Saturday, 23 June 2012
A week to go...
G'day friends! What's doing? It is only one week now until the Gold Coast Marathon and things are getting exciting! I did a 30k barefoot run yesterday and I am keen as mustard to give my first barefoot marathon a red hot go on Sunday! Come to me, I am ready! It will be an awesome weekend as we are heading down with friends and staying in a share house. We are also going to catch up with some old friends so it will be a lot of fun!
On the 12 week challenge front, Week 1 is down, and what a journey it has been already! I have had a lot of ups with a few small downs (only in energy) but over all it has been a ripper! My performance has not suffered with the change in diet and everything is feeling much better already! I have managed to drop a crazy 3.2kg in my first week and feel strong! So good news all round! I have topped out at 125km this week so I am a happy camper!
I have been incredibly inspired this weekend in the running/updates of the Western States 100mile race in the US. It is one of the oldest and toughest milers in the states and one that I dream of doing one day. The beautiful thing this year was that the course record was smashed by a young bloke named Tim Olsen (another bearded, long haired, shirtless runner..love it). He is an incredible inspiration as he was once a drug addict and has transformed his life to a world class athlete. Amazing! Good on ya bloke! One day I hope to be there running it too! An amazing example of what can be achieved if someone really wants to change and turn their life around.
I have also over the last few weeks been getting into pod casts. I know I am a hater of music when running (I just think it takes away from the experience, just my opinion) but listening to some pod casts has been really rewarding. I have mainly been listening to ultra marathon ones (surprise surprise) but it has been great. I don't know if this is something I will do forever but really feel at times it adds to the simple joy of running! Well see how this all pans out.
Well crew, I am sorry this isn't the longest blog but brace yourself for next week. I have a half yearly update on my k's travelled thus far in 2012, Week 2 of my challenge report and also a race report on the Goldy. Good times ahead.
I hope this finds you all well and healthy. Keep smiling in the bleak weather and don't stay inside. Running in the rain is RIPPER!! Love you all, keep loving life and hooking in! Peace out - till next week...RUN ON! TattooRunner
'Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail'
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Wednesday, 13 June 2012
The battle continues...
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| Me with the old boy at my first marathon |
For those who have been following my blog, I have posted before about diet and wanting to drop more weight. Well the time has come where I have become quite serious/addicted to running (as if I wasn't before?!) and I want and need to get my diet in order.
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| The leanness I hope to achieve one day! |
I also have a goal weight in mind that I want to achieve...but that can also wait till later as some of you may kill me if you hear the figure...ha! Lets just say it is a BIG CHALLENGE and goal for me!
SOOO...what has brought this all about? My mate Luke has just finished a 12week Challenge. Luke inspired me...with his honesty about the good and bad times he went through in his journey but ultimately achieved great results. Now this was a muscle/gym thing but it got me thinking...and this kind of Challenge sounded pretty good!
So the plan...this Friday, as in tomorrow, is 12weeks from the Glasshouse 100miler. My main event for the year. I want to get myself into peek condition physically, mentally, emotionally, and physiologically to run the best race that I can. For the next 12weeks, I will be training bloody hard, eating right and weighing in every Friday to see how things change. I will also try to maintain a weekly blog about my progress, both the good and the ugly! And when it comes to me, there is generally a bit of ugly! HA! I need your help!
This is my invitation...firstly to set yourself a goal to do a run at the Glasshouse 100. There are all different events ranging from 10k to 100miles. Go to http://runtrails.org/articles/ to check it out. Trust me, once you try trail running, you will never go back to road running or sitting on the couch, where ever you are starting from. If you have never run before or are a runner looking for a new goal and need a hand with a program, give me a yell and I would be happy to help. 
Secondly, an invitation for anyone and everyone to join me on this 12week journey. I would love to have a data base of friends who have goals they want to achieve, encourage each other and work as a team to achieve our personal goals. Lets keep in touch, be brutally honest and rip in together to change our lives for the better.So that is it! Short and sweet this week! I have attached a couple of photos I took this morning of my manlyness! Ha! Wait to see that shape change into a leaner meaner running machine...well, even more so than now! RIPPER! (Would also be good to see some new drawings on there!!!)
