an experience beyond words

"On Saturday we left Ray resting in Jindabyne and Ann and I shared a trip up to the Summit. What a woman she is - so strong, so kind, so generous - just an awesome co-crewer." Sue

sue ... thank you, thats just so lovely for you to say. x

words cannot sum up our time there, nor that summit journey of ours, (well besides with the singular word freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezing for the latter!) emotional for us i guess cos yes, we had expected to do the summit with ray in tow - but i am so glad we still got the chance to head to the top - we did it differently than expected, but i know ray was really pleased we went and had the opportunity to experience the top of australia...

occasionally in life there are events that happen, that are so overwhelmingly amazing, they can't be described succinctly ... i have arrived home finding myself in that position, how do you explain a c2k experience to someone who wasn't there? - how to put into words, all the magic of the experience ...

c2k was not what i expected. yet. everything i expected.

like with any ultra, the best of plans get left by the wayside and you find yourself having to improvise along the way, change tactics, remove preconceived ideas of how it will all pan out, and you learn to do some incredible things you would never have thought possible - quickly... when the race is not 'yours' but your role is to get a single runner to the finish line, it takes on a whole different scenario, a selflessness - that you take on with such gusto, you surprise even yourself the energy it takes, and that you find you have an abundance of. the focus is simply on making such a relentless feat as easy as possible for them.

a different way to run

well i cannot be more pleased ... :D

starting the same time as the gym challengers - so 7 weeks, 3 days ago - the final results are a little earlier than 8 weeks (hey every day counts!) ... however, as i am heading away this evening, michelle did my measurements this morning after bike
i have lost 6.6kg, and .... 18.7cms!!
w00t friggin w00t! i have struggled to reach a 10kg goal loss, though i still have another couple of weeks, my 'personal challenge' i set as 10 weeks long!!
whilst my alcohol intake leaves a lot to be desired recently, specially the past weekend :) eeek -  i HAVE worked hard for those current results! positive results, CAN only ever happen that way!

rainy days and s(f)un days

If you go into a forest with your mind only, you'll only notice the sounds and the mind will try to interpret them. You might think you're present; but you're not really, you're simply judging what you hear. But if you become aware of the silent dimension underneath the sounds and in between the sounds, then you become present because... the moment you become aware of the silence, you also have become silent ... Eckhart Tolle

what a wonderful few days away i have had ...
plant powered camp, vegan camp, running camp
call it what you may, it was just incredibly cool - even literally! ok. no. literally, it was FREEEEEEEEEEZING!!! and rainy. but, it was the BEST.

for me, a week, but the actual camp was friday through to monday ... left to brisbane wednesday, then to sydney thursday morning ...

tons of running. and it was sooooooo cold!

view photos here

helicopter h(ell)uva day

the whitsunday great walk ... race! didnt run it, but headed in as part of the ses to help out - placed at bloodwood checkpoint with sue and ben, lovely company
boy oh boy was i petrified at the thought of heading onto the helicopter though. we had to meet at the airport at 6.30am, andrew was picking me up and he was late, two ses carloads went past while i waited out front of my place for him, each stopping, but i said i would wait ... when he got here, he said they cant leave without us :)

at the airport, was a waiting game anyways, as we went through briefing and sorting where everyone was to go etc... there were three lots of us going in on the helicopter to various points, the others either at the race beginning/end etc, me ben and sue, were the second 'helicopter' group.
while i was actually excited to see where i train from the air, it would have been MUCH cooler had i been able to run into it ... all i could keep thinking was its only 8k from the airlie beach end, i would arrive in there before them if i had started when we headed to the airport anyways! :D

when the helicopter took the first group off, my heart - !! woah was it ever beating fast ... i just remember everyone saying to me how cool it was going to be and i would love it - then talking crashes!! ha, and thinking, 'just breathe, just breathe' :)

glasshouse amazement

"how is everything going?"
"well, ive got bad news and ive got good news. i'll give you the bad news first: we're lost"
"we're lost? And what's the good news?
"we're making VERY good time!"




an amazing weekend, i could not feel more happy, or high, than i am right now ...
pre race 'le tour' - friday september 10
a long overnight drive down to the sunshine coast through thursday night saw me arrive right on quarter after ten to meet for the pre race tour ... everyone was being placed in cars ready to drive to a few checkpoints and check out once again some of the places we will be running ... given my lack of directional prowess and my enormous ability to end up lost even on my regular trails! an important time for me to take in as much as i possibly could!! placed in a car with david who knows every nook and cranny of the area a blessing, and andrew, paul and glen!

unfortunately, rain, cut us short. but quickened our speed to the pub for lunch and a drink :) on the way david kept trying to assure me that despite the rain - the mud and wet would dry up by the morning, - while the rain pelted down on us and the cars couldnt get through?!! ha! uh huh

the excitement begins

well, my bags are packed, im ready to go (im standing here outside your door i hate to wake you up to say gooood bye ... LOVE that song, though its sad)
ha! i have checked rechecked, rechecked, and then rechecked oh, and rechecked again - my back pack and my checkpoint bags .... now, its just a waiting game to hear back from hamilton island, send a job to the printers, then im ready to head!

successful 54kms!

completed :)

54kms, done and dusted!

