Hello Friends,

Well CHALLENGE 7X7 is officially underway. Check out my fund raising pages:

SIDS and Kids QLD: http://www.everydayhero.com.au/mark_barrett_challenge_SK

Garvan Institute: http://www.everydayhero.com.au/mark_barrett_challenge_gi

We kicked things off last Sunday with the 50km run which involved x2 25km loops from Kurrawa down to Palm Beach and back. Familiar faces out on the course make these days even more special so it was great to have so many out there. Therese, Sam, Kristy, Jo, Adam, Ben and Jerome all did 25km and a special thank you to Ben who ran the 50km with me.

A 50km run is hard work at the best of times but I had to go into this one with very limited preparation so I really didn't know what to expect. Even at the 12km mark I was experiencing a fair bit of pain which I hoped was just due to the cold. As the temperature warmed things seemed to get a little easier. Otherwise the first 25km was great, it was a beautiful day, plenty of people enjoying the beach and particularly memorable were a group of yoga girls being photographed at the southern end of Miami Beach!

At around 35km the hills at Burleigh Heads really took their toll on me and I knew I was going to have to work hard to get home. From this point on all I remember seeing was the road in front of me. By the time I got back to North Burleigh with 6km to go I was feeling tradgic. I remember running up Hedges Ave feeling that I had to explain to on-lookers that I actually WASN'T trying to imitate a wounded orangutan, this was me just trying to get to the finish line.

Finally I spotted Kristy nursing a six pack of Corona, signifying that I had hit the finish line. Challenge 1 was complete and it was time to celebrate.

Thanks very much to the Gold Coast 100 organisers and volunteers, including the Miami crew of Marina, Allan and Amanda.

Thanks to Therese and all my friends (mentioned above) who got out there and had a crack on the day.
Thanks to everyone that helped us celebrate afterwards.

So after tomorrow's 160km Brisbane to Noosa ride it's ON ON to Challenge 2, the Gold Coast Marathon on 5th of July.

Oh and if you are looking for a little inspiration check out this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Vrjp2P0GlE

Hello Friends,

CHALLENGE 7X7 starts this weekend with a 50km run starting at Kurrawa Park, Broadbeach at around 6am. This represents the beginning of a journey in which I will attempt to complete 7 (or 8) big events in 7 months (see schedule below). This is going to involve a significant amount of discomfort on my part but it is all in the name of raising money for some much needed work in our community. Perhaps I have bitten off more than I can chew but there's only one way to find out!

However, more than just raising money, I would like to use this opportunity to inspire people. Inspire people to get out there, be active, challenge themselves and achieve their dreams. I would also like to use the opportunity to bring people together, so after most of the events we will be having a bbq or some other celebration and would love to see you there at any or all of them.

The organisations I will be raising money for are Sids and Kids QLD and Garvan Institute , you can check out their websites and I have a brief spiel about them below. Over the next couple of days I will be setting up web pages where people can sponsor me by making a donation to either of these organisations. In the space of 7 months I am hoping we can raise some really solid amounts for them.

Check out my fund raising pages:

SIDS and Kids QLD: http://www.everydayhero.com.au/mark_barrett_challenge_SK

Garvan Institute: http://www.everydayhero.com.au/mark_barrett_challenge_gi

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Please help! If anyone is interested in helping out or becoming involved, I could use some assistance in the following areas:

• Equipment and Sports Nutrition - Any cycling or running clothes I can get would be greatly appreciated. I expect that I will be doing a number of media type events over the next 7 months so there is a bit of an advertising opportunity here. Any sports nutrition products (gels, bars, drink powders) would be also appreciated. I will be happy to give any sponsors a plug at every opportunity I get. So for any of you that are involved with or sponsored by these types of companies please forward this email on to them.
• Assistance - Anyone that wishes to become involved in organising CHALLENGE 7x7 is welcome. Having done this sort of thing a few times in the past, I can assure you that it is an awesome feeling that comes from reaching fundraising targets and helping people in need. So if you would like to be a part of this just let me know. It won't take up much of your time, with just a few of us doing little bits and pieces I think we can do something really special here. Who knows where that might lead in the future.
• Event Entry Fees - any of you that know any organisers of the events below please forward them this email with a good word Any discounts we can get on entry fees would also be greatly appreciated.
  

