Start with your legs, finish with your mind.

I’m not 100% sure why I run and I like it that way.

There’s magic behind not understanding something in your life but knowing it’s a good thing. I also believe it’s a shame for a person to grow old without experiencing the strength their body and mind is capable of. In such a busy world with so much competition for our time and attention finding the time and motivation to take on activities that focus on our physical and mental health can be extremely challenging. But the time is there and it can be done if you are dedicated and focused.

I love running because it gives me the time to think deeply. I have the time to ask myself hard questions, be or wanna be, what have I done, who am I and what am I capable of. I find that I work through problems or situations I am struggling with and can reflect on my actions. I get to look inwards and reflect on life and I strongly feel that this helps me deal with day to day issues and reduces overall stress and anxiety that comes from being a 43 yr old husband with 2 children, bills, mortgages and a full time job. First world problems for those of us privileged enough to live in a lucky country, but problems none the less.

However, like everything in life there is a cost and that cost is time. The time I spend running has an impact on my family, it means time away from my loved ones and while I put family first I still get a sense of guilt on many occasions and question myself. I find solace in knowing that I am setting an example of discipline, drive and healthiness for my children. I take them to races so they see me cross a finish line, feel my emotions and hear my stories from the day. I believe kids learn a lot from evaluating the type of person their parents are, what do they do, why do they do things and then try to replicate it. This is my attempt at being a role model and I believe the hours I miss being with them are not lost at all.

I hope that when they look back and people ask them, ‘What does/did your Dad do?” they have more memories than just me going to work. I want them to see what I believed in and understand who I was based on the activities I did for myself, not for my employer or society. I want them to remember what I did for myself because that is the person I am/was. I want them to do things for themselves and strive for greatness in their own pursuits and passions. Too often we get consumed by what we have to do rather than what we want to do and I want to set an example for my children that life is too short to grow old without knowing what you were capable of.

Then there is running alone. I used to only run when friends were available but then I went through a period where it was run by myself or not at all. This resulted in a big change to my enjoyment of running, my results and a big change in myself as a person.

Running alone gives me time to question who I am in life, to process my thoughts and most importantly, to not think at all. During these moments I grow emotionally and spiritually, the mental health benefits of exercise are widely discussed and I know that I helps me a great deal. Physically I am in top condition and I feel so much better than when I was drinking, smoking and overweight but what isn’t so visible to others is the condition of my brain. When I compare my physical appearance to it’s condition of 2 years ago the difference is huge, the same goes for my mental health.

A friend commented on how much I was running each week and said I must be in great shape. I thought on this and realised that yes I was, but every hour spent working on my physical health is also an hour spent on my mental heath. Some runs are mindless and I love nothing more than being plugged into a good liquid drum and bass set while blasting down a bush trail, nothing on my mind, focusing on my breath and making sure I am in the moment so I don’t fall over, this is mindfulness 101 - flow state 🏃‍♂️❤️

Ultra running is 50% physical and 90% mental and I think this is part of the reason why I like it. I also love being outdoors in nature, there are numerous studies on the positive impact it has on humans and you only need to spend a few days camping, hiking or running to experience the benefits. When you combine running and being outdoors the benefits are huge and pursuing it as a hobby is something I want to promote to people in the hope they try it for themselves.

However, like training if you stop the results fade quickly. Motivation and enjoyment ebb and flow so it can be hard to keep going, especially through winter when it’s dark, cold and wet. Most importantly for me is having goals and this is where races and adventures come in. Living in Tassie means there’s no lack of exciting local races to enter and boundless wilderness to explore, for me it’s about having these goals and going on adventures while I still can.

I do the hard work and these races and adventures are my rewards. This is the moment to test myself and experience things outside the norm, to feel the endorphins, adrenaline, a sense of joy and awe at my surroundings and see how hard I can push myself. Combining good physical and mental strength into a singular energy and allowing it to propel you is a beautiful thing, testing that energy and digging deep to when it runs low is the ultimate challenge and reason why training is so important. I can’t properly explain the feeling and achieving it takes a lot of hard work but when you’re in top condition and your spiritual, physical and mental energy combine to not only tackle but also attack a long run is a life changing experience you will never forget.

Racing is the time to learn, grow and test myself. I love a challenge and believe that being competitive with myself is healthy. I aim for a good result and enjoy pitting myself against my peers but the goal is always to learn, grow and experience the moment rather than crossing a finish line. I like the pain cave, when it gets hard I stay there and explore it, when this moment arrives I embrace it because this is a crucial moment where as a person you really learn about yourself. There’s no hiding, no one to help and things become really clear, this is the pursuit of pleasure from pain because even though your mind and body are screaming at you to stop the reality is nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so.

I definitely have multiple voices in my ears at these times, there’s the head, heart and soul. My head gets me started but always tires first, that’s when the heart kicks in. The heart will take you a long way and it tells the head to keep going, eventually though the heart starts to ask how much more and makes you question the why and how. If you’ve been there you know that this is when the personal challenge begins, the soul kicks in and an overwhelming determination carries you forward, sometimes even bringing the head and heart back into unison so you can finish and overcome challenges.

These are the moments I search for, they are fleeting and rare but so beautiful and pure.

Most people aren’t obsessed with their goals because they don’t believe they are worthy of them. It’s easy to dream about what you want or think you could do but in between where you are and where you want to be there’s a tremendous amount of change and work you gotta to do. I wish you all the best on your challenges, above all just get out there and stop thinking about it. GET SOME.