Getting peak performance for the peak of Mt Ventoux

stats of the week: run 29 km, cycled 104 km, gym 3 h

With temperatures climbing up into the high 30s, getting into peak shape for next Sunday’s half marathon is definitely a challenge. On late Sunday afternoon, we drove up to Chalet Reynard by car, and I jogged and hiked the 6 km to the summit to get a feeling for the great day. Even up there, it was still pretty hot (mid-20s) while down in Malaucène it hit 37°C. I managed an average pace of 8:27 min/km, with about 17 minutes of running and 35 minutes of power walking. My goal for the race is to keep an average pace under 10 min/km so I can finish within the time limit. I’m still not sure if I can pull it off, though.

Meanwhile, festival season is in full swing. On Friday we headed back to Orange to check out the Jazz Festival, which ran from Thursday to Sunday with two stages going twice every evening. We saw a singer with a really talented piano player, but honestly, we weren’t blown away by the vocals. So we skipped Saturday’s visit and opted to watch the final of the European U21 Football Championship instead. With a bit of bad luck, Germany lost to England, but they played really well. It was great entertainment.

There was also another event in Mollans this weekend: an art exhibition featuring 17 artists, each showcased at a different local venue. It was a great opportunity to visit the old olive oil mill, and we even got to step inside some private homes what was really interesting to see. The whole event was beautifully organized and brought the village to life for three days.

Photo: Close to the finish at top of Mont Ventoux