Carnets de Claire #3 The 80km Ecotrail de Paris

From road racing to trail running

In April 2023, I finished my 2nd Paris marathon in 3 hours 45 minutes, with Charly (my brother) at the finish line. I tell myself that the next step will be a 3rd flatter marathon to go for an even better time, so I sign up for the Amsterdam marathon in October 2023. A few weeks later, I’m still doing my 5 outings a week, but in a different way: I’m running more slowly, I’m enjoying leaving the asphalt for forest paths, I’m enjoying pure fundamental endurance, just running long and slowly.

I realize that this new way of running gives me longer interludes of freedom of mind , and that’s exactly what I’m looking for. It soothes me, I forget what ails me and it’s good for me.

Off to the ecotrail!

So one evening in June 2023, I told myself that the marathon would no longer be for me , and I checked out the long-distance races in Paris so as not to complicate the logistics too much. I came across theEcotrail de Paris. Several events 18, 30, 45 or 80 km…. I tell myself that 45 isn’t challenging enough, so if I want to continue to get my 2% of self-acceptance , I need 80! I buy my bib with my eyes full of stars, like a child buying a ticket to Disney! For 9 months, this goal never left me.

Training

December 2023, after months of classic outings, I start my training plan, here we go, 3h, 3h30, 4h outings for me…. I’ve never been afraid of these outings, I was always looking forward to going, looking forward to disconnecting from everything, looking forward to getting away.

I go for a run and often cry, so I tell myself that my “race therapy” is having an effect, and I let go of everything… I alternate city and nature training with training routes that regularly take me past the Eiffel Tower, which I used to look at and say to myself “on March 16, 2024, I’ll get to the top!!!”. I said it to myself with unfailing determination.

I have fond memories of my 6 a.m. training sessions around Longchamp: I love this morning calm, I love running at night, I love this morning ritual that belongs to me. 12 weeks later, here I am on the eve of the big day, the big day that has thrilled me for so many months and impressed me so much.

80 km….Iwonder how my body will react, I wonder if my back will suffer carrying my 1.5 L of water and all the rest of the equipment, I wonder how my legs will react but I never wonder if I’ll manage to finish ! I leave no room for anything other than my arrival at the Eiffel Tower, I’m going to tear myself away, I’m going to draw on everything I’ve got, but I’m going to do it!

It’s D-Day

The big day arrives… the day before, a huge migraine, I tell myself it’s normal, I’ve been cogitating for 1 week, the pressure rises and falls gently, so migraine, a classic… A miracle pill, I sleep and get up ready to start. I gradually lock myself in my bubble, lock myself in my room, turn on the music, start putting on my outfit, get my legs ready and there…. I burst into tears, tears of pain, tears of joy, tears of emotion at finally being on this long-awaited day. I experience it as a parenthesis from 11am to 12pm of extreme freedom of spirit, an unequalled freedom.

Once the emotions have evaporated, I concentrate, think back over all my training sessions, consider all the advice I’ve received, mentalize the distance over and over again, and go! I’m in the starting locker, waiting, impatient to get going, thinking of nothing but running and giving myself this wonderful gift after so much effort.

I cover the first kilometers calmly, then the first big climbs, the mud, the climbs, the mud, I say to myself “ah yeah anyway!!!” and I carry on, not asking myself too many questions. I meet up with my darling again at the 25th mark, and I’m delighted, refuel efficiently, feel good, set off again and it’s back to a series of climbs, flats, descents…

I’m constantly telling myself that I’ve got to relaunch, that I’ ve got to run as soon as I can run, the sequence is hard, I tell myself not to give up and at that precise moment I hear a voice that carries, I say to myself “that’s crazy, it sounds like Charly”. I wasn’t expecting supporters in the middle of the forest, so I thought I must have been dreaming, but the further I went, the more I realized that it really was Charly, which gave me a boost, and then I heard Hélène’s voice! It was a great thrill to see them, and I continued on my way, happily meeting up with them on a regular basis.

I also find my darling at my refreshment points, a well-established ritual between refilling my water bottles, a bit of cheese, quick feedback by noting my condition out of 10, a kiss and off we go again.

