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

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