Day 257 – EU – France [Valence – St Rambert d’Albon]

17/12/20

41.7km

  From Valence (France) to St Rambert d’Albon (France)

Europe

A damp and cold return to the road with a very resilient effort from my body

I was not sure what to expect as I hit the road this morning following the 42 days hiatus of the second European lockdown. The experience of the first lockdown showed me that as long as I kept running, I would be fine. However I had run a lot less kms in the second lockdown. One thing was sure though: I was eager and truly looking forward to being on my journey again!

I started out at sunrise under a dark heavy sky but with mild temperatures. There was a bit of running around the streets of Valence before eventually joining the “Nationale 7” or N7, France’s mythical “Route des vacances” or “Holiday Road”, that rallies Paris to Italy and the southern mediteranean coast.

The further I progressed, the heaviest the sky looked and eventually it opened up and gave way to a very cold and persistent rain. It was a pity as the environment was quite stunning. On my right side, far away, I could see the Alps and its snowy summits. On my left side was the Rhone, one of the big rivers of France. In between, endless rows of vineyards, no doubt we are in the home of the “Cotes Du Rhone” a famous winemaking region.

I am surprised how my body adapted instantly and all the signals I got from it throughout the run suggested that it was just business-as-usual. I sure hope it will continue to be the case over the next few days! I am delighted to be running again – even though it will be very cold in the next few months (not my favorite!).

Check my daily run GPS data on or

Here is the map of today’s run: