I work as a running coach in the
real world as well as in cyber space. I am also involved in the
promotion of events such as the Gold Coast Marathon. I live
in Camp Hill, have lived in Brisbane since 1961
and joined the Pat Carroll running group in ''ha''.
My favourite restaurant is any
restaurant which serves a spicy meal. I love Indian!
My earliest childhood memory is:
Well, those of you who are as old as me will remember the
washing machines where you placed the clothes between the
moving rollers to wring then out. I was intrigued by the
rollers and somehow I thought my hand could slide through them
whilst the rollers were moving. I was wrong! My fingers jammed
the machine and off to the Doctor I went.
The other night I was walking around the
house with my pants pulled up high whilst wearing a pair of
ski goggles. I guess it would be true to say that I don’t act
like an adult at times. My X often referred to me as
Peter Pan (she didn’t really like that side of me).
My favourite movie is Mr Holland’s
Opus. Only because it is the only movie that has brought me to
tears. Love Kath and Kim!
Brisbane City is great for running
because there are heaps of bike paths which hug the river and
a couple of hours of running seems to fly by effortlessly.
My regular holiday destination is
anywhere I can hear the ocean as I am falling off to sleep.
If money was no option I would 'not'
endlessly smother my kids with presents. I prefer to teach my
kids values rather than buy them valuables! On the other hand I
would have a ball.
It frustrates me when people take
shopping trolleys home. Speaking of shopping trolleys, I would
love to meet the person who designed them and take him/her to task
about the bottom front bar which is exactly the same height as
an Achilles tendon.
I have been involved in running since
1980 and my most memorable running experience is
when I won Gold Coast for the fourth time. I crossed the line,
arms in the air, and for some reason I walked back into the
finishing straight to share my win with the people who cheered
me in. To my complete surprise the first person I came across was my Mum.
I enjoy distance running because it
is the ultimate way to stay fit and the feelings you
experience during and especially after you run leave you in a
‘life’s pretty damn good’ type state.
My favourite run is along Main
Beach, looking across the ocean when the sun is just starting to
appear. Ummmm...second reference to the ocean. Maybe I will go
down the Coast in the morning!
Motivation is something which will
never be an issue as long as you set short term and long term
goals.
Injuries are inevitable when you are
doing a lot of running. How you manage the injury determines
how severe it will become and how long you will be cheering
from the sidelines for.
My Brother suffering from
cancer (he is ok now) at 20 years of age was a turning point in my life
because it scared the hell out of me. Not because of what
he was going through but more my own realisation that we are
not here forever.
The Pat Carroll running group is out
of control and full of energy. It is such an honour to be at
the helm and first timers are always impressed as to how
friendly and positive everyone is. If a clairvoyant told me 10
years ago that I would be responsible for bringing the best
part of 100 people together for a training session 3 times a week
I would have laughed, that’s just not in me I would have
thought. Our group philosophy “A fun and supportive
environment free of elitism and categorisation’’ will live
forever!
I prefer running in the morning
because for some reason I have always felt that early mornings
are when you are suppose to exercise, it has a real freshness
about it.
Running is not difficult
without any kit on. Believe me, I know!
The best advice Rob De Castella
ever gave me was “You may have lost the battle, but not
the War”.
I will eventually be an old man and no
doubt I will pull up at a set of traffic lights and find a 40
year old glancing at me wondering what I had been up to for
the past 80 odd years. My aim is to be free of regret
when looking back at him.
