I set up my watch for run 7/walk 3 intervals. I did run through my first walking interval because it just felt right and the pace was being managed very well. The second walk interval came so quickly, it seemed, and then I keep on schedule until the very end.

KM 0-10:
This was the best section for crowds and enthusiasm. Some cobblestone, but not crazy. Going around the Bastille was electric, since the returning runners in early heats overlapped with our course. TONs of fans and a great band.
KM-10-22:
Lots of crowds until we reached the Bois de Boulogne. This segment was SO boring. Nice enough scenery and a few crowds, but not the Paris I wanted to see. Around the half marathon I did find a bathroom. I am really glad I brought a bit of toilet paper, because these potties had had a long day. Yikes. I kept up with eating a honey stinger waffle every 4th intervals on my walk, plus sampling from the race food (bananas, pound cake YUM, gingerbread YUCK) and refilling my bottle. I carried one collapsible bottle in my vest which was perfect, by the way.
KM 22-27ish:
After leaving the park we ran through a bit more boring, urban stretch. I was happy for the variety of shops and music along the way. On the whole course there were many drum bands, which I love! Really kept the mood high. There was also a DJ in this stretch and I tried to dance/move a bit, just to keep the vibe going. The runners were quite stretched out at this point, being at the tail end and with wider streets.
KM 27ish-35:
We made it back to the Seine, with more crowds and narrower roads. I never lacked for anything to look at, and the food/water/potties were spaced perfectly. The aid station volunteers were great about encouragement and I heard my name 100 times. There was a tunnel by the Tuileries that is filled with murals and we could hear the drum band echoing the whole half mile or so, end to end. IT WAS THE BEST!
KM 35-40:
We’re in another park and it’s a little boring again. Here is where the zombie apocalypse started. Weirdly I felt pretty great! It was less comfortable for my legs/feet to walk, so I actually looked forward to run breaks. LOL. But I kept with the walking to manage my effort and take in calories. There was a guy from Taiwan trying to encourage people to keep running, so I talked to him for a minute. Since I was doing run/walk, I was running faster than most nearby – which was (sorry) pretty encouraging and kept my spirits high. I could do without these park segments, though, so boring! Also this park had a few hills.
KM 40-end:
We’re back to the city – woohoo! More hills, both up and down. I started ignoring my intervals and only walked on uphill. My last 2 miles were fast! I ended up with almost an even split, which is HUGE PROGRESS for me! In Berlin I ran 2:30 for the first half, and 3:15 for the second half. Terrible. This was 2:40 for the first half, 2:46 for the second. Considering the last 10k or so were pretty much uphill, this is amazing to me. Still can’t get over it.

This was darn near perfect. I think my coach would have preferred an extra month on the front end, but if you change one thing it could tip everything in the wrong direction. I will take this as a gift and enjoy it without regrets.

They didn't have any foils left, so we walked a mile+ back to the apartment. We did stop for hot dogs and champagne en route. Love big city races! LOL.

Splits Split time Total time Pace/km Pace/mile
KM5 0:36:20 0:36:20 07:15 /km 11:40 /m
KM10 0:37:52 1:14:12 07:34 /km 12:10 /m
KM15 0:37:53 1:52:05 07:34 /km 12:10 /m
KM20 0:40:07 2:32:12 08:01 /km 12:54 /m
KM21 0:08:48 2:41:00 08:00 /km 12:52 /m
KM25 0:30:06 3:11:06 07:43 /km 12:25 /m
ASICS 0:08:19 3:19:25 07:33 /km 12:09 /m
KM30 0:31:05 3:50:30 07:58 /km 12:49 /m
KM35 0:39:51 4:30:21 07:58 /km 12:49 /m
KM40 0:40:14 5:10:35 08:02 /km 12:55 /m
FINISH 0:16:07 5:26:42 07:20 /km 11:48 /m



The BEST!