But a fleeting moment.

15/10 – 10km road sandals. 2km barefoot. 15min stepper and run with Pria barefoot.
A good solid hit out. Felt great to finish this run off barefoot.

16/10 – 15km trail sandals. Run with Pria barefoot.
This was a fun little run down through Baldwin Swap…except for the Satan possessed, kill shot plovers! What the heck…they wanted blood and they nearly got it!

17/10 – 10km road hills at the Hummock with 2 x grass repeats each lap (four in total). Whole run with Tanya and 5k with Jodie. Stepper 15min and run with Pria barefoot.
We have started to include these cool tough hill repeats in our normal hill route. They are tough and add some good tiredness into the legs. We plan on building these up to doing five each lap…that will hurt! Wanted to go to Road Runners in the afternoon but got stuck on overtime at work. Priorities people!

18/10 – 10km trail sandals with Jodie. 3km barefoot. Run with Pria barefoot.
Again another nice cruise and enjoyable run out the back canefields.

19/10 – 8.4km road sandals. Run with Pria barefoot.
Had time restrictions today due to finishing work late last night and having to be at the coffee shop early this morning. A bit heavy but still a good solid run.

20/10 – Rest (mainly due to finishing work at midnight last night and having to be back at 9am this morning.

21/10 – 25km road sandals. Full run with Jodie and 15km with Sabo. Run with Pria barefoot.
A real good solid run to get the legs used to some longer k’s! Oh how I have missed you! Felt great to get a little time back on them and really looking forward to some serious training going forward.

Weekly total – 84.7km. Weight loss – 200g

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This last month has been a serious reminder, as if we need another one, as to why life is so precious and every moment should be treasured! Overseas, in runs that some of my hero’s have taken part in, has seen two runners die during the events. These were for various reasons but it is a timely reminder that although running ultras is a beautiful, peaceful, serene and sometimes even meditative experience, it also can be inherently dangerous.

I think at times it is very easy to look at a race, or even a training run as ‘just another outing’ but it is important to remember there are real risks in what we do. I know that most of the time we take all the precautions we can to ensure that we are safe and that our loved ones don’t worry anymore than they need to, but these recent events were a bit of a wake up call for me! It is too easy to think ‘It wont happen to me’ but to be prepared and aware of any possible dangers is so important. Do what you can friends to stay safe and make sure that your loved ones are happy with whatever arrangement you have to keep you safe! For those interested, check out roadid.com as a great way for others to know who you are just in case! I need to get my act together and get another one!

Although I wasn’t at either of these races and I didn’t know the athletes who passed away, my thoughts and prayers go out to your families and friends. I pray your spirits live on in them and that you can be remembered for doing something you loved with all your heart. Bless you all.

So, on a more positive note…I am now on HOLIDAYS! I am SO excited! Tegan and I (that’s right, no kid!) are heading to New Zealand on Thursday for about 12days of pure bliss! It is our 10 year wedding anniversary (YEP, married at 18 and 19 years old! GOLD!) and I can’t wait to spend it with my beautiful bride! I plan on doing a HEAP of trail running and exploring all NZ has to offer on the nature side, spending time with Tegs shopping, eating and just enjoying the beauty that is NZ! Blessed! I will endeavour to post a blog next week of all the super fun adventures but just not sure what the internet story will be…

I have also just compiled a 12 week training program on www.runningahead.com. I couldn’t help myself! I have included the Kurrawa to Durranba race in December however the program will be pointed by Hares and Hounds on the 13th of January, 2013. The k’s aren’t as far as in the past (between 100-130km on average) with some challenging workouts in there which I am looking forward to! Jump on board if you like!

So crew, just a nice short little blog this week. Keep smiling, loving this warmer weather and if your keen for a run, give me a hoy! Love life friends…until next time, Run on…TattooRunner

Beauty of a child

08/10 - 5km barefoot. 15min stepper. Pria run (shoes).
A good steady effort with my first ever run with Pria. OMG SO AMAZING! A beautiful, memorable day!

09/10 - 11km trail in sandals. Pria run (barefoot).
This run felt pretty cruisy and fun with Sabo and upon finishing I realised that we had run low 5:20 pace...gotta be happy with that on trail.

