Rosedawn Ramblings

It's not often that you get to life the life you love to full effect... other stuff nearly always gets in the way. But for two weeks at least, I'm getting the perfect opportunity and it's worth every uncomfortable and sleep-depriving moment of the 27hr journey. In our first few days, there has been time to watch the sunset and sunrise, skim stones, climb hills, see the stars, walk along the riverbank and read haiku carved in stones, soak up the culture, investigate the history, watch cricket, play crazy golf, go to the movies, drink gin, eat cake, read all the books I brought with me and then go shopping to re-supply,  take in the scenery, chat with the locals and love every moment. And of course, there's been a parkrun too... the route through the Kopurererua Valley Reserve was lovely and we were made to feel very welcome. It has been a fabulous first week of our holiday... looking forward to what comes next!

Waiting. I'm usually not very good at waiting. The countdown to big races is always a testing time. This week has involved a lot of waiting... Waiting for the end of each day at work... will Friday ever arrive? Waiting for sleep to come... a sore throat, cough and fuzzy head have made sleep a precocious commodity this week... when will it be Friday morning? Waiting for the train to arrive... only a couple of minutes late in the end... but when will we get to London? Waiting to collect the tickets... but the queue moves quickly... but when will the show start? And then suddenly it's showtime, the familiar opening refrain... we bought the tickets for the special performances of Les Miserables' anniversary concert months ago and now the waiting is over. And it was worth the wait. I loved every second and realised I know the words to the whole show... fortunately for those sitting near me, my sore throat now means a lost voice, so I couldn't sing alon...

I've spent the weekend in Wales at a little cottage just near Bala... there has been very little running but a lot of laughter. Six friends, one cottage: snow, mud, winding roads, tractors that seem to drive themselves, a roaring fire, gin, board games, a lake, a river and a waterfall, mountains, cows and sheep for noisy neighbours, cake and crumpets, chocolate brownies, cottage pie, sausage sandwiches, scones with jam and cream, tea (but no teapot), beautiful views, a bit more gin, late nights and endless chatter. And laughter; did I mention the laughter? It's been so much fun and I feel very lucky to have met these amazing friends through running. We live in different parts of the city and we do different jobs. We didn't know each other at school or college. We grew up in different places. If we hadn't met each other at parkrun or running clubs, we might never have met at all. But I'm so glad we did... it has been a fabulous weekend. Thanks for the...

With a little bit of inspiration from A-ha... When it comes to running, routine, discipline, repetition, consistency, organisation and stability are probably some of the key descriptors for success... especially if you are focusing on getting faster or running further. You need a plan and you need to stick to it. But that doesn't sound very exciting or inspiring. It's unlikely to persuade anyone out of the warmth of home on a wet, cold and dark evening in November. So you need something that will motivate you, get you out of the door... you need to know your purpose; you need to find your 'why'. I've been thinking a lot about this a lot recently - inspired in part by interviews with Chrissie Wellington and Katherine Grainger on the Don't Tell Me The Score podcast on BBC Sounds and coinciding with (or perhaps resulting in) a new-found focus for my running in recent weeks. For me, my 'why' is best summed up by my 12-mile long run on Thursd...