The land of the hidden fluoros - Week 6 Run 3

The alarm went off early. I woke to the dulcet tones of Mamma Mia. Running kit all set out, get changed, brush teeth, have customary glass of water and then coffee, get earphones and go. Except no earphones, cue me reenacting the opening scene from 4 Weddings and a Funeral, shouting f' f f and f...ety f. There's 4 rooms in this flat, 2 of which I haven't been in whilst am here. Frantic unpacking of travel bag, so carefully packed the night before to save me tîme, still no earphones, ransacked my bedroom, moved furniture and then looked finally behind the bedside cabinet. Aha, so that was that noise I ignored last night. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Am flying back home to Italy and today is my promised Regents Park run.

Now on the tube, mercifully quite empty and out at Great Portland Street, cross Marylebone Road, already roaring with traffic and into the hum of Regents Park. Frieze Art Fair is on and so as usual there are sculptures in the park. I am told you can actually buy these, well I can't, but I think multimillionaires do and so any multi millionaires reading this post, I quite like this one - although not sure she'd fit anywhere....

She was about where my run started and as Prince finished his last bars of Let's Go Crazy, Mr Smooth suggested that taking it easy was the key to success today. Mmm who to listen to ?Prince or Mr Smooth. naturally Mr Smooth won. Ran through to the quieter part of the park to the North, past the lake and round through the large gaggle of geese. At this point I was wondering what is the collective noun for us C25Kers? Not a movement that's way too tantric or medical eeugh. How about a rumble?

Mr Smooth interrupted my thoughts telling me I had only 5 minutes to go and about a minute later the Kaiser Chiefs were singing every day I love you less and less. I love that song, Mr JCR and I thought it would have been fun at our wedding... weird sense of humour!

So what about these fluoros then? - in the City I was a shocking pink dash amongst grey termites. But today I found the fluoros hang out in Regents Park. They still don't smile - Londoners way too cool for that, they still don't look at you, except for one very cute Idris Elba lookalike. Maybe he was shocked at my orange, pink and sky blue combo. Or just maybe he knew I'd done Week 6 and was giving me that knowing look that we runners share. And I am officially a runner, Mr Smooth said so.

[WhiteJog Graduate]

I'm exhausted just reading about your morning Well done.

[Hidden in reply to WhiteJog]

It was the blinking earphones that got me...

[SC1472 Graduate]

Woop! Woop! Well done - firstly for finding the earphones, secondly for getting on the tube in your running gear, and thirdly for becoming a 'proper' runner.

[Hidden in reply to SC1472]

Thank you the tube out was okay, coming back a stinky runner amongst suited and booted commuters. I was sooo popular, but of course didn't make eye contact, so have no idea how many people were cursing me..

[SC1472 Graduate in reply to Hidden]

At least it meant you got breathing space! No-one wanting to go near you...

[louisep76 Graduate]

Yay! Well done. Sounds like you enjoyed it.

[Hidden in reply to louisep76]

It was lovely to be in the green amongst fellow fluoros

[lardofale Graduate]

Great stuff! That Mr Smooth is some chap!

[Hidden in reply to lardofale]

I know I love him to bits, thinking of trading in Mr JCR... not really

[misswobble Graduate]

Oh the pre run faff 🙄 I still can't get it together for love nor money. Cuh 🙄

On my run routes it's hard to make progress as folks love to chat. I'd rather have that than the stand-offish Londoners any day. Do you get chatty folk in Italy? I would think so 🙂

So, another run ticked off. Well done 🏃‍♀️✔️

Your next run will be in another country 🙂

[Hidden in reply to misswobble]

Yes they do chat in Italy but only when they know you, there's a weird introduction etiquette first. If you haven't been introduced you don't speak.... but after the intro, everything is fine...

Pre run faffing it's a blinking nightmare I wasted 20 Minutes aaarrgghh. Never mind now into queues at Heathrow

[bareliz]

Go you Hidden . So very well done. Who'd have thought - week 7 next?! Sounds like you had much to keep you occupied both before and during your run. As for a collective noun I would have to say a shuffle at the moment hoping to become something a bit faster . Have a good trip back and here's to next week.

[Hidden]

I love the idea of a shuffle .... that is so appropriate for me right now.

[Hidden]

Thanks for your post, you always make me smile ☺

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

My pleasure, smiling is a lovely way to start the day

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Without doubt 👍

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

How about a CLUMP......................................................................of C25kers, that is.

[Hidden]

So may be we do a poll after, contenders are rumble, shuffle, clump. You know clump has a certain je ne sais quoi...

[Mimirossi Graduate in reply to Hidden]

I read your post to my father (who used to do a lot of competitive running) and he enjoyed it. He suggested a "padding" of C25kers.

