WHAT THE HECK?!?!

OMGosh!!!!  So....excitement, eagerness, fear and nervousness is present in the Grills at the moment!  Let me back up a sec and let you know why!

Just before GH100, I applied for Coast to Kosci....a 240km non-stop run from the coast at Sydney to the highest point in the country.  With a 46hour cut off, there is no dilly-dallying to be done in this event!  To be considered for this race, applicants have to submit a running resume and meet certain qualifying standards to even be thought of.  I put in last year however was not successful, which turned out to be a very good thing as mentally I was not ready!  Each year they only select about 50 applicants to take part in this iconic race.  As I would find out, this year there were an unprecedented number of applicants and resumes were studied thoroughly.

Today is the day runners were to find out if they were going to get the chance to attempt this epic journey.  However yesterday, I received an early email saying....I GOT IN!!!!  I can not believe it and am still feeling pretty overwhelmed!  The enormity of the task that is C2K is mind boggling and one that I am honoured to have a bloody good crack at!  Three words friends, BRING IT ON!  I am in the process of rounding up a crew to support me along the way for what will be a super fun road trip and crazy race experience!  I have also contacted a couple of potential sponsors to help with costs however if anyone would like to, or knows anyone who might be interested in throwing a few bucks to help with transport, accommodation, race entry etc costs, please let me know. 

Now....in saying all this, there is still the small issue of my Achilles!  Let me say, it is going AWESOME!  I haven't run this week on physio orders however have taken to swimming!  I have probably swum three times in the last three years however managed to do 6k in the last four days!  I have been going with a mate Alex from Uni who is a swim coach and he has sufficiently been smashin me!  Good times!  I think this forced rest will be a blessing in disguise and have me keen and pumped up for the massive training that is ahead of me! 

I will be commencing my C2K training tomorrow as it is 10weeks until race day (December 6th).  I will be swimming long until I get the all clear from the physio however am pretty confident I am gonna be able to run sooner rather than later as it is feeling good.  It is going to be a fun, exciting, load of k's next 10 weeks and I can not wait!!!  YES!

Lastly friends, this Thursday afternoon I will be finished my first year of Uni!!!  I can not believe how quick the time has gone!  It has been hard, very time consuming and a massive challenge but one that I have enjoyed and applied myself to the best I possibly could have.  I am looking forward to some time off until Term 1 next year, spending time with my girls, friends and family, working some more and putting in a load of training.  Thanks to you all for your support this year and I look forward to being able to actually catching up without having to worry about getting back to the books!  Have a super week peeps!  Love to you all!  

It happens to the best of us!

Well, the start of this year saw my first real running injury in...maybe as long as I have been running.  We all experience niggles that we self manage the best we can but the start of the year was the first running drama that has stopped me in my tracks and forced rest....until now...

So, I had four full days of no activity off after the 100miler and felt GOOD!  I did a few very easy runs and then started rebuilding again this week to commence a block of BIG k's next week in prep for Coast 2 Kosci.  Early in the week my right heel/achilles started to hurt a little.  I self treated and it started to come good.  No real drama.  That is until I ran on Thursday.  This run flared it up and it was hurting pretty bad.

My visibly swollen right achilles

Only runners understand, but I woke up Friday morning in Rocky (was there for Uni) and wanted to run.  I planned a 13k easy run but upon my first step, my achilles was SORE!  I decided to just do 8k but hobbled the whole way.  I should not have done ANYTHING!  Silly stubborn me!  Runners will be runners.  Anyway, my tendon swelled badly and I was in pain.  Luckily I am studying Physio, and got some advise from my lectures.  I did as I was told and managed it the best I could.

Yesterday I had to work a few hours and by last night my achilles was just as bad and the swelling had spread to my ankle.  Ugh.

As I said in my last blog, I have applied for a 240km race in 11weeks.  I still have every intention of running it, providing I can get my leg right.  I know to non-runners it will sound dumb but so much of my identity is wrapped up in my running I just feel completely lost when I cant do it.  I am only on day two of rest and I already feel fat, lazy, useless and un-prepared (even though I just did a 160k trail race!)

Swelling spread to my ankle...

I am planning on taking this hopefully short time of rest to focus on getting my diet in tip top condition (got a few positive changes I want to make) and studying hard before end of year exams Wednesday and Thursday week.  As much as this sucks beyond sucking I am trying to stay positive although I am already over it!  I am possibility able to do some bike riding however am without a bike, so if anyone has one that they are not using that they wouldn't mind loaning me please drop me a line.

