Back to running? Not quite yet, but...

I flew back to California on Tuesday night and rushed to see my orthopedist on Wednesday morning! He is happy with the progress and sent me for some physical therapy which I started on Friday afternoon and the PT is happy with the progress too. That leaves me alone to feel this isn't healing fast enough, but I enjoyed getting back to the gym for some serious exercise (and serious sweat...)!

In the meantime, I didn't stay inactive and, in addition to doing some static strength training, Agnès and I went for three good and strenuous hikes in the Alps and the Jura during our stay in Annecy.

Here are two classic ones. The first starts from Chamonix and we followed the new trail under the Téléphérique de Plan-Praz which served for the second year as the course of the Vertical Kilometer (3,300 feet elevation over 2.5 miles!) which Kilian Jornet won this year in 36 minutes! Since I couldn't run anyway in such a super steep uphill, it was great to power walk at full power. We continued up to the summit, Le Brévent, from which we had a wonderful panorama over the Mont Blanc (3 days before the deadly avalanche on Mont Maudit).

Here is the profile, take a look at the scale/axis:

The corresponding map:

And the view of the switchbacks under the gondola:

A week later we hiked to the highest points of the Jura, over Geneva, Le Reculet and Le Crêt des Neiges (1720m). It was great to be back on the course of what has been my first trail and mountain race back in... 1989 when I was working at CERN in Geneva. It was also a great opportunity for Agnès to finally discover this trail and amazing view over the entire Lac Léman. The visibility was so good that we could see Lausanne, Montreux and even the Lac d'Annecy.

It's cool to hike instead or running and rushing, I could even tease the cows... ;-)

Here again, that's quite a steep profile, look at the scale!

All that, so close to Geneva...

This weekend I followed my teammates on the live webcast while they were battling the heat at Tahoe Rim Trail (which I wished I were...) and Angeles Crest 100-mile races. And spent 6 hours at the gym alternating serious work on the press, the elliptical, the bike and the step master. My shoulder knows that my legs, heart and mind are ready to go...