Uncover your inner athlete!

Every morning in Africa a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be eaten.. Each morning in Africa a lion awakes - it knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle or it will starve.


No matter if you are the lion or the gazelle, when the sun comes up you had better be running!



Friday, May 30, 2014

Running and relationships

I was having a chat to a friend this morning at the gym about how running has been affecting his relationship. He was having a whinge that his new girlfriend could not understand why it would make him so happy to head off on a Sunday long run and come back much saner and happier than before. He works a pretty stressful job and so for him (like many of us) his Sunday morning long run is a form of therapy in helping him to just be alone inside his own head and relax. He comes back revitalised and ready to face the following week.

I pointed out to him that I wasn’t the best example to be asking these sorts of questions of since my track record with women is nothing to brag about and so that largely means that I am free to indulge in exercise in whatever way I want to, but it also means that I don’t have all the other associated pleasures attached with a relationship in my life.

In previous relationships I have found that it was healthy to have a partner who shared my passion for keeping fit, but that the largest thing that came in the way of things was often the fact that we ended up being so competitive with each other and she couldn’t stand the fact that sometimes I was a bit better than her at things and vice versa she was a bit better than me at other things. In hindsight those relationships were not right for me and to be truthful one always has to feel that things are right in a relationship prior to moving forward with things.

Two very strong competitors may not always work long term. Short term they may bring out the best in each other, but long term they may end up doing more damage to their relationship than good through the competition.

Similarly, as with my friend, a relationship can’t really work if one side is just doesn’t condone (or worse still is jealous) of their partner’s exercise needs/regime. This can only lead to problems in the long term.


Running together (while hopefully with an equally active partner), stride for stride on a life changing ride! – Sean Muller

Monday, May 26, 2014

Learning from different coaches

While I love my current training group SWEAT Sydney and have improved massively since training with them, I always think it's also a good idea to keep an eye on what other coaches are saying and preaching around the world.

I've mentioned Bobby McGee on here previously as someone that I trust apart from my own coach Sean Williams. Bobby has a wealth of knowledge available free of charge on his website (many others charge vast sums for this information). Anyone looking to train and succeed at a high level in running or triathlon could do well to follow the methods of Sean and Bobby.

Running together - while training under champion coaches. Stride for stride on a life changing ride! -- Sean Muller

Thursday, May 8, 2014

What's with being good enough for second in life and love?

It’s weird how things occur in life. Sometimes we make the best plans in the world only for none of them to come to fruition. This at the time is frustrating and can lead us to call into question all sorts of things. That said we have to experience and taste the lows in order to experience and taste the highs.

For me some weird things have been happening of late. Twice now I have had ladies approach me after turning me down some years ago for not being cool enough or good enough in their eyes or flat out too boring. They are both now divorced and claimed – boring old Sam was suddenly good enough for them. I flat out turned them down as I’m nobody’s second best and certainly not someone waiting around crying into milk.

What is the world coming to when now people feel that it is okay to revisit someone that they have turned down and that they will be welcomed in with open arms as they embrace their ‘second choice’. Why did I post this in a running blog? Well for no other reason other than that I’m running the other way from girls like this. I’d rather remain single for the rest of my days than be second.

Running together (while not settling for second best), stride for stride on a life changing ride! – Sean Muller

Friday, May 2, 2014

Trail running at its best

It has been brought to my attention that I haven't yet managed to plug an upcoming trail race that I am assisting with through this blog.

If you are an Australian based runner you really should be giving some thought to coming down and running the Southern Highlands Challenge in the NSW Wingello State Forrest on 31 August. The event is bound to be the best trail event in Australia. Come on down and join the fun!


Thursday, May 1, 2014

Keeping charity for those who need it

Today I learnt a brand new word from a close friend – Boondoggle which literally means a project which is a waste of time and money- something often just kept going for the sake of it. It benefits no one and is silly but keeps getting money thrown at it. This is particularly apt when I think of many people who go around funding their own athletic pursuits under the banner of raising money for charity. It’s all fine and well raising money while completing events which you pay to get to under your own steam, but if you then use this pretext to get others to put forward some of their hard earned cash in an economic downturn to fund your travel and entries then that is where I have big problems. That sort of behaviour is just plain unethical and I have no qualms in calling it as I see it.

Keep charity pure and don’t muddy it with personal requests.

Running together (while keeping charity pure), stride for stride on a life changing ride! – Sean Muller