Ultra En Pente Douce Day 6: Le Blanc to Saint Savin (46.2km)
The final day, and it was fantastic! I went out relatively quickly in the cool morning air and around 2h in thought "well, if you can hold this pace you'll finish in under 5h". I managed it in 4:57:35. Last night's meal was some rockmelon, followed by a great lasagna, then cheeses and an apricot & yogurt cup. Was delicious. Sleeping arrangements were comfortable, sharing again with Fabrice. Our room had it's entry & window facing the setting sun, leaving the room fairly warm. It cooled down just enough by lights out to be comfortable, and with the door left open I woke first to add a sheet and again around 4am for a blanket - pretty much perfect sleeping conditions. I recall that at the same time as adding the sheet I also swallowed some panadol as my hips were hurting from lying on my side. All in all though, a great night's sleep was had. We were up at 6.15am for breakast, I had my usual fare of three bowls of coffee and some cereal. The first group set out at 7.30 (only a very small group today), with the rest of us hitting the road at 8.30. I stuck with a quickish group, everyone was cheerful and feeling positive about it being the final day. We ran through the town of Le Blanc, climbing a steep hill offering some great views of the city (for those who were willing to walk 20m off course to take a photo). We soon hit a "greenway" (old railway line) and it was delightful in the cool morning air to motor along through this section. After a few km we came back onto the roads and passed through Concremiers, crossed the bridge and started along farm roads while following the river (L'Anglin). There were several amazing buildings that we passed today, clearly a lot of history in this area! Into aid station 1, I quickly loaded up some tailwind and then ran with Nitish (dutch) all the way to aid 2. He's been quicker than me all week, and it taxed me a bit to keep up - but was just the motivation I needed to keep a steady pace. I found out that he had fallen over on the greenway and had hand and knee wounds - didn't seem to slow him down too much though. We had a great chat and enjoyed some lovely quiet (and shaded) roads through to aid station 2. I was through aid 2 pretty quickly, Jennifer had just left and I quickly caught her up and had a brief chat. I was still feeling really energetic so decided to head off on my own. Maintaining my earlier pace, I passed through the historic town of Angles-sur-l'Anglin, featuring a large medieval ruin. Gilles routed us well through the town, offering a great view of the ruins (and I really wish there'd been an opportunity to explore them). By now it was starting to warm up, but I dug deep and maintained the same pace through to aid 3, our final aid station of the event. The volunteers had setup in a beautiful carpark, overlooking a river and some older buildings across the other side. I felt a little sad that this would be my last consumption of boiled egg, cheese on bread and the wonderful wafers and biscuits that I would leave every aid station with! As I'd arrived, Fabrice Pelligue was just leaving so I set my sights on trying to catch him before the end. It was 14k to go, and I calculated that i needed a steady 9kph to finish under 5h (and I needed a little bit of a margin, as due to a watch error at the beginning of the day I'd started the activity a little late - I figured it was around 1min, but wasn't completely sure). This final leg was pure grunt. It was, for the most part, exposed to full sun, and there was plenty of ups and downs, with the ups requiring some walking. At one hour to go I had exactly 9km left, so was on-track. Then with 40min to go there was 6min left... there was no margin for slacking off! I continued to push hard, and suddenly caught sight again of Fabrice. He was a good 300-400m in front of me. With 2.5km to go, I felt like I was starting to close the gap, but then he looked around and saw me and took off like a rabbit! Oh well. Was going up a hill at the time, and I saw Rene (with his dog Sheila) walking down the road - I made a gesture of throwing a fishing line out to catch Fabrice, knocked my hat off instead! Rene got a good laugh out of it, as did I. Despite not being able to catch Fabrice, I was still determined to keep up the pace. With 2km to go I had about 15min to the finish, no letting up. And the sun wasn't letting up either ... oof. 1.7km ... 1.5km ... 1km ... then I heard the sounds of "hop hop hop", indicating a runner approaching the finished, and shortly the same words were repeated as I took the final turn into the campgrounds. Across the finish line, I'd hit my target, woohoo! My best effort for the week, averaging around 6:26/km, not bad for the end of an accumulated 300km over six days! After enjoying a chat, some food, several cold drinks, I found our room for the night - it's a huge apartment, thick stone walls, with couches, kitchen, nice cool tiles, and our own ensuite. Bloody marvellous. Once freshened up, I took a walk into the town, enjoyed some pastries, and toured the local church (world renowned, and UNESCO listed). Will shortly be heading to presentations, beers and then dinner. Stats for today: 46.09km*, 4:57:35, 442m elevation (plus a little more that I missed at the beginning). Photo Gallery