Love you all, keep smiling, Run Free and live life full! Bless ya's...TATTOO RUNNER...
Friday, 1 June 2012
Take one step...
Excuses...we all have them for one reason or another,applying to one area of our life or another. But if I had a dollar for every excuse I've heard as to why people can't exercise, I would never need to work a day in my life again! 'I don't have time', 'I'm not built to run', 'The boss hates me', I'm too lazy', The dog ate my homework'....blah blah blah...Soooo, if your an excuse maker, you might not like this!
At the Hares and Hounds trail run in January, I briefly met a girl named Lori. She was running with her good friend Amy and having a hoot of a time. As is the case in these races, you meet people for a short moment when either you are passing them and start chatting, or they are passing you. Lori, Amy, my Dad and I had a brief chat, laugh and hooligan before we pushed off. No biggie. I did remember her though as she was SUPER happy! Gold!
At the Cooks Tour a couple of weekends ago I saw Lori again and got chatting to her more. We all headed off into the darkness and I wished her all the best since it was her first Ultra over 50k. Upon finishing my race, a bit later, a ruckus ensued at the finish line and Lori crossed with her arms in the air, smiling, so very happy! Then her husband and four little kids all embraced her and they were all yahooing with joy! Beautiful! Top job friend!
The reason for my mentioning Lori, is that since the Cooks, I have been in touch with her and got to know her a bit. Let me tell you something...she is a wife, Ultra runner and so I was a little shocked to hear, amother of four kids under six!!!! WOW!
For those who don't run ultras, it will be hard for you to grasp, but to run the distances we do takes ALOT of training. Lori does much of her training on the treadmill (ugh!) while she can utilize child care at her gym and then with the support of her 'also running' husband, runs outside where possible. All with four young kids, a household to look after and a normal life to lead!
Whats your excuse?!
There are many people who inspire me in life with their efforts, when it would be quite easy for them not to care or continue with their passions. My wife for keeping our home beautiful, looking after Pria while Im running and generally putting up with me, friends who study at uni whilst working full time, my Dad, people who train for lengthy periods of time even when exhausted, the overweight bloke I see running the streets of Bundy, Killian's running/adventure goals/achievements, people who are 100% committed to their diet that they share their secrets with the world...too many to list.
Of all these people there is an underlying reason why they all succeed in what they do (or if they don't succeed they fight until they do). Ready for it...They take one step! Be it physically or metaphorically, they just take that one first step. Not hard huh, just one step. Too many of us are willing to make excuses about things we 'can't do' when we haven't even tried!
How do you know you can't run a marathon if you don't get your ass out of bed and try to run 500metres first? How do you know you can't be the best in your job if you bludge every day and don't put in any effort? How do you know you can't achieve your dreams if you don't first take one step toward achieving them?
I am a MASSIVE believer in the philosophy that we make time for what is important to us. The amount of times I have heard 'Grillsy, how do you have time to do what you do, run ultras, have a family, work two jobs and have a normal life?' Well let me tell you, there is nothing special about me! I am very organised (which helps!) but I am willing to sacrifice 'normal' things to lead the life I do, and have a top ripper wife! I don't sit around and watch hours of TV a day. I don't procrastinate, if something needs doing I do it (most of the time!). I take responsibility for my decisions good and bad, even when it is hard. I train while most of you are sleeping to try my best not to impact upon my precious family time. Simple things friends. Simple things we can all do!
So my question to you is...whats your excuse? Do you have big dreams? Or even small dreams? Do you just need to take 'one step' to begin your journey to achieve them? Is there un-important things you need to sacrifice in your life to make your life better. Remember there is only one person responsible for the life you have and that is you! Quit whinging about all that has gone wrong, get your head up and YOU make a change now! One step at a time! If we're not trying to live each day better than the one before, what is the point?! Don't just float along and get to 60 and have a list of 'I wishes'. Live your dreams now, make a change, one at a time and you will be amazed at where life might take you!
