when you start settling for anything thats not the best
thats when its over
thats when you can tie your shoe laces together
and throw them over the telephone wires
make them as far out of reach
because thats where your dreams and goal will always be

in this sport, its not about enjoying life
its about being the best
its about eating oatmeal for breakfast even though you don't like the taste
its about running an extra rep even though you have nothing left
its about staying at home recovering even though you haven't seen your friends in months

its about sacrifices
its about discipline
its about hard work

its about crawling and fighting your way through every set back

its about being the best

only winners are remembered

knock knock.

who's there?

the guy that came second.

the guy that came second who?

exactly.

opportunity

dont wait,
CREATE

Every minute

And if I was to be totally honest with you
I'd tell you I hate it
I hate training
I hate running
I hate competing
I hate losing
I even hate winning
I hate it all

But I'm addicted to the way it makes me feel

What I can only assume a drug addict feels
You hate what it does to you
You hate what it's doing to your life
But you can stop
Because you love the way it feels
The way it makes you feel

So you can't stop
You just sit and wait impatiently for your next fix
Knowing how much you don't want to
But also how much you NEED it.

And as much as you hate it you know you wouldn't have it any other way

Athletics is my drug

the question isn't "how much more can you take?"

But "how much more you can give?"

Just when you're ready to quit.

Your mind says "push harder".

You listen, sensing an inner strength that wasn't there before.

&& suddenly you discover -- you no longer feel pain.

only a burning desire to do what others cant or wont.

only a burning desire to win.

my sport is your sports punishment

I'm on the track 11 hours a week
I'm in the gym 5 hours a week
I've got yoga 3 hours a week
&& pilates 3 hours a week
Pool sessions 4 hours a week
Recovery session 7 hours a week

Then I'm expected to be at uni 6 hours a week
Study 5 hours a week
In the kitchen 14 hours a week
&& an extra 7-10 hours cleaning and washing

I'm up before 6 making lunches
I'm in bed around 10
2 hours a week is spent in chiro
&& Another hour is spent in massage

Not to mention i walk the dog 7 hours a week
spend about 9 hours a week getting ready, showering etc
&& I'm required to have 4 hours minimum every day as "down time" between sessions.
where i am supposed to do very little mentally or physically hard (which i generally dont get)

which leaves me 53 hours a week to sleep.
divide that by 7, giving me 7 hours sleep a night.
Thats if i'm lucky && everything goes to plan.
which it usually doesn't.
But every minute i spend doing something "fun" away from this schedule is a minute less i get to sleep.

&& If you were to ask me if it was worth it.  
I'd say yes everytime.

so how about you fuck off and give me a break
you wouldnt know what hard work looked like even if it punched you in the face

☆☆☆

I have no idols. I admire hard work, dedication and competence.

it doesnt matter if you want to be

club champion,

state champion,

national champion,

world champion,

olympic champion,

whichever of the above,

a champion is someone who gets up,

even when they can't.

you dont win races, at any level,

without some form of hard work

The only things that overcomes hard luck is hard work

i just don't feel like they see the talent i have.

it's not even about athletics anymore, 

its about proving them wrong.

In order to excel, you must be completely dedicated to your chosen sport.
You must also be prepared to work hard and be willing to accept destructive criticism.

Without 100% dedication, you won't be able to do this.

destiny.

Don't talk to me about destiny.

Destiny doesnt throw up every session

Destiny doesnt clear the hurdles

I dont really like destiny

Destiny doesnt push this hard

Destiny has never caught the bus for 2 hours to training

&& I bet destiny cant to this

By the way, that wasnt luck

behind the blocks, destiny panics.

Destiny doesnt get back up

again

&& again

&& again

Destiny makes excuses

Destiny doesnt remember

Destiny doesnt decide if I win.

i do.

---

Destiny is not a matter of chance,

it is a matter of choice;

it is not a thing to be waited for,

it is a thing to be achieved.

OFFSEASON 2010

the stronger foundation you build,

the taller the building will stand.

this offseason marks the beginning of something more beautiful

then you ever thought possible.

is that all it takes to stop you?

while your inside enjoying the sound of the rain.

i'm out training in it.

18 months ago.

18 months ago,

no one really even knew my name.

no one ever spoke my name,

no one noticed me on the track

or noticed me at all

no one wanted to talk about me, 

to me or 

behind my back.

