Photo: A banana, some grapes and the miche. Une banane, des raisins, et la miche.

Demain, j’ai une course de dix kilometer.  Et dimanche je vais courir autre dix miles.  Tomorrow, I have a ten kilometer race.  And Sunday I am going to run another ten miles. Exciting plans for the weekend.

This is how I speak French dans ma tête / in my head.  I may read this a year from now and be horrified by the simplicity and mistakes.  Mais, maintenant – dans my tête, c’est fantastique. But, now – in my head, it’s fantastic.

You can see the elementary syntax.  Yet, I’m so excited.  I really enjoy learning French while running.  Vraiment! / Really!  Or should I say, Je cours et j’apprends le français  / I run and I learn French?

Bisous ma miche / Kiss my miche, is a phrase we’ve come to use in our family.  It basically means kiss my butt, in a humorous non offensive way.

Several years ago my French father-in-law (who we all know can’t understand a thing I say in French), and I had a bit of a spat.  A little disagreement.  And I blurted out in frustration “Bisous ma miche!” And braced myself.

Earlier in the day – at une boulangerie / a bakery, I asked  “Qu’est-ce que c’est?” / “what’s that?” “C’est une miche.”  “It’s a miche.”  I heard someone say.  FYI – a miche is a rounded rustic loaf of French bread (see photo).  As we continued to look around, someone mentioned how the miche was shaped like a derrière.  D’accord… / Okay… I thought and continued to look around.

Obviously this image stuck avec moi / with me.  Plus tard / Later, as my father-in-law and I playfully argued, I found myself searching for words in French and then blurting out “bisous ma miche.”

When the words flew out of my mouth – I cringed!  Thankfully, he just laughed.  Actually, we all had a good laugh and un autre verre de vin / another glass of wine.

Hier soir / Last night, I had a bad run!  I was tired, I was hot, and I have a cold.  Feeling defeated, I thought about how to express myself en français  / in French – when the old bisous ma miche story came to mind.  Je vais courir 50 milles! / I’m going to run 50 miles, so you can just bisous ma miche.

Channeling the anger, I ran a little farther before calling it a night one mile short of the planned distance.

Thirteen weeks to go until the 50 miler.  Don’t panic!  What is the French word for panic?  C’est panique.  It’s panique.  Ne panique pas / do not panic.  Oui, je peux! Yes, I can! I can do this.

50 Mile Ultra Marathon Training Pulse Check:  Overall – body and mind feel good.  Knee pain is under control and doesn’t seem to be worsening.  Last weekend it held up for back to back mid distance runs.  But 50 miles is another story.  Pray for me.

Suz Learns French Pulse check:  Vocabulary is building and concepts are starting to make sense.  I’m making simple sentences and attempting simple conversations avec mon mari / with my husband.

Dear long run,

Bisous ma miche!  If you only knew I was using you to learn French.  

Bisous!  À plus tard.

Suz