Paris Marathon Anniversary

COVID-19 Era of The RONA

4.14.19 That was the day. That was my birthday gift, 45th birthday gift to myself. I prepared and trained 100 days prior to run the Paris Marathon 26.2 miles through the city of lights. I remember the whole experience of flying solo overseas for the first time. Signing up with Marathon Travel, a running tour group company and not knowing what to expect. Wondering what it would be like from the time adjustment and running in a city that I have visited many times to stroll and sight see. How would the weather, logistics work for this marathon.

I wanted to run in the wave of my newly found marathon friends, Karen, Erica, Val. Would I be allowed to be in their wave. Was I overly dressed to run, did I have everything? I remember myself and Erica walking together to the line up. We started in the middle of the Champs Elysees Avenue , and I could see the Arc de Triomphe. There were so many people, just so many. I was apart of this.

The weather was perfect for running, I could feel my heart beating in my chest. I had to calm myself down and relax. Just take in the moment. I was hear. I was going to finish. I was going to do this.

I wished all my friends good luck as our illegal wave that we were in started to move closer to the start. I heard the countdown in french but you just knew. Off we went running down the street. This would be the first time that I saw Paris running. I ran in parts of the city that I had never been in before. All the people. Unlike the races I’ve seen or been in, in the US, there were no barriers between the crowd and the runners. The closeness and the causal, I’m going to walk or bike across the street while the marathon was going on was odd, interesting, and pissy for me. I wish I had a go-pro. I remember being confused between seeing miles and kilometers signs. The delight of the fuel stations having cake, dates, raisins, mini bottles of water, nothing processed with these folks. It was so green and recyclable. Running along the Seine and seeing Notre Dame de Paris , which the following day was on fire.

Just a lot of thoughts this morning. To honor that I ran 4.65 miles today. More than a 5k less than a 10k. It was a perfect 50 degree sunny morning for my a.m. run. The morning run in the RONA where the ducklings wear mask, the homeless are still homeless, the squirrels and pigeons don’t give a damn, and other people are running on this gorgeous morning wearing face mask. So much has changed in a year. Happy for fighting through my fear and the experience that I will never forget.