I know all things happen for a reason and this forced rest could be a potentially good thing but it is hard to see through the haze of disappointment sometimes.  Thanks to all my friends and family who have already offered advise, words of encouragement and promise.  I look forward to being back running very soon but until then friends, do a few k's for me ay?!  Run free!  x 

UPDATE - So in the last two days I have seen my physio twice (thanks so so much Nix again!), been to the doctors and had an ultrasound.  The end result is that I have peritendinosis....inflammation of the Achilles tendon and the sheath that surrounds it.  This is the best possible news!  Basically I am not running for another week (swimming only) then back to see Nix to reassess and plan from there.  I am praying and hoping it will recover super super quick and I will be back running VERY soon!  I will find out on Sunday if I have been successful with my Coast 2 Kosci entry....come on baby, I am keen!  So, all good things!  Some cross training and non weight baring will do me good and I just have to do my best to enjoy the black line!  Love life brothers and sisters!  Ripper!

Thankyou!

Gidyup!  Well this week has been one of recovery, eating and relaxing!  Life has been good but I tell ya, I cannot wait to get back to training!  The body has been pretty darn good, only having some swelling in my feet and tender ankles.  It has been lovely to kick back, reflect on the journey that was and look forward to what is to come. 

I think in running and in life in general it’s important to continue to set ourselves goals.  Not minimising the ones we are currently striving for, but having something, once the current one is achieved, to look forward to….more on that in a bit.

A couple of things will remain with me from the 100miles of fun I had last weekend.  Firstly, 100miles is not that far!  Ha!!!!  I don’t really mean that literally cause it is a BLOODY long way, but everything is relative.  If you try and think about any big goal in life (business, sport, relationally, whatever) and focus on the end dream it will seem insurmountable.  However, if you break it down, in my case, one aid station, one hour, one km, one step at a time, the rest will take care of its self.  By doing this during the race, I never thought about the hectic distance I was covering, just at the most, about an hour ahead.

Secondly, if you wanna race far, YOU HAVE TO RUN A LOT IN TRAINING!  This stems back to a blog I wrote a while ago about it being trendy at the moment to try and do less and less but still achieve big goals.  A lot of people these days seem to want to take the easy road yet still perform on the big stage.  I don’t really get it but let me tell ya something…if you want to achieve something in life you HAVE to put in the hard work!  With running ultra marathons, that means running… and running A LOT!  Rocket science I know but you would be surprised at the amount of people that think they can run 100miles without doing much physical, mental or emotional preparation.

Thirdly, something that I already knew VERY well, but trail running is beautiful!  To me, it is like being in the ocean…both are the times when I feel closest to God.  When running a beautiful single track, free, un-hindered, liberated, my spirit sores and every burden is lifted and nothing else matters.  I live for these moments and am so so greatful for every second I get to spend in this environment.  I desire more and more of these experiences and hope and pray these experiences will keep coming….and coming frequently!

Lastly, I have been COMPLETLLY overwhelmed by the support I have received through my last blog!  I have so far had over 700views…AMAZING!  I just want to thank you all for your beautiful words, wonderful support and kindness.  I am humbled, blown away and completely stoked that you  all are following my journey.  From the bottom of my heart…THANK YOU! 

So to round things out from the beginning…What next?  Well I have applied for Coast to Kosci!  What’s that I hear you say?  Well it is a 240km race from the coast in Sydney to the highest point in Australia!!!  It is an event that you have to actually apply for, submit a resume and the organisers decide who gets in.  So, I wait with baited breath until the end of September to see if I get in but here’s hoping and praying! 

Thanks again everyone for your love and care you show me!  I want you to know that it means the world to me and I am a blessed man to have you on this crazy journey with me!  Keep smiling friends, love life, rip in, set yourself some big goals and get to achieving them!  Until next time….Run Free, Plant Strong!

A beautiful 100miles!

100miles...it's not that far!  Well so Karl Meltzer says!  The weekend just gone would be the next tester and a head to about the last six months of training.

Tegan, the girls and I went down to the Glasshouse Mountains on Friday and on the way met up with Andrew and his family, the owners of At One Foods (https://www.facebook.com/AtOneFoods).  What a beautiful family!  We spent some time with them and heard their story of the company and how they got where they are.  Such an inspirational story and a quality product!  I suggest you all jump onto Facebook, contact Andrew and order some awesome raw bars!  Yum!  I stocked up for the race and we were on our way.

