It's been a while and I'm not sure why. I've been running a lot until this last week, got a new job, visited lots of new and interesting places and had lots going on. I've just got out of the habit of writing and I feel a bit sad about it... it's like I lost my voice (which is a pretty desperate state of affairs for a chatterbox like me).
Two things have shaken me from my silence...
Last week, I went along to a reception hosted my Peter Hooper from Cox Bank Publishing, the man behind the Sporting Stories initiative. It was a gathering of authors - it was great fun and I particularly enjoyed chatting with paralympian swimmer Jenny Booth and finding out what motivates her to get up at 4.30am for training sessions at the pool. But I felt a bit of a fraud... my blog has been without an update for so long, did I still count as a writer?
And then at the weekend, I received this message via Twitter:
And that got me thinking too... it was great to hear that what I've written about my previous running and fundraising adventures has been inspiring, I'd think I'd forgotten that. I'd just worried a bit too much about whether anyone was actually reading any of it all.
So I decided to start blogging again... like I wrote at the top of the page, I've been doing a lot of running, there are a lot of stories to tell!
And then like the perfectionist that I am, I spent most of the weekend re-designing, tweaking the colour schemes and changing the fonts on the Running with Rosedawn Designs blog, debating with myself what to write about and contemplating lots of different ways of saying the same thing, without actually writing anything at all, just in case it didn't quite turn out as planned (an insight into fear from from one of my original running and blogging inspirations, life coach Liz Goodchild).
So here goes, let's see if I can remember how this works!
Have you been away? Yes, I have!
For the last 12 months, I've been gearing up to my biggest running challenge to date, Race to the King, 53.2 miles along the South Downs Way. The idea for the race was planted last summer at the parkrun Ambassadors conference in Leeds. The idea took hold and I signed up with my ultra running co-adventurer Julie Holmes. At the time I signed up, I was probably running not much more than 20 miles a week. I'd scaled back considerably after the Millennium Way Ultra last March, mainly because my legs were battered and I needed a rest. Hot, hilly and hard half marathons on Cannock Chase, in Chirk and at Much Wenlock had sapped energy and knocked my confidence a bit.
So there was work to be done, many miles to be run in training to be ready for the RTTK. But I also wanted and needed a change, so I endeavoured to sign up for new races, rather than races I'd run before. Thunder Run, The Colshaw Hall 10k and Blackpool Illuminations 10k started the ball rolling and were notable mainly for the size of the medals!
September, October and November became the months for half marathons, as I completed 6 in just over 2 months: Macclesfield, Lake Vyrnwy, Tissington Trail, Dusk Til Dawn, Birmingham (the only one I'd done before) and Tatton Half (with a gin-based hangover). My favourite of all those was definitely Dusk Til Dawn - what's not to love about navigating your way around the Peak District in the dark and with swirling mist, where flagstones are your friends and the downhills are so steep, it's a good job you can't see how far you might fall!
As December turned into January, my weekly mileage continued to build. I was running extra miles with Liz S before almost every club run with the Potters Trotters, as well as back to back long runs at the weekend. My new job at Staffordshire University put pay to long runs during the day - it's not so easy to take a two hour lunch break when you work in an office - but I was fitting the miles in whenever I could, even joining the gym and doing some treadmill sessions,
There weren't too many racing opportunities, but I did complete the Village Bakery Wrexham Half in February... the crumpets were good, the conditions were ok, but I don't think it will go on my favourites list. Liz S and I rounded up the miles though - 18 miles on the day.
In March, I completed the D33 Ultra Marathon in Aberdeen - I did actually write something about this race for the Potters Trotters newsletter - feel free to have a read about my day. It started with rain and missing my running buddy and finished with Epson salts and cocktails, with 33 miles of running and the occasional crisis of confidence in between. If anyone knows the identity of the mystery runner who ran a mile with me, please pass on my thanks - I do worry that I might have imagined her.
In April, the miles built up again, back to back long runs almost every weekend, before and after parkrun, too and from work, mile after mile. The training took its toll every now and then and one long run had to be aborted after just a mile - rest, recover, begin again. Easter weekend proved a busy one - running to Barlaston Downs on Good Friday - and the following week I ran to Stone for Oatcakes and Milkshakes. There were plenty of friends who ran with me, helping the miles go faster, even in sideways rain.
In May, I walked and ran my way around Stafford for an afternoon whilst Jon underwent surgery on a broken and dislocated finger (obviously a cricket injury) - they kicked me out of the hospital so I put the time to good use! And then completed the Flying Fox Marathon with Julie, 26.2 miles around country lanes somewhere in Staffordshire, with too many hills all going up, too much sunshine and definitely too many hedgerows for Julie's liking. Despite all the negatives, I ended up as the Staffordshire F40 Marathon Champion at the end of it... I got a gold medal!
For my last long training run, I joined forces with the lovely ladies from Potters Trotters, and almost 20 different club members came and ran a few miles with me, giving me the last push needed before race day. In my taper week, I did slightly less running than planned but did dance for two hours to an Abba Tribute band, that counts for time on my feet, obviously!
And then on June 23rd 2017, I ran 53.2 miles along the South Downs Way. There's a big, long, crazy story that I need to write about that day, that's coming soon. It really was an amazing day and I hope the write-up will be worth the wait.
And that's where my running adventures have come to an abrupt halt. It's not really that much of a surprise that, after all those miles, my left calf went pop, literally! About 50 metres before the end of my 10k lap on a sunny afternoon before torrential storms turned Thunder Run 2017 into a mud bath, I felt a slight ache in my left calf. I slowed, a sprint finish not really necessary. But the damage was done. With about 10 metres to go, just as a I spotted Kate for the baton handover, I heard a noise, felt a horrible pain in my leg and that was that. I limped my way to the phyiso tent and my race weekend was over - possible torn calf, later confirmed. Rest, ice, rest some more and let it heal.
