Where does your running journey begin?

Everyone’s running story has to start somewhere. It may not be a happy place.

I started running a decade ago when I moved to a remote Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory as a teacher. I laughed off a fact sheet about “culture shock” provided to me by the recruitment consultant. Surely that won’t be an issue when I’m still in Australia, I thought.

But once the honeymoon phase was over, sure enough I sank into a deep depression. In hindsight, I didn’t understand the importance of physical fitness to my mental health. I took up running to snap myself out of the fog. I didn’t run far or long, but running got me out of bed in the morning and got the neurons in my brain firing.

Running helped me at the time and gave me the confidence to join a local football team the following year even though I’d never played before. When I broke my hand in a tackle, I could still help the team all the way to the grand final by running the coach’s messages out to the players!

I didn’t maintain those good habits for long though. Although I ran intermittently, I never built any consistency or enduring fitness. There were always excuses to call on: I was too busy working, too busy being a dad, too tired to run. I’m sure you’re familiar with these excuses and many others.

The thing is, there’s always an excuse not to push ourselves. Often we justify it by saying it’s about being there for others.

The importance of running really became clear to me when I realised that the challenge and reward it provided were vital to me being my best self. To give the best of myself to others, I have to look after myself - physically and mentally. That’s what running provides me - and I believe it can help provide you with the same feeling of satisfaction in your life.

Anyone who doesn’t make time for themselves, and doesn’t look after their own fitness, in my view, can't be their best self for others.

I only really started to get into running seriously in 2018. I was drinking too much, had stacked on weight and lacked motivation. 

I knew something needed to change. The catalyst for me was deciding to enter a race: the 12 km Darwin City to Surf. I had never had to train for a race of any distance, let alone run that far. I knew I couldn’t bluff my way through, and pride dictated that I didn’t want to blow up and have to walk a big chunk of the race.

So I started training. It was hard - early mornings in the dark to beat the Darwin heat. I battled all the way to 8 km in training. It felt like an eternity. The race itself was a struggle - but it was my first real milestone. 

From there, it’s been a journey of constant learning and improvement, and a few setbacks. Like when I fell on my face in the warm up before my first half marathon, and limped home with a swollen lip and bloody knee.

Why am I telling you all this? Well, if you’ve read this far, I presume it's because you’re interested in getting more into this running thing yourself.

My story is my way of saying that there is nothing extraordinary about my journey. I battled away mostly on my own, struggled with motivation for years, and lacked any system or goals. Many runners have a similar experience, and that’s probably why many don’t stick at it for long.

Running usually feels hard in the beginning. Like anything else, you have to build competence. It requires discipline and patience. You have to build a base of fitness. You have to tread warily (pardon the pun) to avoid injury. But, if you stick at it, a threshold is crossed and everything becomes easier. Eventually, you may reach a point where you will feel terrible if you don’t go for a run.

I believe this journey can be made a lot easier with the support of a coach, to provide a structured program, feedback and technical advice, from everything to running form to heart rate zones to footwear.

I worked most of this stuff out on my own over many years (and I’m still learning new things every day). My journey could have been so much smoother if I’d had a coach to guide me into this world. I created Inner Best because I want to help you to share what I’ve learned with other runners and help you on your journey.

I’m not an elite runner but I am a good teacher and an effective coach. I can provide you with structure in the form of a training plan, technical know how on good running form and how to steadily build your capacity, advice on how to fuel and recover and keep injuries at bay.

My dad always said the hardest part of going for a run was lacing up your shoes and getting out the door. If you can do that part, I am confident I can help with the rest!