Most mornings I walk three to four kilometres before breakfast. I like the early morning air which at the moment is mild and dry as there is a prolonged dry, hot spell of weather here in Melbourne. Today for me is a special day in that one year ago I underwent open-heart surgery for a double by-pass graft. Thinking back, I am so grateful for so many things in my life, least of all being able to exercise. A little over a year ago walking was not a pleasurable experience. Even a short walk on flat ground of 100 metres or so would let me know that blood circulation to my heart was seriously compromised. I would experience shortness of breath and mild pain in my arm and chest. Not much fun.
How different is it for me now. I can walk at a pace of about 5 km an hour on flat ground and uphill without as much as having any sign of breathlessness or discomfort whatever. That is so good. Maybe it is diet, fresh air, sunshine, mostly raw fresh fruit and vegetables and exercise with some love and passion in life that helps.
I’m particularly grateful to my extended family and friends who gave wonderful support before, during and after my stay in hospital.
Recently I had the opportunity of being a member of the support team for two very good friends, Alan Murray and Janette Murray-Wakelin in their quest to run around Australia. http://www.runningrawaroundaustralia.com .
There are a number of extraordinary aspects to this quest. They live on raw whole foods only, fruit, vegetables, seeds and nuts. No cooked or processed or animal products whatsoever. Each day they run a marathon, 42.2km in about 6 hrs, come rain, hail or shine, and they have had all the above and more.
A couple of other things about them is that Janette is a breast cancer survivor of some 10 years and more and both are over 60 years of age. Their website is http://www.runningrawaroundaustralia.com .
Upon joining the crew which was for me an unexpected call, I was confronted with a couple of possible challenges. Early morning wake up, 4:15A and start running about an hour later, early to bed around 8P. Then there was the food, lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. Was I going to have any detox symptoms as I had not followed a strict raw food diet with the odd black coffee, glass of wine or beer and sometimes bread and on rare celebratory occasions, birthday cake.
Fortunately the symptoms I had were minor and transcient, a headache that occurred after a couple of days that I was only aware of if I had the time to think about it. The other thing I hadn’t experienced for sometime was was sleeping out under the stars. This was one thing I was so pleased to be able to enjoy.
Each day was similar to the previous one except for changes in scenery, weather and location. During each day we met up with some wonderful people, often curious to know what was afoot. Of course the team were eager to enlighten them.
Wake up was around 4:15A each day, get ready to run, pack up some of the camp, then start running around 5:15A. During the first week I would pack up the camp and prepare to move. Ping and Maureen, the other crew members usually followed later. After Francine joined and Ping and Maureen left we would usually travel together.
By around 6:30A I was on the move, albeit not too fast. I only had to travel 12 to 14 km before the first stop at around 7A. This was usually at a rest stop for travellers.
Would set up for the runners to arrive, often preparing a green smoothie for them to start with. The van was equipped with a large heavy duty battery and an inverter. Charging for the battery was from the car but more from the solar panels mounted on the roof of the van. This was sufficient to power the blender and the juicer along with the computers, light and fridges. Sometimes the charge ran a bit low but sunrise soon changed that.
After the first stop of about half an hour, the runners were on their way again.
Next stop was again 12 to 14 km further on. The runners usually made this at around 10:30A. For the crew it was a leisurely drive as there was no rush. Another rest spot, most times beside the road or just off on a side road.
A few times when there was rain and wind the runners were not only wet but also cold so the stops were closer together to allow them to dry off, warm up and temporarily have dry clothes.
More fruit, often just one thing, watermelon, rock melon, oranges, bananas, pineapple or whatever was ripe at the time.
The last stop before finding a camp for the night was usually at around 36km for the day.
Sometimes the recharge included avocado, olives and sundried tomatoes as well as more fruit. After this stop the next one was the stop for the night.
Fortunately there were lots of side roads adjacent to the highway where a reasonably quiet camp could be made. If we were on the coast a diversion to a beach site was preferable.
This was great for a swim and a wash, a walk along the beach and the salt air.
Occasionally a caravan park was at the end of the days run. Hot showers and clean clothes, what luxury. More often than not the owners were very accommodating and glad to have us a guests.
We had the occasional visit from friends who lived nearby or were passing through. I had one evening where I was able to visit my dear friends Deb Field and Jerry Jackson. So good to visit friends at home, special time.
Apart from variations in the weather and the landscape, each day had a similar pattern to it.
After 16 days on the road my tour came to an end. I bid farewell and headed south to Sydney.
Maybe there is some truth in the adage that if you do something for a fortnight it becomes a habit. What I found was that I’d been driving at about 60 kph most of the fortnight towing the van. Seemed so strange to get into Brad’s car and head south toward Sydney. Soon realised that highway driving was 100 plus not 60. The first hour was a bit of a challenge endeavouring to maintain speed. The next thing was sitting there for so long without a break. Half an hour had been a long stint over the last few weeks. However with persistence and hindsight I knew I could make it.
I’m so grateful to have the health and been able to experience the last month or so.
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