A real Wombat Warrior.....

Sometimes it is in the most unlikely places that we are able to draw inspiration... There are not many reality TV shows that I actually get into but the Australian biggest loser series has been one...

I have watched with up most admiration the struggles of Bob and even went as far as picking him as the winner. What drew me to this guy, what did I see that so many other Australians also saw in him?

It was not his size, although that was the reason he was on the show...

It was not his smile, which apart from when he was busting his guts, was never far from the surface..

It was his down right wombat determination, his never say die attitude and his ability to push himself time and time again...

This series had a few people like that but is was Bob's down to earth approach that won me over. I would sit down with my two young wombats and say to them "this guy is a wombat warrior, he digs deep when the tank is empty and he keeps getting up..."

This series had a number of people that anyone could draw inspiration from and even this old wombat found it fantastic to see people achieving goals each day..

That's what life is about , getting out there and giving it a go... I know I don't want to just have life pass me by, I want to be able to actively participate in it, give it a go so that when I pull myself up onto one arm and say to my mates who have gathered round me that they can "tan me hide when I've died" that it will be something they will be proud to do cause it will be a tough hide not a powdery puff soft and fluffy never been ridden hide...

Anyway I digress... Covered 4 miles tonight and felt pretty good in the process, tomorrow will be a lazy 3 miler and then the Busso half on Saturday which will only mean I am running 9 miles further than I have run in the past 20 days... Should be an interesting outing when I am also keen to do better than the 1hr 27minutes I ran last year... maybe even take Carter on over the distance... BRING IT ON!!!!!!!!

Set yourself a small goal every day and work to achieving it...

Those who can't....try

those who try.... can

those who can...do

Or as Bob said on the biggest loser " There is no try , only do"

Even Yodi said " Do or Do not there is no try"

Barrel on Wombats....

A Followers Feedback......and he was one TSOB.

It is great to read the comments from followers of the "Wombat Warrior" From time to time I read one that reminds me of Christmas past and today I did just that. I have placed it on this post for all to read however before I do that I should say that the comment came from a runner who I always thought of as tough as nails, when you raced him you were in for a fight....He himself has faced the struggles of coming back from injury and a period of lay off but each time he has given 110%. He was from the era of Jim Langford, John Hambleton, Graham Clews, Ivan Shatford, Clive Hicks and Martin Asmussen to name but a few of the tough bastard brigade... When this crew raced it was blood sweat and tears, it was on for young and old and as a junior they were my inspiration to achieve better results by being able to race them..... I had the pleasure of running often on a Wednesday night with some of this crew, along with Alan Thurlow, for a tempo run and the pace towards the end of the night, as we headed back up ANZAC Bluff to the top car park at Kings Park, was gut wrenching. These guys always made it look easy........SHOW US YOUR WOMBAT

He writes below:

"Wombat The trials of an aging running can be far more arduous than that of the young elite athlete. The hopes an aspirations for future glory can be one hell of a motivator. While the trials and tribulations of a body that just doesn't respond as well as it once did, or a body that has had injuries and problems over many years that are now restrictive, creates a completely different mind set!BUT as long as WE know where we are at and where we want to go there is no reason why we can't be just as focussed and committed to improvement!! The wombat is and has always been one tough little bugger and the latest obstacles won't slow him down for long. The wombat is a champion. This old 'almost was' is still motivated and on his 54th come back after injury. To be or not to be a runner? The answer is simple- To be!"

Thanks for the feed back and input followers be you anonymous or identified...Remember each of us has the wombat inside of us it just needs the right circumstances for it to shine in all its glory...

Barrel on wombats...

The Challenge is always there....

Everything is a challenge....Very pleased with the fact that I have got out every day since starting up again after getting the clearance with blood tests but still feel that something is not quite right, you know that feeling you get just before something goes wrong.... yeah no neither do I.

Regardless my runs are better but I still get short of breath when I need to work a hill and its not the feeling of " This is tough and I'm not fit" its a feeling of " Why can't I draw a full breath" .. I am running over the top and down the other side then using the down hill to get the air back but it really puts me under for 5-10 minutes...

Anyway ran steady last night very late due to the young wombats football training , then it was my turn to cook so I headed out the door at 7.45pm into the dark abyss...

Tuesday was a solid 3 miler again around the Wedge tail and Kangaroo Rise....

The Busso Half will be interesting. Now that I am clear to run I can fulfill my commitment to a fellow athlete and complete the running leg after he has done the swim and the bike.. My goal , apart from finishing is to make sure I beat the 1h27minutes that I allegedly ran last year over the same course.. Time will tell then I can tell those of you who happen to want to read these ramblings of a wombat warrior.

Barrel on Wombats...

The Wombat is stoked...

Another two runs and going well.

Sunday's run was a late one because I had to take the young wombats to the movies, holiday promise (Monsters V Aliens 3D), anyway this meant running three laps of the 1700m block loop so that I could see in the dark... I know that I could have run in the morning but it would have to have been very early with junior football starting for my oldest.

