Rosedawn Ramblings

Have you ever had a day when everything works out just as you'd hoped and planned? When everything has gone pretty much perfectly and it just makes you smile. That happened to me on Sunday 28th April, as I took the roads of Greater Manchester to take part in my first marathon, fundraising for Cancer Research in the process in memory of my Dad. I made a plan and I stuck to it... it's not something I've ever done very well before in previous running challenges. At the Blackpool Half , I set off too fast and faded. At the Ashby 20 , I found the final hill a real challenge and struggled to the finish over a muddy field. For my first marathon, I knew I had to keep my pace in check at the start so I could keep going to the finish. I didn't want to hit "the wall". Alongside that, the weather was on my side - cool temperatures and light winds, plus the rain stayed away until I'd finished. And the support... wow! At the Cancer Research Tent I'd been sup

I completed the final long run of my training for the  Greater Manchester Marathon  last Thursday - 10 miles in wind and rain along the canal towpaths of Hanley and Stoke and then through Fenton and back down Victoria Road. I was feeling tired before I set off and, as I left the house, I contemplated a shorter run than my training schedule suggested. I decided to listen to the latest edition of the Marathon Talk podcast as I ran, a special show reflecting on the unexpected and tragic events at the Boston marathon on the 22nd April. The stories that were told and the emotion in the presenters' voices reflected much of what I'd been feeling since news broke of the attack. As I ran, sometimes with tears in my eyes, I forgot about being tired and focused on my goals. I would show my support for the people affected by the Boston bombings by being as ready as I could be for my first marathon on April 28th. Meanwhile, all eyes were on London yesterday for the Virgin London Marathon

In the last two weeks, I've completed my 50th parkrun and received my 50club t-shirt, presented to me at parkrun yesterday by event director Tommy Hill. I was so excited to receive it, I put it on straight away and completed my 51st parkrun wearing it. It gave my running a real boost. However, today I was back in Potters Trotters pink and my running focus returned to the North Staffs Road Runners as I took part in my second race of the season, the Newcastle 10k organised by Newcastle (Staffs) Athletics Club. There was no snow to contend with today, and only a little bit of rain. The main challenge on the weather front (confirmed by pre-race tweets) was going to be the wind. It looked blustery along the canal towpath so I was expecting even stronger winds out on the country lanes for the run. I arrived in Newcastle at just before 9.30am and made my way to the starting area, soon spotting lots of familiar faces from parkrun and Potters Trotters. I'd arranged to run with