never give up...

This Japanese proverb is literally & really resonating with me right now. Not too distant are the memories of falling down the mountain at the weekend. & in the foreseeable future I will be on the Alpines probably doing much of the same slipping up & smashing my legs up. I have a long way to go to overcome my fears of falling, an 100 mile ultra marathon perhaps.

But this is also rocking my living, my day to day reality. When I find it hard to stand tall, be strong, have willpower, give good energy out, get out of bed even, one must never quit. & these words kinda guide me to keep trying. Keep positive. & make good things happen with perseverance. & the good times will roll in. Never give up on dreams, life, love.... 

& well, I'm off to Japan in 2 weeks. a) to see my family & b) to race & hopefully beat my lil brother in a trail run in Kyoto. I know very little about the course except the distance is around 36k & I can't wait for new views & paths of the mountains of the region to acquaint myself with. & I'll have my nephews (ages 2 & 4) for support crew. I am getting super excited for this one...

beautiful blues

@ summit of mt. Solitary 

The blue mountains challenged us & captivated us once again, they never fail to delight & demonstrate to us their expansive beauty with steep mountainous terrain. Yesterday was a journey... 
I set off from Sydney at 5.30am with a friend for our trail run/trek & was out at the golden stairs just before 9am on a perfect spring sunny morning with undulating forest tracks tempting us into the bush. 
& at 10am we were warmed through by jogging & jumping over rocky trails & skipping in the sun concentrating on every footstep & nimbly navigating with complete attention creating awesome meditative awareness. 
By 11am we had ascended up to the summit of mount Solitary with a few scrapes & scrambles. The viewpoints on this track were overlooking the stunning national park area with scattered clouded skies overhead, the sounds of lyrebirds, bees buzzing & watching the hawks having a graceful dance. (whilst simultaneously on the AFL grand final football pitch the hawks were also leading a merry dance - GO HAWKS - my namesakes & aussie footy faves) For this was what we had come for - those moments of astounding beauty & natural life energy.
Come midday we had scaled rock faces, got lost (ok, detours), were sitting eating lunch of my homemade energy bars, bananas, pretzels, sesame honey bars & mixed nuts washed down with hydrating h2O. & discussing higher spiritual powers (me) vs the scientific assertions around faith, religion & fact (Stu) I still believe. Stu does not.
Around 2pm we reached the Col where there is a log book to sign in to join the other venturers who had come before us, nice to be a part of trekkers history. So we had traversed the ridge to get to this point & then my personal biggest challenge begun; running down a steep technical downhill. I was scared. & after twisting my both my ankles (ouch, & twice) I was fearful of flying face first down the cliff edge. & I was frustrated that I just couldn't 'let myself go' this is what as I wannabe trail runner I have to overcome.
When we reached the river at the very bottom a little battered & bruised at around 3pm we were happy to lie down in the afternoon sun for a while, absorbing the environment, listening to the water gently rippling by us & discussing the dangers & drinking the water without any purification. So far so good & no parasites causing havoc in our digestive systems as yet.
Now we had reached the bottom we knew what was to come next, the last push right up to the top of the ever so high cliff faces looming above us. Now I LUV this bit, the heat bearing down, powering up the mountain, on a never ending incline we marched, huffed & puffed, threw everything we had back at the Blue mountains and then finally reached the peak at 4pm. 
Finished & frazzled we were fizzing from the endorphins as we drove back into Katoomba town for replenishment & reviewing the days events as the sun set over this majestic mountainous land. I finally got home at 9pm, tired after a terrific testing & amazing awe inspiring day. Hoping I can carry through these good vibes into the week ahead. Sending them out there with gratitude.

limitations??

Bring on the beautiful Blue Mountains national park this weekend. Running, camping, trekking, climbing, walking, breathing, being.
After this week I am beyond ready for the peace & tranquil surroundings & fresh air for nourishment of the mind, body & spirit.
I will be absorbing as much positive vibrations from the earth, stopping & seeing the amazing natural world around me along our 30k planned path.
I have entered the Alpine challenge 100 miler. Repeat. 100 miler. Major. Although it will be a slow trek rather than a steady run it will be challenging, full stop. Anticipating tiredness & toughness. This weekends' trail trial will see me through 1000ft of elevation in my first terrain train for the event on November 30th. So I'm seeing myself overcoming my limitations on that day, running over many peaks & reaching the horizons literally & personally it will be another dream crossing over to reality.
Hoping this weekend brings us all bliss & brilliance in whatever form we wish for without anything holding us back, go out there & find it, cross those boundaries & reach the moon... NO LIMITS!!

listening...