18 months ago,

no one believed in me

i barely believed in myself

18 months ago,

i made the choice to change.

i had two options.

be nobody. 

or be somebody.

i chose to change 
almost every aspect of my life;

to train harder

eat healthier

aspire

inspire

today, i cant honestly tell you 

im everything i wanted to be 

18 months ago

im much more then that

im much more then  

i ever thought i could be

why?

because i dared to dream.

you should too.

we shot the moon

dont give me a footnote when i deserve a chapter

I CANNOTDO IT

Never let it be said that to dream is a waste of ones time.

For dreams are our realities in waiting

In dreams we plant the seeds of our future

Fear is nothing more then an obstacle that stands in the

way of our progress;; in overcoming our fears we can move

forward, stronger and wiser within ourselves.

If you want to live a happy life,

tie it to a goal, not to people or things.

&& dont let anything stand in your way

The only time you run out of chances

is when you stop taking them.

So stand for whats right, even if you stand alone

THERES
LIGHT
EVEN IN
THE DARKEST
PLACES

Great effort comes from great attitude

my method for success is simple. i don't believe in trying to be better than anybody else i just believe in trying to be better than what i thought i could be.

And it may not happen over night, but persistence is the twin sister of excellence. One is a matter of quality; the other, a matter of time.

Each man is the architect of his own fate, you cannot sit back and expect things to happen, you cant even show up for a race stressing about winning. we are responsible for the effort, not the outcome. Put the work in and you will win. you have to stand on that line and truly believe you have worked harder then the other 7 people.

and yeah, its hard.

and people will rubbish you every step of the way. but victory tastes sweet when taken from the mouths of wankers. because honest hearts produce honest actions. and i dont wanna hear 'try'.

Do or do not there is no try. either you do the hard work. or you do not.

Find your passion, whatever it may be. Become it, and let it become you and you will find great things happen FOR you, TO you and BECAUSE of you.

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become

Make it happen!

And all those days, those minutes and seconds of torture

the peace and freedom in those moments of pain

it all comes down to this.

you can sit on your ass and wish things to happen

you can pray and pray and will them to happen

or you can put your spikes on and make it happen.

If everybody's making fun of you and criticizing you,

then you know you're on the right track

Great souls have wills; feeble ones have only wishes.

It's pretty simple really,

Work hard,

Train smart,

&& It'll happen.

To talk much and arrive nowhere is the same as climbing a tree to catch a fish

“Some people want it to happen,

some wish it would happen,

others make it happen.”

-Michael Jordan

dont let the fear of striking out hold you back.

"You have to find something that you love enough to be able to take risks, jump over the hurdles and break through the brick walls that are always going to be placed in front of you. If you don't have that kind of feeling for what it is you are doing,

you'll stop at the first giant hurdle."

Dont Let It Pass You By.

Its amazing what we, as people and as athletes are truly capable of.

Over the last year i have been told over and over and over again that i cannot do it.

That i cant run a B-qualifier.

That i cant PB by that much in one season.

That i just cant do it.

It's Impossible.

But i believe in myself, when no one else did, i believed so purely and worked so hard that massive impossible achievements became possible.

Looking back now, i remember i was asked by a certain coach, "why not aim higher?"

I scoffed at the thought.

Higher? Thats absurd, Im already aiming for something beyond anyones capabilities and expectations.

Im already aiming for the impossible.

And he wanted more.

I thought, 'how unrealistic is that?'

i even remember wondering if he was taking the piss.

But it wasnt until today that i realised.

An A-qualifier is very very possible.

and i began to realise, that someone like me,

with unwavering believe

with daring impossible dreams

i began to realise i hadnt set the bar high enough

i am no different to everyone else

and there was a limit to my own belief

i had resigned myself to only a B.

i had put walls up infront of me

and i had shot myself in the foot.

I like to believe that i know what im capable of,

but i, just like everyone else, have no idea whats within me.

maybe the truth is my capabilities are endless.

maybe i could conquer the world, if only i believed i could.

my friends ask me all the time: "Do you think you'll ever win an olympic medal"

i laugh and tell them, "im not talent, just hard work, and hard work will only get you so far"

but who's to say im not talented.

who's to say one day i wont win a medal.

who's to say what i can and cant do.

i'd like to think that I have fought a good fight, I have kept the faith.

but i havent.

i am limited in my success because i was trying to be "realistic"

but again, my body knows only the boundaries of the mind.

not anymore.

"you have to think anyways,

so why not think big!"