Rosedawn Ramblings

I'm not quite fully recharged but I'm going in the right direction... I've starting running again, albeit very cautiously, and very much enjoyed getting off-road with a lovely run around Berryhill Fields on Thursday evening. I was the 40 minute pacer at Hanley parkrun, thoroughly enjoying running with one of younger parkrunners as she set a new PB. I've been swimming, thanks to an invitation and a guest pass from my Friday Five running buddy Liz. We did six lengths on a Saturday this time, rather than five miles on a Friday... the priority as always was taking the time for a good catch up and a cuppa! And I still need to take it easy for at least a couple more week; I'm determined to learn from past mistakes and stick to my careful approach. No speed work or over-enthusiastic hill reps, everything done at an easy pace. It's a challenge though, especially when I've been used to following a really detailed training plan and counting mileage...

It's fair to say that it's been a long week; the exhilaration of completing my ultramarathon adventure last weekend quickly gave way to exhaustion and my batteries were running on empty. On Sunday, I was moving at the slowest of slow paces - actually I hardly moved at all. Walking to work on Monday was a bit of a challenge too... taking me about 15 minutes longer that usual. And don't ask me about the steps. Physically tired, my concentration levels were low too. So this week I've focused on recharging my batteries and letting my body recover. I've taken a complete break from running, got lots of sleep and taken time to read a book or two. I've put my feet up. I've left work on time. I've had a rest. It seems to be working.  As the week has progressed, I've started to feel my energy levels coming back up. I've been for walks at lunchtime and enjoyed being tail walker at Hanley parkrun yesterday. A perfect, chatty recovery walk....

Race day was finally here.  After a difficult couple of weeks, I woke up on Saturday morning with a certain amount of trepidation after a very restless night's sleep and a couple of weeks of niggles, aches and tiredness. I reminded myself of the three goals I'd set for the race - start with confidence, enjoy the adventure and finish with a smile - and was boosted by some encouraging messages from friends and family. After a quick breakfast and a short bus ride, I arrived in Marlow for the start of the race. I wasn't sure what to expect and actually had no idea how many runners were taking part. My start time was 9.15am and it seemed like there were a couple of hundred of us setting off in the "competitive" wave covering marathon and ultra marathon distances. The ultra marathon route was approximately 33 miles involved an extra loop around Hambledon but we all started off in the same direction. My first race goal was accomplished as I started with...

It's now less than a week until I'll be standing on the start line of the Dulux London Revolution Trail Ultra . My number has arrived in the post, I've made a start on sorting out my race kit and I've got train tickets and a hotel booked. Does this mean I'm ready to race? Honestly, I'm not really sure. The last couple of weeks have been a real challenge in terms of health and fitness... a cough that's not quite gone away, an ache in my right foot that's annoying more than painful and more than my usual amount of lethargy after a very busy few weeks at work. Running has generally been replaced by quite a lot of resting, although I did cover about 15 miles at walking pace around London last weekend whilst spectating at the London Marathon. It's not quite the taper I had planned but it's how things have worked out and now it's time to make it work on race day. So I've been pondering my race day strategy and set myself three sim...