P. Maison Douce: Trevi (?)

Got my cake from Isetan. This week (starting yesterday) P. Maison Douce is visiting from way out in Hachioji City, which is perhaps farther away than I've ever gone for cake, even when I could run 50+ km. The rain mostly held off today and I ran around Meiji Gaien. I'm down to just walking the first 0.3 km and then I ran somewhat slowly to the track and around the starting marker. Then  and did one full lap (1.325 km) at 8 km/h. The second full lap, I did 200 m each at 7, 9, 8, 7, 9, and 8 km/h, with the 8 km/h sort of high stepping, so it might have actually been the greatest work out. Then I ran to Lawson 100 for shopping, ending up not much under 8 km/h, even with a hill) and walked back. Overall, I had about 1 km walking, 2 km at 7 km/h, 3.5 km at 8 km/h, and of course 0.4 km at 9 km/h, which was a new speed to try and seems okay for my body. My weighted median speed is staying just barely in the 7 km/h category, but it's almost at 8 km/h, where I'm doing most of the running now. I'll keep decreasing the walking, but round trip to Ginza is still farther than I'm ready to do just running. I did max about 6 km this week, so I'll try maybe 8 km next week. Tomorrow, though I'll probably take off so I've got some budget for the weekend. I want to cycle back to Au Bon Vieux Temp and was going to go to Port Bonheur, but I might just got back to Isetan for Maison Douce cake and run locally again. Port Bonheur is accessible on weekdays (I've read), so no hurry. And it's about 8 km round trip.

The cake is maybe Trevi (phonetically, it is To-re-vi), which seems Italian. "Tres Vie" would be two French words, but wouldn't make any sense. It was only 440 yen before tax, I think, so quite reasonable. This time, I did look carefully at the cakes before selecting, but this was marked "Specialty" and "Award winner", so it was an easy choice. It is milk chocolate mousse flavored with orange, with some chocolate sponge inside, so it doesn't collapse, and a base of fairly large nut pieces, I think almond. This was great cake, so I do need to get back there before they become out of reach again.

Sunamachi-Kasai-Mizue History and Culture course: L'Abricotier

Took today off and got up early (before dawn) to run the Sunamachi-Kasai-Mizue History and Culture course. Still having knee trouble, or rather I think the tendon or something under and on the outside of the knee, so I have to be careful turning with the left leg, but no problem running fast straight or running up hills and stairs, which is weird. Not the normal knee problem. If necessary, I'll rest days or weeks until it is better, but in any case, I should not consider myself ready for longer distances until I can run in the 40 to 50 km range without getting this kind of problem.

First leg of the course is the Sunamachi Saltspray Walk from Minami Suanamchi Station. Doesn't seem to be any reason for this leg (although it was sort of on my way). I mean, there is sort of a park at the beginning, but I've been there before and it's just some place for people to pass through going north from the station (toward the residential section). The walk ends where the course branches, north of Nishi ("West") Kasai Station.

The south branch goes down past the station, by a big baseball stadium, and from there goes through a park course down to Kasirinkaikoen Station, which is named for the big park south of it, Kasai Seaside Park. The course weaves along a cycling road, park, bridges over main roads, and paths along artificial streams with lots of little bridges, so it's hard to be quick and it's well separated from the street. The final park, which I didn't get deeply into, is big and was recommended to me once by a birder as the best place to see birds in Tokyo. On the other side of a channel that connects up to Edo River is Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disneysea. This walk is the Kasai Wave Walk.

I traced the Kasai Wave Walk back to the branch point and headed northeast long the Sound of Old River Walk, which has a long stretch along a narrow stone path weaving along an artificial stream toward the end. The course changes name when you get to the same channel as I mentioned below (only, this is a different branch than the one going to Edo River). The final part is the Ichinoe Nanushi Estate Walk and ends at Mizue Station. It's okay, but again, I'm not that interested in this flat, below sea level (?) part of Tokyo, which is very car centered.

I came back mostly along Route 50. At Nihonbashi, I went in Mitsukoshi to visit the Dalloyau and got a Pain ("bread") d'Orange 324 yen. It's a danish made with their croissant dough and cream, orange, and sugar. Like their croissant, it was great.

Then I continued home running until the Lawson 100. I was very slow all day, but not terribly. Going was 13.0 km, then 20.15 km on the H&C course, and 17.7 km running back, which is about 51 km, perhaps farther than I should have run, although on the way back, I had figured out how to run so that my left leg didn't cause problems. It's not a good long-term solution, but later when I had to walk a little after going out again for cake (which I'll get to next), I didn't feel any problems. I don't expect that to last, but I hope I can recover without having to completely stop for a few weeks again, by which time it will be the rainy season and then full summer. Still two more about 50 km H&C course runs that I can do, which just leaves two 100 km course runs that I won't be surprised if I'm never able to do as preferred (without a train or cycle assist).

For cake, I cycled to L'Abricotier, where I ate in. I had to buy tea, but it wasn't that expensive (only 350 yen more), and I got a little pot with about three cups worth, not like French Pound House. I actually needed the fluids (although I had eaten and drunk water before coming out again after running) and the winds were very strong, so even if I had been running rather than cycling (which doesn't agree with cake), it was better to eat in. I plan to do that on my next visit too.