DID YOU HEAR THEM???

Listening is something to which we should all perhaps do with a little more awareness... Listening to your friend in need reaching out for your support or kindness, to your inner wisdom sounding you out & letting you know the right path for you to take, to the wind in the trees telling you a storm's a coming, take notice of your body telling you it's exhausted & wishing you would rest & relax. Or listen to your footsteps on the pavement playing their rhythmic beats, mind you they might well create an unwritten symphony of thrash metal angst music like in my marathon on Sunday!!!
I am not superwoman. Fact. I only just found that out though. On Sunday when my invincibility cloak was snatched away from me & with it, my energy & belief. In the last month I have ran my amazing 100k, an achievement that made me so proud however with not a moments' rest to recover I was straight back into my crazy creative workload & then jumped onto a long haul to LA. Worked my ass off. & then after another flight to NY. Worked said ass off again. & then I travelled 1/2 way across the planet, all the 24 hour long way back. I landed, jet lagged & jaded on Friday, raced around all Saturday & then lined up to race on Sunday morning at Sydney's marathon start line. & it was to be the hardest & longest 4 hours to the finish...
I didn't listen to my body telling me to slow down & I suffered from the start. & a marathon 42.2k is a long way to run if you aren't feeling anything but mighty fine. I was truly exhausted when I finished & my recovery this week has been slow. My chiro told me that I was all twisted & out of sync. So now I am listening. & meditating. & sleeping. & hoping. That next week I will feel better & brighter. & I'll be listening to the beautiful sounds of nature in the mountains this weekend. & for the future I'll be listening for my feet to patter gently & with grace for life is not always a race....

Do this...

EAT WELL 

WORK HARD

LOVE TRULY

TRAVEL OFTEN

ABOVE PHOTOS FROM MY TRIP - AMAZING ORGANIC ACTIVATED HEALTHY RAW FOOD IN LA /// HOTEL EXIT DOOR IN NYC /// SUNSETTING PALM TREES & THE PACIFIC OCEAN /// & JETSETTING IN THE SKIES CROSSING THE USA...

I'm still eating healthily & having much green juice intake, working beyond hardness every waking hour, loving as much as I can do on my own that means self, planet & people around me & still on my travels, currently residing in the hip ACE hotel & in LUV with the loud & quirky place. Running the West side highway around Manhattan for 10k in the morning & then I'll be heading back across to my home to get ready for the Sydney marathon on Sunday!!! 

LA LA land...

Just roaming around the planet for work ~ hangin' in ma Los Angeles office & going on epic enlightening runs around the beautifully star populated hip hangout Californian sun soaked city...

Run no.1 -->
After arriving with a bump, & with jet lagged sleep, broken dreams & a hectic busy schedule meeting & meetings I felt like I needed to create some good energy. & at 2 in the morning, ping! Wide awake. The joys of jet lag! So not wanting to succumb to the symptoms I meditated, restorative yoga'd & at 5am I ran out into the LA night. I ran along Beverly Wils blvd, as the city began to rouse I had a run a quiet 10k & was ready for the day.

Run no.2 -->
After 8 hours of shopping!!! We finished at 5pm. & I was at a loose end before my date (yes a date) So I decided to run to Santa Monica (from Beverly Hills) to see the sun set over the Pacific ocean. It was a HOT day & I'm not sure I properly readied myself for what was to become a 3 hour round trip run! NO hydration or nutrition!!! But off I ran into the setting sun.
I was sweating buckets & pushing through it, sometimes you just gotta do it & to be perfectly honest it wasn't the prettiest of paces along the smoggy Santa Monica Blvd traffic filled freeway. But when I arrived at the beach & I got into the calming energy of the stunning sunset it was well worth the long jog home in the soft light along the palm lined streets. & when I did eventually get back to the hotel, my reward was a great date with a hot charming creative & beautiful Brazilian man & 2 cold beers.....

SANTA MONICA BEACH AT SUNSET WITH STRETCHY LEGS

Run no.3 -->
I awoke early on Saturday morning to set off on my Runyon canyon expedition. To get there I ran through the streets of Beverly Hills, along Fountain ave. & Sunset Boulevard to Hollywood's 'walk of fame' & right at the top of La Brea to Runyon canyon park. I trekked up to the peak after my hour run to see the whole of the city stretched out before me as the heat intensified & my feelings were electrified, there's nothing quite like a sunrise summit. Surrounded by strangers & strange dogs & soundbites of peoples lives & the sounds of the mountain. I was so grateful that I could experience this spectacular moment. & then... I ran back, drenched myself in water & got drunk on endorphins!! 

