2013 has been another great year full of fun adventures, fitness & good friends. Just as in previous years cricket dominates my summer in January & the Richies had a huge day at the SCG test with 110 of us helping turn Day 2 of the test into Richie Day. And just a week later I put my fitness
cap back on when I zipped down to Hobart for the Cadbury Marathon with my running buddy Jono. After the indulgences of Christmas & the SCG it wasn’t the greatest run but it was a great course, well organised and lots of fun exploring Hobart again (only a month after the last trip to Tassie). January certainly was jam packed, as we moved into our new house in Maroubra just in time for an Australia Day party & more time with good friends. If I had to give up one of my secrets to a great life it’s got to be to share as many laughs & as many meals with your friends as possible.
In 2013 I also made another trip to Santa Teresa (N.T.) with some great new and old friends. Visiting the community & 
helping out in school & sports activities is really rewarding and an amazing experience I’d recommend to everyone. The NASCA ARMtour is a great program with fantastic people and something that’s on the horizon again for 2014.
In Feb another trip away to Newcastle saw us tackle the Kathmandu Adventure race with all my best mates. It was a great race, and an excellent weekend staying at Merewether beach. To steal one of Gaz’s secrets, it is to get away & hit the refresh/restart button. 
Unplug from technology and go bush, or just get out of your normal routine. Newcastle isn’t quite the bush, but the Merewether hotel is ‘pre-internet’ and the great national park was full of brilliant trail running and mountain biking to get back to nature.
Feb also saw the running of Sully’s Run 2, with another great turnout at Camperdown oval for the annual memorial run in memory of Sullivan Darcy Kippax. The kids races were a hit with the numbers growing the distance increasing (as it will each year). OUTFIT is full of good people and many of them turned out for the Run for Humanity inspired by the horrible events in Boston in April, and tirelessly organised by DT. Another event for the OUTFIT runners was the SMH half marathon. We had a solid contingent of runners who’d all put in the hard work
in the months leading into the race. I was very confident of some good times & we had more then half of the team posting PB’s on a tough course. It was a huge success & testament to the consistent training. I was one of the lucky runners setting a PB (1:19) which gave me confidence heading into my 2nd marathon of 2013; the Perth Marathon in June. Only 3 or 4 weeks after the SMH half Perth wasn’t a great race, even though I was feeling fast, but I hung on (grimly) to finish in 2:59. It was a very slow final 5km and so on reflection I decided to adjust my training and include some fast finishing long runs and some slightly longer long runs for my build up to Chicago….
Sometimes everything just seems to click, and in Chicago that was the case for me. I reduced my marathon PB by 4mins to finish in 2:53 and top off a great day in a fantastic city! Bobbie also smashed her PB, despite some trying conditions, and finished strong for a great double for the Maroubra runners. More holidays & catching up with good friends was another highlight as we got over the bunnies losing in the semis by watching the 49ers at Candlestick park, tripping through Canada and falling in love with Vancouver. 
Stanley Park was gorgeous and only rivalled by San Fran’s Golden Gate park for the most amazing urban green space I’ve ever seen.
Chicago wasn’t the only international race for the #OUTFITrunners with Claire and Martin running the Paris Marathon and Claire, Cam and Jono tackling the New York Marathon in November. I’m sure these guys could all share a few training tips but for me there’s no short cuts. Consistency is definitely the secret to successful running. No one training session will help you as much regular running (of different types). There’s no cramming or last minute ‘quick fixes’ for endurance running. Consistency is key!
OUTFIT 5 marathon champions Tatiana, Ivan & Rob are a shining example of consistency. Ivan had the potential to complete 100% (60km) in the OUTFIT 5 marathon but 
slipped at the last hurdle when he was too dusty to drive to the December OUTFIT 5. It’s still never been done… will 2014 be the year someone climbs the summit?
My 2014 goals are already underway with the ground work being put in for the next marathon major, Tokyo, in my quest to complete all 6. Planning and preparation are another secret to my success and doing some tough long runs now will hopefully put me in good stead for late Feb. I’ve also planned a good bit of recovery time post marathon before leading the first of our running tours. In August the first OUTFIT runners trip to the Adelaide Marathon & half marathon will head down south. Since November we’ve been starting the slow build up in strength & running volume to enable everyone to do their best. With a long lead up I’m sure there’ll be some great runs and maybe just a little bit of time afterwards to share a few meals and laughs with friends, get away from the normal routine & reflect on all the hard work, consistency and training that goes into achieving a challenging goal. I can’t wait!
Happy New Year everyone…
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