More on the organisations we will be raising funds and awareness for:

Sids and Kids QLD - SIDS and Kids is dedicated to saving babies' lives through the elimination of sudden and unexpected infant deaths, and supporting bereaved families. They deliver on their vision through world class education, research, evidenced based intervention and advocacy. SIDS and Kids has been funding research nationally since 1988. In this period millions of dollars has been devoted to researching the possible causes of unexplained infant death, SIDS and the methodology of prevention of SIDS. Projects have covered the broad scope of epidemiology, immunology, microbiology, neuroscience, sociology, histology, physiology and pathology. SIDS and Kids supports a wide range of research into mortality in infants (two years and under) who die suddenly and unexpectedly from stillbirth, neonatal death, sudden infant death and SIDS.

Garvan Institute - As far as I am concerned a cure for Parkinson's Disease can't come soon enough! Garvan is internationally recognised as a leader in gene-based medical research and is committed to delivering new insights into major diseases and novel ways to prevent and treat these disorders. Garvan's research topics fall under some broad groupings including: Cancer, Diabetes and Obesity, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease, Osteoporosis, Arthritis and Asthma, Immune System Disorders and Pituitary Disorders. Check out this recent media release from Garvan: HARNESSING THE BRAIN'S OWN ABILITY FOR REPAIR

So this is the schedule beginning this weekend:

June 7	50km run (Gold Coast 100) http://www.goldcoast100.com/GC100/home.html On June 14 I will also tackle the Brisbane to Noosa (160km) bike ride. Just to get things kicked off in style.
July 5	Gold Coast Marathon 42.195km run http://www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au/
August 23	Brisbane Marathon 42.195km run http://www.intraining.com.au/default.asp?contentID=733
September 20	Sydney Marathon 42.195km run http://www.sydneyrunningfestival.com.au/
October 4	Calypso Bay Half Ironman 1.9km swim, 90km ride, 21.1km run http://www.usmevents.com.au/gchim/index.html
November 7&8	300km ride incorporating Rainbow Ride , a 160km ride from Byron Bay to Currumbin. On the Saturday we will ride from Southport Surf Club (Main Beach) down to Byron Bay. Then on the Sunday we will ride the 160km Rainbow Ride, stop at Currumbin for a few photos and a bite to eat, then continue on for another 40km and finish back at Southport Surf Club.
December 13	Kurrawa to Duranbah (and back) 50km run http://www.goldcoast100.com/K2D/home.html

What does Challenge 7x7 mean to me?

It's not until you take on something like Challenge 7x7 that you fully realise all the positives it brings to your life. For me there is just layer upon layer of magic that comes out of this whole process.
The feeling of helping organisations like SIDS and Kids and the Garvan Institute raise funds to enable them to do the good work they do is just bloody fantastic. I am particularly keen on supporting research into medical problems and right now I think I would just about take on any challenge if it meant finding a cure for Parkinson's disease.
An added bonus in this type of project is that putting myself in a situation where I have to push beyond my limits creates levels of excitement and satisfaction that are difficult to describe. The excitement surrounding the whole lead up to these big events makes me feel like a kid on holidays. As each each event approaches I develop a permanent smile, increasing waves of goose bumps and a feeling full of life. I am never going to win one of these things, for me it is more about being a part of it and having a crack at doing the best I can on the day. Then when it is over I get to enjoy and amazing feeling of satisfaction and pride which continues long after.
If you go down and watch on marathon day you will notice the atmosphere is fantastic. Thousands of people all felling pretty good about themselves. It's great just being amongst it.
Then we come to my bigger vision for these projects which is to inspire people to get out there, participate and get active. Just about every time I enter a marathon or some other event it usually prompts others in my life to enter also. I figure if I can inspire a few people to get out there and be active, and in turn they can inspire a few more, eventually we are going to wind up with a healthier and happier world.
Obesity has become a worldwide epidemic, according to the World Health Organisation. The burden of obesity related illness on health care systems worldwide is spiraling out of control. Obesity is associated with a rise in many health problems from respiratory and musculoskeletal problems, to cardiovascular disease and cancer. Not to mention the massive rise in Type 2 diabetes which up until the past few decades was only ever seen in the elderly and is now seen in obese children.
It's no secret that this obesity crisis is simply a function of society's radical and rapid change in lifestyle and nutritional habits. So the solution is equally simple; get out there, exercise more and eat a sensible diet. By doing so, studies also show that you greatly reduce the risk of developing depression. See, a healthier and happier world.
So for anyone who knows they should be getting out and active more, I challenge you to take on a challenge of your own. You will be doing yourself a big favor.