The cake was Le Piemont for 450 yen. It's a mousse cake with milk chocolate outside, along with three kinds of nuts (the almond on top is hidden in the picture) and some biscuits that I also approve off. Inside is nut cream and chocolate cream, with chopped nuts within the nut cream, which is a good choice. The cake bottom has hazelnut in it. I'm choosing the cakes that appeal to me, so having two great cakes (as this was) is not enough evidence to be confident that this is a great shop, but it certainly seems to be at least another excellent one and I hope to go back next weekend, whether cycling or running (if I'm up for a long run, I want to do the Shibamata H&C course and visit La Rose des Japanais, which is my top priority after L'Abricotier).

Yoshinori Asami [@Isetan]：Van Dyke

Didn't run, but decided that my cake was overly linked to my running, which led me to run more days than I should. Or at least that is my excuse for going back to Yoshinori Asami again while they are at Isetan. This time I got the Van Dyke (? written phonetically as vandeekku, which is the correct original pronunciation of Van Dyke, for all I know), which is milk chocolate mouse and cassis mousse. The construction was similar to yesterday's but I was more satisfied with that aspect, somehow. I'm not particularly fond of cassis, but I don't dislike it and the balance was perfect and the mousse was so thick yet good, that I'm going to say that this was Great cake, for 540 yen.

Frédéric Cassel: Azalea

Started out with 1.85 km fast, and then 3.6 km very fast, followed by 626 m racing speed, after which, Ginza got in the way (if I measure from Yamanote line). From there to Ginza Mitsukoshi and back to the Lawson 100 in Yotsuya along Shinjuku Street was a slow 4.76 with cake.  So about 10.8 km of running today, giving me a 6-day total of 74.1 km, which leaves almost the same amount to run tomorrow and still say within the 85 km budget, so enough enough to get to any priority sites (even if I wanted to go to Frédéric Cassel again tomorrow, I don't need to stop at the Lawson 100 again: I'm stocked up on tofu and yogurt). Probably, I'll try to do a short run and see if I can get out of work in time to make a 8 km to a 8 pm closing shop feasible.

At Frédéric Cassel, I got the Azalea for 810 yen. This is yuzu flavored milk chocolate mousse, coated in chocolate, with yuzu and banana compote. On top, is biscuit, rather than the bottom, which I haven't seen before. They had this last time I visited, but it just didn't sound like a good idea. Actually, though, it was great. At least, I like chocolate (though I've often been disappointed in it), and the fruit was a great balance. As always, since I'm testing this out as a great shop, I want to think that this is great cake and it did not give me any reason not to think so, so I'll go with that. Certainly, I don't have any ideas for better chocolate, yuzu, and banana cake and I would recommend this to anyone who doesn't hate chocolate or fruit (neither the yuzu nor the banana were distinctive flavors, though the fruit was definitely effective, so disliking either of those would perhaps not mean this cake was bad for that person). That's 4 great cakes of 5, so I'm going to have to say that this is the eighth definitely great shop of Tokyo by my standard.

 

27 km to Un Petit Paquet

It was a good run. I couldn't get started until 11:30, but it was not full summer heat and it was cloudy (looked like it was going to rain toward the end). Most of the Tokyo route I'm familiar with and choose because I like it. The long stretch in the middle is Komazawadouri, which I've been on or across many times but have not really thought about it. It's very good; I should use it more. I made sure that I had a 500 ml bottle of sports drink and a small snack at two points along the way. Also, I started with one bottle of water and refilled once, which seemed to be about right for the current level of heat, although I needed more with the cake.

Kawazaki-shi (Kawazaki CIty), however, was very bleak mostly, along main roadways or not well-populated streets along the train line. Part of that is that I have to pick a main route to start with to get into Kanagawa, so I tend to have to stick with it because I am not close to another route that goes the right direction.

Tried some running gel on the sides around my knees. Didn't get a rash, but then my clothes were not soaked in sweat either, so it's not a good test.

At Un Petit Paquet, I got a bostock, which was cut radially, so it was a long wedge rather than a puck. Tasted like there was alcohol, which I have not noticed elsewhere. Along with all the egg and sugar, it packed quite a punch for 220 yen plus 8% tax. I also got Aria, which is the only one I got a picture of. It was 440 yen plus. It's milk chocolate mousse, praline cream, and lemon cream. It seemed like an interesting combination and I was having a hard time finding something that I thought I might like. They had the right shape of cakes (round or rectangular, not wedge; this is just my experience with cake stores; certainly, the round and rectangular ones have to be individually made, but it might have to do more with whether they are trying to make fancy cakes for your friends or cake for children and strangers). I didn't think much of it. The lemon did not do enough to make the milk chocolate and praline interesting. It had an unusually thick base (as it was soft), which seemed gingery, which is fine.

The last one had no name on the card (or the receipt), but was a large almond macaron with hazelnut cream for 440+ yen. Sliced almonds were set in the cream around the outside and the macron was mounted on a little base of cream to hold it in place as a cake. It was very good, although very sweet, so I felt like I really needed to get the taste out of mouth afterward. I wanted to do some shopping, so I was eating outside again, which is just not great after a long run; I'm just not ready for cake, I think. I need to take it straight home and try it later.