Sometimes I think I have lost my mind. After having run some but not nearly my usual amount over the summer, when I arrived in Toulouse, Enzo asked me if I was going to run the Toulouse Half Marathon as we did last year. I agreed that I would run it. Not sure whether I lost my mind or just felt since he was asking as a friend, I decided to say yes.

I have been running twice a week with Run in Toulouse but that usually only gets me 10 miles a week. I had run one 10 miler two weeks ago but that was the longest distance I had run in months. I was really not sure I could run a whole half marathon.

I broke my routine in cleaning and chores as I had run the dishwasher on Sunday. This made one less chore but threw off my routine. I think with Emily and Barbara visiting and then my trip to Italy, my whole washing clothes and doing dishes will be off. It is not a bad thing to change up the routine.

After doing my usual Monday morning clean up and laundry, I decided I should try to run 13.1 miles to see if I could actually finish a half marathon with the shape I am currently in. I am happy to say that I did run all 13.1 miles with only a slight break (not because I was tired but because I saw a canal boat entering a lock and that always fascinates me). The time was not necessarily as fast I would have wished for but all that matter was that I was able to finish the distance. I finished in 1 hour 55 minutes which is slow for when I was in good shape but it is in the range (and maybe even a little faster) of what I thought I could finish it in.

As usual my pace is not as consistent as I would like, I had a couple of miles at a faster pace than I probably should have been going but that is always the case with my running. I hope that during the actual race I will pace myself better. Also, all the people, hype and excitement during the race sometimes makes me do better than when I am just running by myself. We will see what happens on Sunday.

I ran the Canal Lateral as I did not want to have the same problem of getting lost that I had previously through the Parc de Garonne. Another advantage of that route is that it is mainly flat and straight. Only hills are the approached to the locks and bridges that intersect the canal.

Here is a video of the canal boat going into the lock. I was running by the Canal Lateral which runs from Bordeaux to Toulouse. I think the couple on the boat were English so they had traveled a good distance around France. The boat itself looked very luxurious and might have been one that can be rented. There were lots more lounge chairs on the deck than people on the boat.

I made a good dinner after my run. I needed to refuel. I had bought a guinea fowl thigh and drumstick and baked it with potatoes. I added green beans and salad for healthy dinner. It was nice and just what I needed after the run.