The calm before the business!

When we arrived it was unpack, relax and hang out with the family before briefing.  My sister and grandma were also up so it was great to see them!  We did our stuff, went to briefing, had a good time catching up with all the crew at Beerburrum School and then head home to get some sleep before the big day.

Smiling all day.

After some broken sleep it was up at 3:40am, got sorted and down to the school again to get goin!  After some last minute instructions by Ian (race director) and some final mental games, it was go time.  With nervous energy and massive excitement we were off!  Andrew (my Wide Bay Fat Ass partner in crime) and I had organised to run a while together and see what happened (he was doing the 100k).  It was awesome to have some company and we completed the first 10k together.  After a quick blow through the school we were up and down Mt Beerburrum and then on our way.

Selfies with some mountain.

Stop eating Andy, we gotta run!

Things started off very cruisy.  Andrew and I had a great time chatting, enjoying the weather and the awesome views along the way...even taking some time for some selflies!  It was great to have his company and someone to chat with starting the day.  We hit a few brutal parts in the track but still maintained a good pace, not stopping long at the aid stations....although when we did, having a good laugh at Andy's crew...a couple of mates who had a different outfit at each stop and provided some great laughs along the way!  We worked through some tough sections and made our way toward to Checkpoint 8.  Andy was feeling good and pulled a little ahead however the Grills caught back up and by Checkpoint 8 we were together again.  I had lost 5kg already and whilst not hot or really suffering couldn't suck back any more fluid even though I was trying!  We made our way through the Western loop together before he headed back toward home and I continued on my miler journey.

Yep, that's my dad!

I ran alone for about 20k and got in a really good routine of power hiking hard any uphills and running the downs and flats.  I went back and forward with a couple of blokes, one of which was goin on about not running cause he wasn't as young as me.  He kept going on about it and I was a bit over it, so I give him a bit of stick about my dad being 58 and doing the miler.  Basically telling him to stop whinging!  This quietened him down a bit and I left him and his complaining behind!

After this time on my own, I ran into Dion, a mate from previous ultras at the Glasshouse Mountains.  He and his mate Lee are always a good laugh and we all seem to run a similar speed (we ended up finishing 7th, 8th and 9th!)  Dion was doing the hard yards and had been spewing a bit along the way.  I stuck with him, told him my plan for the day and we stayed near by for a while.  I must have separated from him for a bit but then met up with him again at Checkpoint 5, just as it was coming on dark.  From there we stuck together and worked hard.  We ran well back to the School and reached that point (108km) by 7:10pm.  We had a quick feed, caught up with our families and then were off again without mucking around too long.

Fun and games!

Gold!

From here, things went pretty un-eventful.  We ran over to Wildhorse Mountain checkpoint and went straight up and down the mountain.  Again we saw our crews before getting going.  I had started to feel pretty sick by this stage and I think it had a fair bit to do with eating too much sweet stuff.  I wanted to spew for about 3-4hours but didn't.  I kept shuffling along, sticking to our power hike/run plan.  I stopped with the sweet food, got on some plain stuff and slowly but surly came good. 

The loops over on the Eastern section of the course are sandy...to say the least.  Overall, the tracks are much flatter and runable but the sand is a killer!  We battled through and Dion started doing it a little touch again.  By the time we did the second loop out the Eastern side though, he got a second wind and I had to haul ass to keep up with him!  We got back to Checkpoint 9 at maybe 1am, were pumped and ready to go. 

One of the ladies at the Checkpoint told me I had to take a shirt with me incase I got tired and cold.  I tucked a thin cotton shirt into my shorts and ran off.  Tegan and the girls drove past us about 500m down the road and the shirt was annoying me so I just threw it in the car!  Gold!  In all the fun though, Dion and I weren't paying attention and missed a turn off into the bush.  We kept running, realised we missed the turn and turned back.  We found where we went wrong but ended up running maybe 2k extra.  Dion was a bit cranky but you gotta roll with the punches so we smashed on.

Buy this stage of the race we were doing some math in our heads and realising we can do a decent time.  We kept with our plan and were going well.

We got back to Wildhorse again, up and down and after a quick feed with our support crews got going.  We took off with the finish line in our sights, kind of!!  We only had 12.5km to go and we were on a flippen mission!  We ran hard, well as hard as I could after about 150km!  We got to the point where there was 5k to go and put the hammer down.  I realised half way along this stretch that we were looking at finishing under 22hrs which spurred me on even more.  We slogged, grunted and got to the finish line together, Dion and I, in 21hrs 52min!!!  AMAZING!!!  I was STOKED!!!  An added little excitement was to find out later that I got 8th overall!  Incredible!  I was hooting and hollering at the finish line and felt amazing!  

