natjtan This weekend Summer arrived! The real Summer heat. The nice cool 28Cº’s been replaced with 30-33Cº and that means all weekend I’ve had a case of the Fridays. Trying to get work done, staring restlessly out the windows counting down until I can venture outside. Any cabin fever promptly then disappears when outside!
Friday run view
I hope you had a great weekend! Friday, I somehow after nearly melting running in the late morning, which too forever to get out and run, plan classes (thank goodness it was windy. There’s no warning when the real summer heat arrives). I was very tempted to say, leave them for later, go outside and enjoy the sun. However I knew I’d enjoy being outside more having them done and not hanging over me! After the now daily obligatory beach siesta and dip because a dip is the only way too cool down, it was off the La Maquinista Centre Commercial to collect Sunday’s 10km race pack. Okay, and visit Forever21. If you rifle through the racks, you can find some great lightweight summer tops. Forever21 is also a great place to find good quality cheap bikinis bottoms. I’ve learnt no matter how much you spend on a bikini, if you spend a whole summer at the beach, you need at least a couple!
New bike racks along the beaches. Easier to keep an eye on it!
Sunset La Maquinista 
On a different note, always here or at any busy beach, ask someone to watch your belongings while you swim. Yesterday, a guy 5 meters away from me had a close shave with their bag. I didn’t realise until they came running over shouting at the girl casually going through his belongings like it was her bag what was happening. I saw her a few minutes earlier scanning the beach and thought she was looking someone with a light until I saw her cigarette was lit and thought nothing more of it. It wasn’t until the guy came running, I realised what she was doing. What got me, she didn’t run away, just crawled away backwards and causally walked away! I spoke with the guy as he left while I was getting ready to leave as moments before it happened I’d just been for a dip. It could have been my belongings if I hadn’t had asked the lady next to me if she could keep an eye on my bag. Apparently she and guy run a scan. He notes what bags, towels are left for a while, she does the lifting (he left his bag with a group of people earlier while he swan, but he got a phone call later and walked away from his bag. He spoke with the group afterwards and they told him about the scam). Always look after your belongings and ask someone to watch them while you swim! They don’t mind!
Saturday, Aj and I had issues over who’s mat it is. As soon as I roll it out, he’s on it taking up the whole mat! The standard Spartan Race no obstacle forfeit 30 full/strict burpees are now the standard set practice. The last set took about 2 minutes. They’re tough and I’m hoping the race monitors aren’t strict about the chest touching the ground. If they are I could manage about 3! There’s a press up, it’s just gets a little less as the reps go up!
Saturday afternoon, obligatory beach siesta, before heading the city centre. Wednesday was a festive/public holiday which meant all shops were shut. Saturday was then the only day to run errands in the centre. I usually avoid going there on a Saturday as it’s quite busy, but most people were still at the beach, so it felt quite empty. Plus the sales start this Wednesday and I wanted to get some things (bikinis tops) before they went in the sale. I know that goes against the principle of sales, but during the summer sales, swimwear sells out pretty quickly in the first few days!
Tibidabo from Placa Catalunya
The sales lady in El Corte Ingles made my day. She asked if I was Brazilian as to her my Spanish accent sounds Brazilian. Nope, British and chatting with her, I found out she’s Brazilian. I took it as a compliment! I’ll add it to be mistaken for French, Italian, German, Spanish and American!
Sunday, up bright and early for La Maquinista 10km race. I’ll be honest. I enjoyed the bike ride in along the river more than I did the run. I didn’t realise how hilly it was! There was an elevation chart on the website, but I didn’t really take any notice of it. Those running it pushing wheelchairs got my respect. Add the first real weekend of heat, it was an uncomfortable run. No PB’s and I was happy to finish! I don’t think I’ll run it next year! The race pack however was interesting. Singing candles, microwave icing/fondant, aloe vera drink, the standard 0,0 beer and shop discounts!
The rest of Sunday, planning my workouts for the next 2 weeks, the beach (when in Rome) and and the zoo to escape the busy beaches. They have 2 baby black ring tailed lemurs. If you think lemurs are cute, wait until you see a baby one. Too much cuteness for me!
I love how the sunlight filters through the leaves. 
What’s the most bizarre race pack you’ve picked up? Do you ask someone to watch your belongings at the beach? Do you get mistaken for a different nationality?
Wow, 30-33C is very hot to run in. The hottest we have had this summer is about 25C. Always find the race packs interesting. In a 30k race I did last March, there was spray suntan lotion in the race pack. The race temperature was a high of 5C. But it was windy, you still can get a windburn, and in the end I used some for the race! 🙂
~Carl~
At least you could use the suncream and was applicable to the race! A singing candle and icing in a running pack. Not sure how I’m meant to run with them! 30C is now the norm for the next 2 months unless there’s a heatwave. Then everything melts! In the South of Spain, temps regularly in the summer hit around 38-40C. It’s easy to see why in Spain August is a ‘national holiday’ month and some places close for the month or a few weeks. Larger shops and businesses remain open. Siestas are suddenly not frowned upon during the warmer months!
Yeah, a singing candle and icing is definitely very interesting. I had absolutely no idea it got that hot in Spain during summer. Keep safe!!