After a day of wine tasting and eating with a British sommelier married to an Argentinian chef Abi, who made the most gorgeous food, this was perhaps not the ideal prep the day before the official ‘over half way’ run
That would’ve been okay had we then not decided to go out for late night tapas and a sneaky G and T😱
Add in the fact that I hadn’t pre-prepared my running gear… it looked like today was going to be a flaky runner day.
Alarm went, I groaned and turned over burying myself in the bed, hibernating from the insistent nag in my head.
Mr JCR opened the curtains and sunlight streamed in, groaning again I got up.
A bit trepidatious which I’m sure isn’t a word but summed up how I felt.
I faffed and faffed some more couldn’t find my socks, put my shorts on the wrong way around, brushed my hair into the Nike swooshy ponytail
Earphones on, redid the ponytail
and the final unnecessary finishing touch - some lipstick to brighten the mood and the face. The lipstick isn’t part of faffage was it bluebirdrunner ? who coined that phrase, but an essential part of my running armoury. It was Ju-Ju she of the famous 10k plan who put me onto that idea. She always wore runner’s red my choice of colour pathetic pink!
Does anyone else have an essential non essential’thing’ that they must do to run?
Rooting for Reggae was the Spotify choice again because the beat seems to suit my non existent pace… Bob was singing about his three little birds and how everything was going to be alright. Joe Cool was calm and reassuring and my warm up walk was executed to a constant out loud muttering of ‘ you’re going to do it’
There was the park and there is the zebra crossing of death - Jo told me it was nearly time to run and the crossing had only 10 seconds left. So with Jo telling me to take it easy this run started with a sprint (well snail plus one pace) to get across 9/10 lanes before being mown down. Phew made it but clearly not the slow pace recommended. I’d decided to go to the broken flower park but this weekend is the final carnival and lots of buses are arriving near the park for people coming in for the final day. So far we’ve only seen evidence that it’s happened with streamers and empty firework cases.
But today we are carnivalling, although dodging in and out of coach queues is not a samba rhythm on this run. Jo keeps on encouraging saying the next time she’ll speak will be a minute to go. Before she does Mechanical Voice Lady from Map My Run gives me a speed, distance and pace update. Way too embarrassing to share.
The park is full of Sunday runners, mainly female which makes me feel embarrassed about being concerned about safety last week.
I keep getting distracted by seeing galgos ( small greyhounds)
But I’m not allowed to stop as Jo says no matter how slow I must keep going and the sight hound cuddle reflex must remain unquenched.
Before I knew it the second run was about to start, at this point I was hoping it’d run on its own and carry me along.
That wish did not materialise and I made the fatal error of trying to cross over the cycle path/ cue much cursing in Spanish. Jo was telling me to stay slow and the cyclists were saying far less politely to get a move on. Jo Cool won the day if I overdo it I may not achieve the run and that’s the most important thing for me just now.
No incidents, nothing more but a sense of enormous wellbeing as Blur sing in Parklife.
Next time out is the biggie therefore no late night tapas or gin and tonic for me.
Then on the warm down I saw this poster on a shop front it may be more fun but it’s definitely better to finish than not at all
Run 3 I’m trepitrepidatious but will channel Madness and try to go one step beyond
Week 5 Third Run
Week 5 run 2
Just Completed Run 2 from Week 5
Week 5 run 2 completed! 
Week I Run 2-ish - Parkrun fun
