Weather – Page 2 – Black and Tabby Runs

A Frowning Nun

Ciao! Here I am in Monza, Italy taking advantage of the fact that my husband is currently working out here (free accommodation!)

Thought I’d better try a run, seeing as the apartment is only a kilometre from the amazing Parco Reale (Royal Park). This park is so huge it contains within it the famous Monza motor racing circuit (you know, the one that hosts the Italian Formula 1 Grand Prix race. That little place).

The park has marked 3Km, 5Km, 10Km and half marathon routes, making it easy to find your way around. I ran up to the park, past some curious looks from locals, and then followed the 3Km yellow markers. With the run to and from the park this made around a 5Km run – quite enough in this heat!

Route markers. Blue for 5Km and yellow for 3Km. Today was a yellow day

Always reassuring to see a defibrillator, just in case…

There were plenty of runners in the park. Also power walkers, cyclists, mums with prams, but no inline skates today. It was well marked, it was hot, and all too soon, but very gratefully, I saw the finish marker.

Photo of finish marker — Always good to see a finish marker. Even after just 3Km

After that it was just a gentle jog back to the apartment, which included the longest stop EVER at traffic lights (good for drinking water and panting, basically). I arrived back looking like this:-

So to sum up, It was beautiful and cool, no old men stared and no nuns frowned at me. I’m also most definitely not now a red sweaty mess and sweat did NOT drip from my elbow as I took the above selfie.*

*There may be a couple of fibs in this paragraph

Juneathon Day 30. Last Chance Saloon

Day 30. We made it to the end of Juneathon. Well done everyone! To celebrate, the sun has got his hat on (all together now “hip hip hip hooray!”) and the weather is beautiful if a little hot for a run.

Never mind, time to go out with a bang*. 11 mile long run – done! Yes it was hot, yes it was sweaty, yes I wore my dorky cap and hydration backpack and yes there was some walking involved, but done.

See how much I'm enjoying this? — See how much I’m enjoying this?

And just in case you’ve not had enough of the kittens, just time to sneak a few more photos in

I wouldn't want to be that close to my trainers after that run ... — I wouldn’t want to be that close to my trainers after that run …

Off to cool down. Juneathon round up tomorrow.

* If I’m honest, it was more of a whimper

Janathon Day 14. Tired and snowy

We woke to snow this morning. I got up and put my running gear on determined to find a route that wasn’t too snowy, icy or wet. Then our boiler stopped working. Hardcore running in the snow is one thing, doing it when you won’t be able to have a hot bath afterwards is quite another.

So I took most of my running kit back off again and rang British Gas.

Rockin’ the Compression socks with jeans look

Brilliantly by eleven o’clock I was back in all my running gear, ready to set off with the promise of heating and hot water on my return.

Ten miles I managed today. Ten long, hard, tired, slow miles. I would have said “ten miles in the snow” except the snow petered out just outside the village and most of my run was on wet roads in sunshine. Fortunately I managed to capture photographic evidence so I could claim my hardocre “running in the snow” points.

Janathon Day 11. The 50K Audax

Sub title “Making up for yesterday”

Before you get too impressed, this was a cycle ride and not a run. However it’s still pretty impressive for me, because I’ve only ever cycled further than this once, back in June last year (see my blog post about the Wrong Way Round And Round Ride) .

An Audax ride is sort of like orienteering on bikes, as you’re given direction to follow, and check points you have to get to, to prove you’ve ridden the route.

Route Instructions. I just followed Mr B&T

Although this was a long ride for me, it is the first (and shortest) of the series our cycling club put on. The only control point is in a village hall where tea and cake is provided.

Tea stop. That's me, looking like I've not been cycling

Today I learnt:-

– it’s flipping hard cycling into a head wind;
– winter cycling involves many more layers of clothing than winter running;
– sporting events that involve a stop for tea and cake get a thumbs up from me
– and that cyclists are a nice bunch of people.

I was also reminded of a couple of things that I already know, but sometimes forget. Mainly that running, and especially marathon training, has taught me that even if I’m cold and tired I have the strength and stamina (and stubbornness?!) to carry on. Also that I’m married to a lovely chap, who cycled the whole way with me at my slow pace instead of zooming off with his mates. He also magically produced a couple of my favourite tea bags when we reached the tea stop. Thank you!

Janathon Day 9. It was either very windy today …

… or there was a wheelie bin killer on the loose.

