Four seasons in one day. The meteo promised me warmer, sunnier weather. The alarm had rung – it was neither warm nor sunny, it was cold and rainy.
Quick change of the running outfit into warmer gear – get a hat out for the rain and running jacket ready. To the front door and it’s stopped raining and is warmer. Remove hat and jacket sleeves and exit. Start run, blimey oh Riley it’s hot. Remove jacket and run back to the house and post jacket into letterbox.
Technology is playing up – on a stretch where I know I’ve only run about 2km I have magically hit 4km in my best ever time of 3 minutes for a km. Mmmm, at this point I decide to re-run precisely the same route as earlier in the week, so I have an accurate view of today’s run.
No Albino and Anouska today, in fact nobody at all, nothing to report, nothing doing, nothing wrong with my body, no pains, aches, twinges. No nasty cars, overly close lorries nada.
A totally, utterly, nothing run, but then the cycling Hoxton Hipster came into view, with his carefully sculpted beard and ‘tache. he’s not your average Hoxton Hipster. He is a Le Marche Hoxton Hipster, in his black and white cycling gear, streamlined sunglasses and oh so carefully groomed facial hair. If he could cycle in brogues he would, I’m sure.
Did I mention he’s about 70? No, oh he’s about 70, and this is the second time in as many days, that we’ve seen each other. He’s way too cool to talk or signal that he recognises me, I try a tentative smile. No, no response whatsoever. This is my new challenge to get a smile out of the Le Marche Hoxton Hipster…, that may mean I keep on having to do very long runs and he may think I’m stalking him. Oh well, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Playlist
A New England – Billy Bragg
London Calling – The Clash
Strong – London Grammar
No Particular Place To Go – Chuck Berry
Strawberry Fields Forever – The Beatles
Rio – Duran Duran
Belfast Child – Simple Minds
Going Down To Liverpool – The Bangles
Tokyo Joe – Bryan Ferry
Boston Tea Party – Sensational Alex Harvey Band
California Dreaming – The Mamas and The Papas
Take My Breath Away – Berlin
Avalon – Roxy Music
Grease – Frankie Valli
Japanese Boy – Aneka
What A Wonderful World – Sam Cooke
Rhythm Is Going To Get You – Gloria Estefan & The Miami Sound Machine
Streets of Philadelphia – The Boss
San Francisco – Scott Mackenzie
Downtown – Petula Clark
Barbados – Typically Tropical
Stats
Distance 12.13 ( recalibrated as the tech said it was 15.4km)
Time 1:17:59 (yay 7 minutes faster than the last time I did it)
Average Pace 6:25 (mins/km)
Elevation gain 124 metres
Alzheimer’s Challenge
Kms Done 632.05km
Kms to Run 1385.95
