I wasn’t planning a run this morning, but waking up at 8am realising I had a hangover made the decision for me. It wasn’t going to be pretty, but at least I could sweat out the three bottles of Prosecco, beers and wine. It was later than normal… the air already a sweltering cauldron, cicadas pulling on their sun hats and lizards racing for shade.
Three miles was the plan… and it was reasonably quick considering all I thrown at my body only a few hours earlier. I managed the roller-coaster (down and up) in a 7 minute mile. I then cruised at a steady pace to Bibbiano, a small hamlet at the top of a hill. Having enjoyed the view for a little while, I turned my broken body and pointed it in gravity's direction and ran as hard as I could… with dust blowing off the back of my shoes I flew like the Scirocco all the way to the valley bottom and then without stopping turned to head back up the roller coaster. Head down, focused on each step I started the heavy climb back up, and it was going well until I was overtaken by a Norwegian guy staying in the apartment next to us – he had hardly broken a sweat. Bloody ‘ell.
Weekly stats: 15.7 miles; 784 metres climbed.
200in100: Day 55 and 134 miles in the bag.
We leave Italy tomorrow for the French Alps and the second instalment of the holiday.
August lashes out in volcanic fury
