Rosedawn Ramblings

All through the cross country events, runners seemed to talk about the last race in Leek in hushed tones. "Have you done Leek before?" they ask, smiling knowingly when you say "no, this will be my first time". So what is it about the cross country at Westwood Park in Leek that has everyone so worried, that has people missing out on the final event saying "I don't do Leek!? Well, there's this hill. It's called "Killer Hill" and, apart from a brief interlude taking a circuit around a field at the bottom of the hill, the course basically involves running up and down it.  Snow on the Distant Hills It was a bit chilly (snow on the hills), but lovely and sunny when we arrived at Westwood to check out the course and scope out "that hill".  As before, we arrived a little bit early, in time to watch the junior races and could see first hand the challenge presented in climbing it. It was going to be tough... And the ground un...

What a difference a week makes… 168 little hours! On the previous Saturday, I’d done nothing more than survive the cross country at Stafford Common, completing the course with two shoes ! Just a week later, on Saturday 24th November, I returned to Cheddleton to take part in the 10k Christmas Pudding Run – one of the first races I completed (back in November 2011). It was good to be out racing again so soon after the cross country – no better way to get over a bad race than to get out there and try again. I felt more confident with this run though – a route I knew all on the road and no mud banks to navigate my way down. Thanks to a lift from Liz from Potters Trotters , we arrived in the village with plenty of time to get our post-race cakes sorted – the Christmas Pudding Run is part of the Cheddleton’s support of Cancer Research so there is a sale of refreshments in the school hall as part of the fundraising effort. The cakes are as much a part of the day as the race – and y...

Round 3 of the cross country at Stafford Common turned out to be a very different challenge than the first two events at Winsford and Park Hall - so much more of a mental challenge than the physical one I was expecting. On another day, in much less muddy conditions, I think it would actually have been quite a good course to attempt - there were hills but they weren't extreme, with plenty of downhill sections to balance them out. But very heavy overnight rain turned certain parts of Stafford Common into a bog, there was mud everywhere and it was sticky mud at that. We arrived in time to see some of the junior races and saw several finishers struggle over the line missing one or even both of their shoes... it really was that muddy. Our race was slightly delayed  - time to tie and re-tie my shoes at least 3 times to get them fastened as tightly as possible. We were underway not long after 1.30pm and the first sticky mud was not much more than 100 yards from the start line....

This weekend, I've taken part in my second cross country event as part of the North Staffs Cross Country League at Park Hall Country Park. After my first effort at Winsford in September, which I survived and sort of enjoyed, I decided that it I would give cross country another go. Since the first event, my running has been a little sporadic. I've run a few times with the Potters Trotters, completing a very hilly 6-miler devised by Liz a couple of weeks ago as part of our preparation. I've also got closer to my Hanley parkrun PB , running 25:12 on October13th with some pace making from Paul Hickman - my fastest time by some margin since July. My next parkrun challenge is to get back under 25 minutes. Last week was a crazy one for work, as I visited Rhyl, Colwyn Bay, Bristol, Croydon and Central London for meetings, spending two nights away from home and with a 5am start on Thursday. I did manage an interval session on the treadmill in the hotel gym on Friday mor...

My Dad! It's been a bit quiet on the running and blogging front for the last few months... since the Potters' Arf back in June in fact. The summer weather never really came... and then my Dad's health deteriorated and I flew out to see him in France before he passed away in July. My Dad's battle with cancer had been a strong motivation for my first half marathon in March and for my fundraising for Cancer Research . I lost my running mo-jo for a while. Then a few weeks ago, the call came round at Potters Trotters  to persuade members to take part in the North Staffordshire Cross Country League - 4 events over approximately 5km on Saturday afternoons from September to December. I confess that I didn't sign up immediately - I think I was held back a little bit by memories of running through icy puddles around the rugby field on a cold and wintry day at parkrun in Glasgow back in January. Inspiration from London 2012 But during early September, as I starte...

Yesterday, I completed the Potters 'Arf - my second half marathon and a very tough experience, especially the last two miles. But I did it and also within my 2hour target, so I could pick up my bronze medal... In the build-up to the race, I was a little bit nervous. I'd had a really mixed experience with my training - I didn't run properly for about 2 weeks after a cold/cough amidst the dreadful weather and had only managed 2 of my planned 4 long runs. I'd also missed out a couple of scheduled hill sessions, which I knew I could cause me problems on the Potters 'Arf route. However, I'd managed a really good training 10-mile run with Liz and Jo from Potters Trotters on the 31st May, then a fast Hanley parkrun on the 2nd June and also a good mid-week speed session in which I did my fastest ever kilometre. By Saturday night, I was a little bit more relaxed and ready to run... bring it on! Given that the start / finish line for the Potters 'Arf is only ab...