Thanks for your inspiration for this blog Lori, you encourage me to quit complaining (its not that often I hope) and get on with it! Life is an adventure and a beautiful one at that! God brings people into our lives for a reason and if they're not there to enrich yours, how are they helping!? Keep smiling and do something today that you have been wanting to do for a while. Take that first step...it probably wont be easy, but it will be worth it!
Love you all, run on and RUN FREE...
TattooRunner
At the Hares and Hounds trail run in January, I briefly met a girl named Lori. She was running with her good friend Amy and having a hoot of a time. As is the case in these races, you meet people for a short moment when either you are passing them and start chatting, or they are passing you. Lori, Amy, my Dad and I had a brief chat, laugh and hooligan before we pushed off. No biggie. I did remember her though as she was SUPER happy! Gold!
At the Cooks Tour a couple of weekends ago I saw Lori again and got chatting to her more. We all headed off into the darkness and I wished her all the best since it was her first Ultra over 50k. Upon finishing my race, a bit later, a ruckus ensued at the finish line and Lori crossed with her arms in the air, smiling, so very happy! Then her husband and four little kids all embraced her and they were all yahooing with joy! Beautiful! Top job friend!
The reason for my mentioning Lori, is that since the Cooks, I have been in touch with her and got to know her a bit. Let me tell you something...she is a wife, Ultra runner and so I was a little shocked to hear, amother of four kids under six!!!! WOW!
For those who don't run ultras, it will be hard for you to grasp, but to run the distances we do takes ALOT of training. Lori does much of her training on the treadmill (ugh!) while she can utilize child care at her gym and then with the support of her 'also running' husband, runs outside where possible. All with four young kids, a household to look after and a normal life to lead!
Whats your excuse?!
There are many people who inspire me in life with their efforts, when it would be quite easy for them not to care or continue with their passions. My wife for keeping our home beautiful, looking after Pria while Im running and generally putting up with me, friends who study at uni whilst working full time, my Dad, people who train for lengthy periods of time even when exhausted, the overweight bloke I see running the streets of Bundy, Killian's running/adventure goals/achievements, people who are 100% committed to their diet that they share their secrets with the world...too many to list.
Of all these people there is an underlying reason why they all succeed in what they do (or if they don't succeed they fight until they do). Ready for it...They take one step! Be it physically or metaphorically, they just take that one first step. Not hard huh, just one step. Too many of us are willing to make excuses about things we 'can't do' when we haven't even tried!
How do you know you can't run a marathon if you don't get your ass out of bed and try to run 500metres first? How do you know you can't be the best in your job if you bludge every day and don't put in any effort? How do you know you can't achieve your dreams if you don't first take one step toward achieving them?
I am a MASSIVE believer in the philosophy that we make time for what is important to us. The amount of times I have heard 'Grillsy, how do you have time to do what you do, run ultras, have a family, work two jobs and have a normal life?' Well let me tell you, there is nothing special about me! I am very organised (which helps!) but I am willing to sacrifice 'normal' things to lead the life I do, and have a top ripper wife! I don't sit around and watch hours of TV a day. I don't procrastinate, if something needs doing I do it (most of the time!). I take responsibility for my decisions good and bad, even when it is hard. I train while most of you are sleeping to try my best not to impact upon my precious family time. Simple things friends. Simple things we can all do!
So my question to you is...whats your excuse? Do you have big dreams? Or even small dreams? Do you just need to take 'one step' to begin your journey to achieve them? Is there un-important things you need to sacrifice in your life to make your life better. Remember there is only one person responsible for the life you have and that is you! Quit whinging about all that has gone wrong, get your head up and YOU make a change now! One step at a time! If we're not trying to live each day better than the one before, what is the point?! Don't just float along and get to 60 and have a list of 'I wishes'. Live your dreams now, make a change, one at a time and you will be amazed at where life might take you!
Thanks for your inspiration for this blog Lori, you encourage me to quit complaining (its not that often I hope) and get on with it! Life is an adventure and a beautiful one at that! God brings people into our lives for a reason and if they're not there to enrich yours, how are they helping!? Keep smiling and do something today that you have been wanting to do for a while. Take that first step...it probably wont be easy, but it will be worth it!
Love you all, run on and RUN FREE...
TattooRunner
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