Rosedawn Ramblings

2022 went by in a flash; a year on fast forward. I think it was November before I realised my wall calendar still said July. Lots was happening - the Commonwealth Games, a holiday in Madeira, getting stuck in to my new job - but at the same time, it feels like not much happened at all. It's definitely hard to be specific about dates, activities, occasions. All cake and cocktail memories seem to merge into one. 2023 has already started ... and I'm still trying to reflect on 2022?  Perhaps I should just skip last year and and focus on 2023 instead - I've got a big birthday coming up, a trip to Rome planned and lots of family celebrations to look forward to.  2022 could just be a footnote? But that doesn't seem fair?  There must be lots of things to remember, celebrate, reflect on, laugh about, cry about? Not everything has to a big moment of wonder, sometimes there is joy in the little things too. --- Over the last few months, I've been working on a new blogging proje...

There have lots of moments in the last few weeks when life felt like it was back to normal, making it seem like starting again has become a real possibility. The sun has been shining, There has been time for catching up with friends in real life (no screens involved), Mr T got a haircut, coffee and cake at a cafe, watching the newly-hatched ducklings swimming along the canal, blossoms on the trees, answering parkrun emails about barcodes, buying a new front door, even booking a few days away for a holiday .  Back to normal. Almost. Probably the most normal thing of all has been the return of club runs with the Potters Trotters.  For an hour or so at a time each time we meet, we have returned to our old routines - lots of chatter as everyone arrives, tentative questions as we set off about how far we are running and how many hills are likely to be involved, conversations as we run about what races we might do, what's happening in Line of Duty, or what is for tea wh...

A week in the Turks and Caicos? A month in Toronto or Melbourne? Maybe a long weekend in Rome? An overnight stay in York? Island hopping in the Med? Following the civil rights trail across the American South? Whale watching in New Zealand? A safari in Botswana? If we could go away tomorrow, where we would go? What would we want to do? Where would we choose to stay? Big trip or long weekend? This is a game we have played all through lockdown, a way to remind ourselves that was a big world out there, even if we didn’t feel part of it at the moment. The answer has changed depending on the time of year, the weather outside or how stressful a day we have had. It would be prompted by a TV programme, a news report or, more usually, a 60 second vacation on CNN . Where would we choose? Somewhere new? Or an old favourite? And once the game has started, it can last for hours. We have debated which restaurants to visit, museums to explore and parks to run around. We have found about festivals and ...

My big goal for 2020 is the 100km ultramarathon Race to the Castle in June. My training plan is geared around building up my miles over the next five months to be able to complete distance. It's not about time, it's about getting to the finish in however long it takes. But alongside that big, very scary goal, I've got a few more manageable bitesize challenges to help me get there. Some are about long runs or weekly mileage targets. Some relate to races or race strategy. Some relate to how I want to feel mid-run or at the end when it's only over. Today was one of those days, the Essar Four Villages Half Marathon. I wanted it to be more than just a training run. I wanted to test my speed, my endurance, my racing strategy and my mental strength. I've been working hard in training with interval sessions, hill reps and tempo runs. So I set mini goals (just for me) for the time I wanted to reach the half way point, my average mile pace, the consistency of my...

A few weeks before our travels to New Zealand , I signed up for a race. I filled in all the boxes on the entry form, pressed submit, put the date in my diary, created a rough training plan and then got on with normal life. It's not until June next year... that's ages away! But it's not just any race. It's a race that ticks all my boxes ...  It's going to test me to the limit and be harder than anything I've ever done before. It's 100km or 63 miles and the goal is to complete non-stop.  It's definitely got the wow factor , with a route description promising stretching moorland, winding rivers, ancient woodlands and sandy trails and a finish at the incredibly spectacular Bamburgh Castle. It's going to need dedication in training and I'll need to use every motivational trick I know to get me out of the front door and out running whatever the weather. But it's something I really want to do. And now it's...

I don't often run listening to music but a couple of times this week, I've connected my fancy new Bluetooth headphones, turned up the volume and tuned out with my latest running playlist . It always seems like the shuffle option knows exactly what song to play at what moment, either to make me smile, give me a sense of perspective or just make me run that little bit quicker when needed. And today was no exception: Life of Riley (The Lightning Seeds) - I've been very busy lately with work and other commitments. It's been difficult to find the time (or energy) for running. But when I do make the time, I never regret it. When the alarm went off this morning, it was tempting to snooze for a few more minutes. But a run always clears my mind - even more so when it's raining - so I got up, got ready and set out on my run. I still believe that in this world, we've got to find the time...  Why Does It Always Rain On Me (Travis) -  after running up to Burslem for...

Last week was a good week ... I enjoyed running and felt a bit like my old self after the challenges of running in the mud at Thunder Run and a few days away to recharge my batteries . But this week? Well, it's safe to say that not everything has gone according to plan. I've missed out on planned runs for a whole host of reasons, some in my control and some not. The weather has got in the way and I've had to work extra hours this week. I've battled with technology and lost my keys. I've been playing catch up and not really managed it. But does that mean it's been a bad week? Definitely not; plans have changed but lots of good things have happened anyway I panicked thinking I was on the wrong train; then laughed out loud when I realised I was just sitting backwards not forwards and I was going the right way after all! I've been for a walk in the park on a beautiful summer's evening I've run with a friend for the first time in a long ti...

I'm not quite fully recharged but I'm going in the right direction... I've starting running again, albeit very cautiously, and very much enjoyed getting off-road with a lovely run around Berryhill Fields on Thursday evening. I was the 40 minute pacer at Hanley parkrun, thoroughly enjoying running with one of younger parkrunners as she set a new PB. I've been swimming, thanks to an invitation and a guest pass from my Friday Five running buddy Liz. We did six lengths on a Saturday this time, rather than five miles on a Friday... the priority as always was taking the time for a good catch up and a cuppa! And I still need to take it easy for at least a couple more week; I'm determined to learn from past mistakes and stick to my careful approach. No speed work or over-enthusiastic hill reps, everything done at an easy pace. It's a challenge though, especially when I've been used to following a really detailed training plan and counting mileage...

It's fair to say that it's been a long week; the exhilaration of completing my ultramarathon adventure last weekend quickly gave way to exhaustion and my batteries were running on empty. On Sunday, I was moving at the slowest of slow paces - actually I hardly moved at all. Walking to work on Monday was a bit of a challenge too... taking me about 15 minutes longer that usual. And don't ask me about the steps. Physically tired, my concentration levels were low too. So this week I've focused on recharging my batteries and letting my body recover. I've taken a complete break from running, got lots of sleep and taken time to read a book or two. I've put my feet up. I've left work on time. I've had a rest. It seems to be working.  As the week has progressed, I've started to feel my energy levels coming back up. I've been for walks at lunchtime and enjoyed being tail walker at Hanley parkrun yesterday. A perfect, chatty recovery walk....