Say What!?

More musings on the Marathon du Medoc. As I've been going through the application form I have been somewhat staggered by my inability to read French - what was I doing for all those years in High School and University? - oh, that's right, first lusting after Linda Biggeman and then Stephanie Poschmann. When not pestering my friend Paul for translations - he's the Englishman in Paris trying to pass himself off as a Frenchie - I have been pestering my friend Nathalie, who has the distinction of not having to pass herself off as an ersatz Frenchie, as she is an actual bonafide, real-deal , dyed-in-the-wool Frenchwoman! Nathalie may even be the quintessential Frenchwoman, having been a runway model in Paris, an old school Cabaret dancer around the world and now a hair stylist (she being responsible for shearing my locks off...), a woman who dabbles in painting, reads Sartre and seems somehow naked without a glass of red wine in one hand and a cigarette in the other. A vegetarian who feasts on Fois Gras, because, "Honestly, Darling, it's fois gras..." as in please, you barbarians, let us not get too carried away about something when culinary delicacies are involved.

Anyways, even Nathalie herself was rather taken aback by the Medoc form. I heard a lot of Gallic muttering and lips moving as she read through the form, but that might have been caused by all the garlic in her last meal. "I tell you zees for true, Veeeince, zay should 'ave figured zees out by now. "Allo?" C'est vrai! C'est un scandal!" So I will be filling out the form with no small amount of trepidation and sending it off with a hope and a prayer, and my Doctor's note, a medical certificate saying that there is no medical reason why I cannot run. Physical reason that is, not mental... But in the mean time, this little test should whet a few palates - http://wines-france.com/RaisinAuVin/Quiz.aspx

Back to getting ready for Boston. Wednesday night I went out to do an easier 10K after Tuesday's semi-meltdown, but the lovely Sarah spurred me on to do 10.3K in 46:23. My average heart rate was only 147, so I was pretty happy about the time. Sarah never really cracked a sweat and didn't even have the decency to breath hard... Of course that may be because she's still just a child and a run like this is not that much different for her than scurrying around the jungle-gym in the playground...

And today, after doing some easy Hills yesterday, I did 9.6 miles in 1:20. And that included the 1.2 mile UBC hill...

Looking forward to Sunday's 32K long run...

And, after having been stuck at 182 pounds for-seemingly-ever, this morning I tipped the scales at 181.

Caramba!