I had the headphone problem recently too, when I stayed with my dad for the night and left my headphones at home. I was so cross as I really wanted to run, so I decided that I would still run, with a mixture of counting and timing on my phone. I was so worried about not going on for long enough that I think I ran for far longer than I was supposed to! I remembered them next time though!

[Hidden in reply to Mimirossi]

A padding okay that's a good one too. You are more committed than me I was going to drop and do it tomorrow when I could borrow Mr JCRs phones. Well done you on getting out there. I think I need one of those crime scene outliners for each piece of my kit. Then I could see at a glance what was missing

[MrsT82]

Sounds amazing. I am not used to people not smiling being from 'up North'. I seem to have a perma-smile ready and waiting for any stranger I may come across.

Have a safe flight back to Italy.

[Hidden in reply to MrsT82]

As an exiled Northerner I know what you mean. I do still smile at them, but they probably see me as batty old dear wearing inappropriate colours...

[IannodaTruffe Mentor in reply to MrsT82]

It's only those miserable Londoners, you know. We all smile in Devon.......

[Hidden in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Now Devon mmm am I allowed in as I have friends in Saltash?but we do hop across the Tamar from time to time.

[IannodaTruffe Mentor in reply to Hidden]

Bring your passport and of course you'm welcome, m'dear.

[Hidden in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Ok it's a deal... passport ready.

[MrsT82 in reply to IannodaTruffe]

That's good to hear. Maybe I wrongly generalised the whole of the South there 😂

[Hidden in reply to MrsT82]

Sometimes generalisations are fun though

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate]

A great run report Jan😊..those gremlins messing with your earphones when they thought you were asleep😉..

Mr 118 might be interested in buying your three legged lady statue ( he's so loaded though, he's probably already got one 😄

So Mrs..thats the 25 mins done..fantastic, a proper runner indeed😊 although you have run much further in your pre c25k past. You took it in your stride by the sound of it, thanks to the hill that kills I imagine.

We have all enjoyed your trip to London and look forward to your next run back in Italy... Safe home. xx

I like a combination of slow and steady..so could we be a sleady of c25kers...I know thats not even a word😄😄😄

[Hidden in reply to Bluebirdrunner]

Look I make up words all the time even our Italian friends now speak Ingliano... so a Sleady pronounced sleddy I am guessing? I feel a poll coming on...

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Ha, how about a Confidence of C25kers.. now that has a ring to it..

p.s I also have that Keiser Chief track on my run list..spooky👭😊

[IannodaTruffe Mentor in reply to Bluebirdrunner]

That's nearer the mark, Jan-n-r.

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Yeay!!!!!

Running wild, running free, and in shocking technicolor!!! Go you!!!

Plus a dancing, acrobatic jellyphant! My favourite animal in the world! Your post is amazing... I was quite out of breath... ( especially when we saw the cute runner :))

What a happy run : Safe journey back home and we will hear from you when you are there!

Sbarchi felici ?

[Hidden in reply to Oldfloss]

Felici si, what on earth is sbarchi though? I am thinking happy boarding?

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Hidden]

landings! I thought... errr... maybe? Just put it down to a confused old snail

[Hidden]

No you could be right it sounds right

[Polly2810 Graduate]

Fab post, thanks just what I need after another manic week of work!! 😊

[Hidden in reply to Polly2810]

My pleasure. Every little bit helps us all👍

[Polly2810 Graduate in reply to Hidden]

I just loved the four weddings and a funeral bit I could just visualise it so clearly 🤣🤣

[RebeccaSK Graduate]

I thought about a cackle of C25kers but I like clump and shuffler better. Idris Elba, oh God. If he took the place of Mr Smooth I would have the app playing on permanent loop. I'd be able to run further than Forrest Gump. The 65 miles to Regent's Park is a bit of a long way for me to go for a run but I'm tempted - just in case I see him again. I love your posts!

[Hidden in reply to RebeccaSK]

I think I will ask the admins if I can put up a poll and we put it to the vote. I like cackle too, as it's just the sound I make when occasionally the run goes well! Idris isn't he just gorgeous, me too I would be Forrest Gump. I actually have started a mini Italian thing for Idris too, my friend Rita here was telling me she told her friends about Idris and most of them are working their way through The Wire and Luther like crack cocaine. Her phrase not mine!

[Spinning_22 Graduate]

Really enjoyed reading your post, it was like the opening of a book or novel. In fact I was slightly disappointed when it ended!

[Hidden in reply to Spinning_22]

Thank you, it's a weird symbiotic thing for me, I need to write the posts to make me run, and I need the runs so I can write the posts... I want to make all us glorious runners have a smile on our faces, and if I do that then that makes me very happy too. Thanks for such a nice comment

[Blue-Jay]

Love the elephant sculpture!