Chavornay 2013

Last week during our vacation in the mountains we hiked or ran between 10 and 15 kilometers a day, climbing anywhere from 400 to 1500 meters. So I thought it would be interesting to see if that was better race preparation than the meringues and double cream of the two previous weeks! But several factors made Wednesday evening’s Chavornay race, the third leg of this year’s Tour du Pays de Vaud,  difficult to compare to the Penthaz race. Even though the distance was the same (8.5K), there was twice as much climbing in Chavornay and instead of paved roads, we ran mostly on gravel or dirt paths. Besides that I was in pain the whole second half of the race. I don’t know if it was the not-so-ripe banana I ate a half and hour before the start, or the few gulps of water I downed at the aid station, but a side stitch slowed me down considerably. Even so, my pace was only a few seconds slower than in Penthaz. So, not bad all in all. It's also impossible to compare Wednesday's race to my previous Chavornay runs because, unbeknownst to me, the course had been changed since I last ran it three years ago. We'll see next week if anything has changed in La Sarraz.

Gotta run…

Penthaz 2013

Earlier this month I spent the better part of two weeks eating meringues and double cream for breakfast, sitting at a desk all day, and indulging in heavy restaurant meals every evening. After that regime, I didn’t have high expectations for the first leg of the Tour du Pays de Vaud in Penthaz. But a few kilometers into the race I was surprised to find myself running alongside, then leaving behind, a woman whose back I recognize well. I figured I would lose steam and fall behind on the end of the hilly 8.5K course, but my pace remained steady. I was very pleasantly surprised to hear the announcer say how well I placed as I crossed the finish line. It was my best ranking ever in this series of races! If only I had brought home more meringues and double cream!

Gotta run...