Today I ran from our cabin to the carpark at lake St. Clair a distance of 12.5Km's. It is up hill the whole way to the turn around at Lake St. Clair and down hill back to the cabin. I ran it in 1:08.03 some 7:30' quicker than when I last ran this 2 years ago.

The run is all on bitumen road withe enough verg to get out of the way of any on coming traffic of which there was very little. This run was fantastic for another reason too and I think I've joined a club, but I'm not sure of the name… Continue

A bit of a storm arose. I had to sit down with my mother in law and her son/my husband and confirm her diagnosis of cancer today. Her doctor is out of town, and well it is a small town. I see patients every day. I have divulged a grim cancer diagnosis to many, but never to a family member, to a second mother. The trail ahead is a bit frightening, and the weather is stormy, but I see tracks in the trail where others have…

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The Big Horn 50k was more then just a race.  We set up camp in the high mountain meadows about 20 minutes from the race start.  Here there are meadows full of wildflowers and a ton of wildlife. We saw a bear, herds of elk, deer, moose and pronghorns.  There is also incredible fly fishing for the fishermen in my family.  The race starts with a 2 mile climb and wraps around a…

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Yesterday I completed day 6, Week 3, of Phase 2 of the Strategic Running Foundation and as part of this session I completed an 18 km trail run, well 16 on the trail, 2 on a concrete footpath that is jam packed with steep inclines and declines, off camber sections, and long up hill sections. It's an out and back run so it's 9km out and 9km back along the same track and for me every time I run it I know I've had a run by the time I finish. I first did the 16km trail run 18 months ago…

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Pursuit. If I had to sum up what made this last weekend's race so amazing in one word, pursuit would be it. I suppose it means different things to different people, at different times too - sometimes the metaphorical pursuit of an ideal or goal is a great thing, sometimes the pursuit of the runner in front of you can drive you on.

Sometimes, being chased by a horse is exactly what you need on a blazing Saturday afternoon.

Last weekend, I went with Clare (my…

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Running with my 2 year old lab, Muddy, this past Saturday reminded me of the importance of not going out to fast.  When we hit the trail, Muddy took off.  He was so excited to be on the trails that he would run ahead then run back then run ahead and come back all at full speed.  This was the day after my 1/2 marathon and I was out for an easy run so I was steady and slow on the 1st hill.  20 minutes into the run I reached the top of the hill and found Muddy in a bush with his tongue hanging…

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I coach because I love to help athletes explore their own potential and the rewarding part of this for me is witnessing the self-discovery that my athletes experience throughout the process.  Writing my book, The Cool Impossible, was the culmination of a life long dream and a way for me…

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Every season I have races that are high priority races with a few lower priority races. As an athlete, I go into every race with a race plan ready to give it my all.  Sometimes I might go into a lower priority race a little tired but that doesn't mean I can't have good results. Lower priority races are a great place to gain race experience, practice race strategies or use as…

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The War Eagle races are on the beautiful single track, mild to slightly moderate technical trails of Hobbs State Park in Rogers, Arkansas. I do a lot of training runs out here and have run the 50k event the past 3 years, so I know these trails well.. This year I would be doing the 25k for the first time. The…

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Question:  How do I peak for my big race.

Answer:  This is a tricky question as I believe an effective “peak” in fitness first…

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Today was day 2, week1, of Phase 2 and I headed over to the recreation park in Healsville where I completed my 2, mile tests the first before I started the Strategic Running Foundation and again last week. After doing the warm up I completed 4 X 3' in SPZ.6, the first rep was right on the money I did'nt feel laboured just concentrated on form and breathing. The second and third reps required a greater level of focus particularly in the last 30…

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Hehe...ohhhmyyyy it was tough getting my run on this morning. Most of my posts are about the joys of my long runs and races, and a healthy helping of imagination. One could (falsly) surmise that all my runs are met with eager anticipation and satisfaction. You shoulda seen me this morning. Actually, it started last night...."what?...I have a 2 HOUR run in the…

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For those that are interested; I again performed the 20 minute run test on Friday night at the same place as I performed my initial 20 minute test 11 weeks ago but this time in the dark. By the time I had returned home from work, changed and headed out it was all but dark. I drove to the local oval, a different one to where I did the Mile test, put the light on my head and started my warm up as per the Strategic Running Program.

By the time I had completed the warm up it was dark and…

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