start *now*

Fear keeps people from taking action & moving forward. Their mind invents a thousand excuses to why they are not “ready”. I’ll start on Monday. I need to organise my list. I need get my business cards first. I have to paste the pictures on my vision board first. Too many people fall prey to the ready, aim, aim, aim, aim… syndrome & ultimately never fire. Don’t get caught in this paralysis!

qotd

"Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light."

- Norman B. Rice

qotd - habits

First we form habits, then they form us. Conquer your bad habits or they will conquer you.

Rob Gilbert

live in the now

CHALLENGE:

this week, try staying firmly rooted in the present, not regrets from the past or worries about the future. your power exists in the now...
so many go through life on autopilot without ever stopping to question things or cultivate a life they're passionate about.

so, set your alarm to go off every hour throughout your day.

qotd - reactions

There are no failures - just experiences and your reactions to them.

Tom Krause

a modern day parable

a poignant, philosophical idea that is worth consideration ...
what DO we really want for ourselves?

An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna.
The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

enough

i am enough. i have enough. i do enough.

qotd - an open door

Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing, that we see too late the one that is open.

- Alexander Graham Bell

qotd - effort

character

Character isn't built during the easy times. It isn't built during the hard times. It is built when you least expect it. It is built when you naturally do something others would not...
We could all learn a lot from this performance.

#HTFU

great walk re-opens!



this is the MAINTAINED trail?! - yeah, really!

a GREAT easter run today ...
discovered the great walk was re-opened on the 21st .. so decided to head in and do it :)
the goal? to run under four hours ...

went to the gym, did pump and balance first, lined up with kerrin to give me a lift back to pick up my car at brandy creek after i had completed it in the afternoon, then, headed home to spend a little time with storm before she went to work ...

aspartame causing severe depression

The National Institutes of Health characterise aspartame as an artificial sweetener that’s 220 times sweeter than sugar.
It’s a combination of phenylalanine and aspartic acid. Both of these ingredients are considered amino acids, which can make them sound somewhat healthy in nature.

However, there are links between the consumption of aspartame and depression.

qotd - be your best

I don't believe you have to be better than everybody else. I believe you have to be better than you ever thought YOU could be.

Ken Venturi

tuesday, termination

up early to get a run in before heading to the airport.
ran with bernie along 'the bay' ... its always interesting to see other peoples 'regular runs' and having the opportunity to be a part of them.. i remember doing rays back in december after c2k and his 'bay' was a different one :D
this morning, it was great to witness night turning to day as we ran along the coastline
bd was gonna join us on his bike but stayed in bed instead when the cold dark morning greeted us :D haha. SOFT!! :P

magical monday

oh what a day!
glorious glorious glorious - beginning to end! after a couple of days of cold rain, even the weather was simply perfect

headed with kerrin and kylah to breakfast, we got a little lost along the way, reward though - the yummiest fruit salad ...
then into virgin, kerrin and michelle doing the vipR course there - kylah and i hung around, checking it out :)
MASSIVE! too massive for me, but, amazing to see such a huge gym. they had a kick machine i could use very easily every day and not get bored of!! oh. and a sleep area :D now surely that could come in handy!
had to race fast back to the hotel as i had overstayed timewise, on the way stopped quickly at an eftpos to grab some cash, and the machine ate my card. BAD timing! would love to say haha! but boy did i  panic, fortunately, it was attached to a bank around the corner so i ran in, the front end guy, kept trying to calm me, sad to say he wasn't having much luck, now that IS a haha! :) he eventually retrieved my card but i must say i wasn't so calm till he did then it was like a huge relief ... had to race even faster then to the hotel to beat bluedogs arrival... made it with narry a moment to spare