Ultra En Pente Douce Day 5: Eguzon to Le Blanc (64.5km)
A much better start today, thank goodness. Although sleep didn't come easy I took a sleeping pill around 11pm, and the next thing I knew the alarm was going off at 5.15am. We had an early breakfast at 5.30, with staged starts at 6.30 and 7.30 (I was in the latter). My body felt great and I was excited for the day ahead. The day started out beautiful and cool, and I tagged onto to one of the quicker groups from the outset, with the intent of getting a few km's done before it started warming up. After a short sharp climb out of our overnight accomodation, it was a long descent on a bitumen road tracking alongside the river, then onto a forest track before we crossed the river on a high suspension bridge. Most of the elevation for the day was done by 15km, including a very technical, narrow and steep downhill trail that no-one enjoyed. The first aid station was around 14km, high above the river with some great views. We then dropped down and ran alongside the river, and with the sun still low there were some gorgeous reflections of the trees across the still water. Into the town of Le Menoux, with a church famous for frescos by Jorge Carrasco. I had intended to pop in for a look but saw a sign for a toilet ... which was badly needed (some info here for the curious, for the church not the toilet!). We continued along roads through the towns of Le Pêchereau and Argenton-sur-Cruese which offered some amazing architecture. So much history! From there it was all a bit of a blur. It was hot, darn hot (max of 28 today), and I was just focussed on moving forward. For the most part, we followed open roads surrounded by fields, with little shade on offer. I recall putting on sunscreen at aid stations 2 & 4, chatting with Angela on the way in to Aid 4 (and then having to catch up again as I took a while with the sunscreen). Also leaving Aid 4 there were several runners in front of me provided some motivation to keep moving and try to pass them. The last 10km or so went by fairly quickly and I was glad to get it done (and jump in a cold shower). That's the big one donw (65km), and the penultimate day complete. Tomorrow is a "just" a short 45km run, though the temp is forecast to reach 31. I'm in no hurry to get that done though, it'll be a bit sad to leave this great bunch of people. Stats for today: 65.03km*, 8:15:45, 685m elevation (some bonus distance there from toilet diversions). Photo Gallery
Ultra En Pente Douce Day 4: Saint Benoit du Sault to Eguzon (45.4km)
Oooh that was a tough one! Things did not start out well today: I had another poor sleep, for no particular reason - the accomodation was great, it was quiet, the temperature was perfect, but my brain decided to solve the world's problems and ust wouldn't settle down. I recall still being awake at midnight (after putting my head down around 10pm), and with a couple of bathroom breaks through to the 6am wake-up, I did not wake up feeling refreshed. Thankfully, the coffee was strong and free-flowing at breakfast! A late-ish start today at 8.30am, leaving plenty of time to get ready. The morning temperature was perfect, and our group bounded off enthusiastically from the night's accomodation. Although I set off at good pace, the group quickly split, with most ahead of me and out of sight within 10 minutes. Perhaps it was the shorter day, perhaps they had a better sleep than me, I don't know! But I was not tempted to push things any harder than I needed to. We followed a couple of small trails to emerge on the other side of the old town, granting a last opportunity to get a photo across the river. We were then on to small (sealed) roads winding our way across the countryside. A bit of a change in the scenery today, fewer sunflower fields - although I did notice a lot of the fields had been ploughed-in, so perhaps they'd harvested already. Into the first aid station at around 10km. By this point I'd realised that I wasn't going to be moving as well as the last couple of days. My left shoelaces needed loosening (suggesting some swelling in that foot) and my left achilles initially felt like it had given up on life (but that thankfully came good within a km or two from the start). Having been in this situation before - a tired body and a few nights