After a week on the injury couch coinciding with the twinning weekend of Mr JCR’s cycling clubs, the past few days have all been about recovery – recovery from food, alcohol and housework.
Today I had promised myself a ‘back to normal ‘ run, the weather has been atrocious and very cold, so this morning’s alarm call was rude and unwelcome. I did groan and duvet dive trying to avoid the message from Mr Smooth. Nonetheless I hauled my sorry arse out of bed and got into my running gear. Rather surprisingly the weather has changed and it’s back to warm and sunny again. Yay!
Warm up walk down the Slope of Hope, past the barking dog balcony and I almost get run over by a man on a scooter bearing an uncanny resemblance to Jimmy Greaves (in his Saint and Greavsie days). Not his fault – he was exiting his drive and I was daydreaming! Realise I should be a little more awake, give myself a mental shakedown and off we go into the Hill that Kills, I am very slow this morning, mainly because I am worried about jarring my back. The Italians call it a ‘strappo’ all I know is that it gave me a ‘stroppo’.
I am late, so no sign of Anouska or Albino, complete the usual loop down Lover’s Lane, and back to the Hill that Kills, take a detour onto the Slope of Hope (downwards) and back up again to the Hill That Kills, and I see that the grass around the olive statue has been trimmed, but I am still perplexed – is it a swan, goose, emu, or ostrich?
Back to Lovers’ Lane, get buzzed by a Fiat Punto, who seemed to aim right at my fluoro yellow top, maybe he was trying to tell me it was a bit loud! It is hunting season here, I don’t want to be mistaken for a wild boar, so if I offended you Sir with my yellow top, I am sorry but I am not changing it…
At the end of Lovers’ Lane, I hook a right further down the Hill that Kills, and decide to give myself a final uphill challenge. It wasn’t speedy, nor was it pretty, but I did do it. I wanted to do a clean 5km after being on the injury couch, and today it was done.
After deliberating over the pic, I think it’s a goose, in fact there are 2 of them, so officially today I groaned, nearly grazed a Greavsie lookalike and ran past a gaggle of geese. Result – alliteration heaven!
Face Colour = Salsa Red
Playlist
Glory Days – The Boss
Blasphemous Rumours – Depeche Mode
Hungry Like The Wolf – Duran Duran
Perfect – Lightning Seeds
Creep – Radiohead
True Faith 94 – New Order
Purple Rain – Prince and The Revolution
Love in Itself – Depeche Mode
Mulder and Scully – Catatonia
Glamorous Indie Rock and Roll – The Killers
Stats
Distance 5.66km
Time 42.51
Average Pace 7.34 mins/km
Elevation Gain 62m
Fastest Split 7.21
