Chamonix Time Running Out

Well that's work now over for me for the foreseeable future and it has all been a bit strange for me having so much free time. When working and having lunch breaks to do activities and then 2 days off a week it gives me a kind of format to stick to but now that I am off everyday it's pretty hard to just relax and not do anything. Not that I am complaining one bit. It's great.

Posing on the Cosmiques

Nearing top of Tacul 4200m

Crux of Cosmiques with Naila

With a week left in Chamonix I have been out pretty much everyday doing as much as possible. climbing up the Midi , rock climbing up the Aiguille Rouge and obviously running. Now all the lifts are open it means I can access the awesome trails up high and I have been making the most of my usual favourites like Plan to Montenvers , Brevent to Col Du Montets , Index to Col Cornu. All of which are pretty much free of snow with only the odd section of snow traversing but it is pretty safe as there are good solid footsteps. I have also been doing a lot of work on my down hills by getting the lifts up high and making fairly rapid descents. Running quick downhill really does tire out the legs so I thought it would be a good idea to build up more strength and do the 1300m descent from Plan d'Aiguille to my house a few times and racked up a good 5500m of descent over 3 days last week as well as doing longer runs in the afternoons. Daily runs have been between 8-16km depending on how I feel at the time and a few times I have broken it up and done 10-12k in the morning and then another 10-12 late afternoon and this has been really good as this is when the trails are quietest. I haven't ran more than 16km on one run in the last 2 weeks but my plan is to run around 40km the day after I arrive in Colorado so I am not really worried about pushing mileage right now. I just want to get out and run my favourite trails around here before I leave.

Scoping the Marathon route with Woody

Awesome running above Le Tour

Evening run/scramble with the troops

It really has been a bit of everything for the past week and I have been enjoying some easy rock climbing and little ridge traverses when I feel like I need a break from the running. This weekend is the World Sky Running Championships here in Chamonix and the who's who of trail running have descended here to compete. There is a Vertical KM , 10km, Cross(23km) , Marathon and 80km over the weekend. The big guns are all out to battle over the Marathon and 80km and with pretty much everyone in the trail running scene here it is a pretty good atmosphere. I have ran the Marathon twice and the 80km last year. I really do wish I was doing the 80km again this year but with Leadville 50 miler on July 13^th I just feel it is a little too close for me to fully recover. I don't doubt I could do both but I would like to feel strong in America and doing the Mont Blanc 80km would take its toll on me and I really think it would affect how I felt in the US where I want to feel strong and fresh and hopefully finish Leadville feeling good. I am pretty sure I could suffer through both but that appeal left me a long time ago. Meanwhile Lauren is here to run the Marathon(her first) so I am excited to be supporting her over the course on Sunday as well as watching other friends battle over the KM Vertical and 80k. In hindsight I should have entered the Cross or the 10km just to be a part of the weekend.

Woody and Naila enjoying trails above Les Houches

All smiles

One of my faves above Brevent

So my next race is only a couple of weeks away and even closer is my flight to Colorado. I still cannot wait to get out there and get running. I feel ready for Leadville 50 miler having done the 53 mile Highland Fling late April and then the 40km race in Cerdanya earlier this month. I just need to get over there and get used to the altitude but that shouldn't take me more than a few days. Then the rest of the summer is just run , run , run until the big race in Steamboat on September 12^th.