Marathon season is upon us and anyone who throws on a pair of running shoes and drags their bones around the city will have noticed the number of people doing the same thing steadily increasing. Post-January reality sets in as the countdown towards the Paris Semi (March 6th) and the Marathon (April 3rd) begins.
I love running alone, I don’t even run with music anymore, but one of the downsides to this is that there is no one to set my pace against, or to tell me if my running style is actually damaging my body, or inefficient. You know when you get a twinge in your knee and you wonder if perhaps your’re over extending your right leg, but you can’t exactly stop a stranger mid-run to ask them for their opinion. Plus, they might not be professionals either!
Well thanks to the Running Club at the Jardin d’Acclimatation now you can train with professionals for free! For 10 weeks American sportswear company Saucony are offering running workshops, followed by a timed race to monitor your progress by the end of the course. They started on the 9th of February but there is still time to sign up. For the weekly training sessions you can only book two weeks in advance, but you can choose your final race date now so you have a goal to work towards. Training sessions last 2 hours and you can choose your preferred dates and times (Tuesday and Thursday from 19h to 21h or Sunday from 08:30 to 10:30).
Coaches from the Saucony Running Club will be on hand to help you progress; planning workouts, advising on nutrition, and giving tips on recovery. A cloakroom/toilets will be available, as will snacks. There are instructor-led group warm-ups and cool-downs so that injury can be avoided and you can learn the best stretches to do whilst training from the pro’s. There will also be Saucony products available to try, and of course, buy. The biggest bonus though is the environment; running in the stunning Jardin d’Acclimatation, past the Zoo, the merry-go-rounds and the Louis Vuitton Foundation. The final races are only 5km so this is perfect for beginners, but also for longer distance runners the workshops could be beneficial for fine-tuning your performance. I’ll see you there!
For more information and to sign up for free click here.
Image belongs to Saucony Running Club.