sensational sunday

this final day came quickly ...
with the past few being so hectic i tried to take the time to actually relax a little more and absorb the absolute buzz of it all. finality.
no physical sessions today, so quite a brain burn - will make up for it tomorrow somehow!
my lack of running and/or exercise has been duly noted, commented upon and questioned :) haha! more than once. :D
i have no answer to that, i have been rather lazy i guess compared to normal, though to be fair, i HAVE had a couple of tough physical sessions so i haven't been completely idle ...
but, re my lack of exercise regime .... i have found the whole experience exhausting, specially from a 'being around people' pov, also. there are no 'time out' moments, no *my own space* moments ... it's just rush go rush go rush
not being able to sleep early so therefore not getting up as early as the others did, hasn't helped from a time management side ... its simply up, throw some grapes into my mouth, and off to the first session, just making it! besides, if it is such an issue, someone could have woken me and said oi, up lazybum and run!!!!!! :P~~

supersized saturday

misty tripoli - loved the vitality!

another fantastic day ...

PT breakfast <- wow, what a mixup! it was on my schedule they sent me. all good. paid for. done and dusted. then. it wasn't!!?!! i questioned it yesterday and got nowhere, they had booked me into a session i had no interest in, so, rather than enter into an argument when i was feeling so happy, i simply changed instead, to head to one of misty's 'groove' workshops. she inspired me more yesterday than michelle bridges ever has anyway.
OMG!!!!!!! that was the craziest, weirdest hour and a half of exercise i have done in the last five years of exercising!

if there had been anyone i knew in that room i would never have been able to do it without being super conscious :) however, by mid way through, i did actually start to 'feel it' ... and. i dripped sweat. from my eyelashes even! it is indeed a great workout if you can lose your inhibitions and simply.... move. but like yesterday, i found misty, truly inspirational ...

why people don't join gyms? <- one of my most interesting, eye opening sessions ... and one i had been looking forward to, hoping for that 'magic answer' ! well. no magic answer came. sat next to a really arrogant personal trainer though, he was 'f this' 'f that' at the people on the panel constantly and kept muttering what a waste of time it was and he should have gone to another session - well mate. theres the door!!
i think, i learned HEAPS. i loved it. if we cant look at other peoples view points about gyms, those that would never even consider one, then we have no hope of ever inspiring them to join, or even to take exercise seriously ... i think we were lucky, to have the opportunity for such an insight.

fabulous friday!

with misty tripoli - WOW! gorgeous (odd) woman!

adrenalin pumped!  :) it's been a blast so far.
hilarious keynote opening, two great sessions, one dud of a session, a FANTASTIC kickboxing workshop (oh i will be OUCH and bruised tomorrow) glorious fun, delicious lunch with sara (albeit quick), a rapid look around at the fitness convention stands,  a beer (haha fitness convention?!) and a wine! lovely dinner out, and sooooooooooo NOT sleepy right now, everyone else already snoring away ... :D yay for beautiful days! albeit. hectic, as all hell

michelle dean in the sh'bam opening - oh DROOL!!! :) the rest of it, interesting.

keynote: amanda gore - just HILARIOUS! sandwiched between michelle and mark, some  of the things we had to do, made me feel awkward, but hey, thats what its about! *always look on the bright side of life!*

planes, trains and .... odors!

a great day :D
had a wonderful morning at the gym, great people, a few enquiries, and just on an adrenalin buzz anyway, ready to head off ... plane trip. was a plane trip! ugh! prossy to brissy not so bad, other than, crammed into a plane is noones idea of fun and tough on my back, but brisbane to sydney was worse. squashed between a guy who i dont think had showered in months, and had sprayed himself, possibly in an attempt to conceal the fact he hadnt showered in months, in a throat choking, eye watering deodorant, and to my right, a large lady who's body rolled into my seat as well ... was grateful to arrive and get off the plane.

filex excitement

only a day until filex starts ... :D just been and dropped kerrin off at the airport and now, it is very real! anticipation, much!?! her excitement as leaving, fuelled a little extra i think cos she is the ONLY passenger on the plane (how cool!), has fed me!

