La Promenade Des Anglais
I have a new office, overlooking La Promenade des Anglais...
This morning when I went for a gentle jog, the prom was alive with runners, and there was an atmosphere of 'getting readyness' - the gantry for the start and finish of the 10k and semi marathon were being erected and streams of people were making their way to the expo to get their numbers and T shirt...
The sun shone on turquoise seas, and runners weaved there way through Saturday morning strollers, cyclists, children on trikes, bikes and scooters...
Anadi and I arrived here last night, we were on the outskirts of Nice at ten to seven and with a telephone session at 7 (6pm UK time) I texted my client to apologise, I would be a few minutes late...
We reached the Promenade and to avoid being any later than I already was, and in the knowledge I must be quite near my new 'home', I leapt out of the car, with the phone...
'I'll find you later', I called to Anadi who having dropped me off, carried on in the evening rush hour traffic to find our hotel...
I crossed the road and sat on the pebbly beach to talk to my client...
In many ways, I could have been with her in Eastbourne!
An hour later I called Anadi and he told me where he was... About two miles away it transpired!
I walked along in the now warm darkness, of a spring evening, in a different country...
I felt very free, just me and my phone walking along a street in France...
That very morning, Anadi and I had been for our run by the sea in Mallorca...
As we were leaving the hotel, we met our new friends, Rich, Hannah, Mel and Nathan returning from their hill session, with Jenni their coach...
They looked happy and vibrant, full of the energy that a speedy session brings... Fun, stimulating, they had been going downhill to practise going faster than race pace!
I remember doing those sessions... As always the ever keen 19 year old runner within, made a note to self to 'have a go' too, at some swift downhill training!
That could be a good counter to the uphill session I did with Malcolm on Tuesday...
Training with him over the last couple of weeks has shown me I can go faster.
We drove to the woods, and warmed up for three miles through the trees and out onto the glorious sweep of the golf course...
And then across the road to the hill, which wound its way up a tree lined path, quite rocky underfoot, with a branch across the path at the top... Jumping over it heralding the finish...
Ready steady go.... Malcolm raced off, with me in hot pursuit...
My times were 2.30 2.27 2.26 2.26.... And to give you an idea of the scene, and the distance between Malcolm and me, his times were 2.17 2.16 2.18 and a grand finale of 2.11.
There were two things I noticed...
1) I was totally relaxed, no fear, no pressure, no attachment to an outcome...
Interval training used to be a source of great tension for me in the past, seeming to be a direct arrow to my 'not measuring up' wound!
That has gone, thank fully! In its place the joy of racing through the woods, trying to keep up with a friend.
And the other thing I noticed is that there is more speed and fitness in my body yet to emerge on the racing track...
All the session I have done whilst in my Mallorcan training camp have been superior to the ones I have been doing previously...
Nineteen year old Julia is encouraged... Fifty seven - in a few weeks! - year old Julia doesn't really mind what happens, but is interested to find out what is possible...!
