Recently I finished the book Peak Performance by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness. The concepts covered were nothing new, but definitely things I needed to hear - stress+rest =growth, minimalist to be a maximist and developing a purpose. 

After running for over 9 years now, I have completed countless 10km fun runs and half marathons and 5 marathons - all accompanied with unique niggles or mental blocks - none greater than the Gold Coast Marathon this year which broke me. Somewhere in that training I lost my purpose.  So it is time to reclaim that purpose, run FOR a purpose outside of my own personal goals. 

I will be running Queenstown Marathon on 16 November. My aim is not to run a fast race - nor do I have hopes for a PB - that pressure is unnecessary for my purpose. I want to run physically and mentally strong, enjoy the run, be consistent but prioritise the experience rather than the end destination. Which brings me to this fundraising. 

Running transformed my life 9 years ago and continues to every day. I am more resilient as a result of lacing up and getting out there almost every day regardless of how I'm feeling or what the weather is like. Running makes you mentally tough. It is a good test to see what you are really capable of. 

So I am raising funds for Rob de Castella's Indigenous Marathon Foundation (IMF). The IMF uses running to provide life-changing pathways and opportunities to Indigenous Australians, and create inspiration Indigenous role models. One of IMF's four key programs is the Indigenous Marathon Project (IMP) which annually selects a group of 12 young Indigenous Australians aged 18-30 and trains them to run in the New York City Marathon - with just six months of training.