I know it’s not easy for everyone to go to France just to run some kilometers. If you have the chance to go, don’t forget to bring with you your running shoes and your favorite pair of shorts and tee-shirt so you will be ready just in case. Here are my 5 reasons why I prefer running in France, in the home town of my dad (Périgord).

1. Constant air-conditioning Yes, with the weather in France, you barely sweat even during summer time and especially in the morning with a temperature of around 16 degrees Celsius. It is not like in Manilla where sometimes even early in the morning the heat can really affect your run, tiring you out faster than you’d like to.

2.Traffic and pollution No traffic, no pollution in Périgord. Start the run at around 7:30 am and we met only 2 cars. The air is so fresh and so clean that you can smell the difference between a corn field, a wheat field, the edge of the forest. You can even smell the mushrooms and the woods. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why my running time is faster here 🙂

3. Meeting with other runners You can run wherever you want. You barely see or meet people in the morning on the road and on the forest path. But you meet other things. This morning, we saw more animals than people. There were 2 old ladies walking and 2 wild rabbits and 2 wild ducks. This makes your run so much more interesting and pleasant. I just love nature on its own.

4.The free food along your run Yes, during your run if you feel that you need some nutrition, you can always stop for some wild blackberry and other fruits available depending on the season, and it’s free. It is the season of the wild blackberry now as well as other fruits and it is all along your path. Just pick them  🙂 Blackberries are notable for their high nutritional contents of dietary fibre, vitamin C, vitamin K and the essential mineral, manganese. Blackberries have both soluble and insoluble fiber. One cup of blackberries (144 g) has an average of 7.6 g of fibre and contains half the daily recommended dose of vitamin C. Dietary fiber is important in maintaining a healthy digestive system, as it supports regular bowel movements. Please see more
blackberry

5.Family vacation exercise And to finish, the last reason why I prefer running in France, is because my family runs with me. In Manila with our difficult schedule, (school, work, business…) it is really hard to run together. I really can enjoy here more time for our life. I recommend to all of you runner-friends to try running in other countries besides yours. You might see and meet new people or things that will make your run more interesting and, hence more productive than the usual.

Happy running and happy more time for your life !