10/10 - 15km hills on road in sandals. 15min stepper. Pria run (shoes).
A good workout on the hummock including three new hill repeats which got the heart pumpin. Felt a bit of tightness in the left calf...

11/10 - 12km sandals and 8km barefoot. Pria run (barefoot)
Ran 12k with Jodie at Bargara and it was BLOWING ITS ASS OFF!! Left calf was very tight and probably shouldn’t have done the 8k but was meeting Lee and wanted to run with him. In a fair bit of hurt during this 8k but got through. Hitting the roller/self massage hard!

12/10 - 5km barefoot. 15min stepper. Pria run (barefoot)
Very upset...calf was painful from the get go and limited to a very short, hurtful run.
Roller and self massage.

13/10 - 15km sandals at Relay for Life.
Calf started to get a bit sore at about the 12-13k mark but otherwise not too bad. A fun run for a ripper cause. Roller and self massage.

14/10 - 17km sandals at Relay for Life. Pria run (barefoot)
No calf pain today, YES! Only a little tightness afterward. Another fun run with Rony and Rob. Good spirits and good laughs.

Week total - 88.8km and 1.4kg weight loss. A little limited due to my calf soreness but all good now so full steam ahead.

So, this week has been an interesting one! I have wanted to run a heap however have been hindered by my pesky sore calf! I am stoked that this has now dissipated though, so onward and upward from here!

The biggest thing that I have learnt this week though has come from my daughter! As you can see from above she has started running with me! I have been waiting for the day that this would happen (and praying that it would) but Monday it finally arrived! She asked me to go running! YES!

Now, I have still been struggling a little for motivation however running with her reminds me why I do what I do! Simple, un-burdened joy in running and having the wind in her hair! She is beautiful...there is no other word to describe it! I NEVER want to push my kids to do anything that they don’t want to, so having her ask EVERY day to run with me is amazing! It hurt me to say no to her Saturday as we were quite busy, but I want to do my best to never say no to her when it comes to exercise! I want to encourage her and be by her side in whatever she does and if that is running...RIPPER!

So...her style...her conversation...oh bliss! She is all over the shop and I don’t care! Arms and legs flying!  God created her to move and run! It is a freedom that doesn’t need to be taught to a child, they just know they should be doing it and get goin! Her conversation is of such simple purity it warms my heart and nearly brings a tear to my eye as I am typing! Comments like ''Morning Sun'', ''I love running with you daddy'', ''Running is so fun with you daddy'' and ''Nice and steady, don’t want to wear out'' which I taught her, show the simplicity and amazingness of a child’s mind! She also has to run with a bottle in her hand just like daddy. I think I may have created a monster though with her wanting to copy EVERY thing I do!! Today she said, ''I go barefoot and no shirt like daddy''...Ah...shirts for girls darlin...or at least crop tops! Ha!

We might only be running about 200-250metres every morning but I tell you what, those few minutes are so precious and refreshing to my soul, I never want to lose that and just want to bask in the moment all day.

That kid, I tell you, she is busy and wild at times but her spirit and adventurous heart makes me feel young again! To live without ambition and worry, to run free and feel the wind in my hair, not having to worry about time limits or how many k's I have to or don’t have to run! To be barefoot cause shoes are too heavy (OK, so I do that) and not even be worried about rocks in the way. To say good morning to the birds and learn that the lights aren’t on anymore as the seasons have changed from Winter to Spring....the mind of a child is something that we can all learn from and hold dear! I think this is a reason I loved Micah True from Born to Run so very much. He was a simple soul with a simple phrase to live by...'Run Free'. Those words...as basic as they are can speak to our whole lives into eternity.

I did not intend to get all deep when I sat down to write this blog but I tell you what, I am glad that I have. Sometimes it feels like life is spiralling out of control and every day just blends into one, but when doing things with a nearly three year old, all the rubbish takes a backseat and the important comes into clarity. Life is good. It is meant to be enjoyed and not bogged down by insignificant rubbish. God is good, saying good morning to his creation and creations is good. Feeling the wind rush though your hair and your lungs and heart beating when running up hill for the first time is beautiful. A high five at the end of your 250metre run with dad is a moment he will cherish forever...one at a time.

