Rosedawn Ramblings

At the start of 2019, I set myself the challenge of publishing a blog post every week during the year - 52 weeks, 52 posts. My motivation was to get back to something I loved doing, something I'd missed, something I'd started several years ago but then lost my way. I thought I'd run out of things to write about. On Sunday, I achieved my goal. I wrote about eating profiteroles for breakfast. It wasn't always easy. Some posts were longer than others. Some were only written right at the last moment. I did it! I crossed the finish line with a smile on my face (mainly thanks to those profiteroles ). But what did I learn? About myself, about running and about life in general? 1. Inspiration can come from anyone and anything ... it can be easy to think that you need something 'big' to get you started. At the start of 2019, I certainly had lots of inspiration to run and blog as I completed an ultramarathon along the River Thames. I've also been inspi...

It's been a wonderful few weeks; after all the waiting , we got to spend two weeks living the life I love , exploring, relaxing and breathing fresh air in New Zealand. But all too soon, we were homeward bound and dark nights, cold weather and work were looming. It's definitely been a week to be relying on my inner Pollyanna and trying to find a few things to be glad about... it's not been as hard as I thought it might be! Despite sub-zero temperatures when we landed in Manchester, there was a beautiful sunrise as we journeyed home... and our fabulous view (and frozen canal) was waiting for us when we got here and the sun shone most of the day too. On my first day back at work, the sun was still shining, so I took my time on my walk to the office, looking for pretty reflections, watching the sunrise and going with the flow. If you don't look too closely, it could be a castle with a moat rather than a factory being demolished (or that could just be the jetla...

There is usually a light bulb moment during the week when inspiration comes for the blog; it can be something someone says, a place I'm visiting, something I see whilst running or a random thought that just pops into my head. But once the inspiration hits, it's then a matter of translating that into a post. So this week, inspiration came when I realised we're almost half way through 2019 and that means half way through my blogging challenge too.  It's time for a mid-year appraisal and, overall, so far, so good; 26 blog posts, no missing weeks and I've really enjoyed writing again. I'm not sure if it's a coincidence, but I'm also really enjoying running too.  I've been looking back and have picked out some of my favourite moments so far... Blogging inspiration.... when I spent all weekend putting off my long run and was then saved by a lost scarf (thanks Isabelle Taking on a challenge...  a race day in the Olympic Park in London ...

‘How do you run 33 miles?’ That's a question I've been asked a lot recently (along with the more obvious, why?) and my answer is always the same... One step at a time, one mile at a time. As I stood on the start line of the D33 Ultra Marathon on a damp and drizzly morning in Duthie Park in Aberdeen, I tried to think about the challenge ahead in small manageable segments, one step at a time, one mile at a time, one snack at a time, one checkpoint at a time. My goal, to do my best (inspired by a quote from Cheryl Strayed, one of my favourite writers). With a final good luck of encouragement from Liz S, very sadly unable to run due to injury, I was underway and following a trail of runners out of the park and up onto the Deeside Way - a old rail trail running inland from Aberdeen. There was a temptation to start off too quickly - the terrain was easy underfoot, the rain not too heavy and everyone around me seemed to be speeding up as we left the park - but I resisted and tr...

A beautiful location, almost perfect running weather (just a bit too warm), a course that really suited me and a goal achieved – I loved this race! Lake Vyrnwy is located about 2 hours away from Stoke-on-Trent, and about 20 miles over the border into Wales, with most of the journey along winding country lanes. But it was definitely worth the trip. It has a very interesting history, and there is a lost village under the lake, which was created with the construction of the dam in the 1880s (see http://www.lake-vyrnwy.com/ ). The race started on a lane in the hamlet of Abertridwr – there were hundreds of runners crammed into a very small space and we didn’t really know the race had started until the people in front started moving. It was a slight downhill and then the only real uphill section on the course – just less than a mile up to Lake Vyrnwy. Running Route It wasn’t too much of a climb though (nothing like Anchor Road) and soon we were emerging from the tree-lined road and...

This Saturday (or parkrunday as it has become known over the last three years), I reached a significant parkrun milestone - my 100th run. I spent the week before hoping that freak storms or an unexpected roller coaster ride didn't put Hanley parkrun in jeopardy, and of course, that I remembered my barcode (thanks to Kirsten for the reminders). 100 parkruns. 500km.  For those of you who know me from Hanley parkrun, it might not seem strange or unexpected. You might think I've always been a runner. For those of you who have known me longest, the idea of me completing even one parkrun may seem ridiculous. You knew me when I wouldn't (or couldn't) even run for a bus. At my first parkrun in November 2011 , there were 39 runners and I finished in 26th place in 28:40. I managed a 9-week PB streak at Hanley from December 2011 to March 2012, improving my time to 24:53. For my 50th run, in April 2013 , I ran a very chatty 27:26 alongside Kirsten Owen and we finished in...

Two years ago, I lined up on the startline of the Stafford Half Marathon for my first ever half marathon. I'd followed a 12 week training programme, gradually building up my running distance and increasing my speed. I nervously joined the other runners in the starting pen and set out on a sunny Sunday in Stafford to achieve my 2 hour goal. The race itself was a bit of a blur - I remember dropping my jelly babies and having a struggle in mile 12. But I did it, my first half marathon. A quick look back at my blog post from that day reminds me of my achievement but also how far I've come with my running (even if my hair looks remarkably similar). After the Stafford Half in 2012 - warm but proud of my achievement This weekend, I lined up for the Stafford Half for the second time, having been offered the chance of a last minute place (thanks to Kate's uncle). My marathon training plan for this weekend suggested a half marathon race so it all seemed like a good plan, ev...

This weekend was the peak of my training for the London Marathon... racing the Ashby 20 and testing out whether I can run that distance at marathon pace. After my Eureka moment last month about cumulative fatigue, I made sure I ran a couple of tough sessions in the week (including some km splits on Friday) so I would start with the right mindset... I was testing myself over the last 20 miles of the marathon and not the first. Last year, the race took place in  snow, rain and cold , but completing it convinced me I could run the Greater Manchester Marathon. This year, the sun was out and despite a chilly start, by the time we started running it was warm, really warm. Another challenge to add to the mix. The race in a paragraph... the route was the same as last year, an undulating course in the shape of a lollipop, and my race experience was very similar (apart from the weather). I started off strong, possibly going a little bit too fast on the encouraging downhills in the first c...