30km day

I couldn't resist this clear sky to go for a long run on the ridge today. I ran some intervals for the duration of the climb- intervals have become my friend this summer- and a good distraction for passing some hours broken into minute or thirty second pieces.

A few kilometers along the ridge, I found a nice flat spot to eat and take a nap. I love napping during long mountain days, and it helps me spend extra time up high. It's not lazy...it's all part of race recovery!

After my break, I still had a long section of ridge to cover. By the time I reached Catheline, I was starting to feel tired. I started to feel the heat and the tiredness on the dry, dusty descent to Crozet, but I aimed to Laura's house, made a loop around her block to make an even 30km, and sprawled out on her back lawn to finish. This was a great place to end my run, especially since it turned into a fun night of feasting on Indian take-away (thanks Dan!) and chilling on the patio- a fresh shower, and a dip in the kiddie pool too! It's farther for me to run to their house after the move...but I still made it! 

yoga & hiking

Today I had the very special opportunity to lead a group hike in the Jura to a beautiful overlook to picnic and practice yoga. It was hot, but maybe the least hot day this week, and the trails I chose were mostly shaded, so we all survived. We made a 12 kilometer loop with a 45 minute section of silent meditation along single track trail the is surely inhabited by fairies. At the end of the meditation, we arrived at the midway point, a high clearing where we could salute the sun and the Alps across the valley. Nadine led us through some balancing poses, we chatted, and ate our lunches, and then continued along the loop. It was a beautiful day in the mountains with a fun bunch, and I really enjoyed everyone's positivity and enthusiasm on this adventure together!

jura scout

I needed one more chance to finalize the rout for tomorrow's yoga/hiking outing, so Derek agreed to run my proposed route with me. I wanted to make our trip a loop rather than an out and back and needed to make sure this would still fit all my trail requirements. Yeah, the loop worked, but it will be better counterclockwise to maximize our groups time in the shade. A productive run to finalize my loop and fun looking for stable posing places.

poutouille

After Art Basel, Michele arrived by train to Challex last night to spend a few days at the end of her trip with us. Today, she agreed to come along with me to the Jura to scout a trail for a hiking/yoga day that I am co-leading next week. I think we found the perfect trail for the outing: not the most popular routes that everyone has done, the right length and difficulty, will fit my time frame, and leads to a high clearing to do yoga with a fantastic panoramic (and cowsbells singing nearby).

After we finished our mission, we took a picnic dinner to the vineyards and enjoyed the last of the daylight.

croz'et raide

Race report: LA CROZ'ET RAIDE KMV

Distance: 3.3km
Elevation: +950 m
Route: Crozet telecabine to Mont Oiseau
Conditions: Gathering clouds helped cool the air towards the finish. 208 runners.
Rank: 4 femme scratch, 3 femme senior, 00:48:17
www.lacrozetraide.blogspot.fr TPS article here...I failed the podium scratch.

The vertical kilometer is an all-out uphill battle, the sprint of Skyrunning. I knew this would be a tough race, I'm better at endurance than speed (although speed is coming along), but I think I was closer to quitting this challenge than any point in an Ultra. My calves turned to concrete at the very beginning and my mouth was so dry I couldn't swallow. I was consumed by the wave of racers at the start. While I wanted to compete, I found myself plodding along for the first 200, 300, 400 meters of climb. Maybe I wouldn't make it. 

Eventually, I started to come back into my own legs and control my breathing. When I could run, I pulled ahead and started passing, regaining some of the positions I lost from the beginning, but it was already late in the climb. After passing the Yeti, where Laura and the kids cheered, I knew I could make up some time. I saw Rebecca and her kids high up at the next intersection, and with that boost I finally caught Derek, and powered up to the finish line. The top three women were out of reach, but I was really happy to finish 4th, and still under my goal time. All the guys exceeded their estimates too with flying times- a good day for our Jura Trail Runner friends.  

Coming back down to the Yeti for refreshments.

François Gonon won at Crozet (and would win again in Chamonix at the Mont Blanc Vertical KM next week). 

I was so happy to finish fourth woman, but even happier to make the first place podium for senior women (actually 3rd, but 1st after removing the scratch winners). After a few good finishes, I am not getting any better with the microphone- sorry for my incomprehensible Franglish responses to a totally different question...  

We were greeted by more friends when we arrived at the Yeti for the podium ceremony. And spent the afternoon lounging and enjoying the music festival also going on at the top of the lift. After a relaxing afternoon, we decided to walk back down the trail and head home.

cret de la gotte

Can you guess my plan for resting the day before a race? That's right- up the Jura we go! But just for a light trip to keep the legs fresh with 1000m+ vertical...and some intervals. Oh well, I don't think we added too much wear to our bodies at a generally easy pace, so we should be alright for racing tomorrow. We saw some cows and planned future excursions from the cret.   

vk plus

It's only a week until the Crozet vertical kilometer, so we wanted to get one last course training before the race. This was only the second time I have followed the exact route, and the first for Derek to complete it. I am happy to know what to expect, and to enjoy the last few hundred meters of climb after our usual torturous route to the telecabine and back. It is going to be a tough race, but I am excited to race on our training grounds.

We finished our VK, but it was too nice to go back down immediately, so we added a 15km loop out to Reculet along the ridge and back following a parallel trail. The fog and sheep reminded us so much of being in Iceland and we are longing to go North. I love the view across the valley to the Alps, but some of my favorite Jura runs are in the moody fog.