Tonight Matthew I am going to be - Week 9 Run 2

Boadicea... Or is it Boudicca, sometime between me going to school and then being a grown up her name changed. So last night at an Ancient Rome themed party with Mr JCRs cycling club, I was Boadicea/Boudicca and Mr JCR became Mr B.

His club, his rules, so everyone else dressed in Roman toga godliness, us dressed in scratty blue and orange, because we are the Inglesi, and so natch we go as Ancient Britons. Ever tried hiring an Ancient Briton costume from a fancy dress shop in Italy? Nope nor me either..., funnily enough plenty of gladiator costumes.

Cue the recommissioning of ye olde Ancient Briton sewing machine,(after having subtly ascertained that we weren't the subject of an elaborate joke) and making a Boudicca and Mr B costume. This is like the worst ever, most frantic children's Nativity play costume request you can imagine. The checked tea towel over the head a la shepherd, isn't going to hack it.

Remember the cycling club ladies Jancanrun, they cycle in full make-up. Mr JCR seems to have found a pic of a Boudicca looking like Xena Warrior Princess - wishful thinking on his part - with leather skirt and Madonna type bra. Neither my bod, nor my leather saddlery nor metalwork skills are that great. So the scratty blue and orange combo it is. Even at party time, I notice how chicness eludes me.

Perhaps no bad thing considering the night included 5 Ancient Roman challenges, men v women or Vir v Mulier, as the gaming board had it.

This morning for Run 2, I am channelling Boudicca, mainly because remnants of the artistic blue Iceni logos are still decorating my face and arms.... it was a late night. In my defence, we had to dash home for what turned out to be a false burglar alarm (phew) a sat nav challenge which took us through a sunflower field.., oh and there's a once very 10 years pilgrimage going on which so far has meant people chanting and ringing bells at 3am for the past couple of nights. You can tell I am getting my excuses in early, I promised bareliz that I wouldn't overindulge on the vino as that waits for the podium.

So I set off a little later than usual but it's a lot cooler we've had rain and wind, so last night was about 21 degrees and this morning similar, which is very helpful. However, my tech got all in a muddle, okay well I got all in a muddle and started running when the MapMyRun lady said I should and then Mr Smooth seemed to have been put on pause. But then this morning I am Boudicca and she wouldn't know how to work a phone either...

Up the hill that kills, nice and shady so it felt fine, down to Lovers Lane, no Anouska and Albino but I'm up late so they are probably done and dusted a long time ago. I do however see Lord Kitchener in a different pair of shorts today, we nod only, no buongiorno, not even a grunt of recognition. Still it's only the second time he has ever seen the batty English woman, so why would he do anything else? Back up to the hill that kills and the downward slope run, actually although I am dog tired, I keep plodding, and it is a plod, back up the hill that kills and it feels much harder this time around.

Then the map my run lady gives me a time check which is 5 minutes further on than Mr Smooth's. At this point I was trying to recalibrate what time I had done, so frantic mental arithmetic, I reckoned if I kept running until Mr Smooth gave me the one minute warning, then I'd probably have run for about 33 or 34 minutes, I wasn't entirely sure but thought that would be best. So I got Mr Smooth's 5 minutes warning, and was scarily close to having to run back up the hill towards the hill that kills, and this is when Boudicca deserted me, I decided given the fatigue I would just run back up Lovers Lane. And yes I did the run, not Boudicca-like, as she would have just taken on the hill that kills, but I really couldn't face running up it for a third time.

The run was done, a bit ragged like the Ancient Briton costume, but there you are

P.s. Anyone need a Boudicca costume? Or a Mr Boudicca costume? The fighting staffs are a bit the worse for wear

[Razouski]

Sound like you had fun at the party. I am in awe of your costume making skills. They look great. Hope you have a nice restful day to recover and get Mr Boudicca to feed you grapes (peeled of course).

[Hidden in reply to Razouski]

Thanks - a restorative lunch is booked, Mr B is very considerate that way!

[bareliz]

Haha, that made my day, so funny. Costumes look good to me, but then I don't know one end of a needle from another, so am easily impressed (ha). Glad you enjoyed your evening and didn't over induldge the vino. Also glad I'm not the only one to get my tech all mixed up. Yes it's sodding difficult when your tech isn't in sync and you're running - and then also have to try and work out mentally when you should finish. Perhaps we'll also end up as mathamatical geniuses when we graduate? Or more likely not!

You're nearly there Jancanrun, don't drink all the wine on that podium, save some for the rest of us. Also make sure you keep posting as a graduate as we all look forward to reading of your exploits.

[Hidden in reply to bareliz]

You're on, blinking technology I was all at sea, and don't know why I ever changed the MMR settings. Glasses out and vino collapso ordered...

[bareliz]

Ha I have the podcasts on my MP3 and mapmyrun on my phone. Believe you me, they rarely sync up. Might not be joining you on the podium 'till next weekend so you may have to send out for more supplies

[Hidden in reply to bareliz]

Noted and order just increased!

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Boudiful, as they say in Boudicca's hunting grounds.

Getting close now, Jan........

[Hidden in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Oh she did hunt in your neck of the woods then. Thanks yup only one run to go and then the long term learning begins.

[Runon Graduate]

Brilliant post - Boudicca would be proud of you. As for costumes I believe the ancient Celts used to fight in the buff! You could have saved a lot of sewing - jus' sayin'! 😎

[bareliz in reply to Runon]

Must have been a lot warmer back then!