Challenge 7x7 Program

June 7 DONE!	50km run (Gold Coast 100) http://www.goldcoast100.com/GC100/home.html Read My Story
June 14 DONE!	I will also tackle the Brisbane to Noosa (160km) bike ride. Just to get things kicked off in style.
July 5 DONE!	Gold Coast Marathon 42.195km run http://www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au/ Read My Story
July 18 DONE!	Kokoda Challenge 96km bush foot-race. Read My Story
August 23 DONE!	Brisbane Marathon 42.195km run Read My Story http://www.intraining.com.au/default.asp?contentID=733
September 12 DONE!	First Sun Marathon - Byron Bay 42.2km run including long stretches of beach, Byron Lighthouse, and a couple of trips over Broken Head.
October 4 NEXT!	Calypso Bay Half Ironman 1.9km swim, 90km ride, 21.1km run http://www.usmevents.com.au/gchim/index.html
November 7&8	300km ride incorporating Rainbow Ride , a 160km ride from Byron Bay to Currumbin. On the Saturday we will ride from Southport Surf Club (Main Beach) down to Byron Bay. Then on the Sunday we will ride the 160km Rainbow Ride, stop at Currumbin for a few photos and a bite to eat, then continue on for another 40km and finish back at Southport Surf Club.
December 13	Kurrawa to Duranbah (and back) 50km run http://www.goldcoast100.com/K2D/home.html

THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER

THE STORY OF MY FIRST TRIATHLON: 2008 GOLD COAST HALF IRONMAN

The last time I tackled a triathlon was last year's GC Half Ironman, which was my first triathlon. The 2009 GC Half Ironman in 2 weeks will be my second attempt and hopefully a better performance. This is the story from my first crack at it last year.

Well my first triathlon, the Gold Coast Half Ironman turned out to be almost like another adventure race. An experience I will never forget. None the less an amazing experience that I highly recommend. I know I'm never going to be fast at these things, I just love being part of the action.

Being not at all keen on spending time following a black line up and down the pool, I have done bugger all swimming over the past 20 years. Keen to do a triathlon though, 6 weeks prior to the 2008 Gold Coast Half Ironman, I suddenly had a great idea. I thought if I could just manage to get through the 1.9km swim, then I could probably grind my way through the 90km ride and 21km run to the finish line.

So I told Therese that on Sunday I was going down to Evandale to attempt the distance and if I was successful I would come straight home and enter the race. Now I never was a great swimmer anyway and figured I needed all the help I could get, a call to my mate James and all of a sudden I had a loan of a wetsuit. I managed to resist the temptation of packing some flippers also. Off I went for my test swim, Therese came along to help me get into the suit and give moral support.

After a ten minute mission getting the suit on, I nervously ventured into the water. The plan was that if I could swim 6 laps of Evandale (1800m) in less than 45 minutes I would be good to enter the Gold Coast Half Ironman. The smart arse pros that I am lucky enough to be able to ride with on Saturdays were saying "you will do it easy Marky". Deep down I really had no idea if I could pull it off. I suspected that without the wetsuit I would be no chance and was just hoping that it would give me the extra buoyancy that I needed.

Off I went, thrashing across Evandale, struggling for breath. After the first 150m I was already in trouble. At the 300m mark I thought I had no chance but was determined to hang in there as I was still inside my goal time. I knew I really wanted to do this triathlon and figured even if the swim almost killed me, once I was on the bike I would be happy (prophetic thoughts they turned out to be).

Anyway somewhere in the next 150m I realised that, with the wetsuit on, I was not going to sink. I realised that I hardly needed to kick my legs at all, thing was great, I love this wetsuit! From then on I was able to relax and enjoy myself. I was then able to concentrate on my technique (ok stop laughing now) and I started to feel sleek, smooth, a swimming machine. I imagined that I looked like the Thorpedo, cruising gracefully through the water. Unfortunately the reality was that I actually looked more like a magpie stuck in an oil slick.

Six laps of Evandale, 1800m in 42 minutes! Great stuff, I am in. I went home and entered and then proceeded to tell everyone I knew, to ensure that I'd follow through with it. I thought "the race is six weeks away yet, if I can get in one swim per week then I could improve heaps in that time". As it turned out I only managed to get one more swim in before the big day.

I went to work the next day and told a colleague what I had done and to my surprise he exclaimed "what, you swam in Evandale? You're bloody mad, there's sharks in there". I refused to believe him but he insisted that "they pulled a couple of 2m bull sharks out of there a couple of years ago".

