Finally, running, back to Frédéric Cassel for Tarte Chocolat a la Caramélia

No rain, no knee pain, and no cold (I hope), so I ran today!

It's been so long (well, more than a week) that I had forgotten what it feels like, so I went with that and tried running in a way that I knew was different: I ran like a girl. Or at least, I ran like a former girl group (AKB48) member who just started as the third host on a running program that I decided I should watch. She did a marathon 4 years ago but hasn't been running. She was preparing for a 10K (well, or she couldn't be a host), but didn't want to get big muscles on her legs. Actually, that is reasonable, because top long-distance runners don't have thick legs, because that is not necessary or efficient.

So she met a trainer (at the Gaien course, naturally because it's a marked route and there is big open space in the middle for training) who photographed her form and told her that she was taking too big of steps in the sense of the height of her toes. I've heard this before: think of stepping on a tuna can when you run, because you don't want your toes far off the ground when your heel hits. Otherwise, you are putting on the breaks, which uses a lot of muscles for stopping and then restarting. The other thing was lean forward, which they didn't talk about, but showed.

So today I didn't try to pump my legs at all, I just leaned into it and tried to keep then rolling fairly effortlessly. I wasn't sure how far I could do it, so I broke it up before the biggest hill going out to Ginza, but I ended up faster after that point than before, both very fast and almost racing speed on the hill part (it goes back down, of course). In one way, it is effortless, because I'm not trying to go fast at all, I'm just trying to do it at all (I have no basis for comparison running like this). At the last part of that 5.2 km fairly continuous run (there are a couple lights that you can't make at a reasonable speed), I didn't feel tired and was going as fast as I probably went the whole run, but on the other hand puffing very hard. When I stopped at the light just short of Ginza (from which I walked to Ginza Mitsukoshi), then I could feel that I had used some muscles.

Going back, I did 4 km very slow because I was somewhat tired, that kind of running doesn't work with carrying cake and having the weight of my jacket in my backpack, and my left knee called attention to itself at about the same point as my previous run, though not as bad, not increasingly bad, and not hurting during the walk home from the 100 yen shop (although I still iced it for a bit). Also, no headache, so the runny nose I have left is just from pollen and the fact that I woke up 90 minutes early this morning.

The cake was my eighth from Frédéric Cassel, and I'll give the name a try: Tarte Chocolat a la Caramélia for 756 yen. The website leaves off the "Chocolat" that was on the in-store card. This is a baked tart with milk chocolate ganache (and a small amount of pecan pieces) under caramel chocolate ganache cream. It was definitely excellent. I like chocolate tarts and this was a good one.

Pierre Hermé: Plaisirs Sucré

I'm still a little drippy today, so I didn't go running in the rain, but maybe tomorrow. I don't want to get more sick, since I've got important plans for the weekend.

Swung by Isetan and got a Plaisir Sucré for 648 yen, which is considerably cheaper than on the Paris homepage, even with the stronger yen. According to there, it is a dacquoise biscuit with crunchy hazelnuts, hazelnut crisp, thin wafers of milk chocolate, milk chocolate ganache, and milk chocolate chantilly, which pretty much sums my experience: like a really good milk chocolate bar with nuts. That limits it somewhat, but it's still definitely excellent and I would welcome another one.

Cycling to Rue de Passy and Fraoula

I was late, and arrived at Ryoco at 10:45 so there was a huge line. I was reminded of Hidemi Sugino in Kyoubashi (north of Ginza), which is a rightly famous cake shop/cafe that I have not listed as great, partially because of the bother of lining up there and partly because their fruity mousse cakes are not my highest interest (although I'm talking myself in to going there). Anyway, I'll try again when I can go early enough to get cake in under an hour and probably also get at least two pieces for my trouble.

I went west next, as planned, to Rue de Passy and got their new Galaxy for 518 yen. It is a mousse dome. There is a base of milk chocolate ganache, a couple millimeters of chocolate (maybe) cake on next, then a dome of praline mousse with fruit, a covering of chocolate, and a few more pieces of fruit and other bits as you can see. The fruit was apple and pineapple compote, although I'm not sure which was which. Maybe the pineapple was the tiny hardish pieces on the outside and the apple was the fruit inside (it was a fairly small amount). It was a good balance all around, except it was a little too sweet and candy-like for me. Maybe I should have eaten in with tea. Given how bad the mosquitoes were in the park I tried, I wish I had used their cafe. I think I'll go back to considering this shop as very good and not give it further special attention.

I next, by an unintentionally long route, went to Fraoula, where I got the new Fig Tart. This was 518 yen. It is very good. You can see that it is slices of fig on a custard tart, or at least something in that family. Probably a good compliment for the Galaxy, but not really trying to be great. I also got La Boule, which is not cake, so no picture, but is a 4 cm sphere of sweet bread, for 108 yen; it was very nice and I'll continue sampling their their baked goods. 

Was quite tired later and needed a nap. I shouldn't be doing another long run this Wednesday---once a week would be more than enough---although I might try something special, like going out to Bigarreaux, to see what they have that I haven't tried. I'll need to get more done at home before then, though. At least the dishes aren't piling up, the mail is a little better dealt with, and three loads of washing got done. Also, I have ingredients for a big pot of curry and another version of cheesecake tarts.