An Introduction to Dusty Boots

This is my first attempt at a blog and my first attempt at recording my running experiences;  believe me, there are heaps of them.  But it's OK, I won't go back to my childhood, just a few years further on at about the time I was in the Army.  I had always loved running and had always been involved in sport, one way or another.  But one day just after I turned 20 the Australian Government, in their collective and short-sighted wisdom, conscripted me into the Army - the only lottery I've ever won - and for the next two years (as a Nasho), and for the following 21 years (as a Reg) I spent in uniform, promoted up through the hierarchy to the rank of Major, where I thought that before they kick me out I'd better resign; so I did!  I had been in Artillery, but served most of my time as a Physical Training Instructor (PTI) and most of my time looking after the fitness of Infantry soldiers.  When I left the Army I HATED RUNNING!!!  It was only after about five years that I started running again, and enjoyed it - for all the reasons we, as runners, know and love.  My training was invariably on the beach, a really long beach, Birubi Point to Stockton in the Port Stephens area and I would run 5-7km in the soft sand and back on the hard sand.  Every Day!!  Talk about Overuse Syndrome, until eventually I re-tore fibres (bundles of fibres had been torn as a result of a squash injury years before) in my achilles.  That put me out of action for 12 months.  You would think that I would give it away after that, but 'not on your nellie'!  A beautiful Princess came along and kissed this wounded frog back to life.  A Long Story made short - We just completed The North Face 100 (TNF100 - a 100km race through the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney) and intend to complete it again next year - ONLY FASTER!!


This blog is all about my running experiences, starting from now and leading up to TNF100 next year.  It'll include my attempts into barefoot/minimalist running and I hope give inspiration to anybody who wants to get into running at any level, especially those folks who are over 50 and reckon they'd never be able to do it.  Believe me - YOU CAN!!!