What a weekend!

28/2 - Amazing friends, beautiful humans and lovers of life! Thanks for tuning in for another instalment of The Tattoo Runners blog. What is described in this entry has the potential to be a massive turning point in my training and life in general – emotionally, spiritually, physically and mentally. This last weekend I travelled to the Sunny Coast to train with some of my mates (Dave, Jason, Brett, Cody and Peter) on the hinterland. We had scheduled to do two loops of Connondale, which would have been over 100k, but the bad weather forced us to change our plans. We ended up heading to Mapleton to do some running at Gheerulla Circuit and to the dam near the day use area. The weather was crap (but I LOVED it!), there was HEAPS of water crossings and trees down but in general, it was a ripper time….except….. About 6hrs in, my hip started to complain and the pain then continued to my opposite knee. These complaints have been ongoing for about the last two weeks and incredibly frustrating. I nearly turned around a number of times on the way to the dam but decided to just go dark, putting my head down and in the process, realising what I really needed was some good old fashioned suffering. It was a bad place to be for me mentally though. Memories of last years injuries and time off running came flooding back….I have also started to doubt recently if I would ever be able to run injury free again. This has made me incredibly sad and I hadn’t articulated it with anyone but the thought was there. Happily, I persevered through the pain and for about the last hour of the outing, the pain subsided a little and we all finished on a high. About 60k in just under 10hrs and 2200m’ish of climbing. Still a solid day out. The following day I went and was a guest on Pete’s new Podcast The Pursuit of Enhancement. We recorded almost 2.5hrs of content! Wo! It was super solid conversation and I can’t wait for this to be released. The main focus of this blog however is what occurred on Monday. My good friend Carmen is an ultra endurance athlete training for Ultraman 2018 and also a chiropractor. I have never been to a chiro before and had some trepidation. Having met a few since opening the shop, my cautiousness has been slowly relieved and I went in with zero expectations. I was hoping and praying that she might have some answers for my problems though. The appointment started pretty standard….but then moved into some practical testing of my complaints/imbalances, body proprioception and hands on assessment. Without going into too much detail, I had/have issues I didn't even know I did. In relation to my leg and hip they appear to be related (through over compensation) and potentially be able to be rectified. No promises were given but I was getting interested. Carmen then moved into looking at my x-rays and talking through how my body was NOT broken. How my shallow hip sockets didn't look near as bad as I had been told previously and that my body is temporally damaged but can be repaired. The difference, as it appears to me, is that a chiro offers a way to restore the mind, body, spirit connection. For the last few years, I have treated the rest of my life in this manner but when it has come to injuries, for some reason, I always just looked at the actual problem, instead of connecting the whole being, in every way together. Carmen, went on to say that she believes that our bodies are miracles and that they are designed to function to their highest and full potential…maximum capacity….and that we can ALL achieving this . As she was saying this I started to recall the last year and all I had been through. As some of you know, last year was probably the hardest of my life for so many reasons so this was really nailing home. Through 2017 I just got constant bad news, doom and gloom diagnosis’s, no one believing in my body, injuries and no running for SO long causing mental, physical and emotional stress. I know they probably weren’t, but Carmen’s words were the first that were COMPLETE opposite to all I had been hearing and that REALLY hit home. She was positive, believed I can and will continue to pursue my passion of running and that we can potentially fix this battered body and go on to live my potential and do what I love. As this was occurring, all those thoughts, beliefs, doubts and frustrations began to well up. I got a little emotional in the practice room but then when we left, I got outside and just broke down. I sobbed. To have someone believe in me, offer un-relenting positivity into my situation and HOPE was an INCREDIBLE relief! I felt overwhelmed with happiness, release and a sense of worthiness again. The dots were slowly beginning to re-connect and whilst there is a lot of work to do, I just cried. I just released all that pent up sadness and struggle of the last year without surrender. It was messy, there was snot, but it was perfect! It was a beautiful thing and it was wonderful to have a friend there to share it with and help me through it. Thank you Carmen. I know there is a lot of work to do, and I’m not saying chiropractic work is the answer for everyone. Heck, I don't even know if it is the answer for me, I have only been once. But in saying that, I am going to give it every opportunity to enrich my life, heal me back to health and thrive in my running and life in EVERY way. I can think of nothing more beautiful! That one visit and experience was enough to give me hope. Thank you Carmen for believing in me, from the bottom of my heart…..thankyou. So friends, that is the story. It was a heavy, uplifting, emotional experience and one that I hope and pray you might gain something from. Keep being wonderful, all of you, chase your dreams and I cant wait to see yall out there on the roads or trails soon. Big love, peace. Sandy