She’s younger than most but has an eye for detail and a way with words far greater than her years. Having worked with Rosie for almost 9 years I’ve seen her growth as a writer but this piece really blew me away. Video to come but for now feast on the words as she breaks down The Love Dem Crew
Talented Rosie Knight on running love.
Shameek’s photo.
Head spinning, thoughts buzzing. I can tell, loads is going on but not yet quite what it’s all about.
It’s been an interesting couple of weeks following Berlin Half. I was ill for a good week which provides an excuse for not running, but I know there’s more to it than that. I’ve had this same feeling a couple of times before. Post-race blues, dragging me down and into a non-running place, hidden behind a sparkle of achievement at the race. And when that dies down, I realise that my passion has dropped. So this time I decided to sign up for the Thames Towpath 10, a race run in deep West London.
So the test results are in. A month ago I did a body composition, VO2max and threshold test with my friend Anne Delextrat at her university. She offered to do two tests for me, one before the bulk of my training for the Berlin Half Marathon and another after the race. We’ll compare and contrast the findings and Anne will use the information to give me tips on what to focus my training on to improve strength, speed and endurance. Here is the first set of results and some thoughts on what to use them for.
Normally I would do a race report just about the races I do, but this weekend was so flippin’ amazing that I may have to cover a bit more than usual.
Having run the Berlin Marathon in September last year I wasn’t over the moon when the crew began talking about the Berlin Half for a crew outing. I’d rather go somewhere new. But, I could feel the vibe building, back in October, so I signed up and began to organise my trip. Basically, I ended up reserving a shared room with three other girls I had never met (Jackie, Lissy, Sophie), two of whom run with Run Dem Crew and one who lives in another city. Madness had taken hold.
Recently someone I work with asked me over dinner whether I’m a marathon runner. I didn’t know what to answer. Yes, I have run a couple of marathons. Yes, I have run some half marathons. But does that make me a marathon runner? In fact, what is a marathon runner? What is a runner?
Berlin Half is next Sunday, 8 days away. I’ve struggled recently to find the time and energy to stick to my training plan and have missed a number of runs. Being insanely busy has played its part in this, but I know that my mindset around being busy has been even more influential.
The other day I went for one of those runs that you wish never happened. I’ve been working long hours recently and am physically and emotionally tired, and this run wasn’t going to let me forget that.
Most of the time a nice long run will sort me right out - ain’t no worry or blue mood or sad thought that doesn’t bite the dust when I get out there and move. But not this time.