A few weeks later I got back to Evandale for what turned out to be my only other swim. Intellectually I knew there were no sharks in Evandale, "people swim there everyday" I would say to convince myself. Do you think I could get sharks out of my mind that whole swim. I don't really remember much about that swim because I spent the whole time waiting for something to come up from the deep and sink its jaws into my torso. Over that 40 minutes my imagination went wild, visions of myself struggling to shore with half my guts hanging out or my calf muscle flapping around. In the end, I survived that swim with the sharks and not surprisingly took about four minutes off my previous time.

Being so busy with work in the lead up to my big triathlon debut, opportunities to train were very scarce. One ride and one or two runs per week was all I was prepared to give myself time for. Fortunately my riding buddies ensured that every Saturday I was taken to hell and back. My heart rate was up around 170 bpm for 5 or 6 hours each time, so the small amount of training I did was certainly high in quality.

In the lead up to the race (I use the term race loosely as in my case it is probably better described as a mission) my good friends Rebekah and James helped me turn my bike into a weapon. I had tri-spoke carbon wheels and carbon aero bars. I felt like my bike had been designed by the Air Force. I had to give this thing a test drive so off I went on the Friday afternoon, 2 days before the race, for a ride up the spit. I could feel myself going up there faster than ever before, sooooooo excited I could barely contain myself.

After the ride, feeling full of beans, I decided to go for a little 5 or 6km run. I had just been telling some people that I hadn't had an injury for years, what a dumb thing to say at this point. I was feeling invincible and picked up the pace toward the end of the run, you can guess what happened next. For the first time in my life, bang, I felt sudden intense pain in the area of my lower medial hamstring and instantly thought "this is how I reckon a hamstring strain would feel, that's weird I never thought I would run fast enough to over-stress my hamstring". I hobbled home, not even able to walk properly and promptly went about trying to convince myself that I would wake up the next morning feeling great. Unfortunately that evening the pain worsened, I knew I was in trouble.

The next morning I got out if bed and the moment I put my foot to the floor I realised that things hadn't improved. I decided to set the bike up on the wind trainer and see if I could pedal. No problem. As I pedaled my pain eased and after about an hour on the wind trainer I felt pretty good. At least then I should be able to get through the swim and the ride and just hope for the best in the run.

One thing was playing on my mind though. That run the day before was the first time I had ever ran after riding the bike. Prior to this, week after week Rebekah kept telling me that I needed to go for a run off the bike. Now that's easy for her to say, but after 5 hours of riding with Rebekah Keat, Cameron Watt and James Parker, normal people can't just go for a run thank you very much. After those rides all I could ever think about was a beer, a hamburger and an afternoon on the couch. Besides, having done some adventure races, I felt that I needed to leave some surprises for the big day.

We had to check our bikes in that day before the race. So off I went, not knowing whether I would even be able to start my first triathlon. James was there to walk me through the check-in process and help me with a few last minute bike issues. Walking around the transition area, my hamstring pain increased dramatically. I started to seriously doubt whether I was going to be able to finish this thing. What could I do??? I just had to do this. I had been so excited about it. Bugger!

My last chance was to pick up some analgesia on the way home and spend the evening on the couch with some ice. I cooked up a big pasta and promptly got horizontal. Still really excited about the prospect of my first triathlon, in between stints on the couch, I went about my normal pre-marathon ritual of preparing my kit for the next day. Though, unfortunately I had to leave out my usual test-run around the house with my kit on.

The next morning, race day, I woke up just before 3am. Hamstring wasn't too bad, maybe I would be fine. Managed to get around the unit much easier than the night before. Still very cautious though, not so deluded to think that the problem had magically gone away. Then as we walked to the car back came the pain. This was going to be an interesting day.

On the way from the car to the transition area the pain worsened, but I had come too far to turn back now. I will at least finish the swim and the bike, then I can walk the 21km if necessary. The transition area was buzzing. Everyone preparing their little patch of area, pumping up tyres, putting their bike shoes into the cleats....... Bike shoes! Oh NO! F#*#*#*#*#*!!! NO BIKE SHOES! But I thought I was so well prepared. Bloody idiot. My heart rate shot up to race pace instantly, I was an emotional whitewash. Wanting to keep this turn of events from becoming public, I calmly hobbled over to Therese, leaned over the fence and just quietly said "I forgot my shoes". I will never forget the look of shock. Once she got her jaw off the ground, she had the presence of mind to go in search of a pair.

