From the Eiffel Tower to the Arc de Triomphe to the seemingly endless pathway alongside the Seine river, I have finished my third Project 30 run!
Paris is one of the most beautiful and culturally rich places in Europe and one of my favorite cities in the world. So, it was with much excitement that I went to Paris for my third run. I took this chance to explore the city in a way that only a person willing to put in the sweat and work can do.
PRE RUN
Paris reminds me a lot of living in NYC and it is one of the cities in Europe that I have always thought about moving to if I ever decided to permanently remain in one spot. Walking around in Paris going to the different arrondissements felt similar to wandering around New York and exploring all the neighborhoods that make the city so special.
I think part of the magic of Paris is the ever present feeling of life that permeates throughout the streets and sidewalk tables that are filled with people eating, drinking and smoking. There’s the mixture of the hustle and bustle of a major city that is both historic yet modern, mixed in with an aura of deep appreciation that people have for enjoying many hours over a good meal and drink. Ernest Hemmingway once said,
“If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.”
That quote truly resonates with me and it was my desire to spend my week in Paris in a manner that replicated that of a local as much as possible.
Luckily, I was able to spend time with a friend who was born and raised in Paris, who was my guide to living a true Parisian life. So while I only stayed in Paris for a week, she was able to give me the gift of viewing the city through her eyes and make it feel as though I was truly a part of the city rather than an observer..
I came to Paris knowing that I would be running for Project 30, so one would rightfully assume that I would take care of my body and prepare myself by drinking plenty of water, eating the right food and getting a lot of rest. BUT, there was also the matter of wanting to truly enjoy being in Paris as a local. So, instead of the resting part, I decided to enjoy my nights like a Parisian, staying out late enjoying good wine and even better conversation.
RUN
I learned from my Rome P30 run to make sure that I understand my route prior to exiting the door for the run. During my Rome run I kept finding myself slowing down or stopping in order to check my phone and to make sure I was on the correct route. I had no interest in repeating that again, so this time around I mapped out my run using the UnderArmour MapMyRun app. They have a useful tool that allows for a map to be created and it will automatically show up on my phone for easy access.
I woke up around 9 the morning of the run and it was the first time that I did so with little desire to actually complete the run. The oh so comforting feeling of just skipping the run and procrastinating to another day was all too tantalizing an option. Honestly, it scared me how easily I was willing to accept not making the run. Luckily though, a stronger voice kicked into gear and after over an hour of lounging in my hotel room bed, I decided to go get a coffee from a great local café, The Beans on Fire. After a delicious macchiato and two decadent chocolate cookies, I finally had the motivation I needed to get myself out of the door and start running.
A great part about being conditioned for running, or any kind of workout for that matter, is that even when you don’t feel at 100%, or you don’t feel extremely excited about performing, your trained body has its muscle memory to take over. I found myself on a sort of autopilot for the first 20 mins or so. I didn’t snap out of the trance until I reached the Louvre and I reached for my phone to take a photo. It was then that I realized that 2 miles had just sort of passed by me.
Once I let go of the idea of needing to keep my phone out to snap photos and look at a route every couple of minutes, it truly made the experience of running much more enjoyable. It allowed me to be present and to move in a sort of flow state. Steven Kotler’s Stealing Fire was the first time that I read about the ‘flow state’ and the power it has to turn off the noisy critic that lurks in the back of our minds at all times and allows us to perform in a highly gratifying and time warping way. Achieving flow state during a run is the closest I think my body can get to feeling and moving like the flow of a river. You simply keep moving forward regardless of any obstacle, whether physical or mental. Its effect during a run has a sort of inertia - once you’ve started, it's actually harder to stop.
As usual, I felt a general soreness and tiredness in the early part of my run. In this case, I was acutely aware of it around the 10 mile mark. I felt both of my feet throbbing and slight sharp pain coming from my left knee. However, like I just previously mentioned, I was fortunate enough to be going in and out of a flow state that just allowed me to keep pushing forward. As it has during my SAS and Rome runs, the pain sort of just went away and I found that my body just registered the pain and moved on.
As I made my way past the Arc de Triomphe, I made the decision to run the remainder of my run alongside the Seine river. This allowed me to focus more on the prescience of running and to see the landmarks of Paris without needing to look at my phone to see where I was going, making the run all the more satisfying.
For example, this run was the longest that I went without listening to music, an Audible, or a podcast. By just being a runner, I was able to spend just shy of an hour truly being in the moment of running and watching my surroundings, listening to my breath and feeling my body glide along the pathways of the city.
As I neared my last turnaround point on Seine, I saw something I did not expect to see off in the distance - the Statue of Liberty. I knew I had to extend my turn around point, because there was no way that I could miss the chance to see this statue up close. As I approached it I found that a beautiful pedestrian pathway had been made that would allow for people to approach the statue. The statue is certainly smaller than the one in NYC but it truly is a magnificent sight to see in the middle of the Seine river. I would later find out that the statue was a gift by the US to the French people as a centennial celebration of the French Revolution. Seeing the statue gave me a slight boost in excitement to finish my last few miles as it gave me yet another reason to connect NYC to Paris.
As I approached the last mile in my run, I felt a surge of joy and happiness. And upon finishing the run I couldn’t help but scream my excitement out to a crowded Parisian street, “HELL YEAH!” I got some crazy and worried looks but I could not be bothered to care, I was too busy feeling good about completing my third run!
“True happiness comes from the joy of deeds well done, the zest of creating things new.”- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the French author of The Little Prince
POST RUN
As usual I didn’t sleep that well during the night. Normally it's just because I am, for good reason, sore and worn out so sleeping comfortably isn’t much of an option. But in addition to this usual soreness, I decided to celebrate finishing this run by going out and putting back a few drinks. Which honestly, I don’t regret but it did make a visible difference in my ability to recover. Recovery is something that I have put some thought into; it’s why I have rollers and a TheraGun but I haven’t truly done the necessary research that I know I need to if I want my body to be able to withstand my future Project 30 runs. I told myself that I can afford to wing it, especially since I am no longer beholden to a 9-5 job. However, in reality if I don’t get a good night’s sleep and allow my body to repair, it won’t make much of a difference if I don’t work. I’ll still be exhausted and essentially begging to get myself injured. Thankfully a friend of mine introduced me to the work of Ben Greenfield. Over the next few days and weeks to come I intend on upping my recovery game so that I can continue to crush these Project 30 runs.
Lessons Learned:
The need to maintain some sort of structure and schedule during my trips. It’ll allow me to stay consistent in my writing, sharing, and overall workout and recovery needs
Spend more time enjoying the prescience of running. I’ll need to find a way to balance my desire to share my runs and the things that I see on the path while allowing myself to truly be free to run and explore
Recover, recover, recover!
Thank you again to all of you that have taken the time to read this blog. It means a lot to me that you are willing to follow along on my journey. If you believe that other people you know may also enjoy following along, please feel free to share this blog. I look forward to writing these every time I run and I hope to learn and grow from the ever growing community of people like yourself that are following alongside me!
I call the pre-during-and post narrative your ‘into-through-and beyond’ expression of your run journey…mind, body, and spirit.
I feel the growth❤️🙏
Dig the pre, during and post context