Rosedawn Ramblings

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 Running has generally been replaced by quite a lot of resting, although I did cover about 15 miles at walking pace around London last weekend whilst spectating at the London Marathon.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...

I'm in the final phase of marathon training now, tapering (or reducing) my mileage and resting a little bit more than usual. I've completed all my long training runs, done most of my speed sessions and there's not much more to be done. For the next two weeks, I need to stay fit and healthy, eat and sleep well, all with the aim of getting to the startline in London in as good shape as possible... easy, right?  So to keep me occupied and hopefully out of trouble, I'm going back to my roots... not quite home to Lancashire, but back to the roots of my blogging and fundraising for Cancer Research . I've started making cards again. This is proving to be an excellent diversion. To stave off the taper madness, I've gone card crazy.  I've used a series of designs and images from the Far East to create some cards to offer words of encouragement and inspiration: I've found some funky floral paper, old buttons and some little card flowers to put ...

I completed the final long run of my training for the  Greater Manchester Marathon  last Thursday - 10 miles in wind and rain along the canal towpaths of Hanley and Stoke and then through Fenton and back down Victoria Road. I was feeling tired before I set off and, as I left the house, I contemplated a shorter run than my training schedule suggested. I decided to listen to the latest edition of the Marathon Talk podcast as I ran, a special show reflecting on the unexpected and tragic events at the Boston marathon on the 22nd April. The stories that were told and the emotion in the presenters' voices reflected much of what I'd been feeling since news broke of the attack. As I ran, sometimes with tears in my eyes, I forgot about being tired and focused on my goals. I would show my support for the people affected by the Boston bombings by being as ready as I could be for my first marathon on April 28th. Meanwhile, all eyes were on London yest...

"I'm not a waiter!" So said my niece Isabelle when she was just 3. She wasn't trying to be cheeky or rude. She just simply didn't like waiting. So she told us. "I'm not a waiter!" This week, I know how she feels. The days to my half marathon in Stafford are going so slowly. The last week has seemed incredibly long. Now, there are just two more days to go. Its all about the wait. I've read my half marathon training guide from start to finish, concentrating this week on the chapter on "race week". There's nothing left to read. I've picked out my outfit - pink running top, black running tights, pink socks. I've even got hot weather and wet weather contingency plans. I've got a box of safety pins ready, so there'll be no excuse for my race number not staying attached. I've stocked the house with good carbs, so I can carb load for the next few days. I've even planned our menu for Friday and ...