Fri 5/12 - Easy 45 minutes or so with our host in the Pyrenean hinterlands. Flat and mostly smooth dirt tracks through an idyllic agrarian setting. Not exactly what I was expecting but nice nonetheless.
Sat 5/13 - 60 minute loop from the Col d'Aspin down to Lac Payolle and then back up. Down and back up in this case meaning descending a bit over 1000' and coming back up on what was a shorter and therefore much steeper route. Punishingly, soul-crushingly steep at times. Pics below.
Sun 5/14 - 70 minutes, longer version of Friday's route exploring the fields in more depth. From there on to Spain for a visit to San Sebastian and Eibar, soccer match and not getting back until 2 AM.
Mon 5/15 - double, AM 30 minutes very easy, PM 55 minutes progressing the pace to a reasonably quick clip, closest thing to a hard workout the entire week.
Tue 5/16 - AM 80 minutes mostly easy but got the pace going a bit near the end.
Wed 5/17 - AM 35 minutes easy in Pau, where we mistakenly decided it would be a good idea to rent a room and spend the night before flying back to Paris. Should have stayed in the hinterlands one more day but oh well. Hindsight 20/20. Quite fried by this point. Planned on running again in the evening in Paris but that wasn't happening after a surprisingly hellish journey from Orly to our final lodging near Bois de Vincennes.
Thu 5/18 - double, AM 50 minutes easy in Bois De Vincennes which I missed on my last visit here. Excellent spot for running, just ask the groups of police cadets running in formation. Reminiscent somewhat of the refuge back home. PM 45 minutes easy with the CH, Coulee Vert to Lac Daumesnil. I thought I might do something uptempo, if only a few strides, but it wasn't to be as I was totally fried after a day spent strolling through the Marais and Pere Lachaise. Wind driven rain added to the fun.
Calf felt quite good by the end of the week, after withstanding the insult of climbing back up to the Aspin from the lake. Weather was fantastic in the Pyrenees, sticky with evening rains for the 36 hours we were in Paris. No recounting of an international trip would be complete without pictures of course:
Payolle from the col d'Aspin
the lake
Post-climb
on the way to Luchon
halfway through the 788m long pedestrian/bike tunnel in San Sebastian
the beach
snacks at the game, all in Basque
hike to waterfall
Views like this a dime a dozen in the foothills
hiking up the Pibeste near Lourdes
text in three languages, one of which is new to me
farmhouse low on the ridge, not easily accessed
cowpath
much lesser of two evils won
Jardin de Reuilly along the Coulee Vert/Viaduc des Artes/Promenade Plantee
Split
many many tombs
welcome to la Ville Lumiere
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