GOOD MORNING RUNYON CANYON & MY SHADOW

Total distances done on the run in LA:
1) 10k
2) 30k 
3) 20k
Total: 60k of yay.

recovery rant

Here's my official result from last Sunday's run, still recovering from the remarkable race. & back running!! Just a light jog yesterday morning, a slow & a little stiff 10k, looking forward to my Monday morning run before I jump on a flight to Los Angeles...
My legs are feeling good after a chiro adjustment & a few floats in the pool & yesterday I had a sports massage to relieve the lactic acid build up from an 11 hour run. BUT. I went boozing last night, the first time in what feels like forever!! & the last time for a while too. I just can't cope with the hangover vibes.
SO for the next 2 weeks of travelling to LA X NYC I'm back in goodness & gratitude to my body mode, going for super healthy style. I've packed my vital greens, my pukka detox tea & looking forward to finding some raw foodie restaurants. 
I have become increasingly aware of the relationship with good food to good mood. I've only seen myself grow in happiness & confidence as I have converted to a plant based whole food diet. I truly believe in treating my body with care & luv, feeding my soul only good & clean. 
But for now, after my derailment I'm recovering from my radical drinking marathon. meh. My inspiration for my travels... EMBRACE & LOVE YOUR BODY, IT IS THE MOST AMAZING THING YOU WILL EVER OWN.

The incredible tan ultra

I have no words to describe my run yesterday. OK I do... Incredible, awesome, amazing, challenging, inspired, painful, enlightening, maybes even transformative, whatever, the outcome was beyond my wildest ambition. & I am so very proud of my latest running achievement.

I placed. 3^rd female. I ran 100ks in 11 hours 14 mins. I felt fabulous & free, strong & serene.  My sweet spot was between 45 & 65 kilometres as I floated around the track, yes really!!

My race report – The Tan ultra 100k run

I have been wanting to run 100k for 2 years now. Just to see how far I could really run. So yesterday’s race was the culmination of all the purpose & perpetual planning for this day.  I had prepared enough energy food for five runners to run 500k & on the day I just wanted bananas! (since devoured my delicious nutritious power bars!) 
I had had a restless sleep as nervous excitement kept me thrashing all night. My day began at 5am, eating my energizing cacao oat cakes –

1 cup oats

¼ cup cacao

2 tblsp coconut oil

2 tblsp maple syrup

2 tblsp mesquite

salt

& I arrived at the Tan track in my beloved Melbourne at the dawn of a beautiful morn, the awakening of a superbly stunning Spring day. The sun got pretty hot out there as the 22 degrees felt like 30!! But we started to run at 7am, & as I settled into my 6 min/k pace I felt just OK. It took me a while to get my groove going.

I just didn’t get my nutrition right, I had stitches ffs. & I was more than aware of every twinge & painful niggle that made me question if I could actually run 100ks. I kept running even when I convinced myself that my ankle was dislocated! Relentlessly chipping away at the distance. I gained momentum after I ran thru the marathon distance. I ran around around high on endorphins for a few hours - they are good shit man!
I had a rave up the hill to some good old school 90's rave & thanks to some tracks from Annie Lennox, David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, Chase & Status, Maximo Park, Groove Armada, Pink Floyd, Doves et al they're all legends for helping me through a k or a few.
The beautiful sunshine & energy of all at the amazing runners around the track instilled more inspiration & motivation. As did my spirulina balls....

1 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup dates
1 tsp spirulina
1/4 cup lemon juice
salt & pepper
sesame seeds to roll

I struggled through the final 30k, I was running into the unknown & it frightened my resolve. The welcome faces of Stevie & Brett helped get to the 16k to go mark & then I knew I had it. But I still had to dig deep until the adrenalin of the last hour accelerated my stride. I really can't remember my thought process, counting down the kilometres, thinking of my next feed, living in the moment, with no music, just breath & being. & full on focusing on each step & closing in on the finish.
The blisters bursting thru 90k were an intense pain I will in future find ways to eradicate. & then my last 8k were strong & determined as I put in a last push. For the finish where my beautiful Harmony was cheering me in. In a dazzling dusk, I was beyond pleased with myself & my podium place.
The two amazing lasses in 1st & 2nd place; Felicity & Annabel are my new heroines. Amazing humans. I can't wait to run with them again. Ok so I will concentrate on just being able to walk normally for the next few days first before contemplating future challenges...
Thanks to all involved in what was an awesome day for me. Happy running. Lots of LUV. XoX