Three years ago, the Mistress of Frimousse decided to buy a bike. She wanted flat handlebars and certainly not a «man» frame. It is with this bike that she has cycled so far, that she’s climbed Galibier, Isoard, etc.

Steph’s mother has bought an electric bike and offered her classic bike to the Mistress of Frimousse, for a very good price. It is a very good bike. Problem: it has a «man» frame and road handlebars. The Mistress of Frimousse has tried it several times on a country road near our village – with me in the car – but the experience was not convincing. (Husbands are rarely good advisors…) On Sunday Fabien proposed her to try the bike on the bike path with him. After a couple of hours… “Great! I’m buying it!”

I am going to speak about my health. Not for you to pity me (!) but because I think that what you are going to read may be useful to some people you know – I can give you the sources of my “treatment” if you wish.

About fifteen months ago, after a blood test, my doctor told me that I was suffering from hyperglycemia – we can also call it the onset of diabetes. They analyze the hemoglobin and it gives, to put it simply, the glycemia over the last three months. Beyond 7, you are bad! I was at 7.5. I did an analysis every three months and today… 6.1 – the “normal is between 4 and 6. What do I do? Two things. Completely give up eating ALL carbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, lentils, fruit, and obviously cakes, chocolate, and soft drinks, etc.). However I have eaten the peaches and the pears of our garden, big exception. And— I’ve tried to walk and then jog EVERY day: 1016 km between January 1st and today – I didn’t record for 2018. Youpi!

At the time I was running a lot, I used to write my kimometres on an excel sheet – and the Mistress of Frimousse continues to do so. It’s a great way to get motivated!

At the beginning of the year – January 1 – when I decided to try to walk a little, I resumed this habit. I walked and then started to jog a bit in the middle of spring. And today I have reached the symbolic bar of 1000 km (625 M), that is a little more than 2 miles per day. The heat wave (July) was the hardest period. But it’s not easy to spend all those hours chatting with myself.…

It’s nine and a half. I’m away for a-3km-climb (2M), for 250m 850ft of difference in height. A tarred road. There is a shortcut on a path but too steep for me – well… too steep for me now because 15 years ago… Not many cars, a few heifers in the meadows, nobody – people are at home because it’s raining. I took my walking poles to relieve my knees during the climb. I do not climb very fast but a certain impression of ease nevertheless. Probably the rain. I like the rain, I admit it. Finally the end of the paved road – my goal – is fast approaching, with its curtain of trees in front of me. A path continues up the mountain. Will I go there again, one day? It is raining very heavily now. I turn around to start the descent, a pole in each hand, touching the road with my heels tgo save my knees – nevermind my back!

Yesterday morning, the Mistress of Frimousse and Fabien ran about ten kilometers near the Lake, at a moderate pace, because… This morning, departure from Saint-Jorioz, altitude 460 meters, to climb to the Forclaz pass (1150 meters), in 8 kilometers. It’s considered one of the toughest passes here. It’s done!