Rosedawn Ramblings

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...

On Sunday, I accidentally ran a half marathon, a very hilly and very tough half marathon, in Uttoxeter. After the wonderful but exhausting experience of the Greater Manchester Marathon , I should really have been resting - my right foot has some nasty blisters (and now blisters on blisters) and my left calf is a bit tight. I'd set myself up for a rest for a couple of weeks and was aiming for the Clayton 10k as my next real effort - at least that was what I wrote on my blog post last Monday. On Tuesday, I went out for a "recovery" run with Bobbie and Liz at Potters Trotters - I didn't feel too bad as we chatted are way around a very easy 5 miles. Someone asked about the Uttoxeter Half Marathon - not a good idea I thought to myself, even though it was the next NSRRA event and 50 points were up for grabs in Group W (I'd managed to be first home in Group W in my first two events at Alsager and the Newcastle 10k ). By Thursday, my energy levels were increasing aga...

Have you ever had a day when everything works out just as you'd hoped and planned? When everything has gone pretty much perfectly and it just makes you smile. That happened to me on Sunday 28th April, as I took the roads of Greater Manchester to take part in my first marathon, fundraising for Cancer Research in the process in memory of my Dad. I made a plan and I stuck to it... it's not something I've ever done very well before in previous running challenges. At the Blackpool Half , I set off too fast and faded. At the Ashby 20 , I found the final hill a real challenge and struggled to the finish over a muddy field. For my first marathon, I knew I had to keep my pace in check at the start so I could keep going to the finish. I didn't want to hit "the wall". Alongside that, the weather was on my side - cool temperatures and light winds, plus the rain stayed away until I'd finished. And the support... wow! At the Cancer Research Tent I'd been sup...

In the last two weeks, I've completed my 50th parkrun and received my 50club t-shirt, presented to me at parkrun yesterday by event director Tommy Hill. I was so excited to receive it, I put it on straight away and completed my 51st parkrun wearing it. It gave my running a real boost. However, today I was back in Potters Trotters pink and my running focus returned to the North Staffs Road Runners as I took part in my second race of the season, the Newcastle 10k organised by Newcastle (Staffs) Athletics Club. There was no snow to contend with today, and only a little bit of rain. The main challenge on the weather front (confirmed by pre-race tweets) was going to be the wind. It looked blustery along the canal towpath so I was expecting even stronger winds out on the country lanes for the run. I arrived in Newcastle at just before 9.30am and made my way to the starting area, soon spotting lots of familiar faces from parkrun and Potters Trotters. I'd arranged to run wit...