Rosedawn Ramblings

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 don't mind running in the cold - I definitely prefer being wrapped up against the elements than over-heating and suffering from sunburn. But, with the snow, ice and sub-zero temperatures over the last few weeks, the challenge especially for evening runs has been finding a safe ice-free-ish route... So I've competed most of my runs around the same mile loop, around and around, sometimes changing direction just to add a bit of variety. I think it adds up to about 25 miles so far and I’m starting to get a little bit of cabin fever. I’ve been anxious to stretch my legs and experience some wide open spaces, or at least to run on a different stretch of pavement.  The chance came this morning with a long-ish Sunday run in the winter sunshine, topping up my vitamin D levels and getting plenty of fresh air and lots of thinking time. Wisdom from Cheryl Strayed I set off with a vague notion of a route but happy to adjust and change direction if the conditions demanded ...

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...

So it's almost the end of 2013 and a time for reflection of what I've achieved in the last year and also for looking forward, setting new goals for 2014. It's certainly been an up-and-down year - I've turned 40 (hopefully without falling apart), we've lost some very special family members and friends and work has been challenging, busy and uncertain for me (and Mr T). Running has certainly been a big part of my life in 2013 - the word cloud below shows what I've been talking about on Facebook and the biggest word is definitely running: My year in words on Facebook: "club time mile running lots faster" But running has been much more than going outside and putting one foot in front of the other. It has been a distraction from the bigger issues, an outlet for stress at work, a fantastic way of spending time with friends and more recently my husband too, a great excuse for a weekend away, a way of challenging myself to face some fears, a route ...

I lined up on the startline of the Ashby 20 alongside Potters Trotters running buddies Bobbie and Liz with a great deal of trepidation. This was to be my longest run ever (I'd managed 18 miles last week) and much further than I'd ever raced before, with half marathon being my previous limit. I was pretty sure I could complete the distance, even if walking was required, but I wasn't sure whether I would enjoy the experience. And, more importantly, whether I might feel motivated to do more. For many people, Ashby 20 is a stepping stone to the Virgin London Marathon, or other spring marathons and there were 1,000 people taking part. I don't have a VLM place but I've been roughly following Liz and Bobbie's training schedule and this was the next step. I'd been receiving lots of encouragement to make the most of my training and good health and take on a marathon. Could I do it? Am I brave (or foolish) enough to sign up for a marathon myself? The Course Map ...

I think I may have found a new passion... I know that running in the ice, cold and snow can be risky and you have to be careful for all sorts of reasons, but I've been really enjoying my running over the last week. I love being outside in the snow anyway, wrapped up against the cold, but the added dimension of running has been a new challenge that I'm relishing. Garmin Map of 1km of my snow run in Hanley Park! Last Monday was my first experience of snow-running... I rescued my trail shoes from where I'd discarded them after the final cross country event in Leek last December , wrapped myself up in lots of layers and ventured out. I ran along the canal to Hanley Park and just ran around in circles... making footprint patterns in the snow on the tennis courts, football pitches and cricket nets, plus one loop of the lake. It was fun... I wasn't worried about how far or how fast I was running, I was just running and enjoying it. I only ran a cou...

I think I may be a fair weather runner.... the rain, hail, sleet, snow and freezing temperatures over the last couple of weeks seem to have an major impact on my motivation. I've had to force myself into my trainers to get out there and run. Sometimes, like yesterday when the wind and rain didn't stop, I haven't even got out of the front door at all. My parkrun times in April have been getting slower not quicker, although running through driving rain does seem a good excuse for being a little bit off PB pace. Long runs have been non-existant for the last three weeks, although I did manage some speed work and hill reps last week - mainly thanks to Kirsten's encouragement. Perhaps its just a natural lull after the excitement of achieving my half marathon goals in Stafford back in March. Or did I eat too much chocolate cheesecake in celebration? Maybe I just needed to let myself recover for a little bit longer, or I've reached a plateau. Perhaps I've been expecti...

Today, I found myself in the gym at Northwood Stadium , making use of the treadmill. I just didn't have it in me to go out and run in the cold again, but I really needed to fit in a long run today to keep up with my training. So the gym and the treadmill it was! The song that greeted my when I pressed shuffle on the playlist was Amarillo... the one with Peter Kay from Comic Relief a few years ago. If you haven't seen, check out the video , mostly filmed with everyone on treadmills in front of a green screen. I just kept thinking of Ronnie Corbett falling over, which probably didn't help my treadmill running style. Earlier in the week, the frozen footpaths had sabotaged our usual Tuesday night club session for Potters Trotters. On this occasion,we sought refuge on the Athletics track, which had a few snow drifts on it, but was much less treacherous than the pavements. So within the space of a couple of days, I've tried out two different training options and I...