Pretty much sums up my
feelings of the day!

In the wash up and in hindsight, I really cant believe my race.  My quads had no pain at all and my calfs only the slightest amount!  I got my new Luna Sandals (Oso's) a few weeks before race day and they were awesome!  My feet had only minor soreness, felt free and loved it!  I HEART Luna Sandals so very much and once again they did the job!  Anyone who is looking at improving their running, having a lot of fun and freeing your feet, check out https://www.lunasandals.com 

I went into the race with a goal of going under 24hrs and a secret goal of 22hrs.  I never thought I would go under 22!  All in all, it was a blessed, fun, ripper day...smiling the whole way!  I wanna thank those who helped me out in this race and always do!...my beautiful wife, daughter and family (Mum, Dad, Melinda, Ma) for supporting me.  Andy and Dion for being great company through the day.  Chris at the Mower Doctor in Bundy for continuing to support my running adventures and helping out a poor Uni Student!  Andrew at At One Foods.  Finally and certainly not the least, all the friends I have made through trail running, the new ones I meet, the ones who know me as the TattooRunner but I have no idea who they are, the smiling faces, the guy spewing on the side of the track, the smiles, the pain, the joy, the heartbreak....I love it all!  Thanks also to you for supporting and following my mad adventures and please know that I love and appreciate you all!  Keep loving life, spread the word and rip in!  Until next time...run free friends!!!

Special mention - Dad - first 100miler...and in under 24hrs.  Lee first 100miler whilst doing it rough, Andrew - first 100k after only doing his first marathon in July this year, Coach Jeff and Lori for doing their best, inspiring others but unfortunately not quite getting the job done this time round.  Jeff for finishing his first 100miler when his ankle looked like a softball at 60k!  My sis for doing another 50k and all the other newbies I met along the way!  Well done all, I love you all...Run Free, eat plants and get running!!!   

Come on already!

Well, I have started writing this entry at 5:30am Sunday morning and by this time next week I will have completed my next race - 100miles through the Glasshouse Mountains (hopefully I would have actually finished a few hours ago but lets not get too far ahead of ourselves!)  I am super dooper excited for the weekend and challenges ahead and chomping at the bit to get going!

I have been building up to this race for a number of months now.  Apart from the week I had my little stack down the stairs, have been logging 100-160km per week consistently.  I have been recovering quickly (still logging over 100km the week after races), training well and the body is feeling great.  Mentally I am ready, and whilst I would like to be a few kg's lighter (always the way!), I really feel I am in the best shape for a race that I have ever been!  This is gonna be epic, its gonna be beautiful and its gonna be a ripper adventure!

My stella necklace...giving me
good vibes for next weekend!

This event is also going to see five of my friends attempting their first 100mile race.  Lori, Sammy, Lee, Coach Jeff and Dad are all getting amongst it this year.  Whilst I have my personal goals and will be pretty darn focused on the day of getting to that finish line as quickly as possible, the greatest joy I am going to experience is seeing and hearing about the journey my 100mile virgin friends are going to embark on.  It is something that they will never forget and to say that you have covered 161km on foot is a remarkable achievement!  I'll be thinking of you all heaps come race day and can't wait to get into it with you all!  Run free friends!

Today is also Fathers Day.  I am finishing this blog off Sunday afternoon and what an amazing day we have had.  As hard work that kids are, it is incredible how a single, simple act of love makes it all worth while.  I got some beautiful, very 'Mat' pre

sents which were so great but I think the most special gift I got was a pasta necklace with love hearts from Pria.  She gave it to me and said I could wear it while running and if I get hungry eat it to give me energy!  Talk about melting my heart... I truly am blessed to be the dad of two precious, one of a kind daughters and honoured to be the son of one of my best mates, the Boss, Stewy.  We had a special day as a family with a fantastic lunch and bush walk together...just a stella day!  Love y'all!

Let the long haired hippies unite!!
Your letting the team down Corle!

Anyways friends, I hope you are all smiling, loving life and keeping it real! Keep trying to live each day better than the one before, be kind to a stranger and make two seconds to do something to better yourself.  See you all soon for my 100mile race report.  GOLD!