Nevertheless, 8 miles were run today. By me. In the wind. It felt hard, but the last time I ran this far was early November, so that was hardly surprising.

Another big tick was that I managed to avoid the wheelie bin killers as well.

A Pint? That’s very nearly an armful!

From experience I know that I find running hard for about a week after giving blood. After donating a pint last night, I lowered my expectations and set off for just an easy 3 miles this morning. I was expecting my heart rate to be high, but to misquote Tony Hancock I think the lovely nurses at the blood doning session took a legful of blood from me last night. I felt so heavy-legged it was unbelievable. Luckily it was a beautiful sunny morning which took my mind off my legs. Warm sun on my arms and legs, and cold dew on my feet. Magical.

Do you give blood? Do you find it affects your running? Maybe I’m just a wimp!

Summer is Over

It’s official. Summer has gone. I ran my first race with the temperature in single figures last week. For the past two days I’ve run in the cold and wet. Someone found this blog by searching for “thick oozy mud”. My trainers are currently sat under the kitchen radiator looking very sorry for themselves, and I was seriously considering wearing gloves this morning.

The clincher is that I’ve put my running shorts away. Even my lovely new Crewroom shorts have been packed away and my capris and tights have been pulled from the back of the drawer.

So that’s it folks – it’s all over until next April.

Oh hang on – I’ve just heard the weather forecast. Apparently it’s going to be barbecue weather by the weekend. Now where did I put those running shorts ….

Hair Troubles

Flop, flick, swish – is your hair annoying when you run? Or are you one of those perfectly groomed runners who can run, even in the middle of summer, without their face looking like a sweaty beetroot and with hair looking like they stepped straight our of a shampoo advert? Sad to say, and you might have guessed it, but I’m not one of those people. I’m more the sort of person who has posted pictures of her strange ‘tummy sweat’ marks and who has amazingly bad hair on a windy day.

I was once running in a 10K race behind a woman who had the most amazingly long, swishy blond ponytail. I was green with envy of her and her hair the entire way around, as I could see her just ahead of me looking trim, fit, fast and gorgeous. I will confess to being a bad person who felt inutterably smug, when, on the final sprint to the finish, I passed her throwing up by the side of the course.* (Confession’s good for the soul, isn’t it?)

Maybe in judgement my hair seems to have been possessed by a series of different characters this week. It was recently cut into layers and hasn’t quite decided which way it wants to go. First I spent a day with Justin Bieber’s hair on my head (which resulted in near whiplash from the associated head flicks throughout the day). Then I woke up with Morrissey’s quiff atop my head (this was pretty cool, but sadly I frightened it away when washing my hair after running). Things went downhill from there, where Bryan Ferry’s greased back look was followed by Gail from Corrie.

Today I ran 6 miles. I pushed my hair back with my faithful hairband from Decathalon, it was humid after last night’s amazing thunderstorms, and I had been sweating. A lot. I peeled the hairband off when I got home, and low and behold my hair was suddenly transformed into a 1970’s Charlie’s Angels’ style flick.

I am sure that I’m not the only one with difficult hair. I enjoyed reading Vikki’s blog over at “If you can’t move it, climb it” where she reviews a head band and visor. I’m still wondering if either would sort my hair out.

If you want to make me feel better please feel free to comment below and share your hair disasters. Alternatively let me know how you keep your hair looking fantastic as you run. And if you’re the girl who was sick at the Longleat 10k several years ago, I hope you were okay and wow I loved your hair.

* Don’t judge me – I’d been following that perfect hair for an hour by then, and racing for an hour on a hilly course does strange things to me

Juneathon Day 21. Mad Dogs and Englishmen …

… And Juneathoners go out in the mid day sun.
Yes it was mid summer’s day today so I decided to go out running. At midday. It was hot. I ran slowly. I took photos.

Action shot making it look like I have one leg

And when I got back home, I looked like this :-

Juneathon Day 12. Technology beats me

Still no broadband (I admit defeat – technology wins today) so a very quick blog from Caffè Nero. After yesterday’s eating-dinner-rather-than-running mishap I thought I’d better get my run in early – well before dinner. So as soon as the builders arrived I was off.

A planned four miles turned into five because if was feeling so great. The five turned into five and a bit because I thought I’d missed the tree I’d left my water under, turned back and retraced my steps for a little way, then realised I’d not reached ot yet so had to turn around again. I’m blaming the sun for melting my brain.

So five-and-a-bit miles run in the sun. Don’t know exactly how far or what pace as I can’t upload my data. Grr!