The old dog still has a few tricks!

Well, it seems a bit odd...an ultra runner writing a race report for a 6k event, but hay, don't be hatin, you just might enjoy it!

Go boy go!

Yesterday was Anzac Day...for those overseas who don't know, it is when we Australians and New Zealanders remember our fallen and current soldiers who have served for our respective countries   Bundy Road Runners put on a annual running event in memorial, and this year it was at Elliot Heads.

The race didn't start until 8:20am so dad and I decided to run down to the start line from my house.  It was a 21km trip and the weather was beautiful!  A magic day and the running was so easy!  We had a great little cruise down together and enjoyed the morning.

Once we had arrived, dad took off with mum back to town for the big service in the main street.  I grabbed my number, talked some rott and enjoyed a bit of sunshine.  Before starting a few mates and I decided 30min would be a good time, not hectic fast, just a nice hit out to enjoy the morning.  The course was three laps of a 2k course with a decent little hill and a run around the Anzac Memorial park by the beach which was fitting.

So, before long, we were off.  WHAT THE HECK!  I think I had a rocket and must have done the first two k's in well under four minute pace!  I had hit my lactic threshold!  This ultra boy aint done speed work for as long as I can remember and haven't run fast fast for even longer!  I needed to settle into a pace a bit slower but still maintain consistency  otherwise someone would have been scraping my tattooed corpse off the footpath!  As the race progressed I passed a number of guys and girls who must have gone out bit quick!  I also had the 'hill legs' to pass crew on those sections too.  I kept at it, hurting a bit but loving the morning and the different kind of racing.  Before long I was done and super surprised to see 26:14min on the clock!  I can not remember when I ran that fast!  I was stuffed but recovered quickly for a chat and a bit of socializing before heading home to study.  Slow is the new fast Keph!

Ahhh the finish!

It was super nice to do something different and have a ripper morning out in the sun!  I won't be changing over to shorter events anytime soon but variety is the spice of life right?!  I just want to thank Sherry and Keph for continuing to do awesome things with Bundy Road Runners.  Your efforts and hard work I know are appreciated by all!  A great morning out!

This morning I was a bit worried after running hard in the race...however, I managed a 17k at 5:16 pace so the fitness is improving, as is the recovery rate.

 My weight is coming down and things are going super good on the Engine 2 diet (wholegrain, low fat vegan diet).  GOLD!

So there you have it!  This old boy has still got a bit of speed and now looking forward to Cooks Tour in three weeks!  Next week will be a bit of a down week as I am getting my feet tattooed on Sunday, so hopefully that bit of rest will do me good and freshen me up for the weeks ahead!  Have fun all and run free, plant strong!!!

Challenge ahoy!

Well, after a week of easy running and recovering after Wild Horse, it is time for new challenges and new adventures!  I have done up my new training log for the next 12 weeks, including THREE races!  Yes!  I have also set myself possibly my biggest challenge yet...I am going to try and do the full program on the Engine 2 plan...which starts TOMORROW!! 

For those of you who don't know what Engine 2 is, it is - vegan eating, only wholegrains, no oil, no sugar and no stimulants (ie. coffee etc).  If you haven't been reading my blog long, I did the 28day challenge outlined in The Engine 2 Diet a few months ago.  Whilst it was hard, I lost some good weight, felt awesome and trained well!  This is going to be epic!  Check out http://engine2diet.com/ if your interested!  I am going to try and keep you all in the loop with my adventures and also, I need the accountability when things get hard (especially working in a coffee shop!)  I really hope this is going to break a few of the bad eating habits I have left and set me at a ripper weight and fitness going forward, all in preparation for hopefully two 100 + milers at the end of the year! 

As another quick note, my mate Lee and I are organising and event which will be called Bundy's Fat Ass! This will be a looped trail running even in Bundy on the 15th of June.  For those of you not familiar with Fat Ass events their slogan is No fees, No prizes, No aids and No whimps!  http://www.coolrunning.com.au/fatass/hq/index.php?title=Main_Page SO it will be a super fun, social outing with some good running in between.  The logistics are yet to be sorted out but there will be an ultra distance run, something around a marathon and something around a half marathon at this stage.  We will then possibly look at having a get together on the Sunday to slackline, talk rott and have a good laugh!  So, keep the date in your calendar, start training and stay tuned!

So, just a quick gday today crew!  I look forward to the next couple of months of exciting, challenging, ripper awesome times ahead!  Stay true, eat plants and we'll chat soon!