While I am there thinking maybe this is a blessing in disguise, Therese came back with the good news that she had found a solution. She went to get her wallet and I went to the tent that was selling bike shoes. This gave me 5 minutes or so to give my hammy a test, so I started a little jog. After about 30m I thought no way, I have got no chance here. I had a bit of time so I started altering my running gait to see if I could come up with something that wouldn't stress my hammy too much. I shortened my stride and went from landing on my forefoot to landing on a completely flat foot. It worked! The pain became less and less the more I did it. YOU BEAUTY!

This was such a special day. I was doing my first triathlon and my beloved Sea Eagles were playing in the Grand Final. This day could either be very good or very bad. Finally after a terrible start, things were starting to go my way. I reckon my Pops Alf, a Manly original, was pretty excited up there himself and gave me plenty of help from above throughout this day. The atmosphere at the swim start was awesome, buzzing with excitement, something I highly recommend being a part of.

For me the swim was more like a test of survival than anything. You could have been excused for thinking I had lead weights in my wetsuit or I was being dragged under by a shark. I'm sure the rescue crew in the water must have been having bets as to whether I would eventually need rescuing or not. Staying in a straight line was definitely a problem and I reckon I turned that 1.9km swim into 2.5km at least. I remember at one point seeing a big Riviera moored up ahead and off to the left some way, and then a while later, having thought I was well past it, I looked up to find I was about to swim straight into the back of it. Starting in an earlier wave, I also had wave after wave of people swimming over the top of me. This was obviously made much worse by the way I was zig-zagging my way through the course.

I finally finished the swim and struggled up the ramp to transition. The last time I was at the transition area there were a thousand bikes lined up, so you can imagine my disappointment when I looked up and saw only about 15 bikes left! My plan was to take it easy in transition and not stress. I switched to cruise mode for a few minutes, had a bit of a stretch and headed out on the bike.

A big smile came over me, all the excitement came back and I felt bloody great. The bike felt comfortable and fast and I started passing other riders easily. There's often times in marathons where I start to feel goosebumps, everything feels easy, I'm so happy, feel ten foot tall and love the world. That feeling came over me during this ride and I just loved every minute of it. I treasure these moments, they are what drives my addiction to doing these things.

My plan was to hold a heart rate of about 170 beats per minute during the ride. This is what I have become used to trying to keep up on our Saturday rides. I felt comfortable at this level and was able to keep passing people the whole ride. I was stoked! It was heaps of fun and just seemed to be over so quickly.

I nervously rode into transition, not knowing what to expect when I put my foot to the ground. Off I went landing flat on my left foot and forefoot on my right. Huge relief, it was not too bad. Then after the first km or two, things started to get a lot more amusing. My altered gait was causing my left calf to tighten up and get sore. I then worked out that on my left foot I needed to alternate between landing flat foot for 10-20m and forefoot for 10-20m. Visions of John Cleese's 'Ministry of Funny Walks' came into my head and I just had to have a laugh. It was at that point that I knew I had to write the story of this adventure, a comedy of errors. How not to do a triathlon.

Soon after that, of course both my feet went completely numb. I am "lucky" enough to occasionally experience this and it didn't upset me too much because I know that after about 5-10km it goes away. By the time I was half way through the 21km run I was starting to feel great. Everything started to feel easier and I really enjoyed the last 10km. Fantastic! I'm about to finish my first triathlon. The feeling on the course was so inspiring, heaps of spectators lining the route, the atmosphere was pure energy.

In support of the mighty Sea Eagles on Grand Final day, I had arranged for Therese to give me my Manly jersey a few hundred meters from the finish. I crossed the line arms in the air, wearing my Manly jersey and yelling out "GO THE MIGHTY SEA EAGLES!" What a great feeling! I will definitely be back for more of this.

Conveniently the finish line was right beside Harrigan's Tavern. I only had to walk 10m and I suddenly found myself with a nice cold schooner of beer in my hand. A steak for lunch. Then home to watch Manly demolish Melbourne in the Grand Final. Just in case some of you forgot, the score was 40-0. As tempted as I am to list the records that were broken, I will spare you all.

Special thanks to Geordie who I can always rely on for plenty of cheering on. Thanks to James for all his help and the pain he happily causes me every Saturday. Thanks for the pain also must go to Rebekah as well as a big thank you for supercharging my motivation and inspiring me greatly. Most of all thanks to Therese who always helps me out so much in these things and gives me the biggest cheers of all. I love ya.