Rosedawn Ramblings

When I started my blogging challenge in January, I was looking for a new challenge ; something to motivate and inspire me, something outside my comfort zone, something that brings me joy, makes me smile and is worth all the effort. It sounded like a big ask, but over the last few days, I've been reminded that every run (or walk) can have a wow factor, something special and unexpected; I just need to be looking for it and appreciate it when it happens. I don't need to wait for the big race days or special events; I just ned to run with my eyes open. We are in Guernsey for a few days and the sun has been shining almost ever since we arrived on Thursday. The first 'wow' came when we arrived at our hotel. After climbing 105 steps to the front door and another 44 steps to our room... this was the view that greeted us: Looking out on St Peter Port from the Ziggurat Hotel Wow! On Friday morning, there was something magical and mysterious about watching t...

This week has mostly been about rest and recovery.... After pushing myself on race day last Sunday, I've taken a few days to live life at a slower pace this week: a leisurely lunch on Monday, skipping this week's early morning run and having a bath instead, completing all my runs at a slower pace and finally finishing a book that's been half-read for a good few months, the final chapter in Sue Grafton's alphabet series, Y is for Yesterday . Farewell to Kinsey Millhone I've been running for almost 8 years now and it's very easy to spend time looking back, especially in a week where I've been in recovery mode with a bit more time on my hands. I have lots of great running-related memories: my favourite race finish on the track in the Olympic Stadium ; taking part in the iconic London Marathon , picking up my group winner prize at the North Staffs Road Runners Awards in 2014; completeing 53 miles on one day at Race to the King ; running in the dark...

When I signed up for the Queen Elizabeth Park Half Marathon at the start of the year, one of the small goals I set myself in my quest to find my next big challenge, I didn’t really know what to expect of the race or my running. I’ve run in the Olympic Park previously – finishing on the track in the O lympic Stadium after a 5 mile race back in 2013 – and we’ve visited many times since our first visit back in 2012 for the Olympics and Paralympics. Every time we come some feature from 2012 has moved or changed and new buildings spring up all the time, but the Stadium and Orbit still dominate the skyline. But I couldn’t quite work out how the organisers were going to fit half marathon distance into the park with the number of runners taking part. And then I saw the route map and I had even less idea how it was all going to work out. But it was going to be an adventure… Strava Map In terms of my running, I’ve been keeping up with my running plan since the start of the year – lon...

I don't mind running in the cold - I definitely prefer being wrapped up against the elements than over-heating and suffering from sunburn. But, with the snow, ice and sub-zero temperatures over the last few weeks, the challenge especially for evening runs has been finding a safe ice-free-ish route... So I've competed most of my runs around the same mile loop, around and around, sometimes changing direction just to add a bit of variety. I think it adds up to about 25 miles so far and I’m starting to get a little bit of cabin fever. I’ve been anxious to stretch my legs and experience some wide open spaces, or at least to run on a different stretch of pavement.  The chance came this morning with a long-ish Sunday run in the winter sunshine, topping up my vitamin D levels and getting plenty of fresh air and lots of thinking time. Wisdom from Cheryl Strayed I set off with a vague notion of a route but happy to adjust and change direction if the conditions demanded ...