Wild Horse ripper Easter Day!

My sister, daughter and
me living it up at Caloundra pre-race.

Easter Sunday 2013 saw the Grills’ family first outing to the Wild Horse Trail Run.  As mentioned previously, my sister was to do the 30km and my Dad, mate Lee and myself were to do the 70 (72.8km) events.  We had a relaxing couple of days before hand at Caloundra, before getting sorted for the main event.

The locks are growing!

Our race was due to start at 2am. We headed down to the mountain earlyish and met up with Coach Jeff from The Running Podcast for a quick brew and a chat. We then went to the start/finish area and started getting our kit organized.  After some mucking around and a few laughs, we lined up at the start line and before long we were off. 

We set off into the darkness at a reasonable pace, dodging puddles and having a laugh.  The first half of the 10.4km loop was pretty straight forward with only a few wet patches and some sandy sections.  The second half however was a different story!  There was a section that was like running on soft sand at the beach and then the rest consisted of some serious water crossings, some up to waist height and there was lots of MUD!  Real slippery MUD!

In my element, SUPER awesome Easter!

In the year and a half that I have been running in my Luna Sandals I haven’t had any real problems however today was a different story!  Once the mud got between my feet and the sandals they were SUPER slippery and I had basically no traction!  Then we had to go almost all the way up Wild Horse Mountain and I had zero traction…then we had to go down a super steep side…again NO traction!  Flippen frustrating, dangerous and slow going!

I was pretty darn worried about this and thought I was going to be in for a super long day until I realized that if I went through some water, it fully restored the grip between the sandals and my feet!  Yes!  Although sometimes there was still some slipperyness going on, most of the time I was set!  Very happy to have figured this out!

We continued on through the darkness with the course working in a clockwise, anti-clockwise set up.  We were keeping a pretty good pace and really enjoying it!  Dad was a little behind us but kept pace exceptionally!  As the sun started to come up we ditched our lights and continued on into the morning.  We greeted the girls and kids for a quick g’day and kept plugging out the k’s.

I kicked a couple of sticks which hurt a little and twisted my ankle decently about half way through.  I kept going with minimal pain, but it came and went.  Dad, Lee and I re-gathered and kept plugging along together.  Dad was going super strong!  I hit a bit of a low patch about 50km but kept moving pretty well considering.  Things went by pretty much to plan, feeling the pinch bit by bit as we kept going along.  After the second last lap stop, Dad took off and it was clearly his day!  Lee was battling a fair bit so I decided to stay with him.  I then started to struggle too so we encouraged each other along.  Throughout the laps we had a little dip in a running creek which was freezing and very refreshing.  We did this again on our last lap before a short trot to the finish.

At race end...

Dad was the star of the day finishing in 8hrs and 27min.  Lee and I completed the course in 8hrs and 34min.  My sister also did really well finishing her first trail run, 30k in 3hrs and 48min. 

Lee and I at the finish.

As usual we had our beautiful support crew of my dear wife (most amazingly supportive top lady ever!), daughter Pria and our new baby on her first trail outing.  Mum and Lee’s wife was also there to make up a great support crew.  I just want to thank Alun for putting on an awesome event and a really top way to spend Easter Sunday.  I also want to thank Chris at the Mower Doctor in Bundy for his on-going support in sponsoring my running adventures!  Recovery is now on the cards and planning in place for the next outing.

I hope you all had a safe and blessed Easter and are all now working off your Easter eggs!  Catch up with y’all soon, stay safe friends and smile like a meerkat! 

The Wild Horse runs free!

What up friends?  Well things are still moving hecticly along in my world and I hope this reaches you smiling and loving life in yours!

So, just a quick catch up today...I am now well and truly on the taper for my next race.  It has been a while since I have done one over 50k, so I am REALLY looking forward to the Wild Horse Criterium on Easter Sunday.  It is a 10.4km loop and I have entered the 70km (7 laps...you get a bit of distance for free in ultras!)  I have trained solidly for the last couple of months since coming back from injury, and apart from not being at the weight I would like to be (this will happen in time!) I should be good to go!

I am also really looking forward to the fact that we are having a mini break from uni (good to rest the brain for a couple of days at least!) and a family holiday!  I think I mentioned in my last blog that my sister is coming up and she is doing the 30k and dad is doing the 70k also.  We will have our 'Easter day'on Saturday with the girls as Sunday is gonna be pretty jammed up with race stuff.  It will be Corlè first ultra trail experience too so good fun for all!  I may also be getting my last tattoos for four years (uni is gonna make me broke) so stay tuned for that!