finish at prossy gym early afternoon and head straight to the airport, sydney bound, where by then, everyone else will have arrived, be settled in, and have a day of seminars already under their belts :)

booked into some great sessions. i am told once there i may decide to change some of these - perhaps attaching myself to a particular speaker and wanting to hear more by them, but, at the moment, i am very happy with the choices i have made. i know i dont have many 'physical' workshops, only kickboxing (w00t!) and functional training, and therefore may border on brain dead by each days end! :) but, there are too many options for each session time ... choice. is SO difficult - for most sessions there was easily two or three things i would have *loved* to have taken part in...
so i turned my focus to what was the most important for *me* that is of the biggest value - its mainly the obesity and body dysmorphia info i am after, that i really need to understand and comprehend about, from a more technical/professional point of view rather than a naive, personalised pov ... so i guess i concentrated on them as choice.

for someone who has everything

now i have seen it all! an alarm clock, to encourage 'activity' ... we have the answers to the worldwide weight problem! :D

Shape Up Dumbbell Alarm Clock - won't shut off until you do 30 bicep curls!

well, considering the bicep track in pump class is my least favourite - ( love when we don't do it :D oh i have such WEAK biceps!) - maybe i should invest in this little gadget :) and i will have strong bulging biceps before i know it! unfortunately, i dont use an alarm clock, otherwise... hmmmmmmmmm it's just sooo tempting eh!
i can only imagine it's annoyance when you go from beautiful dreams to arm bending, to turn off some wretched screeching noise! haha

bootcamp at burleigh

bootcamp at burleigh ... 27 people! running along the beach to the headland ... then. lunges uphill! backward running uphill! sprinting! all with weights. STEEP hill. man. invigoratingly TOUGH!

gorgeous beach, plenty of sunshine! could there be a BETTER way to start a day!?!! w00t!

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.

overcoming fear of injury

yin and yang, black and white shapes within a circle, representing *everything* - the continual movement of them both, an interaction of two energies
"yin" (black) dark, passive, downward, cold, contracting and weak
"yang" (white) bright, active, upward, hot, expanding and strong


yin to yang and yang to yin, causing everything to happen: just as things expand and contract, and temperature changes from hot to cold. positive and negative.

all of that is something ive believed for a very long time, for all areas of life.

exercise, any form of movement, is also, simply, yin and yang.
yin, focusing inwards, tai chi, yoga, pilates .... yang - focusing outward, increasing the heart rate, upping the intensity. both have their challenges. a combination of each are needed to give our bodies balance.

within it is the concept of everything happens for a reason right? and whats that to do with running?

i am scared to run trails again. thats the short story. :D the longer story, is where i am at right now.

homeward bound

midnight 8 hours till i make the drive back to home.

my legs feel great, had a hard time going up and down steps on monday, today a trip into brisbane sure loosened the muscles up -odd because i never get sore during any training, and, i dont recall any soreness at all after the northface, however i was in a position then to have an ice cold bath straight after finishing, - this time i wasnt. i think that makes the difference.
my ankle, swollen, but i have an appointment at the doctors before i leave to get it freshly strapped and hopefully, the drive wont be too harsh on it and aggravate - wishful thinking? mayhaps. times like this an automatic would be kinda nice.

glasshouse mts 160km ultra

sometimes in life we do things some people will never understand - this weekend, for me, has been one of them.

for i am seen in my small community as *crazy* *silly* *odd* - in a nice way of course, but, people just dont get how wonderful it feels to run longer distances, to me, it doesnt matter whether an event (since ive only run two, this is good haha) im such a late starter, or out training on my own ... i dont understand why "everyone isnt out doing it."

so, this weekend, i got the opportunity to meet the most amazing and generous people - many whos entries and blogs i had read over the past year on cool runnings - and i have finally found a place i actually belong - alongside others who have the shared joy of challenging that beyond which we are capable of - testing out own boundaries and abilities - i entered into the glasshouse mountains 100miles.