of bad sleep - I decided early on that it was a day for good decisions: no pushing things hard, or trying to chase down those ahead of me down. It meant going around 20s/km slower, but I think a wise choice given the big day we have tomorrow. And it's been getting warmer by the day (26 today) - having come a cold Perth winter, I've definitely been feeling the heat. A little sunburn yesterday didn't help either. It's all a bit of a blur ... fields, farms, small villages and three aid stations in total today. I slathered myself in sunscreen at aid two, and hunted down every bit of shade along the way. Plenty of undulation, nothing nasty but steep enough to require moving to a walk. I had a conversation with a gaggle of geese - who were not happy about me trying to take a photo & video. When I turned around the farm dog was giving me some side-eye too, I think it was ready to tell me off if I bothered the geese any more! After the final aid station, we had some fairly exposed roads to run along (by this time it was past 1pm, and the sun was blazing), but with about 3km to go dropped onto some single trails the meandered alongside the river as we approached Éguzon. I really enjoyed this bit, although care was required with foot placement in a couple of wet & muddy spots. Looks like a lovely town that clearly draws a lot of water activities. Tonights accomodation is a recently completed hostel, I'm sharing with JB in an air conditioned room with it's own ensuite. Fingers crossed I can get a good night's sleep ahead of tomorrow's 65km. Stats for today: 45.40km , 5:36:12, 712m elevation. Photo Gallery
Ultra En Pente Douce Day 3: Lathus to Saint Benoit du Sault (53.2km)
Of all the nights that I should have had a great sleep it was last night -- room to myself, dead quiet. But it wasn't to be, I tossed, I turned, it was warm and still and I was imaging I was being bitted. Still awake at 11.30am with a planned wakeup at 6am, sleep did not come easy. Ai-yai-yai! A basic breakfast of cereal and (bitter) coffee this morning served in the cafe/restaurant. The coffee may not have been great, but three bowls of it sure did get me wide awake. With a planned start at 8am there was plenty of time to pack up and get myself ready, and I managed a birthday call to Andi on the way to the start line. It was a rather cold start with some wearing long-sleeve tops for the first leg. Following the river briefly as we left the campsite before turning up a sharp hill and climbing out of the valley into a mist. It was a great way to get the day going. A good deal of today's elevation (which, in total, was not actually that much) was on the first leg - I managed a steady shuffle for the most part, only breaking into a walk whenever that proved more efficient that running up the hills. With clear blue skies, the first couple of hours was really enjoyable, passing mostly through farmland and the occasional small village. Aid stations stops have become pretty efficient. Today I used Tailwind between aid stops 1-2 (~10-20km) and stops 3-4 (~30-40km), taking in half an egg, some fruit and bread w/ cheese at each aid station, and usually leaving promptly with a handful of chips and a couple of oatmeal biscuits. Highlights today included a couple of very friendly herds of cows, a selfie with a horse, a dead badger (only because I can't recall ever seeing a badger before), a great chat with Jennifer, and some beautiful buildings in a couple of villages that we passed through. Overall I maintained a really consistent pace today, was a lot more steady than the last two days, and only dropped my overall pace in the last section with had a fair few hilly trail sections. It has warmed to about 25 degrees today, no real cover from clouds. And it was super-still -- we passed quite a few stationary wind turbines. As midday came and went I would move to whatever part of the road offered some shade (thankfully we didn't encounter too many cars, although it was a bit busier on the roads that yesterday -- my understanding is that the French kids went back to school today which might be part of the reason behind that). We finished the last km or so weaving through the town of Saint Benoit du Sault where our wonderful RD Gilles lives. Approaching from one side, we crossed a bridge over the river (that looked a lot like a moat) and climbed up into the town, zigging and zagging down old roads, between beautiful buildings and into the heart of town, before a short downhill run to the campgrounds. It was a relief to be done, the sun felt like it was blazing by this time and I just wanted to get my shoes off and get into the shower. After a brief relax, Jennifer and I wandered into town for a coffee and beer, grabbed some sunscreen & after-care from the pharmacy and hit the local supermarket for some