Wow 2014 is an erratic one even for us English who like nothing more than to endlessly discuss the weather. This year it has been the conversational fuel to keep Starbucks and our other coffee haunts agog for days (yes folks, we do coffee now, not tea !) We started the year mostly under water, never good for a small island. But no doubt after 48 hours of summer sunshine we’ll still be on a hosepipe ban. Then we had an unseasonally warm moment. A giddy 16c, which I know isn’t tropical to some, but it got us reaching for the Bermuda shorts and flip flops. Now we have spent two days hiding under a blanket of killer smog as we relive the Victorian days of the ‘pea-souper’.

Smog is a new one for us, I’ve never heard a pollution warning on TVand radio before. Nothing like a bit of scaremongering to excite the news channels. Of course it’s those pesky Europeans, although no one is saying which country has been belching it out of their grotty factories. And, more exotically, its smog laced with sand from the Sahara dessert (beat that smoggy San Fran !). We’ve woken up to dirty cars and outdoor pursuits are to be avoided especially for the weak chested. That message hadn’t got through yesterday morning when I had my car booked in for service and gamely decided to shun the offer of a courtesy vehicle and run the 7.5km home. My route was a dreary trek past a retail park and even the river bank covered in daffodils couldn’t brighten the greyness.The added pressure to make it home for a 9.45am conference call pushed my pace and actually I felt no adverse smoggy effects at all. It’s a good job I was blissfully unaware of the hype, I might have felt differently had I thought I was breathing sand, camel shit and European pollutants.

Back in time ( microphone adjusted so I didn’t sound like a heavy breather) contributing intelligently whilst stretching vigorously, thank god LCAs have years of multi tasking experience. Today’s training has remained in the safety of the gym but the streets are still awash with runners. Good, stoic British spirit that’s what we like. It’s all blowing away tomorrow, good job I’m dangerously close to an Easter bikini and at my age that takes some effort.

Categories: Ladies of a Certain Age Running (LCA)