My Activity Tracking
114
kms
21.1km for Mental Health
I’m training to run 21.1km, yup a half marathon.On the 9th of January 2022 I will lace up my shoes and set off to run the Cadbury half marathon.
I want to show people that living with mental health conditions doesn’t have to limit what you can do. You can do whatever you set your mind to.
I love spending my free time hiking and exploring the Tasmanian wilderness. I find spending time outdoors, moving at the pace of nature therapeutic both physically and for my mental health.
My recent Bipolar diagnosis has forced me to slow down and focus my energy into areas that truely matter to me.
I want to raise funds to help raise awareness and research into mental health issues so that others may get the help they need quicker than I did. So they don’t have to suffer misdiagnosis and incorrect treatment plans. The more people know and the more they can recognise some of the differences between conditions the faster they can get the right treatment.
My Updates
Patience 2
Friday 22nd Oct The last three weeks have been pretty slow in the training department. It seems to have been one sickness after the other. First was being run down from training too much. I took a few days off then got back into it a bit more restrained then I got a cold or something similar and had to quarantine myself and have a COVID test. All good there except I just about lost my voice at one point. Then came my second vaccination and a couple of days feeling off. Then last week my left eardrum blew due to an ear infection and the pressure building up too much. Not to mention a snap lockdown in the same time. That didn’t matter much I was stuck at home on pain killers and antibiotics anyway. Today I felt able to head out the door and get some time alone on my feet. As usual the first few kilometres after a break felt awful but I stopped and took the time to stretch tight muscles, perform some mobility drills and continue only for the opposite side to then tighten up, the same stretches and drills complete I felt my body come alive at 5k. That was time to turn around though and retrace my steps homeward. On the return I came across an Echidna having a feast on a large patch of ants and stopped to get a few pics and then let him be. Now awake I skipped along fallen logs, danced around mud puddles and was pleasantly happy to be on my feet. The last KM finished atop a hill, which provided the last challenge of the run, happy to say I ran the hill strong, smile on my face and then walked a kilometre to cool down. Taking the time to let my body repair, listening to in whilst running, stopping to stretch it and getting the thrill of using has made my day. Share
Patience
Thursday 16th Sep Today I went for a run and the first 20 minutes felt awful. I was ready to call it quits and accept that today was not my day, perhaps I was tired, perhaps my mind wasn’t in it. Either way I was ready to call it a day after 20 minutes.I decided to hang on and at least finish that lap and salvage some sort of win. As I rounded a corner I saw a section of single track headed off to the side and it sparked something inside, I followed it up hill for a few minutes and as I did my sense of joy and wonder returned, it didn’t feel monotonous anymore, in the space of a few hundred meters my run transformed. The track led back to the start of the one I began on and there I decided to do a second lap just so I could veer off again and follow that little trail. As I ran the “boring” section again I began to enjoy it knowing I had a treat at the end. Once more I followed the little track and when I emerged at the car, having already done my scheduled distance for the day I noticed more trails leading away from the car, now in good spirits I set off, although I hardly bound at this point I felt like I was, dodging obstacles and feeling the gravel crunch under my feet I was running further than planned with a massive smile and an energy I haven’t felt in a long time.
I guess my point is, when you feel like giving in, maybe your little trail off the side is just around the corner and the joy you seek is right there waiting for you to follow it.
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