Running through Paris

Back in September, I had a “great” idea to run a marathon so I looked into either London or Paris. Obviously, London would be great since it is home but Paris intrigued me as I would be running through Paris without any crowds!

[divider class="" ]Planning:

The rest of the trip was extremely easy to plan as I snagged a sweet AirBnB right down the street from the Arc - both the starting and finishing lines - and we would get to go to Paris! Little did we know we would be making back to back trips until later in the year.AirBnB: $300Flight: $90City Views: PricelessAfter Marathon Feels: Painful

[divider class="" ]Friday:

Normally, our Friday’s are very boring but today was one of the first true spring days in the UK! Our drive to Luton Airport was so beautiful and it felt great to roll down the windows! We had to roll them back up to avoid the cow pastures… Regardless, we greatly enjoyed the sunshine and felt like blasting country music (if only we had it!).I also wanted to comment on how much Luton Airport has changed in ten months. On our first flight, we had to sit on the ground because there was little to no seating in the main area. Granted, airport has yet to add additional seating but they have add fancy stores and more food options! Plus, the parking lot that we first parked in is now under construction for a massive parking garage. However, the biggest change has been our love of the lounge. I still kick myself for not looking for it when we first flew out of Luton! Lounge life led to an easy boarding and before we knew it we were landing in Paris! Our AirBnB was located right next to the Arc and since it was late, I “treated” us to a taxi to the BnB! I also wanted to beat the 10pm surcharge for arriving late… Our AirBnB was a cute little studio located not even 100 yards from the Arc. Thankfully, it was hidden from the main roads so we still avoided the crazy car and foot traffic! The only negative about our AirBnB is it was not as quite as I thought and our neighbors liked to smoke and we had to leave open the window to get our “Aircon.”

[divider class="" ]Saturday:

In the morning, I had the lovely opportunity to go to the Running Expo! I usually like these events despite the crowds because it gets me really excited for the race and will hopefully propel me to continue running! Knowing Mary Frances’ fear of crowds, we decided to split and meet at Notre Dame area for lunch and then the walking tour.  The running expo was huge! Obviously, I should have known that the Paris Marathon would be extremely huge and full of people. First, we had to go turn in our paperwork which included the registration, passport, and medical physical. Note to future runners: print it out! It saves the hassle of trying to print it out. It wasn’t a huge deal, but would have saved me about 15 minutes. Sadly, the Expo did not have many free goodies. Usually there are shirts, food, or drinks but it was very lame this time. Oh well! I had my tag and bag and I was (sorta) ready to run 26 miles (or 42 km)!

Walking Tour:

Since we were staying near the Arc, we had several close Metro stations to us. Knowing this, I figured Mary Frances would be able to find the metro. We both had 30 minute journeys so we figured if we left at the same time, we would get there at the same time. I was wrong. Mary Frances had issues finding the metro station… Oh well, no harm, no foul, just getting called out online!Unfortunately, we were going to be slightly late to the walking tour until we saw them crossing the street so we decided to “join” them and luckily we did not miss much! Again, Mary Frances is one of the luckiest people I know when it comes to making trains, flights, tours, deadlines, and everything. Our guide today was Pat and surprise, surprise, he is from the UK. I always feel weird saying we are from the UK when it is very obvious that our accents are American.We started the tour in the Latin Quarter - the old district for students who use to only speak Latin back in the early days hence the name. Pat also told us about how the really iconic and typical Parisian architecture. In the early 1800s, in the days of Napoloean Bonaparte, he hated the slums and the dirty streets of Paris. It also led to issues control crowds (think the Revolution) and angry mobs (think Marie-Annotitee). In typical Napolean fashion, he razed the city to the ground, rebuilt the buildings in an uniformed style, and then made the streets larger (and therefore harder to blockage). It was genius as these buildings are now truly Parisian and beautiful.Our first real stop was the Saint Chappelle church. Somehow in all my travels to Paris, I have yet to visit this famous church. During our time in Paris, the church was showcasing the famous Thorns of Christ. They are allegedly the same ones worn by Jesus on the cross and brought back to Paris by the Crusaders. Or, they were purchased and aren’t really the real thorns but we will never know…

Louvre:

The next stop was the area near the Louvre - the infamous Lock Bridge. During my last trip in 2014, I had an opportunity to lock my lock for love. Now, it is glass and there aren’t any places to lock your love!! Oh no!!! Good thing tourists now lock the lock on pretty much anything that can be locked. One of our final stops was the Louvre and the Jardins surrounding the former palace. Pat told us some very interesting facts about the Louvre. Last week, with the Ashcrafts, we debated going into the Lourve. Now, I am very glad we did not as they like to read EVERYTHING in the museum. Now, I don’t blame them, but the Lourve takes three MONTHS to visit if you stay the each exhibit for 3 minutes. Wow! In fact, the Lourve only has 5% of its total artifacts on display at any point in time. Mary Frances also learned something new. Before Versailles, Louie IX decided he wanted a bigger and better palace. He built the Lourve. Then Louie XI came along and decided it wasn’t big enough so he built Versialle! Incredible architecture was built because these kings decided they needed an even BIGGER palace… Our tour ended in the wonderful Jardins that overlook the Concorde and the Champs - a route I would be running very shortly![photogrid ids="1258,1259" captions="yes" columns="two" fullwidth="yes" ]

Montmarte:

After a brief lunch, we decided to make our way to the Sacre Coeur since I have never been there. I also wanted to visit Montmarte because it seemed like a very cool area! I didn’t know that visit would mean many, many stairs and even more walking! At this point, we were close to hitting 7-8 miles and I had a race to run tomorrow!Montmarte is such a cool area. In the movie, An American in Paris, they make it seem like the artists paradise and it is very true today since the main square has all sorts of artists. There are face cartictutes as well as landscape or pretty portraits. Not to mention, the cafes in Montmarte are very Parisian and had we not had reservations, we definitely would have eaten there! The area is perfect to have a delcious French cuisine and wine!