Tonight was a session at Hyde park. I simply ran with a few surges and covered 4 miles with no hiccups...

I am really enjoying running again but I can sense a little drop in fitness..

Barrel on wombats...

The wombat eases back with a PB....

yeah I know the doc said gradually build up however " A field that has rested gives a beautiful crop" and I have most certainly, albeit stress fully, rested...

My second run since starting up again and a few niggles that will eventually settle down I am sure. Ran the usual 3 mile loop (actually 5.2km circuit) around my burrow and again after a shaky start I soon settled into a good running rhythm. Breathing was very good today and the less I thought about it the better it was.. Like I said yesterday it will take a while to get the head right but every good run will build on the next.

Got up both rises without any real concerns so just continued at the pace I set.

Covered the 3miles in 19m 36s (3m46s/km)

I am hoping that I can at the very minimum maintain this for the Busso half where i will be running the 21.1 running leg for a fellow wombat who is doing the swim and cycling leg..

barrel on wombats...

The Wombat takes a tentative step...

Tonight I took my first tentative Steps in 9 days...I made it back alive and I'm writing this so things are looking good. The problem that I found was that for the entire 3 miles I was fighting with myself in my head. The self talk went a bit like this;

" Feeling good, steady , steady don't over do it ..... Am I breathing? Yeah things seem OK....Shit a little breathless... no its in my head... you are you're head you idiot... no really listen to me, I feel a little breathless.... Yeah OK your right not fantastic but moving and feel in control... how far do you reckon you've gone...800m ... oh boy this is gonna be a long run.... stay focused , you knew it would be a fuzzy start, always is after an injury and this is like an injury... Harden up!!!
OK here comes a hill now don't push it just get over it... not great but did not stop... up and over well done, .. Bugga still not comfortable in drawing a full breath , just does not feel right.. come on see it through."

At this point I had made it well past halfway and was on the second last climb of the run where I got half way up and had to back off: (the head talk continued)

"What are you doing soft ?#@$.. you don't stop on a hill... you do if you can't breath... yeah but you can breath...well it feels like I can't, no your right keep going up and over, don't let the sle ftalk defeat you... see you made it, piece of piss nearly home"

Got home and felt OK but nothing flash. I know that this will be a long journey and once I get my confidence back I'll be fine.....

He's back

3 miles 20minutes 22seconds.

Barrel on Wombats...

Where will the journey lead us?...

Reading the comments that came back after my last post it seems that many of us have been in or know someone who has been in such a situation...

Life is a bit like this picture in that we can see that the track goes off into the bush but after that who knows where it will lead us.

In lance Armstrong's book he sought many opinions until he found someone who was prepared to try alternative procedures and the rest is history. Now I am not saying that we are all Lance Armstrong nor am I saying that all outcomes will be as fortunate but the point is that if you are not happy with something then you need to look for an alternative solution. This is very true when it comes to diagnosis of issues that we will all face from one time or another.

I have seen athletes perform well above what people thought they were capable of just because they decided that today was the day. Life is like that and running or sport in general for that matter is one big example of life. In my own case running taught me about work ethic. What you put in is what you get out. That is if you don't run you don't improve (simple version)

I know that it is a cliche but at the end of the day we are not on the planet for a very long time so I feel it is important that we enjoy life and work to achieving what ever potential we have in what ever pursuit we choose to follow. Find your passion and pursue it. That alone takes great courage because along the way you will always find someone who is prepared to knock what you are trying to do or put up blockers for you. At the same time there are people who want to come along for the journey because it looks like it could be fun and they want to be a part of it.

I always try to surround myself with positive people and people who are about having fun ( not at the expense of others or others rights but fun in the sense of they are getting on with life ) and in this way when the going does get tough I can use some of their energy to get through the tough patches and visa versa I can feed them when they need to be propped. I remember talking with Deeks once and he spoke of there being three kinds of people:

• Floaters


• Suckers and


• pumpers.

The floaters are people you spend time with who are nice to be around you can be with them for a whole day but not really get anything out of the encounter while at the the same time the encounter does not take anything out of you. The suckers are those people that draw the energy out of you , you spend an hour with them and it feels like you have been with them for a week, they just drain you. Then there are the pumpers, these are the people who you spend time with and come away from the encounter feeling like you could conquer the world...

When I was a young wombat and only starting out as a runner I was told by a person, whom shall remain nameless, that I would only every make a good club runner and not do much more, poor form wrong style. Fortunately for me I enjoyed running so continued on my merry way and went on to represent my country in the very sport I was told I would not do well at. (passion more than talent are the essential ingredients to achieving success). Fortunately also I met a person who gave me guidance and a program that let me develop myself and from that I progressed. In other words they gave me the tools to reach my potential but the rest was up to me in terms of doing the work....

Charlie Brown once said "The heaviest burden in the world is great potential"

Each of us has potential and its up to us to realise that potential in our own way , at our own pace and in our own time. What that actual potential is or what the ceiling on an individuals potential no one knows but hey, I bet it would be fun trying to find that out , isn't that what life is all about?

Barrel on Wombats...