Friday 11 September 2015

Bordeaux Beckons

You'd think that maybe, having just done an ultra marathon, that I'd be having a bit of a rest. Hah! Yes that is what a sensible person would do but I neither keep the company of many sensible people nor am I especially sensible myself, at least not when it comes to events. So that's how it happened that I am now in France, travelling down to Bordeaux with my parents in preparation for the Marathon du Medoc.

The Medoc is on many people's marathon bucket list and rightly so, I think. It's the event that Bacchus is based on, the original wine marathon boasting 22 refreshment stands, 21 food stands, compulsory themed fancy dress, a route that takes in many vineyards in the region and limited to 8,500 participants.

My Godparents paid for my entry as a Christmas-and-birthday present and as they happen to live in the Loire valley they too will be joining us for the event. I'm really excited. My costume is a nod to the theme although I'm concerned that I may have to cover it with a rain jacket as the weather report has changed in the last week.

I have been a little bit sensible though, and had a massage during the week, which hurt like hell, and had a bath with magnesium salts. I've also made the decision to pull out of Equinox24. It was not a decision taken lightly as I was part of a team and going to be seeing friends there, and had I not had the issues with my hip and knee at Tiree I would have still gone, but I'd rather give people the chance to find someone else than turn up only to have to pull out after one lap, or worse, not be able to go at all should I get injured at Medoc and only be able to give them a couple of days notice. And of course I need to be fit and able for my job so there's that...

My training in the past week has looked something like this:
Friday: Rest day
Saturday: 9 miles cycling
Sunday: Tiree Ultra, 3 miles cycling
Monday: 6 miles cycling
Tuesday: Rest day
Wednesday: 20 minute recovery run, massage
Thursday: Rest day

I'll be back with another race report next week!

What races are on your bucket list? Have you ever done a boozy race?

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