Rosedawn Ramblings

"I'm not a waiter!" So said my niece Isabelle when she was just 3. She wasn't trying to be cheeky or rude. She just simply didn't like waiting. So she told us. "I'm not a waiter!" This week, I know how she feels. The days to my half marathon in Stafford are going so slowly. The last week has seemed incredibly long. Now, there are just two more days to go. Its all about the wait. I've read my half marathon training guide from start to finish, concentrating this week on the chapter on "race week". There's nothing left to read. I've picked out my outfit - pink running top, black running tights, pink socks. I've even got hot weather and wet weather contingency plans. I've got a box of safety pins ready, so there'll be no excuse for my race number not staying attached. I've stocked the house with good carbs, so I can carb load for the next few days. I've even planned our menu for Friday and ...

A post about why I'm running the Stafford Half Marathon on 25th March 2012... I've just celebrated my first birthday as a runner. In February 2011, after 3 months of exercise bikes and Wii Fit and a serious attempt to get fit and lose weight, I decided to branch out with my exercise and started out on the NHS Couch to 5k Plan , which takes you from 60 seconds of running / 90 seconds of walking to running for 30 minutes without stopping in just nine weeks. I felt such a sense of achievement the first time I completed that 30 minute run. Wow - I was running. The girl who didn't run had just run for 30 minutes without stopping! In April, I joined a local running club (Potters Trotters) and began running regularly. In June, I completed the Race for Life in just over 30 minutes. When MrT was playing cricket at away matches, I would run out to join them. By the end of the summer, I was up to 6-7 miles in those long runs. I took part in a 10km race at the end of November and a...

During February, I've been gradually stepping up the distances that I've been running each week and in my long run in particular. My longest distance has increased week by week from 9 miles to 12 miles. Over the whole month, I ran more than 100 miles. Now it’s March and race day is getting closer. Last Thursday, I set out to complete my longest run ever, in terms of both time and distance. This was crunch time for my half marathon training schedule and on a bit of a whim I decided that I would follow the Trent and Mersey Canal, just to see if I could run from Stoke to Stone. The sun was shining, there was only a gentle breeze and it actually felt like a lovely warm spring day. Almost perfect for running. The first couple of miles from my starting point close to Etruria were pretty tough - the stretch of the canal between Etruria and the Britannia Stadium is probably my least favourite running route. There are loads of bridges over the canal which make the route a bit da...

Following on my previous post about parkrun, I'm now also contributing to a blog all about parkrun: "The parkrunfans blog allows parkrunners from the UK and around the world to share their views and experiences with the rest of the parkrun community. Everyone has their own parkrun experiences and stories and this is the place to share yours."  My first couple of posts can be found at:  New contributor profile An A to Z of Hanley parkrun   So if you are interested in parkrun, take a look at the parkrunfans blog . There are some great stories from all corners of the parkrun world. My favourite at the moment is the stort of the Huddersfield running bunny . If you are looking for a running story to put a smile on your face, that's definitely the one! Happy parkrun-ning! LizT

This latest blogpost is all about parkrun , which is an organisation which arranges free, weekly, 5km timed runs around the world. They have been taking place around the UK for several years and in Stoke-on-Trent since September 2011, when Hanley parkrun was held for the first time. Every Saturday morning, between 30 and 50 runners, plus volunteers and supporters gather in Hanley Park by the lake. When the fountains are turned on at 9am, the countdown to the start begins. The course takes us from the bottom of the park to the top and back (twice) and finishes by the bandstand just above the canal - it parkrun terminology, its a net uphill course. I love parkrun. I love the challenge of trying to improve my own time each week. So far this year, I've knocked about 2 minutes off my personal best and I'm really pleased about that. Each week, I feel like I can control my pace a lot better and the hills are not too big an obstacle to climb. The speedwork and hill trainin...