Literally and metaphorically. Having come back from Buenos Aires had a mountain of laundry to do so that took care of Friday and Saturday, although I did squeeze in W6 R1 on Friday first thing.
I was in a well oiled routine, empty case, sort out contents, file/put away sort out washing into the usual heaps. Bathroom was a dirty washing floordrobe as the youngsters say.
After following the F2CP programme - floor to clean pile for two days, I was feeling organised and without any housekeeping excuses for not running today.
Took Fibi Fradashian and Bobster the Monster for a trial walk on my proposed running route. Argo's Loop, Francesco's Olive Grove, Laundry Lane, Village Via, Slope of Hope. They've been staying with friends so there was whole host of new peemail for them to catch up on - particularly in Francesco's Olive Grove which drops about 150 metres to Laundry Lane. This meant more of my attention was focussed on them and not really looking at its slope and terrain. We had a good walk without incidents and that gave me a 3km warm up to the run.
Off I popped same route(ish) the olive grove doesn't have defined paths down to Laundry Lane so you don't exactly take the same route each time. Jo Cool told me to start running and to take it easy, well I was bounding along like a March hare but the grass has lots of lumps and bumps in it and I tripped over some potatura branches (lopped to aerate the trees for wind pollination). At this juncture I realised I was going way too fast, and of course the downward gradient fools you into doing that. That's one piece of dirty washing aired in public - going way too fast, when I tell other people not to! Doh!
Onto Laundry Lane, which is tarmac and little shade, passed the old village laundry spring, I felt I must have been halfway through but no Jo Cool was suspiciously absent in commentary. Past two barking dog houses, surely we are halfway now on R1 - nope Jo Cool still keeping mum. And I'm sure I'm a fetching shade of red, to match my leggings. Another piece of dirty washing about to be aired, I'd forgotten to bring water and the water in the laundry spring is covered in a rather gruesome bright green algae. So I'm thirsty running in sun - stupid, stupid, stupid .
At this point Jo decides to start talking and I'm sure she said there was only a minute to go - but no, what she said was next time I hear her there will be a minute to go. Ooh I've gone too fast, am thirsty and I'm fast approaching (well snail minus one pace) Village Via which has a 14 degree gradient upwards. She did say I could call myself a runner though so that's one bright thing.
Dirty washing item number three, I decided I wasn't going to run Village Via as my start point on a 10 minute run interval as 5 minutes later I have to face the Slope of Hope's 15 degree gradient. I decided to do an about turn and run back along Laundry Lane, I did deliberately slow down, but I was boiling hot, no water, running in the sun.... It's not as if I don't know these places, I've lived here for over 10 years now.
Dirty washing item number four coming up, I'd also over-dressed. The Spring mornings are cool here and we live at the top of the hill, receiving North winds from the Adriatic, the lower you go the warmer it gets. But I'd miscalculated the cold and the fact that most of the run would be in the valley, not over the tops. I could easily have run just in a base layer and leggings, I definitely didn't need the running jacket... which was contributing to my beetroot face.
Looping back on Laundry Lane for the third time, my numbers playlist came on with 21 seconds to go playing. Oh God I wish, I must have heard that lyric for what seems like all of my second interval. Then Jo Cool piped up but it wasn't to tell me it was one more minute to go. She was trying desperately to be helpful but my final item of dirty washing aired, I swore very loudly at her, not once at least twice and then a similar number aimed at me. Finally, Jo realised she had to tell me I was done and I was utterly cooked, wrong clothing, no water and wrong speed contributing to what should have been fairly straightforward, although I remember from before that W6 has kicked my bum previously, so maybe that's just the way I get it done.
I am a little worried that I got all my prep and thought processes wrong, with the 25 minuter coming up. But hey ho, a crappy run makes the good ones feel better!
JCR Repeat after me - suitable clothing, water, and go slow slow SLOW...
Happy running all
Week 9, run 3 completed ( somehow)
Week 6 run 2 ✅ 
Reasons to be cheerful Week 6 Run 1 Rewind
