Chemin des Cretes trail run

Two firsts for me today.

1. I went for a trail run in Corsica, France!
2. I WENT FOR A TRAIL RUN. As in my first one since I botched my ankle.

Both were fantastic experiences.

There is a ridge above the town of Ajaccio (where we are staying) and yesterday on our hike I realized these trails were pure gold. So this morning I came back. It was SO worth it.

This time I climbed all the way to top of the ridge and then headed away from town. I felt like I could have gone much longer but this distance was already pushing it so turned around when I got to a logical spot.

Rest assured I was taking it very easy... Easy in terms of pace and easy in terms of watching where the hell I was putting my feet. Especially my left one. I would walk to eat and I would even walk most of the times I drank just so I would not take my eyes off of the trail surface. CAUTION WAS EXERCISED. I also walked the steepest ups and downs.

The trail was amazingly fun; the kind where you really want to let fly. I had to hold back for sure. But I'm really, really glad I went for it today.

Things I have learned while in Corsica.

With the first half of our French vacation wrapping up I thought it would be fun to note some of the things I have learned while in Corsica, France.

• Tanning. It appears to be far more than a leisure activity here, more like a national obligation. Combine that with the already olive/brown skin of Corsicans and most everyone here looks like well done toast.
• Parking. Just do it. In the four days we have been here, I have only seen one car with a parking ticket on the windshield and for the most part the police just don't appear to care what you do. You can park around corners, in the entrance to an alley, double park, park on the sidewalk, in crosswalks, even on top of traffic islands.
• Scarves. You need to wear one. While at a café, Shelley and I saw a family of four ALL WITH SCARVES. The youngest son was perhaps four years old and just chewing on his but hey, he wasn't trying to take it off.
• Wine. It's okay to have a glass at 11:00 AM. Ditto for beer.
• The same goes for breakfast. What's the rush?
• Scooters and motorcycles don't seem to be governed by the same traffic laws as automobiles. I constantly see them crossing the center line to pass cars, driving on sidewalks, passing on the right; it's pretty exciting to watch.
• All caned beverages are served with a glass. Most also come with a straw.
• Coffee is not served in gargantuan party cups, rather it comes in little 'coffee' cups [I know, is that name coincidental or what?!] or shot glasses. And people here take about the same amount of time to consume this quantity of coffee as most American's require to drain their Trenta beverage.
• Did I mention that Corsica doesn't have the same obesity problem as America?

Technorati Tags: Corsica,France

Ajaccio waterfront run | Sentier des Cretes hike

Oh happy day.

I went for my first outdoor run today since I laid waste to my left ankle. The result? If felt great. And kind of cool that my first outdoor run was in Corsica, France.

One thing this kind of vacation is good for is REST. I have been getting plenty. I've also been getting plenty of bread, cheese, pate, chocolate and wine which has not seemed to hurt my ankle any. :)

After breakfast Shelley and I went for a stroll in the hills just above the town and somehow I managed to turn my GPS off after just 30 minutes. Rats. The blue line is what my watch missed.

Ajaccio waterfront walk

Shelley and took a stroll down the waterfront here in Ajaccio Corsica, France.

The weather has been brilliant.

Tanning seems like it is not so much a leisure activity as a duty here. Especially for women. Everyone looks like toast.

Social Media-Bane or Boon to Trail Running?

I would say that it's pretty impossible to refute the claim that social media is here to stay. If you have a child between the ages of 12-18, how are they communicating with their friends? My point exactly. Kids are Snapchatting, Instagraming and Twittering (Facebooking is already old news) while most adults are falling over themselves in an effort to keep up.

The current generation is growing up on social media and smartphones and once they become adults and the formative years are over, so is any hope of turning back the clock to a time before all this came to be.

Godspeed I say. Boon in other words. Big time.

rehab | core | bike commute | treadmill run

First things first. I had an awesome run today. It was my longest and fastest by far since my ankle injury.

in fact, it was so awesome I am convinced the treadmill I was on malfunctioned. See below for more sensationalized details.

exploring Colman Park | bike commute

I was hoping to do some stairs today but when I woke up I realized it was still too early and the cold I have is running me way down.

I thought, "Hey, I'll just not drive all the way to Howe Street and instead do something closer to home!" Right. I walked down to the Colman Park stairs and before I even got there I knew this venture was a lost cause.

But, it was a gorgeous morning out and still very comfy in terms of temperature so I figured I would at least keep walking and take a lap through the park since I have never done that before. It was worth it. Now I know a little more about my neighborhood.

On the upside I felt somewhat better on the ride to work and significantly better on the ride home. I'm hoping that tomorrow I can actually work out again.

core | bike commute

Oh man... that tickle I had in my throat and ignored all of yesterday hit me like a load of bricks today. Funny how you can go from feeling mostly excellent to I-want-crawl-in-bed-and-stay-there-all-day in no time. It's only a cold but I have zero energy.

I was thinking I would go to the gym and realized super quick that was not going to fly. Somehow I still eeked out a core workout at home and then rode to and from work.

believe you me, those rides were slooooooow. And not really any fun at all. I think I have a fever.

And it was such a beautiful, hot day... that only compounded my headache on the way home. Suck. Normally I am the last person to complain about it being warm in Seattle. :)

Snoqualmie Falls ride

Well, I was right yesterday when I said I felt like I felt a sore throat coming on. :( Last night it got worse. I tried to get plenty of sleep (which didn't really work) but luckily this morning it had abated some.

That was the only thing wrong with today however and it didn't spoil my outing.

Today I went on a great ride. The weather was great, the route was great, the company was great and my legs felt great. Pretty f'ing great all round if you ask me. Want proof? Just look at this smile.

Howe Street stairs

I was determined to sleep in this morning and to this end I shut off my alarm. It didn't work. As usual, I was up at 4:30 AM and rolling over (and over and over) was not helping any. Luckily it's the first day of Giro d'Italia and you can watch it live on CyclingFans. Nice.

Since I'm going for a ride tomorrow it seemed appropriate that I do something on my feet today. And since I can't go for a proper run yet, stairs have turned into my go-to workout. I'm still only running stairs one step at a time because 1) I'm not supposed to subject my ankle to lots of impact yet and 2) running them two at a time is freaking hard! But even one at a time stairs are an excellent workout so no worries.

ASIDE - did reason #1 sound like an excuse there...? It kinda was.

I think today is the warmest and brightest stair session I have experienced in ages, perhaps years? Historically I would always do this workout in the winter (read: in the wet, in the cold and in the dark) as cross-training for cycling. Now it's serving not as cross-training but as regular old training! Change is inevitable.

Three fun things about today.

1. I met David Mann on the stairs! Like me, he's a bicycle racer that is transitioning to running. He was out with some buddies from his gym doing a few flights. Go Dave!
2. I think I found my favorite pair of road shoes today, the Brooks PureCadence 2! It was my first day wearing them and right away they felt perfect. They're very light, super comfy, and yet seem to have enough support. I'll find out for sure when I hit the road but today was awesome.
3. I used my Garmin Foot Pod for the first time. It's a cadence and is primarily used when you run on a treadmill but outdoors it will still tell you what is going on. Stats are fun.