Rosedawn Ramblings

The things you do for a medal, a chocolate bar and a tiny bag of haribo…. A couple of weeks ago, my running buddy Liz mentioned a possible race for us to do... so I signed up without really investigating all that much. I knew the date, the location, and the distance. I did enough research to know that trail shoes would be a good idea and I probably would get a bit muddy. The weather forecast wasn't great, so I was expecting to get a bit wet too. And then the alarm went off this morning and, after heavy rain overnight, the likelihood of getting wet and very muddy increased even more. We journeyed down the M6, arrived in plenty of time for a pre-race cuppa, and then the fun began! There wasn't just mud, there was deep, squelchy, suck-the-shoes-off-your-feet mud. And lots of it. Fortunately, we all kept our shoes on and only had a couple of dodgy moments. Our technique improved as we went along, working out the required amount of momentum to get through each boggy fi...

My blog has plenty of posts of my love of a chatty run ... and earlier in the year, I was thrilled to discover that chatty runs are an essential part of training. Reading about the 80/20 rule, I discovered that 80 per cent of your running should be run below the ventilatory threshold, at a pace slow enough to hold a conversation.  And this week, I've definitely had some excellent chatty runs, especially with another Friday Five with Liz this week - putting the world to rights as we tried a number 5-mile-ish route around Trentham. But, whilst chatty runs might still be my specialty, ever since reading about the 80/20 rule of training, I've been trying to work on the missing 20 per cent too; running at high intensity. And this week, I might just have managed it... I set myself another mini speed session challenge in Cauldon Park on Tuesday... 10 minute warm-up, followed by 60 second fast, 90 second recovery for 10 minutes, finishing with 10 minute cool down (ish… the hi...

I realised today that the calendar on my wall was still showing June... they say time flies when you are having fun but actually that just feels like time flying! The last couple of months really do feel like they've gone by in a blur... lots of work, the occasional run, some fun moments and a brief trip to the seaside. But if the last couple of months have been a blur, this last week has been a struggle... summed up by the four images below: But I survived the week and still found time for a lovely chatty run at parkrun followed by a good natter in the café. I read a whole book from start to finish, restocked my food cupboards and made a batch of tasty soup - equilibrium restored. So I may not have run many miles this week, I've had a chance to recharge my batteries today and ready for what next week has to offer! PS Fruit challenge update - this week, I've sampled apple, blackberries (picked whilst out running with the Potters Trotters), melon, kiwi,...

Sometimes the unexpected happens... This morning I pinned my race number to my t-shirt, did a very gentle warm-up amongst the crowds around Media City in Salford Quays, waited an age to cross the start line in a very narrow funnel and then... I ran my fastest 10k in over 3 years! How did that happen?  I've been trying to work that out all day. Perhaps it was being back in Manchester - the location of my first marathon and a race that couldn't really have gone any better. Today's route took in some of the same streets and it was a really positive reminder of a special run. I managed a negative split that day as well. Perhaps it was getting a good night's sleep and not having to get up too early - we stayed in the Premier Inn just 5 minutes from the start line. I'm never good with really early starts so that suited me perfectly. We could see Salford Quays from our window and didn't have to leave the hotel until just before 10 for the 10.15am...

August has definitely been challenge... it feels like a relief to get to the end of a month where I've spent too much time at work and getting out of the door for a run has felt like an almost impossible task ! I've also gone the whole month without eating any Haribo either... as if life wasn't difficult enough! But the last week has been a turning point... work hours have reduced and I've managed three runs during the week, the highlight being a first outing for my hard-earned parkrun 250 milestone t-shirt yesterday.  And that brings me to September.. time to step up again.  So I've got two new challenges for September - one of them is Strava-based and involves being active 5 days each week. It doesn't officially start until tomorrow but I got a head start today with a lovely walk along the canal... appreciating fresh air, sunny weather and a tasty lunch at the finish! My goal is to complete 3 runs, one long walk (or run/walk) and o...