Pria thank you for taking time to spend with your Dad...I love you more than my futile words can express and I hope we have millions of k's together to enjoy the simple things in life. I am sorry when I let you down and get cross at you but it is for the greater good and your future.  I thank God every day for bringing you into my life and that I have such an amazing wife to teach you and help you to grow into a beautiful woman one day.  I dont know what I have done to be so blessed, but, Thank you...

Smile my friends, run free and until next week love life...TattooRunner

http://www.lunasandals.com/?aid=4c7p5f3p

But I’m scared mummy!

What up hipsters!? Well it has been an interesting week to say the least. To give you a quick run down (no pun intended) it went like this…


- Run a lot! Calfs a bit tender??
- Run 15k of hills in the am on Wednesday and then run 7.5k in the pm at 4:52min p/km pace…ROOTED!
- Drag my ass for a short run on Thursday
- Completlly stressed and extending my maths skills to try and fit in 160km per week!
- Decided the time is not right again for the 100miles per week
- Eat too much food
- Make new plans…


So there has been my interesting week! As mentioned, I have decided to change my focus from the 100miles per week business, for now anyway! I found that half way through the week I was REALLY stressing about my k’s and in my opinion if that is happening something is not right! Running is the most beautiful, free, liberating thing to do and as soon as it becomes an effort things need to be switched up.


This in turn got me thinking a little about the future…as in next year. This year I only have one event left planned, the Kurrawa to Durranbah 50km and then Hares and Hounds the second week in 2013. I was reflecting on the 12 week challenge that I have done not long ago and how I lost, and have kept of 6-7kg’s (depending on the time of day!) and how I am still a little ways off my goal weight and REALLY want to get there. Then, with a little calculation, I realised that today (Monday) is exactly 12 weeks until the end of 20-12 homies! SOOOOO, why not another 12 week challenge to round out this awesome year!?


I have recruited three of my good buddies to take part in the journey with me and we have all set lofty but achievable goals to obtain by the end of the year. I am scared at my goal but VERY excited to try and achieve it!!! Can not wait to see what can be done and how ripped/fit I can get for 2013!


Basically my plan is this…eat a clean vegan diet where possible (all other times, and where not possible, ripper vegetarian tucker) and try and stick to a set calorie goal. This isn’t something that I have really done before (count calories) so it should be interesting (I will be using using MyFitnessPal App). I also want to eat much more mindfully and not just jam the tucker into the hole in my face as fast as possible. A food/training journal will also be kept. Food (especially plant based) is beautiful and meant to be enjoyed and this is something that I am planning on doing!


As far as training goes, I am going to focus on running free and doing as much as I want. This is going to be ideally over 100ks a week as this is pretty much stock standard for me now. (As a side point, for those who have been following my blog for a while, at the end of last year I set a goal for this year to average 100k per week all year, giving me 5200km before years end. I did some calculating on my online log (RunningAhead.com) and if I can do 100k a week for the rest of the year I will achieve this goal! KEEN!!!) I want to try and run EVERY day of the challenge with no rest days.


So Tattoo Crew, as I did last time the call is out…if you want to join me and my buddies in this crazy adventure, come on down! Text or Facey me your starting weight today and your goal weight by the end of 2012. Weigh in days will be Mondays and a lot of hard work will be done between them! Let me know if your in, and we can include you in our rott talk! Oh, and there is plenty of it! All ripper super fun though!


Ok my friends! The sun is shining, the warm weather is here and its time to tan up! Shirtless running is well and truly here to stay and its time to soak up that vitamin D! YES! Forks to the cold and running in the dark! Thanks to y’all for putting up with my rott and erratic adventures! I look at my life as an on-going challenge, fun filled, high-goal set journey of joy! Time is too short to be content with the normal and not strive for amazing and better in every area of life! I will leave you this week with a awesome quote that my mate Tanya said the other day while running (see below)…I’m pretty sure she made it up, and if not that is what I am running with anyway! Love ya mates, and even better, love your enemy’s brothers and sisters and until next week…Run On…


‘Running is not what we do, it is who we are!’ Love your work Tanya!