Make-up. If you don’t wear it you may as well stop reading this post right now because it will seem like it’s written in Latin. Before you go though, let me say I’m envious of you.

I’m envious too of many of you that haven’t already hit the ‘back’ button. Those of you that wear make-up like it’s supposed to be worn – because I can’t. I don’t mean that I’m rubbing mascara on my cheeks or putting lipstick on my eyelids, just that if I try to do anything more than my usual pressed powder, mascara, blusher routine – I end up looking like Pat Butcher.

I don’t wear make-up to run out of choice. On a weekend I won’t put on make-up just to go running because that would be weird. I am, however, no stranger to a quick swipe of waterproof mascara before a race – you know, for the finishers photos. But I do wear make-up to work so when I run at lunchtime I am running in make-up – sometimes my make-up is running too.

So runner-to-runner, now that we’ve gotten rid of those that are strangers to blusher, I’d like to make a confession. Last week I went for a run at lunchtime. Afterwards I had a shower in the office showers BUT I didn’t wash my make-up off. Yes, that’s right, I looked in the mirror and though ‘hmmm, not that sweatty today’ and I dabbed a bit more on top.

I know this is disgusting. Running already has me weeing in bushes, blowing my nose on my t-shirt and wearing kit that hasn’t been washed in months, but this is a step too far. So I promise not to do it again. The problem, however, is that I’m lazy. Putting on make-up is a 4-minute chore in itself in the morning. Doing it again midway through the day is not my idea of fun.