So, today I took some of Judith’s deliciously scrummy cupcakes to a friend, who works in my old office block in Vevey. With a snowless, flat (more or less) running route all the way along the lake to Montreux (apart from a short road section), I decided it was too good a training opportunity to miss.
I’d read the other day that the statue of Freddie Mercury in Montreux had been ‘improved’, shall we say, by the addition of some green paint to his jacket, so I decided that he, or it, would be my turning point. With classic Swiss efficiency though, the offending paint had already been removed, as you will see from the picture below. There were also the usual temporary sculptures to admire in Montreux – this time with a gymnastics theme.
It’s only 1h 10mins drive away, but the contrast between the “Swiss Rivieira”, as it’s known, and our rural home here in Evolène, couldn’t be more marked. The multi-million dollar apartments and 5 star hotels were gleaming in the, albeit slightly hazy, sunshine. Also, when I left home the temperature was minus 1 degree C (30F) and in Vevey it was 9 degrees (48F). Though on the way home, the thermometer in my car rose to 14 degrees (57F) as I approached Sion. (It always is a few degrees warmer there).
In terms of the ‘run’, I stopped when my old GPS watch said exactly 15k (or 9.3 miles) and, because I took my camera and had to stop quite a few times, (see dips in the pace chart), it took me 1h 33mins 27 secs. Having told a few people recently that I was one-paced, I did my best to ignore the camera and up my speed at 12.5k for 500 metres and 14k to the finish but, with tiring legs, it only made a small difference. (See blue blocks on the Pace chart).
Alittlebitoutoffocus 
So 6 weeks will be plenty of training time if you are starting from a ‘base’ of 10 miles! Did you resist the cupcakes….?
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Let’s hope so, but my legs and hip are sore this evening. We’ll see what tomorrow brings… I did resist the cupcakes, as my wife had made a few too many scones for our guests. 🙂
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whew, impressive training, Mike — and I really enjoyed your artful photos. Freddie Mercury was an incredible force of nature, and I had no idea there was a statue of him; so I really enjoyed seeing this. It captures him well. Wonderful post.
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Thanks Jet! He certainly was a fabulous performer. I can’t recall if the connection with Montreux is via the Jazz Festival (Prince once performed an impromptu gig in the (free entry) Jazz Café once) or because he recorded there. But the statue is always surrounded by people. Charlie Chaplin too – who lived in Vevey (and I think his wife may still do). Your book is an arms length away on the sofa. Our friend Arthur lent me a book at Christmas “A Walk Across America” by Peter Jenkins, so I’m working my way through that at the moment. But yours will be next for sure! And welcome back! 🙂
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Sounds like a great outing Mike, love the pics and the FM statue tribute!
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It’s a great training route for sure, with plenty to see and lots of other people either just strolling along, pushing the pushchair, walking the dog, cycling and jogging of course! Maybe you could choose a Freddie or Queen song for your MMM post. Not that it’s a special date or anything (I don’t think anyway), but they’re great, and quite inspirational, tunes. One that immediately springs to mind is (It’s) A Kinda Magic. Great video too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0p_1QSUsbsM
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Are you sure that’s near where you live, lol?! They did a great job on that statue of Freddie! And I’d say it was a good run… hope your niggles work out. Hip flexors… I really need to work on those!
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It’s precisely 100k (62 miles away) – about 1h 10m drive (almost all motorway once I hit the Rhone valley floor at Sion – i.e. 25k down from us). As I mentioned, it’s like a different world to the snowy valley we have here at the moment, though the sun is shining through brightly as I type… (I’ve had to draw the curtain to see my laptop screen!) 🙂
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Those cupcakes look absolutely delicious! How on earth did they survive your run? 🙂
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I delivered them before I went for my run. (I can’t eat before a run). There were 4 or 5 spare, but when I got back home there were some freshly made scones as well… A difficult decision, but the scones won! 🙂
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🙂 🙂 🙂
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