The PR lady at Alzheimer’s Research wants some selfies. I hate selfies, she wants some selfies as they are going to do a mini feature on my fund raising running here and in the UK. Unfortunately most of my UK runs just show landmarks and so it was this morning, I was running through the Arco D’Augusto in Fano, to ‘star’ in a running photo shoot.
As you can see in orange, me looking decidedly pregnant in a sunny, but not quite so warm Fano. Hence, the doubling up of tee-shirts. Home for lunch and then a quick rest, before popping out for my usual first run of the week, aiming to do more than 10km if I can. It’s warmer now, but still quite breezy on the top of the hill, so I decide to remove the orange tee and just run in the base layer and the bra-let.
I have a 12k loop – down the Slope of Hope, up the Hill that Kills, on to Lovers’ Lane, back down the Slope of Hope, onto the Bendy, Scary Road, through Fish Shop Village and finishing at our local coffee shop. It’s a well known route for me and is exactly 12.13km.
Except first I have a tech problem, the GPRS seems suspect after thunderstorms last week, so it keeps losing the first 2.7ms of the run. Second I get a tetchy problem, after some stupid Italian man, decided that steering his car towards me around a blind bend, one handed whilst simultaneously texting on his phone, would be a perfectly normal thing to do.
I deployed the f..kwit expletive, and if I could have done I would have kicked his car.
Trying to rediscover my running calmer karma, I am pootling on the bendy scary road and hurrah, a bus coming towards me on a bend toots to warn me. That was nice of him, so I smiled and put my hand up. This is my first run when the temperature has been above 20 degrees, and I’d forgotten just how warm it gets. Had I got water with me? No, of course not – that would have been way too sensible. So at this stage, the second pink base layer got removed. After some minutes of clothing wrestling it came off, leaving a red sweaty middle aged woman sporting a bralet top. Thank heavens it was siesta time and there was no-one to witness the almost de-sausaging. and the abundance of white flesh… Yeeugghh.
Running by the fish shop in full afternoon sun glare, I felt very very hot and trotted on, past two nonnas taking their grandchildren for a stroll. Beyond a mini building site where one of the construction guys said ‘Ciao’ – I managed a Ciao in return, but now am wondering whether it may be seen as a come on. Middle aged woman in a semi-naked top half talking to strange men – I better change my route or strada as we say here, in case he’s got any ideas…
Three tee-shirts for running today, one tech failure, one big tetchy moment, but it was lovely running in the sun, I’d quite forgotten what that big yellow orb is.
Playlist
2468 Motorway – Tom Robinson
I Can’t Help Myself – Four Tops
Five Years – David Bowie
She Will Be Loved – Maroon 5
Morning Train ( 9 to 5) – Sheena Easton
Perfect 10 – The Beautiful South
People In Love – 10cc
The Eleven Rap – Dark Punk
21 Seconds – So Solid Crew
12 – 1975
Thirteen Sad Farewells – Stu Larsen
Sixteen Going On Seventeen – Charmian Carr, Dan Truhitte
Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen – Neil Sedaka
Edge of Seventeen – Stevie Nicks
18 Til I Die – Bryan Adams
19 – Paul Hardcastle
24k Magic – Bruno Mars
20th Century Boy – T Rex
30 Minute Love Affair – Paloma Faith
99 Red Balloons – Nena
96 Tears – & The Mysterious
Love Shack – B52s
21 Guns – Green Day
18 With A Bullet – Pete Wingfield
Stats
Distance 12.53km
Time 1:23:06
Average Pace 6:37
Elevation Gain 13 metres (we lost some due to the GPS issue)
Alzheimer’s Challenge
Kms Run So Far 653.80
Kms Still To Do 1364.20