Apart from that, all is cruising along!  Loving the girls, uni is making my head explode and I love it and training is good as always!  I am also hooking into the hours at Alowishus (cafe you have to come to!) and really enjoying doing the close shifts.  All in all, BLESSED!

So, this is just a quick little biddy to let you know whats going down in the TattooRunners world and a quick pre-race ritual!  I will have a full race report next week, with what I hope will be good news of a ripper day out!

I hope and pray that you all have an amazing Easter and please try and remember the reason we have the holiday!  Jesus died for you so we all have a second chance in this crazy world!  Life is amazing friends, love is the answer and I'll catch up with yall next week!  Happy Easter!    

Long time no hear.

Well, where have you been I hear some of you ask?  I know I have got a few questions about the whereabouts of my next blog so Im sorry it has been so long!  This is going to be a quick flyover rant/catch up to bring you all up to speed.  So, why I hear you ask, have I been so buzy...well, things have been a little crazy over the last month!  Dont believe me?  Read on my friends and ride the wave!

MOST IMPORTANT -

On the 26th of February, 2013, we welcomed into the world little baby girl Corlè Rose GRILLS.  She was 6pd 14oz and 47cm long.  She is a very very content little girl and her big sister just loves her!  Such a blessing to have a new baby in the house!  So, its me and three girls...give me strength!  It is funny but I do love having girls in the house!  Many cuddles and fun times....give me strengh in a few years time though!

WORK -

Well since my last blog I have...re-resigned!  After much thought and discussion, I am leaving the Police and not taking them up on their offer of part time.  I went into this new adventure with the intent of leaving so I am charging ahead with the origonal plan.  I am working as a shift supervisor at Alowishu Delicious cafe, so comeon down (usually late afternoon/night) and grab a quality brew!

UNI -

I started uni at the end of February and now into my third week!  Lets just say that has been HECTIC!  I am loving it and super happy to have made the decision to chase this dream of being a physio.  It is A LOT of hard work and can be quite stressful with A LOT of information to take in, but as I always say, nothing in life worth while comes easy!

RUNNING -

Well after about four weeks off at the start of the year (soleus/achilles injury) I have rebuilt my training and am now back to 100-130km per week consitentlly.  I have my next race on Easter Sunday and am super pumped to get back into the swing of racing.  Its going to be a great family affair with my sister doing her first trail race in the 30k event and the old boy and I doing the 70k.  We are also having a family holiday which will be awesome.  Blessed.  So as far as running goes I am now just running free, training hard and catching up on some k's I missed at the start of the year!

OTHER -

We had the house on the market however have decided to stay here.  The time just wasnt right to sell (floods) and as it turns out, the thought of moving whilst at uni and with a two week baby makes me shudder! 

I am also looking at selling my Suzuki Jimny (downsizing due to $$) so if any of you are interested, or know of anyone who might be interested, drop me an email or text.

Well, I think that is enough!  The last couple of weeks have been crazy, exciting, stressful, overwhelming, joyful, ripper and blessed!  Life has taken a sharp right hand turn and we werent sure what was down the track but I tell you it is looking good so far!  Thanks all for your support and love in our madness and I will try and blog as often as I can, but at the moment time is a premium!  Good times! 

Keep the love, be good to each other and Ill see ya all soon!  Live long, Run on, Plant Strong.  TattooRunner

Things in threes.

WHAT UP?!

This week has been...well hectic to say the least!  They say things come in three's (who is 'they' anyway?) and that has been the case this week.  So here we go...

ONE...

I am back running!  Hallelujah!  It was my first full week back, and although it was short, I was able to manage 7, 9, 10, 13 and 10km.  I had no pain in my Achilles, however my poor old calf's copped a bit of a hammering due to the time off I have had from running.  It was pure bliss though!  It is only when I am forced to not run, that I truly realise how much influence and a massive part of my life it is.  I truly do live to run.  Certainly not my only reason for living but let me tell you, a huge part of it.  My days just don't seem fulfilled or whole if I don't get time running in nature with the wind in my face, the warm sun on my back and my heart rate raised.  Bliss my friends, bliss!

TWO...