[Runon Graduate in reply to bareliz]

Yes they had proper summers then (he said, wistfully looking out of the window) 😎

[IannodaTruffe Mentor in reply to Runon]

I remember them well...........

[Hidden in reply to Runon]

Thanks for that, there's no one here deserves that sight! And as Boudicca was the British Queen and we are rather prudish about those sorts of things (I am thinking Victorians were prudish, so therefore ancient Celts etc would have been too). I am sticking with scratty orange and blue

[Runon Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Well it looks jolly nice anyway - could start a new trend in running kit 😀

[IgaT Graduate]

Great costume! It sounds like a wonderful night.

Congratz on the run!

You're almost there Vine is chilling, glasses are polished.

[Hidden in reply to IgaT]

Hi IgaT, thanks very much and you are right, everything is ready...

[IgaT Graduate in reply to Hidden]

My pom-poms are also ready, waiting on the finish line

[ju-ju- Graduate]

Fantastic, and what a super outfit too!!!

[Hidden in reply to ju-ju-]

hi ju-ju, available for your next fancy dress at no cost, although we did lose the fighting staffs...

[Maddee_6333 Graduate]

Loving the triskeles.

Nearly there now, we're all standing by ready to cheer 👍

[Hidden in reply to Maddee_6333]

That was Dr Google to the aid of a desperate person. Although our friends thought we were just crappily costumed Romans...

[IgaT Graduate]

BTW. I think your graduation run should be performed in this Boudicca outfit

[Hidden in reply to IgaT]

Nice try IgaT But that dress is just a tube of material giving me about a 10cm stride length....

[IgaT Graduate in reply to Hidden]

At least you wouldn't have any other choice than go slow and steady

[Hidden in reply to IgaT]

Fair point well made

[IgaT Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Running geisha style in old folk welsh outfit... Perfect style for one of your running stories

[Fatpuffin Graduate]

Brilliant! What a laugh. You should write a book. See you on the podium in a couple of days!

[Hidden in reply to Fatpuffin]

Yup we are going to be there... nice shiny happy badges. Lovely

[mizz_happy Graduate]

Fantastic costumes, sounds like you had a great night 🍸🎉 very well done on your run today...1 more to go eeeek 😀😀

[Hidden in reply to mizz_happy]

I know who'd have thought it. Eek indeed.

[HeleneCorsa Graduate]

Fabulous costumes! Glad it didn't turn out to be an elaborate joke... Well done on the run too. Just one left, how exciting! If current form is anything to go by, I am sure you will ace it.

Thank goodness it was a false alarm re burglary. In 2014 I got burgled twice in the summer, in the space of two and a half months, and it was truly devastating - the extent of the damage was truly horrifying and it took a very long time to fully deal with it all. August is very risky in terms of burglary in Italy as so many people are away.

[Hidden in reply to HeleneCorsa]

Thanks Helene we got done in March, they didn't damage too much but utterly ransacked the house, I now have semi naked sofas, trying to source cushion covers, as they stole them to take away the swag. But they didn't steal all the covers on each one, just a few from each. So when the alarm goes, we are like the A team in scramble mode. Biggest loss is the peace of mind but you'd know that very much more with two burglaries. Looking forward to the run, then formulating a new plan for running....

[HeleneCorsa Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Oh no, sorry to hear you have already had that dubious "pleasure". We have experienced burglary a total of four times in our current home (which is why my next big project has to be a house move). Three times they entered the apartment (although I think they were disturbed first time and so it wasn't too bad, just a bit of mess) and on one occasion they just entered the building and stole the pushchair (with all the bits though - it had a brand new footmuff and a board for another child to stand on at the back). Of all the things that we lost, the thing that oddly upsets me the most is that inside the pushchair there was a blanket I had made for my son while I was pregnant, in what was probably my only foray into handicrafts.

The final burglary in August 2014 was just awful. They smashed bottles of wine all over the place and did not leave a single thing in place, right down to emptying the fridge and freezer, slashing the mattresses, everything.

[Hidden in reply to HeleneCorsa]

Omg we avoided the dispetti, so consider ourselves very fortunate. Our neighbours got done too and they only stole their baby son's baptismal gifts. It's a problem here now I think. Our house feels like Fort Knox now... but hey ho, life goes on. For us it was just stuff thank heavens. And I understand entirely the loss of the blanket. It plays on your mind, but still we have families and friends and they are always more precious than things.....

[HeleneCorsa Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Exactly - if anything I found it much easier afterwards to let go of stuff we'd been hoarding as it was as if I only ever saw certain items when putting them away after burglaries, and so they ceased to matter. Silver linings and all that!

[Hidden in reply to HeleneCorsa]

Yup we decided so much clutter had gone it was best not to spend on more..

[MrsT82]

Oooo just one more run to go!!!! I have missed a few posts recently. I follow you so I would expect a notification of yours posts, but seems not to be the case. So I did have a catch up earlier on and just got the time to reply now. I can't wait to read about your graduation run What better than a nice non-imported Italian red to celebrate with. I love a good Montepuliciano myself but having never been to Italy, I have never tried the un-imported version

[Hidden in reply to MrsT82]

Thanks MrsT I like a MonteP too. Here we are Sangiovese and Verdicchio territory. Not Italys finest but not too bad. Drinks awaiting and I'll send you a virtual MonteP when you're on that podium