Pre-Race Dinner:

Outside of desilcious sandwiches and baked goods, our only real meal of the trip was to Le Dome. A Michelin start restaurant famous for its fresh seafood. Unfortunately for my wallet, I did not look at the prices beforehand so it turned into quite a date night! Our starter was a fresh cucumber soup which according to the waiter, refreshes the palate. Obviously, with my race the next morning, I had to carb load so I ate all the bread and even asked for more! Mary Frances and I split an appetizer of prawns but man they were huge! My main course was a wonderfully fresh prawn with pasta. It was quite tasty![photogrid ids="1265,1267,1268,1269" captions="no" columns="two" fullwidth="yes" ]After Montmarte and our lovely dinner in the Montpassee (SW of the Tower), we were exhausted and I had to get mentally prepared for the big race!

[divider class="" ]Sunday - Marathon Day:

I actually slept really well despite the nerves setting in rather quickly. I got ready and dressed and could barely eat! Despite being so close to the start, I got a little too excited and left early!

Start:

The starting gates were insanely packed. In my mind leading to the race, I would have time and room to properly warm up, stretch, and breathe! To make matters worse, the start was delayed by about 20-30 minutes and standing in the sun and 60+ degree heat did not do me any favors later. Hindsight, I should have brought more breakfast food (i.e. bagels) and a water bottle but I totally didn’t think about it. After the race, I read a marathon morning prep guide and I pretty much did everything wrong! Oh well, I still finished!The first six miles of the course were amazing. We ran down the Champs de Ellysee and it was amazing running down this street with no tourists in my way! Our first “stop” was the Pointe de la Concorde and the winter Ferris Wheel. I may have been the only one who purposely slowed down to take pictures, but one has to in this case! Shortly before 3-4 mile markers, we were passing the Lourve and the Bastille. It was incredible!![gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="1272,1273"]

Middle:

Obviously, running a marathon isn’t that exciting to write about. The crowds were fun, the water and snacks were at every mile, and I had to move my right foot in front of the left at a fast pace for 26 miles. Here are a few fun observations….Miles 6-13 were interesting… After the very scenic run through Paris, the course sent us through the forest. There weren’t crowds to cheer us on and we were baking in the sun. It really was demoralizing but again, I pressed on!

Murky Middle:

Miles 13-18 were awful. I hit my mark and I was feeling the lack of water and food. At this point, it would have been around 11:30 and I would have last eaten at 730-8am. On the other note, we were finally back in the city! Sadly, it was the incredibly scenic route along the Seine River, passing the Notre Dame and very idyllic. The crowds were cheering us on and I received several “Go Andru” or Go USA! It was awesome.Very fittingly, I think it was mile 16, we were running through a tunnel. Appropriately, they named it “Hell” and boy it sure felt like it! My legs were on fire and aching and I was stuck in a creepy dark tunnel!Finally, we reached the Eiffel Tower. I mean, words do not describe how inspiring and amazing it was to see as I was running through the crowds.Miles 18-25 were back to the interesting part… At this point, I was cursing myself for ever signing up for this darn event and wishing I was back in bed. My Apple Watch died so I lost my pace maker and I was just exhausted. The oranges, pretzels, and apples weren’t enough real food to sustain me but I fought on! Again, the crowds were really fun - even in French! Without them, I am not sure what I would have done!These miles also took us back into a different forest and this is where time stood still. Despite my pace, it felt like I kept passing the same trees. There were no crowds and I just felt alone!

Finish:

Mile 26 was the mile that never ended. I knew I had to push through it. I knew that my goal pace was 9-10 min/mile and if I pushed myself, I could be done in 10 miles. I turned on the pump up music and gave it my all. Only I kept mistiming the final push. I would hit the kilometers throughout this last mile thinking the finish line would be right in front of me. Unlike other races, there was no straightaway. Rather, the last mile twisted and turned back to the Arc. When I saw that Arc, I bolted and literally dove to the finish line.Ouch. I was exhausted. I made Mary Frances get me a McFlurry because all I wanted was cold. Cold everything. I wish I had a bag because I was forcing myself to chug water and stuff myself with oranges and apples. Again, later that week, I read what to do after a marathon… I failed to do any of it. Although the competitor in me really wants to do one again, I do not know if I could put myself through that torture without a buddy. I really wish I had someone running with me to cheer me on during the race! 

Going Home:

Surprise, surprise, I took my time walking back to the AirBnB. Mary Frances texted me throughout the race and I was able to read them on my watch - until it died. She managed to kinda see me at the finish line, but more importantly, she brought my cold drinks. Yum! At the AirBnB, I did a light stretch and very slowly moved to get ready. Unfortunately, we had a flight to catch and I had to get ready in a hurry! At the airport, I still was walking like an old man. I recognized a few runners as those who ran today were wearing the finisher’s swag of a navy blue shirt. It was a badge of honor! Despite the craziness of the marathon, we were back home five hours after the race. I was able to lay in bed and not get up!

[divider class="" ]The UnChartered 13 Summary:

Obviously, I had one of the most unique trips to Paris. Our first day was packed with sightseeing and eating food while the next day was a full marathon! Although not my preferred trip, it was still special as I battled my way to the finish line and had thousands cheer my name as I was running through Paris!