Day 28 was done prior to Newcastle playing Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League. My aim was to take things slower and steadier (if that was possible) than usual and enjoy some of the sights. This was a day that reminded me of running through New York on day 1 of the run across the USA last year. There was plenty of stop/start movement as I waited for numerous road crossing to show green.
The first major landmark was the Arc De Triomphe just before the 3 mile point. There were plenty of tourists about. I didn't hang about too long and made my way towards the next landmark.
I was mindful of not drinking too much water as I ran. The lack of toilet options (as opposed to, say, the wilds of Northumberland) were limited. That said, I was absolutely bursting from mile 3. Apologies for the details! Imagine my astonishment, when I found some free toilets at the Trocadero Gardens. A complete stroke of luck! I decided that I'd go thirsty from that point onwards as I might not be as fortunate next time.
I crossed the river Seine and ran past the Eiffel Tower (4 miles in). The next 3 miles were on a nice quiet stretch along the south bank of the river. As I made my way towards Notre Dame I noticed a few runners. I don't think I passed a single one of them!
I crossed over the river at Ile St. Louis and when I got to the north bank I couldn't believe the amount of people out running. I reckon that, in the mile and a bit to the Louvre, I must have seen almost 1000 runners. Yet again, I didn't overtake a single one of them.
I reached the Musee Du Louvre after 8.25 miles. It was time for another photograph. I was last here 11 years ago but the sight is very familiar from the closing stages of the Tour De France. I could see the peleton making it's way across the vast court yard in my minds eye.
By now I had lost the little momentum that I had. The next mile to Place De La Concorde was a real struggle. At least I was entertained by the scenery, the landmarks and visions of the peleton weaving its way onto the Champs-Elysees.
I made my way back to the Arc De Triomphe at the 10.5 mile point. I saw a familiar face there. It was none other than Newcastle United kitman Neil Stoker. We had a good conversation and swapped stories about charity ventures. He was currently undertaking one himself.
I was just about to get back underway and saw that my match going mate, Tino (not that one), was nearby. He'd been on a wander round Paris. I decided to stop the running and we walked back to the hotel together. Needless to say I reached mile 13.1 in 04:00:45. Not so much of a half marathon, more of a sight seeing saunter around the French capital in the end.
After a quick shower, me and Tino went to find some food. I was thinking Pizza. In fact I'd been thinking that for the previous 6 or so hours! We eventually found somewhere and I'm pleased to report that it was delicious. It was some kind of parmisan / truffle concoction.
The next task was to get the metro to the Parc des Princes to watch the match. As per usual, I arrived in plenty of time. That called for a bit of a walk around to kill some time. All the while I was adding to my daily steps. Something I'd later pay the price for. The match was a good one and Newcastle were unlucky not to win I thought.
We got let out of the ground just after 2330! A walk to the metro afterwards was followed by a 30 minute journey with standing room only. We arrived at the Gare Du Nord and there was just about enough time to go and find a burger for Tino. We made it back to the hotel just before 0100. After 5 hours sleep, it was time to walk to the train station, travel to the airport and get the direct flight back to Newcastle.
My original plan was to run home from the airport. However, the rain, my backpack and utter tiredness put paid to that. I should mention that the 40,000 steps I'd managed during the previous day meant that my feet were very sore. I'm sure that 30,000 or so steps are my threshold for a good recovery. Paris had definitely taken it's toll on my feet. The new plan, when I got home, was to have a long tactical snooze and get day 29 underway later in the day.
