an easy city to navigate through all the chaos for sure.
    Paris is meh for me - I liked it but I'd rather go back to Italy or Germany a million times before I go back to Paris! (yes, I'm sure I'm odd man out for saying that!)

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    1. Thanks Erika :) Having never been anywhere else in Europe, I can't compare. I would enjoy going back to Paris, but I definitely want to see other countries too!

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  16. oh man! so funny about your treadmill run! and the ordering there! been there - hysterical! just try ordering something american freaky - they will roll their eyes and give you whatever they want. ha! love your posts as always.

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    1. Thanks Alisa :) We only had one bad experience with ordering; the rest of the time we felt like people were nice to us.

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  17. So fun, and your cartoons are amazing!

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  18. Ahh, yes, the tiny, tiny espresso cups. I remember those from Spain. I was studying abroad when I was training for my first marathon. I barely saw ANY runners while I was there for 2 months - I got a lot of strange looks from people as I made my way through the city in the early hours of the morning.

    Also, your Notre Dame illustrations are amazing.

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    1. Thanks Lindsay! Yeah, I got lots of strange looks too before I found the running path, but it was still fun even running through the crowds!

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  19. I always love coming by and reading your stories and adventures :)

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  20. OMG, what an AWESOME blog post!!! I always enjoy reading your blog, but this one was the best. I love the pics. (Im)patiently waiting for you next one. :-)

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    1. Thanks so much! Haven't started the next one yet...so many ideas to choose from.

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  21. I've always wanted to go to Paris, but just haven't gotten there yet.

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    1. I think it's a worthwhile trip; it is very touristy, but there is a lot of history there too which makes it fun.

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  22. That is literally one of the coolest things I have ever heard so jealous!! I'm going to be in the Netherlands this summer and I can't wait to explore by running!

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    1. That will be amazing! I bet it will be so beautiful!

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  23. Soooo jealous! I think if I was in Paris I would skip all my running workouts to go sightseeing...but it sounds like you did both! So awesome!

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  24. I'm glad you pointed out that your Notre Dame drawing was not to scale. I've been there a few times and I thought I was on a bad acid trip until I saw your disclaimer.

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  25. Ooh la la Your aventures sont tres humoreuse!

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  26. i'm always too busy easy to run when I travel haha.

    Love this!

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  27. Was this all an elaborate double-brag? I love the tiny espresso cups, in my giant hands it makes me feel like an enormous monster. That seems like an awesome trip. Thank you for sharing. I bet it made it all the better that you seem to speak Spanish.


    (Yes, that was a purposeful mistake for a sad attempt at humor.)

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  28. How cool is that - lucky lady!!!! I don't train for any running event but I love running in Hawaii! :)

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    1. Nice! I 'ran' there before I was a runner of any kind. I should go back so I can run there for real this time ;)

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  29. This is so cool! I was in Israel a couple years ago and went running along the beach in Tel Aviv. It was the most awesome thing I have ever done. Running in foreign countries is the best.

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    1. That is awesome Samantha! Running in new places is my new favourite thing!

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  30. I don't know if there's a single other spot in the world I could be more jealous of someone running at! So cool.

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    1. Just saw this comment--I don't know if you'll see this but thanks for commenting! It really was pretty cool :)

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