Being outside the comfort zone (or the end of being Fatboy…)

"You only ever grow as a human being if you're outside your comfort zone."

The late Percy Cerutty, famous Australian athletics coach.

Well by way of training update, yesterday MP and I were very much outside our comfort zone on a 22k run that was made extremely tough by the twin forces of a VERY hot day (when we finished it was already 30 degrees) and there was some crazy strong winds to contend with.  On top of this MP had a fall just after the 5k mark and gave herself some good grazing and bruising on her knees, hands and shoulders… but being a country chick  nothing stops her!  The run which ended with a lap around Albert Park lake nearly stopped both of us in our tracks with the combined forces of heat and wind (there is no wind breaks around the lake), but we got there in the end… Percy Cerutty would have been proud!

By way of explanation this blog posting is a personal one for JK.  It is an opportunity to celebrate my journey.

Over the last year things have changed for Jeremy – his past position as the big little man is over (MP has also changed, but she had a leaner physique to start with).  Now I am just a little man…  I have lost weight, but grown as a person.

This transformation also links to one of the reason for this 84k challenge and blog… beyond receiving support for school children in Lombok (something which is extremely important to us – we lived there for almost two years).  It is an opportunity to push my boundaries.  But in many ways most importantly, I am doing this with my fellow adventurer and partner, Maz. 

Training for this trail running challenge has been a learning experience.  Every run and training session is an experiment.  How do we mentally and physically prepare? And since it is only Maz and me doing it, how do we work together as a cohesive team (84k is a LOOONNNGGGG distance if we argue the whole way!).  With each run and training session we are testing everything from the mechanics of our stride to whether we have appropriately sweat absorbent socks… In answer to the later question, after testing our new socks we have found a great sweat absorbent sock!  Small things mean a lot along the way.

But back to me, for a long time I had disconnected from my body, forgotten how it felt to push myself hard and challenge my boundaries.  I had become overweight (an understatement) and disconnected from the physical world.  Outdoor activity was just NOT for me or so I thought…

When I was younger I was a sprint runner, but in recent years I had forgotten how much I loved feeling the fluidity of movement.  But this changed over the last year, as I have been training and loosing weight (about 20% of my body weight).

With this said, for those who want to know the facts and figures, in order to make the whole picture measurable:

Date	Weight	Waist measurement
Nov 08	83 kilo
20/1/09	81 kilo	103 cm
9/3/09	77.4 kilo	95 cm
8/6/09	74 kilo	89.5 cm
16/10/09	73.6 kilo	87.5 cm
4/12/09	68 kilo	83 cm
22/1/09	64.6 kilo	79.5 cm

Photographs below show a more visual example. 

Personal trainers and gym culture… In the past never did anything for me.  I thought it was a commercial rort.  But it need not be.  Everyone’s path in life and looking after themselves is different – someone will fall in love with a big “globo” gym, while another loves karate, but for me going to a gym has pushed all my limits and was exactly what I needed. 

Whatever the vehicle one needs goals and pushing our boundaries to 84k is our goal now… and we will get there, but there is plenty of learning and training to go.

Before finishing it is worth saying some thanks.  Schwartz’s Crossfit Gym deserves a big thankyou for giving my training a home, but most importantly the philosopher of fitness Jared McClelland has given me so much (and Jake Moller is also an inspiration as our current running coach).  To Jared, you have given me an amazing starting point… and a thirst for more training and knowledge – an enormous gift.

I have a long way to go still, but I am proud of myself.  I have lots to learn, but I have confidence that I now have a fitness and sporting trajectory.  On with the adventure!


Remember to DONATE.  We can’t do this alone!

Cheers, Jem.

Mid way through a tough work out... Below - Oh, my goodness... I was a whale.