REALLY pleased with how i went and how i felt doing it, and feeling ready... a little sore right now though :) (this too shall pass!!)

went past a friends after, was hoping to head out on their charter tomorrow and do some snorkelling on the barrier reef (awesome recovery!?! but also storm asked friday night if we could) jumped in their pool while there, her suggestion, and man that felt GREAT on the legs!! have stretched. done all i can :) now. its just a relaxing eve - me and the election coverage (ugh!) oh, and BED!! storm at a friends tonight so going to try and sleep early so i dont worry so much :)

crocodiles with leery smiles

a couple of good runs today ... when it all come down to it, thats what ive got to be concentrating on right now... only 4 weeks till glasshouse 100miler

ran out at kingfisher in the morn, coral beach in the afternoon. croc sightings so the warning signs were out, made me a bit on edge, the place was dry as a bone though ... my mind went everywhere when i realised i actually knew little about crocs and where they lived or what they could do ...

morning conversation with storm when i headed out and she was going to be at work before i got home ....

"running at coral this afternoon, when i ran out at shute harbour thursday and ran past the entrance, the croc signs were out, can humans outrun crocs?"
"mummy, what do YOU think?!"

danger, will robinson :)

coral beach STILL closed .... :/

so, did the stairs 14 times (OUCH) then came back to do mt rooper - twice - the first time, i got lost!!! hell i dont know how but ... well. it's me, it's possible apparently ...

countless times i have run it, both directions, it is, quite overgrown at the moment, only grasses though, all the cyclone damage has been cleared .. just long tickly grass, well, actually, probably some form of plant, not like green lawn - anyways, running, discovered myself thinking it was even more overgrown than last week, questioning, stopping, looking, no, im still on the trail, it is still ok - a few times ... then came across a landslide - well, that explained what was wrong ... there's been a landslide since last week!! way across the other side, i could just make out what i thought was the trail again, so, precariously, i made my way across, careful of every footfall, for it sure didnt look safe, and also thinking, i must call the council and let them know .... across the worst of it, the trail, still overgrown, i could (ha really?!) make it out!

a beautiful run

really really REALLY enjoyed running today, better than any trail i have run lately, and certainly better than 'anything road' :) i felt like i was home.

i am always astounded why there isnt tons of others wanting to get out there and feel the amazement and beauty of running on a trail too.

i did some stair training first out at shute harbour - 90 stairs, 10 times up and down, 1800 steps! - haven't done THAT in months! - by 7 and 8, legs were like jelly, was going to stop, superly glad i didnt - pushed myself hard for the last couple, so shows we ARE capable of more than we know - i AM capable of pushing myself more than i do... probably for most everything. when i finished and was stretching, it was a MIGHTY fine feeling - and by the time i got in the car to head to the trail beginning, they felt strong and ready to run again.

foolish frolicing



ah yes, attractive :)

today - i did - probably the stupidest thing, a human being could - ha!
a lesson learned though - if a trail is marked as 'CLOSED' in big huge red writing, abide by it, it means, quite simply put - it is .... CLOSED!
i, arent so great at following routes, sometimes, with them even clearly marked in front of me, though to be fair, often 'trails' arent clearly seen ... that, is what causes someone to become, a misper.
today. i came close. i have never been more scared of being 'lost' than at any time - well, probably in my life. which is odd. for sometimes, i want to be simply 'lost' :) :P~
today. i was. many times. the mind, becomes very confused and panics when we 'think' we are lost. for the most part, noone is EVER lost. we are always 'somewhere'. so if we could allow our brains to remain calm and collected, we could create a mind map of where we have been, and easily find ourselves back at where we started.

to be continued ....

new year magic

a good start to the new year is imperative for the mindset

i decided to run the whitsunday grerat walk as an entry into the new year .. i had to, cradle mt is only 5 weeks away, and it was on my training schedule .... so no new years late celebrations for me! early to bed

a friend picked me up at 4.30 in the morning to drop me off at the brandy creek end to head in and do it ... after new years eve what he did was beyond the call of mateship, so i was certainly appreciative of the lift :)

it was pouring rain as we drove. passed many a midnight reveller making their way home in all manners of drunken states and dress. we got to the beginning and hopped out into the rain and just chatted awhile and i eventually said, i better start cos i wanted to be finished by 10.