The Trials of Vacation Running
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| Preparing for the unexpected on a vacay run... |
Running around Paris starts to feel like a chore after a
while. I’ll do my loop around the Canal or into the Buttes Chaumont. I’ll hit
the Coulée Verte, the renovated railway that serves as a peaceful oasis in the
east of the city. I’ll head towards the Eiffel Tower along the Seine as the
boats float on by and the tourists snap their photos. This all sounds romantic
and idyllic until about the 50th time. Then even the most devoted
runner and Paris enthusiast needs a break.
While most Parisians leave during the summer
because, well, it’s what you do, I’ve been lucky to sneak away a few times to
experience new locations, new roads, new trails, and new challenges. Running in
the shadow of the chateau at Chateaudun, once owned by a friend of Joan of Arc,
and hitting the beaches of the English Channel in St. Malo have proved to be
the perfect way to spice up marathon training. And a future trip to the
Mediterranean means some serious coastal coasting with plenty of SPF. A boy
needs help getting under that 4 hour mark…
But running in a new place isn’t always as peachy as it seems. Yes, there are new things to see and smell, the air may be cleaner, and the people might be friendly (they say bonojur as they run by!). But not knowing the terrain can be cumbersome when embarking on a 21km early in the morning.
For example, Paris has lots of water fountains and cafés where I can get water
for free. Dehydration is difficult. While jogging through Chateaudun, I had no
idea where to find potable water. And along the beaches of St. Malo, I made
sure to bring my own bottle since no cafés were up and running at 7AM to ask
for a bit of refreshment.
After rehydrating, the body has other needs, I’ve
discovered. When you wake up real early and your metabolism isn’t quite in full
swing, eventually it decides that it needs a break around kilometer 7 and I
usually need a bathroom. This isn’t Paris where public restrooms are reasonably
frequent. In Chateaudun, there was one (ladies, be warned, no toilet paper).
You can ask the local baker for a napkin, if you didn’t come prepared.
In St. Malo, there were several public
restrooms clearly marked along the beach, but they cost 30 cents. What runner
carries a pocketful of change? Eventually, by visiting a tabac shop and a
supermarket, I was able to whittle my ten euro emergency bill down to a handful
of heavy change, including 30 cents for the toilet. In the end, it was worth
carting the coins for a moment of relief, even if it did add fifteen minutes to
my time.
Charting a course is challenging as well. If I
head south of the city, the neighborhood looks lovely according to Google Maps,
but the concierge at the hotel in St. Malo suggested going north instead. Good
call. Not knowing the local topography, I would have landed myself on some devastatingly
boring stretches of roads and docks, making each kilometer that much more of a
chore.
By talking with the locals, it’s not only a way
to ask about things like bathrooms and water fountains, but to also ensure that
the vacation run will be as distractingly beautiful as possible (unless you’re
running in, like, Brussels, in which case just don’t bother).
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| It may not be easy, but vacation running is worth it |