Rosedawn Ramblings

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...

The things you do for a medal, a chocolate bar and a tiny bag of haribo…. A couple of weeks ago, my running buddy Liz mentioned a possible race for us to do... so I signed up without really investigating all that much. I knew the date, the location, and the distance. I did enough research to know that trail shoes would be a good idea and I probably would get a bit muddy. The weather forecast wasn't great, so I was expecting to get a bit wet too. And then the alarm went off this morning and, after heavy rain overnight, the likelihood of getting wet and very muddy increased even more. We journeyed down the M6, arrived in plenty of time for a pre-race cuppa, and then the fun began! There wasn't just mud, there was deep, squelchy, suck-the-shoes-off-your-feet mud. And lots of it. Fortunately, we all kept our shoes on and only had a couple of dodgy moments. Our technique improved as we went along, working out the required amount of momentum to get through each boggy fi...

This weekend has been the running adventure that is Thunder Run. .. a running event at Catton Park in Derbyshire that involves a 10k trail loop and teams or individuals trying to complete as many laps as they can in 24 hours. Here's a teaser for a proper review of the weekend.... Thunder Run in 10 words Laughter Burgers Prosecco Friends Support Rain Mud Fear Tiredness Darkness Pandas I'll fill in the rest of the story as the week goes on... because right now I'm really tired and really need to sleep but really don't want to miss a week on my blogging challenge... but let's just say it was eventful and there was even a little bit of running (although not as much as planned). In the meantime, thanks to the Rock Solid Pandas, we had a blast!

After the beautiful sunshine of Guernsey in February, everything seems to have returned to seasonal norms this last week; cold, wet and windblown best describe me at the end of most of my runs last week. Which makes me wonder what I was thinking when I decided on Tuesday evening to enter the Knighton 20 five days before race day, especially as the weather forecast for this weekend was not promising, with the possibility of snow, rain, sleet and hail. You really want every advantage possible when you've chosen to run 20 miles on "undulating" country lanes in March. Knighton 20 Elevation Chart For the Knighton 20, I was re-uniting with my long-run training buddy Julie - we've completed ultras and training runs in every type of weather but it's been a while since we've run together so I was looking forward to catching up and supporting each other to get round. Julie is running the London Marathon in April so this was an important training run for he...

I t's been a while and I'm not sure why. I've been running a lot until this last week, got a new job, visited lots of new and interesting places and had lots going on. I've just got out of the habit of writing and I feel a bit sad about it... it's like I lost my voice (which is a pretty desperate state of affairs for a chatterbox like me). Two things have shaken me from my silence... Last week, I went along to a reception hosted my Peter Hooper from Cox Bank Publishing, the man behind the Sporting Stories initiative. It was a gathering of authors - it was great fun and I particularly enjoyed chatting with paralympian swimmer Jenny Booth and finding out what motivates her to get up at 4.30am for training sessions at the pool. But I felt a bit of a fraud... my blog has been without an update for so long, did I still count as a writer? Photo Credit: Cox Bank Publishing And then at the weekend, I received this message via Twitter: And that got me thinkin...

‘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...

Almost exactly three years ago, I started on a lose-weight-get-fit journey, which has taken me from someone who couldn't run for a bus to someone who has found an enjoyment in running that I would never have imagined and brought out a long-dormant sporting competiveness. I started out slowly, graduating from running on the Wii Fit to the wonderfully simple Couch to 5k programme , which prepared me for my first event, the 5k Race for Life in June 2011. I kept going and in March 2012 completed my first half marathon .  Just over a year later, in the year I turn 40, I conquered a marathon too and had the most amazing day at the Greater Manchester Marathon . I've taken on many different running challenges, including running in the Olympic Stadium , and loved most of them. I've lost weight and got much fitter than ever before in my adult life and perhaps most importantly, I've met some amazing people along the way and have an ever expanding circle of (running) f...

I love it when a plans come together... Over the last few weeks, I've been putting in the miles in training and doing a range of long and short runs, speed work and hill sessions.  I've been getting faster in those training runs and at the St Thomas 7 managed to break 59 minutes for 7 miles and put together my most satisfying run for a long time - practically perfect in every way ! I also returned to the cross country and was back at Winsford  at the end of September for another satisfying run in the first race of the season for the North Staffs Cross County League . The approximately 5,000metre course was definitely closer to 4 miles than 3 miles but I still recorded an average speed of approximately 5:10mins/km and finished in 81st place - a much higher finish than I managed last year. What was even more satisfying, though, was that we had more than enough runners from Potters Trotters to record a team score... something we didn't manage at all last y...

Another week, another NSRRA race. The races have been coming thick and fast since the beginning of June and I've been feeling the pressure of my 7-race winning streak in Group W and the impact on my legs! My last few races have been tough and I've had to rely on my inner Pollyanna to find some bright spots. View from the Kitchen! As race day dawned for the Berryhill 10k, my enthusiasm for another race was distinctly lacking. The rain was back and conditions did not look favourable. But I'd arranged a lift with Liz and Mr T was coming to support me too. In the end, we were pretty lucky with the conditions - the rain disappeared, the wind eased quite considerably and over 160 runners lined up for the start of the main race, which involved one small lap and two larger laps around Berryhill Fields - which I see from my kitchen window every day. Despite my best efforts at organisation - I remembered safety pins to attach my race number - I forget my Garmin and so woul...

During the first half of 2013, I've really enjoyed taking part in races as part of the annual competition by the  North Staffs Road Runners Association . There was the first race of the season in Alsager where I learnt about the importance of spotting the other "Ws", two hilly 10k races in Newcastle and Clayton , my accidental half marathon in Uttoxeter . Even the tough races at Westbridge and the Potters 'Arf  had moments of enjoyment, where I felt like I was accomplishing something as a runner. And my first season in NSRRA Group W has gone better than I could have hoped - six races, six wins. Last weekend, it was time for my seventh race - the Stone St Michaels 10k.  I didn't wake up on Sunday morning feeling enthusiastic about running - the weather was not inspiring and if I hadn't pre-entered and arranged a lift, I might have been tempted to give it a miss and have an extra couple of hours of sleep. But I did run - two laps ro...

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...