After resigning from my job and due to start Uni in a week and half....my employers have thrown me a last ditch offer.  They have stated that they want to keep me part time.  After much thought and heartache I have decided to take up the offer.  At this point (from my perspective anyway) it is only a trial to see if it works out.  When I decided to embark on this new journey (Uni) I wanted to sever old ties and have a fresh start.  Sometimes though, especially as a man, decisions need to be made for our families.  That, and that alone is the reason I have decided to stay on, two days a week in my job.  If however, six months down the track I find other work, the agreement isn't working out and I still feel the same as I do now, my resignation will be getting re-submitted and a new money making venture will commence.  Time will be the tester to see if things are going to stand.  At this time though, I am thankful for the opportunity to give it a go. 

THREE...

Yesterday I bought shoes!  Yep, read it again...I bought shoes!  Now before you start getting all ancy on the sandal man, hear me out.  The company is completely for minimal, zero drop shoes.  I have purchased the Superior trail shoe from the company Altra.  They have a zero drop (heel is the same height as the forefoot) a foot shaped toe box and all their ethics are very much in line with my way of thinking.  Why do I hear you ask?  Well, something different!  I do feel like I am getting faster these days, especially on trail, so to have the added comfort of something completely protecting my foot and some ripper grip for when I am bombing hills will be some good assurance.  Now I am not saying this is going to be for good, or that I am going to give up my sandals, but I am SUPER excited to give them a go!  Tegs got some road ones as well for after the baby is born so the minimal, correct running form is continuing on from dad to wife to daughter (she runs barefoot or in her 'running sandals'...pink flats from Kmart!)  Good times!  Check out the links below for the gab!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpC-nwDoTwE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-QJKBjkV1s

So there it is friends!  Things are getting very exciting and all happening at once!  It is only a week until the baby is due, I am going part time at work, I start uni in a week and a half and the house is on the market!  Wozers!  Life would be boring if it weren't busy and full of adventure!  There is so many good, beautiful, blessed things on the horizon and for that I cant wait to see them all happen!  It is with great pleasure and joy that today I can again sign out saying.  Live long, run on, PLANT STRONG! 

Hopefully back!

Hay y'all!  Well it has been a rather 'ínteresting' last couple of weeks.  On the running front, I have still only been doing bits and pieces of cross training and a couple of very short runs.  I have rested my injured Achilles, which has been extremely difficult, however now hopefully I have seen the worst of it!  I started a eight week program yesterday to get myself back in shape and rearing to go for Wild Horse 70k on the Easter weekend.  This is a race I have wanted to do for a while now and we are making it a family affair which will be super!  Dad is doing the 70k also and my sister Melinda is doing her first trail race in the 30k event.  Super fun!

On a much more important and well covered note, Bundy has really coped a hammering over the last couple of weeks.  The devastation from the floods and tornado's has been horrible and sometimes I cant believe my eyes at some of the sights I have seen (probably more than most through my work).  I have been in a unique situation with my job of working during this natural disaster...again!  I was working during the floods of 2010/11 also and my heart goes out to those affected. 

It is interesting to see human responses to major events like this.  Some are angry, sad, lost, helpful, generous, selfish, grateful at what little they have...the list goes on.  Something that always amazes me though is the power of the human spirit.  Even though there are those that try and take advantage of a bad situation, the overall support, kindness, love, selflessness and beauty of people wanting to help others is amazing!  I have made numerous offers to help and have done my part at work but feel bad that I haven't done more.  In a way we have felt really disassociated from it all as our estate suffered no effects at all.  The sad thing is that sometimes it is 'out of sight out of mind'.  I don't want it to be this way, but sometimes it happens like this.  In saying this, my thoughts and prayers are with all those who's lives have been changed forever through the events of the last couple of weeks.

I know they haven't done it for any sort of acknowledgement or recognition but I just want to say how amazed and proud I am of a couple of people.  My dad and Lee have been putting in a minimum of 12hour days helping out, and the two Jodie's I know seem to be everywhere doing their bit for anyone who needs it, you have been amazing!  Jeff and Christian from FNQ who have worked a minimum of 110hours each this last week...although they have been getting paid, the organisation and willingness to go the extra mile has been awesome!  Also, a massive shout out to my emergency service brothers and sisters, security workers and all the volunteers.  They have all been working tirelessly, doing what they can, and a lot of the time, what they can't to help out.  And to everyone else who has put in in whatever way through this time in Bundy....thank you!

Keep strong my friends.  I love you all and think you are incredible.  Keep your heads up, smile, and don't be afraid to ask for help.  Us Bundy yokels are strong and we will re-build!  Until next time, run free in body and spirit my friends!  You are amazing!