It’s been a while since I last posted anything, rather
shamefully. I do (sort of) have an excuse or two. Namely, a busy period at work
and then a holiday – I finished an 11 day stretch with 4 night shifts, followed
by a week in beautiful Brittany.
That has given me something to write about though: running
on holiday. A few years ago, I would have taken the stance that, unless lasting
for more than a couple of weeks, holidays are a chance to take some time away
from running, particularly our traditional summer break to Brittany. In recent
years, that’s changed, because now the idea of taking even a full week away
from running is not particularly tempting. The change really came into effect
in the run up to my first marathon, when I realised an Easter trip to Brittany
coincided with the longest run of my training programme. And now, it’s just
habit. Besides, going for a run whilst on holiday gives me a chance to explore
new running territory.
And last week, that was the wonderful countryside around our
cottage in Brittany. It’s an area I know well, having visited it every year of
my life, but things look different when you’re running. Particularly the hills.
Until last week, I don’t think I realised quite how hilly the area was! The
last few times I’d run in Brittany, I’d done repetitions of a single lap,
because it was the only way I could be confident I’d run whatever distance my
training plan required of me. Now that I have my beloved Polar watch, I felt
free to explore a bit more.
So, on three of the days I was there, I pulled myself out of
bed before the rest of the family were up (not hard whilst on holiday –
breakfast tends to start at 11am!), strapped on my trainers, connected to GPS,
and headed out into the countryside. I stuck mainly to the small country lanes,
which wind up and down. The weather was mostly favourable – some sun, some cloud,
but no rain and not too hot – and the scenery was lovely. I
managed a long(ish) run of 12.5miles, a shorter recovery run, and a speedwork
session, as prescribed by my half-marathon training plan.
And the best thing about running whilst on holiday? It certainly
works up a decent appetite for breakfast – best croissant in the world, anyone?