I reach the stage of the unknown after 42 km… I say to myself, okay, I’m at 50 km, 30 more to go! I pass women walking their dogs and repeat to myself no less than 50 times , “No, it’s okay, I’ll finish this race and then I’ll buy myself an apricot-colored poodle and I’ll walk my dog in the forest” Ahahah, I repeat this to myself over and over again and then I say to myself , “No, no, Clairette, stop and focus on the race…”. The forest crossings are long and silent, each runner is in his or her own race, and I am too.

In the night

I’m at km 55, it’s getting dark, I’ve got 2 km to go before I meet Oliv at the ravito and switch to night mode. A new phase of the race begins, I bundle up, coat, hat, headlamp, cheese a kiss and off I run again.

It’s nighttime, and I love it, I love running at night, it reminds me of my morning workouts, it puts me in a state of total fulfillment, so I savor it again and again. I continue on and here I am at 66, the next refreshment point at 71 seems a long way off, so I get ready to do it alone as I’m not sure Oliv will get there.I finish one last big climb to the foot of the refreshment point and then I hear a scream that I recognize immediately, Doud!!!! Oh my god, there he is, what a talent! He’ll be there right to the end, and that’s huge.

I find it again, I tell myself that this race is completely crazy, I’m at the 71st km, I’ve got 12 to go! I’m feeling good, but I tell myself I still haven’t arrived! Two glasses of Coke later, a kiss and I’m off again. We’re in the Parc de Saint Cloud , which I know by heart, it’s downhill, I’m on an incredible cloud, I’m singing on the descent, I’m feeling great and so eager to hit the quays en route to the finish! I come out of the Parc de St Cloud and there’s a huge surprise: I see Mimi, then Hélène, then the whole Parisian family! Wouha what madness, you have all transported me so much, I have no words to express the happiness to see you! It was just crazy!

I know these quays by heart, and I also know that the finish is not far away, but not that close either. I concentrate, suddenly saying to myself “now you’ve gained 1% on your missing 2%”, it gives me a second wind, I keep running. I pass a runner, Jérôme, who asks me if I’m all right. I reply, “I’m fine, yes, I can’t wait to get there, but how are you?” and he tells me he’s a bit under the weather. We had the same pace, so we quickly agreed to finish together and off we went. We’ve got more than 75 km in the legs and we’ve got to keep running without walking too much, and that’s something we’ve got to look for!

I hear a strong voice again, and I say to Jérôme “ah that’s my brother!!!” he replies “ah it’s your brother, ah but I know him, I’ve seen him all the way!” so we laughed and thanked Charly and Hélène for being at the Billancourt bridge as always. energizing ! I’m starting to have a left knee painI walked for two minutes, stretched my legs, massaged my knee and started again.

Arrival at the Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower is here! We meet up with Mimi who accompanies us for a few metres, what a boost it is to keep running, happiness to see Lolo and Jacques at the top of the steps leading to the bottom of the Eiffel Tower, arrival at the bottom of the tower, the crowd, the atmosphere, the shouts of joy, it’s the grail!!!! I’m running like never before, I’m shouting for joy, I see Papilo, Mamisa and my darling, what happiness!

I’m so happy to share my arrival with them. That’s it, I’m up the stairs to the 1st floor, the equivalent of 25 storeys in a building, at which point I savour every step of the staircase, I’ve dreamt of it, I’ve told myself over and over again for 9 months that I’d reach those damn stairs, so here I am !!!! At the top, on the finish carpet, I run, my body and mind full of happiness, full of relief, I’ve given myself an unforgettable moment of freedom. Solène was there to welcome me, so it was truly unique!

A magnificent view of Paris. I meet up with Papilo, Mamisa and Doud downstairs, I break down in tears in Mamisa’s arms, tears of having been freed from this body I feel imprisoned in, tears of joy at having succeeded in offering me this unique moment, I cry in the arms of my husband whose extraordinary presence has touched me so deeply. Tears of pure happiness!

During this long race, I sometimes told myself that I was probably a bit crazy, I told myself that I should have signed up for a 60km, I told myself no but seriously why did you choose the 80? And then, the more I ran, the more I told myself I’d done the right thing, because that’s what makes me happy too!

This race was a new surpassing of myself, this race was the confirmation that I needed it, this race confirmed to me that it is in this discipline that I have fun so Paris is beautiful but the next race will surely be in the mountains!!!! And long live the magic of sport!

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