It’s Friday so I’m also linking up with  Fairytales and Fitness for the Friday Five linkup! Join in! Don’t forget to link back to your hostess and visit some other bloggers.

Ok, you are probably tired hearing this but I RAN.In.France.

As a former French teacher, this was a dream come true. So I am pretty much obsessing about it until something better comes along.

So here are five running-related things that I loved about my vacation in France.

1. Running in person with someone I met online.

I first met Karen virtually through her blog. (Now I follow her on IG.)  I also have met her IRL during two of her trips to NYC. She is as nice in person as she is online.

She lives in Paris and I was excited to run with her there.

It was a real treat to meet up, run, chat, and experience in person the route that she normally runs on.

2. Running in Bois de Vincennes.

On a previous trip to Paris ages ago, I visited Bois de Boulogne. But I only know Bois de Vincennes from Karen’s IG posts.

I was able to run there at both the beginning and end of my trip.  I entered the park in different locations to be able to run on different paths..

As you can see it is beautiful!!

3. Running in a small rural town.

I spent several days staying with a family in Sanguinet which is located in the SW, not too far from Bordeaux.

It was totally different experience than running in Paris. I ran there almost everyday. Luckily I spoke French because I did get lost the first day on my way back from the lake.

But I ran the next two days on different roads without getting lost 🙂

4. Walking on an above ground walkway (Coulee Verte).

I asked the hotel owner for a different place to walk/run besides along the Seine and in the parks.  He explained that I could take some stairs near Place de la Bastille and walk/run forever on this walkway.

He was right. It was a great place walk or run.  If it weren’t the day before my race, I would have joined all the other runners on this path.

5. Running a Race.

I was fortunate to find a race that was scheduled during the time that I was in France. (That was part of the plan.) I ran the 20 km de Paris at the end of my trip.

It was an amazing experience that I’ll never forget.

Happy Running! What is your favorite city to run? Why?