Paris 6-Miler

I'm pretty happy with my decision not to try my first full marathon in January. This vacation has NOT been conducive to running, and the lack of running I have experienced in Paris would have been disheartening. It has rained almost every morning we've been here (luckily, it usually clears up by the time we head out for the day). As anyone who knows me knows: I DON'T DO RAIN. Luckily, we've walked around Paris to the tune of 5 to 10 miles per day, so all of this fabulous food hasn't left TOO much of an impression on me. Like I had for the previous 4 days, I set an early alarm. Unlike each of the last 4 days, when I awoke to find rain, I saw only clouds and puddles. "What the hell," I thought. "Let's give it a shot." I strapped on my shoes and headed out. I wasn't sure what my legs would have in them because of all the walking we've done. I walked down to the Palais de Chaillot in the Trocadéro because my Garmin won't pick up a signal in the dense streets of our neighborhood. I walked down the steps of the palace, now a museum, and headed down toward the Seine. I started my run at Pont d'Iéna and headed southwest down the Seine. Even though it was cloudy, breezy and a little chilly, it was a good day for a run. I kept heading down the Seine until I got to the Pont de Grenelle, where I crossed over to the other side of the river. About halfway across the river, the bridge passes over the Île des Cygnes, which has a small replica of the Statue of Liberty (which was a gift from the French). When I crossed the river, I headed back in the direction I started. When I reached the Pont d'Iéna, I turned south and ran under the Eiffel Tower (!!!). I headed up the Parc du Champ de Mars to the École Militaire. I paused to admire the Eiffel Tower (it really is cool!), and then headed back towards it. There were 3 runners ahead of me, and I gave chace. I caught and passed 2 of them, but the lead guy was too far ahead. When I got back to the Seine, I headed East, running past the Musée du Quai Branly‎, one of the few museums we haven't visited in Paris yet. (The Picasso Museum is another, but we're going to that one as soon as I finish this blog entry.) I continued along until I reached the Pont Alexandre III, and turned right. I headed up the Esplanade des Invalides, which offers an awesome vista of Les Invalides. Just a splendid sight. When I reached Les Invalides, I paused to admire it, and then headed back down the Esplanade. This offers an awesome view of the bridge with its cool gold statues and of the Grand Palais with its amazing glass roof. I crossed the Pont Alexandre III, and headed back toward my starting point. This part offers one of the best views of the Eiffel Tower. I just love that thing!! When I got back to where I started, I decided to sprint up the long ramp that leads up to the Palais de Chaillot. It's pretty steep, so it provided a good challenge to finish the run. Over all, I could tell my legs were a little sore from all the walking we've been doing, but it was a good, fun run! Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 0 ft Location: Neuilly-sur-Seine, Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 12/31/69 Up/Downhill: [+0/-0] Time: 06:00 PM Difficulty: 0 / 5.0 Performance Distance: 5.72 miles Time: 0:51:38 Speed: 6.6 mph Pace: 9' 02 /mi Calories: 975 Map Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 18 +0' 16 6.5 -0.2 -- ft 2 10' 23 +1' 21 5.8 -0.9 -- ft 3 8' 35 -0' 27 7.0 +0.3 -- ft 4 11' 16 +2' 14 5.3 -1.3 -- ft 5 11' 21 +2' 19 5.3 -1.4 -- ft 6 9' 46 +0' 44 6.1 -0.5 -- ft end 15' 06 +6' 04 4.0 -2.7 -- ft Versus average of 9' 02 min/mile

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