snacks. I introduced her to the absolute delight that are Snickers Gold icecreams - we stood outside the supermarket scoffing them down. I ate three, she ate two. Yummmm. Before dinner we enjoyed appetisers in the accomodation's courtyard: beer, wine, soft drinks, bread, spreads, chips & peanuts, a great time for socialising. Sitting down for an outdoor meal around 7pm, starters was a cucumber dish, grated carrot in a vinaigrette and fresh tomato covered in grated mozzarella. Mains was roast potatoes, sausages and what I assume was pork steaks (I did not partake in the latter). And desert was a small slice of fruit flan. Despite the tough start to the day (with little sleep), it was a great run -- I'm really pleased with how my body is holding together and the small improvements in pace and endurance each day. Stats for today: 53.60km, 6:21:54, 649m elevation. Photo Gallery
Ultra En Pente Douce Day 2: Queaux to Lathus (47.5km)
Had the most amazing sleep last night. Totally unexpected, but probably the best sleep I've had in weeks. No doubt played a large part in the feeling of absolute relaxation that I experienced while running today - at the time I remember thinking that my mind hasn't been this calm in a long time. That's exactly why I do these silly runs! We woke at 6am, with breakfast starting from 6.15am - I was keen enough to get there amongst the very first. Three large bowls of coffee and some puffed wheat was what I needed! I then wandered over to the start line to see the first group of runners off at 7.30am, before heading to the tent to pack everything away. The 8.30am start seemed to come up really quickly -- none of the nervous anticipation from yesterday, just a nagging realisation that the second group had to move at a decent clip to get to the first aid station before it closed. I would have like to start a bit more leisurely, but the whole group seemed to keep each other motivated and moving along. The run started in cool air, and we followed quiet roads through farmland. At around the 7km mark there was a stretch of trail with lots of large tree roots running along side of a river. Rather gorgeous! I got a photo with Stephane & Nathalie who were out hiking (they hosted me in Poitiers last year for one night, feeding me the most amazing food while we struggled to communicate!) The first aid station arrived earlier than I'd expected, so none of earlier concern was needed. Reloaded my water bottle, scoffed some fruits & grabbed a handful of chips. We crossed a large viaduct high up above the river and then navigated a crazy route through the town of L'Isle Jourdain, including running through someone's garage onto back streets. Then climbed up some gnarly stairs and got an amazing view of the town and viaduct from on-high. it was then onto some very small country roads, weaving our way between fields, many of which were hidden by trees and thick undergrowth. Very few photogenic moments from here. I unexpectedly caught up with Jennifer (who's a gun runner), and we ran & walked into the third aid station together having a great chat. I stopped at the dunny, she took off, and it took me until the next aid station to catch her again. With four aid stations today, separated by 8-10km, it never felt like a "long" run. The sun however was coming out to play though and I felt the heat on a few occasions, enjoying the brief moments where shade could be found. unfortunately, it's only going to get warmer as the week goes on, so for me (coming from Perth winter) it's a fast-track introduction to summer! On the last leg we got some overcast conditions and then just enough rain to cool us off, for me it was really welcomed. Finished strong, and it turned out to be at exactly the same pace as yesterday! Uh oh, that might mean it's a trend I need to continue. Accomodation tonight is in a very large activity centre, somehow I snagged a room to myself (with private toilet and shower) - it feels positively luxurious (it's a small thing, but in an event like this you never really know if you'll be sharing a room with a one of two people, or in a room of 15 bunk beds! And a hot water shower is never taken for granted!) So, that's two days down. As I write this, the body feels like I've run back to back ultras. But no niggles to complain about & I'm keeping on top of the hydration and nutrition. I'm trying something a little different this race, using a bit of Tailwind to top up the in-race nutrition (as the aid station food doesn't ever seem to be sufficient), and by rotating Tailwind & Bix hydration, I've so far avoided any flavour fatigue. I've not really used Tailwind in races for 10+ years (nor tried it in the weeks leading up to this event) but it seems to be doing the job quite well. Stats for today: 47.67km, 5:36:49, 620m elevation. Photo Gallery