SO I woke up last Sunday with a mild red-wine induced hangover to see the skies over Southampton looking like the perfect running weather.

With the sun shining and an abundance of clear blue skies I literally jumped out of my bed, over a hurdle of the previous nights clothes and straight into my running shoes.

I’ve got a favourite ten-mile hardcore running route in my hometown of Bournemouth which is perfect for sunny days like this one.

So I launched myself into my not so trusty 306 and hit the M27.

My favourite route runs along Southbourne beach to the nature reserve of Hengistbury Head. I follow the Noddy train (always overtaking it because I’m hardcore) down to the beach huts opposite Mudeford before running back over the head and running back along the beach to Southbourne.

The run was going great. With Stevie Wonder’s funky ‘Sir Duke’ pumping through my I-pod at my normal finishing point I was still feeling quite energetic so I decided to continue.

I must have run around 12 miles and was at Boscombe pier by around 1pm. But I was still feeling pretty good despite the wind picking up and the sun disappearing behind some cloud.

Undeterred, I decided to continue to Bournemouth pier. It was literally as I arrived at Bournemouth pier that that the heavens opened and I found my self stuck more than 3-miles from my car in a pair of shorts and T-shirt. Damn.

Like insects disappearing into the woodwork, all human life scurried away from the promenade as I started my lonely journey back to my car in Southbourne.

A few minutes later the hailstones started coming down hard. Being lashed by the hailstones I was at least grateful that that wind was behind me.

But I lost count of the people taking shelter in their beach huts giving me a look that seemed to say ‘why on earth are you running in this weather’?

‘Because I’m miles away from my car and didn‘t check the weather forecast’ I felt like shouting back at them.

Almost two hours later I had completed a 16-mile run. But I was so cold it took me a good three minutes to actually get my car key out of my shorts and unlock the car.

But waiting for me in my cold car was not a towel and warm change of clothes but a pair of flip-flops and t-shirt as for some reason I was convinced it would be a sunny day.Important lesson learned. Always check the weather forecast before embarking on a long run leaving you miles away from your car.