I'm running along the D927 and it's getting built up as I approach Rouen, still a day or so away. My knees are sore so it's a short run today, just a 5 km. First I pass through Le Houlme and then Notre-Dame-de-Bondeville with a large eglise (church). I'm not sure where Notre-Dame-de-Bondeville ends and Maromme begins however I finish somewhere in between them.
distance today: 5 km
Through Les Cambes across patchwork countryside to Malaunay. Malaunay is a small "commune". This word has puzzled me since I began this project so I decided to look it up. A commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or cities in the USA or Gemeinden in Germany. French communes have a status somewhere in between that of English districts and civil parishes. A French commune can be a city of 2 million inhabitants as in Paris; a town of 10,000 people - or just a 10 person hamlet. Not only am I getting in shape, I'm learning something! That deserves a celebratory verre du vin. Or a pastry...
distance today: 6 km
straight south today, through the village of Valmartin past the lovely Chapelle Saint George de Valmartin. i continue on through another village of Le Boulay. I'm still amazed at how many of these small villages there are. how can you get bored when in a mere 6 km you go through 2 villages?
distance today: 6 km
between work commitments and biking everywhere i've let this slide. today was bloody hard, not just on my legs but the cardio. 5 km should not be this hard! time to recommit and work a bit harder at this, i feel like my fitness is sliding. running twice a week is totally doable even if i have to set an alarm clock and get up early! distance today: 5 km
distance to date: 264 km
it's flat here which is makes running much easier. i've been slacking on my runs as i'm biking a lot and my legs are feeling overtired. at this rate it could be 2011 before i reach marseilles. i would like to make it by the end of 2010.
distance today: 5 km
it's a rather long way until the next major town, and since my runs are currently quite short it could be a while before i reach it. so i shall just enjoy the trees, les arbres.
distance today: 5 km
more patchwork quilt countryside. i did come across this rather lovely house, wouldn't you love to have a turret like that?
distance today: 6.4 km