Dresses and long run

Met Fiona and Hilary yesterday for dress hunting. Good job they're in season, arf arf.

Yes, I have had a glass of wine.

Anyhoo...Discovered lovely fabrics for Fi and then went and tried on lots of dresses myself, forcing the other two to wait outside changing rooms and occasionally do up zips. Fi made me try on an burnt orange-coloured dress, which wasn't a great fit but the colour actually worked, which was a revelation. I now have an idea of what I'm after, having espied something on a website with an interesting back: having no boobs, it makes sense to accentuate the other side.

We then had a long lunch and talked about clothes 'for longer than we ever had before'. So overcome by our unusually girly chat* was I, that on popping in to Superdrug for contact lens solution I emerged with £20 of new make up.

Today I woke up, ate lots of toast, and went for a 19 mile run. Headed up the coast to Cramond, up the Almond to Cramond Brig and continued to the golf course on the way to Queensferry. Lovely day for it - to start with anyway. I'd left my cap in Dollar which meant, despite numerous hair clips, my hair kept getting in my face, which was annoying. The secondary purpose of my faithful headwear is to keep the my head warm (mostly) and the sun from my face (occasionally). Without it, I have definitely caught the sun. Just after I spent £6.99 on 'ivory 01' toned foundation - typical.

So, the first half was ok, though being 'off road' from Cramond onwards slowed me down, as did the steep step section, which I once swam round for the Rat Race. The last bit around the edge of the golf course saw the wind pick up and spray come right over the breakwater to soak me, which was refreshing. Then I turned around and was running into the wind. Not too bad through the trees and back to Cramond (hit the steps again at mile 13 and seriously considered taking a dip instead).

But back on the promenade from the roundabout on - Jesus! I've run that stretch plenty of times, sometimes in quite windy weather. There was a head wind for the half marathon at the same spot. But nothing like this. It didn't help that I was tired but it was like running uphill without the sense of achievement. It's hard to describe how debilitating a strong headwind can be. It saps your strength and your mental state: I felt like I was in one of those dreams where you have to be somewhere but your limbs are all heavy and you feel as though you're underwater and can't move.

I'd been on schedule for 2 hours 50 mins, but had to forget about the time and just get my head down and battle on. It was grim. Every so often the wind would die for ten seconds and my speed would lift, only to fall again at the next gust. So that was it all the way home. Managed a slight speed up for the last mile to finish in just under three hours, an average of 9.30 minute miles. Pathetic. If there's a wind like that on marathon day I'm doomed.

Am trying to be positive though. As well as the wind, had it all been on tarmac, I would probably have been quicker. But my right leg was showing some ITBS strain towards the end and is a bit sore now. That would probably have been worse if I'd been on roads the whole way. Was also a bit dehydrated despite drinking a whole bottle of lucozade on the way. Hmm. A lot will depend on the conditions on the day.

Half a mile from home a small child shouted that I was looking sexy with my something I didn't catch. What's that about? When I was eight I was scared of talking to adults I knew, let alone strangers, let alone shouting at them in the street. I briefly considered beating him to a bloody pulp but it seemed too much effort, plus I was pretty sure his comment had actually been a compliment. Probably a sarky one though, unless he was blind.

Got home, showered, ate two oatcakes, drank a litre water and slept for a hour. I'd been complaining to Al that surf is up and I don't have time to go. He said, 'Can't you go after running on Sunday?'. Aha. Ahahaha.

Nope. No, not really an option. I did manage to walk round the supermarket, but that was about the extent of it.

I've just had a dinner of Sainsbury's meatballs ('serves two') and potato croquettes ('serves two'). But then I didn't have lunch and had just used up 2,300 calories. Think I have some chocolate left somewhere...

*Yes, I am aware that talking about dresses is not exclusively the preserve of girls. There are gay men who are interested, too.