Running in Paris

I decided to use our recent trip to Paris to try and jump start my running again.  I typically run more in the winter when it’s harder to find time to get on the bike.  So far this off-season I’ve plenty of opportunities to run I just haven’t had the motivation.  I figured that if the allure of passing world famous monuments didn’t get out on the road then nothing would.

As we were packing, I began to talk myself out of my own plan.  It can be very cold in Paris this time of year so I needed to pack a lot of running gear.  I started to tell myself that I was going to be walking everywhere and that would be enough.  I told myself that I was going to see the monuments anyway so running by them wasn’t necessary.  As the packing progressed, the running gear kept moving further and further away from the suitcase.

Then I remembered that I told some fellow runners at work that I would post GPS maps of where I ran.  Many of them have not been to Paris and they seemed thrilled with the idea.  In fact, they were much more excited about than I was.  For some reason I felt like I could not let them down and just like that all of the running gear was packed neatly into its own little corner of the suitcase.

Before I talk about the runs, I should also mentioned that I had not run in the last 4-5 weeks or so.  Also, what little running I have done this year has been sporadic. This means I know the runs will be slow and perhaps just a bit uncomfortable. 

Louvre Museum – I started my running adventures with a 3.0 mile romp through the Tuileries Garden, around Place de la Concord, back through the garden and then pass the Louvre Museum.  I then crossed the Pont des Arts, which is a pedestrian bridge across the Seine, and back to our apartment.  While it was a challenging run physically (due to my lack of running), it was an amazing run in every other sense.  I mean hell, I was running in Paris!!!  How cool was that?

Notre Dame Cathedral – My second adventure was 3.3 miles along the Seine River and around Notre Dame.  Our apartment was very close to Notre Dame so I added the Ile Saint-Louis to the mix.  It was around 32 degrees so I started out cold but that quickly changed as I watch the run rise over the river.  I then stayed near the river for the rest of the run.  The biggest difference was that I started stopping to take pictures and to ask Parisians to snap a few shots of me as well.

Eiffel Tower – The third run was my favorite as I decided to include the Eiffel Tower.  The problem was that to run to the Eiffel Tower and back would be at least 5 miles and I wasn’t ready for that.  So, I get ready, grab my metro pass and take the metro to a station that’s near the Eiffel Tower and start my run from there.  I have to say that riding the metro in my running gear was a pretty interesting voyage but the run beneath the Eiffel Tower and the trip back along the Seine made it all worth it.

Here are a few pictures from each run as well.

     

There you have it.  Three short runs in the City of Light that added a whole new element to the trip and you can bet my running shoes will be packed on our next visit.  In the meantime, I’ll just have find a different motivation to continue running now that I’m back home. 

Ciao!!!