Success - What is it??

Well it doesn’t have to mean coming first in any given race. Just because you don’t win doesn’t mean you’re a loser. My wife Leah entered a 5km run earlier in the year and, just quietly, was a bit concerned that she might come last. We have been conditioned to be embarrassed if you come last. Everyone remembers the cruelty back at school of two captains picking teams on the playground. I didn’t care which team I was on, I just didn’t want to be the ‘loser’ standing there alone, suffering the idignity of being last picked.

With running you can never lose. The second you take a step out the front door you become an outright success story. It doesn’t even have to be a race or an event. When you step out you win because, you see, you had a choice. You could have stayed on the couch, you could have grabbed another stubby, you could have hit the snooze and hid under the doona. Success is in the decision to just have a crack.

When Leah started that 5km race she had already been successful day after day in the training for it. As it turned out she didn’t come last. The records will show that. But the records will not show how many million Australians did nothing at all resembling exercise that same day. Leah was more successful than all those millions. She also beat the time she had aimed for. That’s a great result and the smile on her face, and mine, told the story. Success.

I had a big week of training with another 100km completed. In all of that there were some runs that I was really happy with. All of them are listed below. The 27km was the day after a big boozy lunch so I was very happy to get that much done. The day after that one, NYE, was a really tough 15km. Those tough runs mean more once you’ve got them locked away. On a completely individual basis it was a great week. A big success.

The biggest thrill this week however, was an 8km trot with a mate who was down from Queensland. We went to school together and played footy together for years. We also drank a truck load together. ‘Sweaty’ as he is known has always been a big unit. A massive personality, barrel of laughs and genuinely a fantastic person. Not long ago Sweaty was tipping the scales at 124kg. When I saw him on Wednesday I couldn’t believe the change. He’s dropped 16kg and wants to drop a fair few more. The 8km was a huge success.

As it turned out my son presented me with a plastic toy medal after our run. Sweaty’s boy did the same for him. In their young eyes we are winners just because we are having a crack.

Yet the real success will last forever. The real success is going to be growing old and being healthy enough to watch our kids enjoy their own success.

Sunday - Rest
Monday - 16km
Tuesday - 18km
Wednesday - 8km
Thursday - 27km
Friday - 15km
Saturday 15km
Total - 99km + 1km barefoot