So perhaps that's another reason for writing again - I can't run so I might as well keep busy by writing about running, watching other people run (I'm off to the World Athletics Championships in London next week), planning my next running adventures (the Birmingham Marathon in October if fit) and another crazy ultra somewhere in 2018, depending on what Julie talks me into) and trying to avoid eating too much and feeling sorry for myself.
I feel better already - I have been away, but I'm back now.
Happy Recovering
LizT
Two things have shaken me from my silence...
Last week, I went along to a reception hosted my Peter Hooper from Cox Bank Publishing, the man behind the Sporting Stories initiative. It was a gathering of authors - it was great fun and I particularly enjoyed chatting with paralympian swimmer Jenny Booth and finding out what motivates her to get up at 4.30am for training sessions at the pool. But I felt a bit of a fraud... my blog has been without an update for so long, did I still count as a writer?
 |
| Photo Credit: Cox Bank Publishing |
And that got me thinking too... it was great to hear that what I've written about my previous running and fundraising adventures has been inspiring, I'd think I'd forgotten that. I'd just worried a bit too much about whether anyone was actually reading any of it all.
So I decided to start blogging again... like I wrote at the top of the page, I've been doing a lot of running, there are a lot of stories to tell!
And then like the perfectionist that I am, I spent most of the weekend re-designing, tweaking the colour schemes and changing the fonts on the Running with Rosedawn Designs blog, debating with myself what to write about and contemplating lots of different ways of saying the same thing, without actually writing anything at all, just in case it didn't quite turn out as planned (an insight into fear from from one of my original running and blogging inspirations, life coach Liz Goodchild).
So here goes, let's see if I can remember how this works!
Have you been away? Yes, I have!
For the last 12 months, I've been gearing up to my biggest running challenge to date, Race to the King, 53.2 miles along the South Downs Way. The idea for the race was planted last summer at the parkrun Ambassadors conference in Leeds. The idea took hold and I signed up with my ultra running co-adventurer Julie Holmes. At the time I signed up, I was probably running not much more than 20 miles a week. I'd scaled back considerably after the Millennium Way Ultra last March, mainly because my legs were battered and I needed a rest. Hot, hilly and hard half marathons on Cannock Chase, in Chirk and at Much Wenlock had sapped energy and knocked my confidence a bit.
 |
| No Medal But a Certificate for Completing the Millennium Way |
 |
| Medals Earned in 2016/17 - actually a lot more than I realised! |
As December turned into January, my weekly mileage continued to build. I was running extra miles with Liz S before almost every club run with the Potters Trotters, as well as back to back long runs at the weekend. My new job at Staffordshire University put pay to long runs during the day - it's not so easy to take a two hour lunch break when you work in an office - but I was fitting the miles in whenever I could, even joining the gym and doing some treadmill sessions,
There weren't too many racing opportunities, but I did complete the Village Bakery Wrexham Half in February... the crumpets were good, the conditions were ok, but I don't think it will go on my favourites list. Liz S and I rounded up the miles though - 18 miles on the day.
In March, I completed the D33 Ultra Marathon in Aberdeen - I did actually write something about this race for the Potters Trotters newsletter - feel free to have a read about my day. It started with rain and missing my running buddy and finished with Epson salts and cocktails, with 33 miles of running and the occasional crisis of confidence in between. If anyone knows the identity of the mystery runner who ran a mile with me, please pass on my thanks - I do worry that I might have imagined her.
 |
| I'm not alone! |
In May, I walked and ran my way around Stafford for an afternoon whilst Jon underwent surgery on a broken and dislocated finger (obviously a cricket injury) - they kicked me out of the hospital so I put the time to good use! And then completed the Flying Fox Marathon with Julie, 26.2 miles around country lanes somewhere in Staffordshire, with too many hills all going up, too much sunshine and definitely too many hedgerows for Julie's liking. Despite all the negatives, I ended up as the Staffordshire F40 Marathon Champion at the end of it... I got a gold medal!
For my last long training run, I joined forces with the lovely ladies from Potters Trotters, and almost 20 different club members came and ran a few miles with me, giving me the last push needed before race day. In my taper week, I did slightly less running than planned but did dance for two hours to an Abba Tribute band, that counts for time on my feet, obviously!
And then on June 23rd 2017, I ran 53.2 miles along the South Downs Way. There's a big, long, crazy story that I need to write about that day, that's coming soon. It really was an amazing day and I hope the write-up will be worth the wait.
And that's where my running adventures have come to an abrupt halt. It's not really that much of a surprise that, after all those miles, my left calf went pop, literally! About 50 metres before the end of my 10k lap on a sunny afternoon before torrential storms turned Thunder Run 2017 into a mud bath, I felt a slight ache in my left calf. I slowed, a sprint finish not really necessary. But the damage was done. With about 10 metres to go, just as a I spotted Kate for the baton handover, I heard a noise, felt a horrible pain in my leg and that was that. I limped my way to the phyiso tent and my race weekend was over - possible torn calf, later confirmed. Rest, ice, rest some more and let it heal.
So perhaps that's another reason for writing again - I can't run so I might as well keep busy by writing about running, watching other people run (I'm off to the World Athletics Championships in London next week), planning my next running adventures (the Birmingham Marathon in October if fit) and another crazy ultra somewhere in 2018, depending on what Julie talks me into) and trying to avoid eating too much and feeling sorry for myself.
I feel better already - I have been away, but I'm back now.
Happy Recovering
LizT
So many awesome acheivements
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