Today is the last day of my running streak.
It started well with loads of messages of support from the C25K gang and in particular ju-ju, who instagrammed name checked me. I am middle aged I don’t really know what that means, but it is a nice gesture!
With the chillier weather, I gave myself some time to faff, before going out. And so on my run, it was near Packington Street where stupid tart syndrome hit me. Why not try blowing your nose (middle aged permanent affliction it seems), whilst taking off your hat, hairband and phone in armband, whilst redistributing your keys into the running tights front pocket?
Why not? – because you need eight arms, that’s why not. I spent a fruitless age trying to get myself organised. Had I just deployed basic common sense I could have been done in a couple of minutes. As it was, I reckon I spent 5 or 6 minutes struggling to do five teeny, tiny tasks, when if I’d just thought for a moment, the time could have been spent running.
This is the problem with cold weather and being a woman of a certain age. I start off freezing cold and within 2 kms of starting, everything heats up. At the point of extreme heat, clearly my brain goes awol and stupid tart syndrome then takes me over.
Having re-arranged my hat, gloves, headband and money into the hoodie pouch, I started off again, looking like a pregnant kangaroo. Next stop the fishmonger’s – aargh there is someone ahead of me, so I have to pause the mechanical voice lady on Map My Run, and then with my fish, I add that to the octopus’s activity pocket and out I run. Now I look like a very heavily pregnant kangaroo.
After all this streak running I feel quite tired, even though I’ve only done just over 3.5kms at this point, but on I plod remembering my minimum 5km commitment. Amazingly a lorry stopped to let me cross a road, which was quite a pleasant surprise. I still hex all courier drivers, as routinely they are some of the most ill-tempered drivers I ever see. I hold particular contempt for DPD, who never, ever, stop to let you cross and when you give way to them, never, ever acknowledge the courtesy.
The 5km prompt comes up and I really want to give up, but decide I will plod just that bit further if I can. And I did not quite 6km today, but tomorrow I get a rest. I am looking forward to a day off.
Playlist
Runnin’ Down A Dream – Tom Petty
I Ran – A Flock of Seagulls
Talk Talk – Talk Talk
Everybody Wants To Rule The World – Tears For Fears
Hold Me Now – Thompson Twins
I Won’t Back Down – Tom Petty
Fade To Grey – Visage
Don’t You Want Me – The Human League
Don’t You (Forget About Me) – Simple Minds
Eighties – Killing Joke
I Want Your Love – Transmission Vamp
Liberator – Spear of Destiny
Trapped – Colonel Abrams
Cuddly Toy – Roachford
A New England – Billy Bragg
There Must Be An Angel – Eurythmics
I Only Want To Be With You – The Tourists
Stats
Distance 5.90 km
Time 46:57
Average Pace 7:57 (including stupid tart syndrome and fish shop queue)
Elevation Gain 27 metres
Running Streak – 8 days
Alzheimers Challenge
Kms run to date 180.72
Kms to run 1827.28
According to Map My Run I am 8037th out of 113,415* participants on their 2018 challenge.
*But there are definitely some dodgy stats on there… How many people can have fitted in 40 workouts of over 100km a time do you reckon? Oh and since the 1st January… Apparently this is an internet thing, people create false ids and cheat the system by posting stupid stats…
