Kyoto trail run

My trail run in Kyoto last weekend was a super good day. Not in the running sense & that it wasn't painful because indeed it was. & it wasn't the fastest 32k by far so no records were broken. No it's my actual back that is broken!! & with my once again sore sacroiliac joint it was frustrating but it was an incredible feat to finish. & in Japan on a beautiful track. & with me brother. So it was special.
Little bit of history here: My first memories of running involve my brother, racing in the back lane behind grandma & granda's. Then we went to running events in the north east of England at school age. I remember him always winning, so I started swimming until he beat me at swimming too! I pretty much gave up sport at 12 years of age to take up chasing boys, booze & tabs! But after a 10 year hiatus in 2001 I started training again, to race my brother in the Great North run half marathon. 
Circumstance & 9/11 stopped us from competing in the GNR that year. & over the past few years entries into races like the Tokyo marathon were declined & with geographical difficulties no races were run.  A few river & beach jogs on family holidays proved that brother is still faster. Meh. But. Now was my time to win the sibling rivalry running battle. This year when I have ran my 100k convincingly & feeling fit & fabulous & fast. So we entered into a 32k trail run through the mountains surrounding Kyoto. 
But well, we're no longer spring chickens as our dad keeps reminding us! & then we both carried injuries into the competition, with my damn back pain back again with a vengeance after a fall & me bro's dodgy knee we hobbled around the amazing trail; me: "eee me back" brother: "ah ma knee" so we just took it easy down hills challenging his knees, & the nimble trail technical twisting trialling my joint.
However we had a reet giggle throughout, got high on power gels & nurofens, talked about life, dug deep on the steep slopes & didn't speak, laughed at each others ailments as brothers & sisters do & we analysed over the distance & deliberated the finishing time mostly from the outset.
& so we when we finally crossed the finish line together after 5 hours 56 mins the competitiveness was completely lost out there in the mountains. When we actually ran over the line the finish ribbon blew away so they were all flapping around & we had to stop & wait to run thru it, so a good job it wasn't a sprint finish between the two of us!! I'm just so happy & blessed to have shared the running adventure experience together!! Running x family time = fun times.

 Shameless selfies at the startline, with ambitions for a speed off!!

Brother on a bridge break, just taking in some energy bars & beautiful valley views...

 Kimonos hangin' in the sun, quirky Japanese nuances kept me entertained on the journey.

Photo moment. Me. One of the most serene & stunning sights along the course we crashed down the mountain to discover this lake, one of the nicer trail running surprises (the extra surprise 3 kilometres at the end of the race when our energy was waning was not one of those!!) 

beach please

BEACH PLEASE?? Oh ok go on then.. 
This weekend I plan to run along the beach - to the coast then from Coogee to Bondi & back - a dreamy distance of 30 kilometres & then, well I'm basically going to lie on the beach for the rest of what is to be a lush long one, 3 days of chillaxin' n sunnin' myself by the beautiful ocean. I'll be absorbing as much vital vitamin D on Sunday & Monday as I possibly can & maybes I'll even have my first dip in the water this summer.
So also I will be buying my new swimmies for the season, care of Zimmermann a super special swim brand. I'll also be juicing for rejuvenation & that bikini body to look good in said swimsuit. 
This weekend I am really feeling the need for nurture, I'm quite fatigued & my energy stores are low so locking in loving myself for the next few days - massage, lie ins, green veggies, herbal teas, retail therapy, swims, sunshine, friends & meditation all getting locked in. Looking forward to bright blue sunny skies & happy good times... Happy Friday guys xoL

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!!!