Back in Business!

Hey Guys, long time no see! 

Marto's magic is back, plenty has changed since my last blog in December! 

New Job, New Experiences and New Outlook. 

Will start with my trip to Paris.....was everything that I could've imagined and more, the city is unbelievable...and probably only just sinking in upon reflecting on the times we had! 

The Eiffel tower is incredible, and has a feel around it you could never explain unless you have been there, Moulin Rouge was also a highlight. 

 Before climbing the tower

 Food at La Ciel de Paris restaurant...best place I've ever been to

Below Gemma and I before the Moulin Rouge..

 Pretty sure our car is under there...took the greatest of my driving ability to get it out

 Neuschwanstein Castle - The Castle that Walt Disney made famous

 Sibi and Gem trying to order some food in French!

Travelled to Strasbourg to meet a good mate of Gemma's (Sibi) (and now mine) and we had some great laughs there before heading to Fussen in Germany, where it really snowed hard so ticked another first off for me, to see snow...Continued to eat and eat and the food just got better and better! From there we went to Zurich in Switzerland and stayed there 1 night....I could live in that city! Loved every minute of it, bloody freezing but the city seemed to accommodate that and was really friendly and super clean! 

The little Opel car we hired was a little ripper, albeit having summer tyres on driving through the snow made my job more challenging! Gem as always was super supportive by pointing out everything I did wrong when driving (Thanks GRielly!) 

When I arrived back I had a new job to learn, and thanks to Dejima Agencies for the opportunity to represent some great brands alongside the boss Sammy De Vries. My first role was to take on the brand 2XU which I am super proud of, a fantastic and hard working company that thrives on research and quality. The gear is at the top of the tree in terms of compression and quality run apparel, and am looking forward to getting the best gear to the thousands of runners, triathletes, crossfitter's and general public. In the next blog I will have a product review of whats new with 2XU and plan to do a new blog each week covering all of the brands of Dejima, which include Mizuno, Merrell, Orthaheel and Upbeat. 

Running has been hard on the way back, after having some time off it feels like it has taken forever to find any hint of form, but finally starting to get some K's in the bank, running the Gold Coast Half Marathon in early July, and think I will be on the up, but should take plenty of improvement out of that and into the City 2 Surf half before having a good crack at my first Marathon in Melbourne

Thanks and see you all soon

RD

Getting Stuck In.....

Hey folks thanks again for checking in! 

This week is all about getting stuck into training and head down bum up working hard....copping a fair flogging at intervals the last couple of times by the boys, but that's the price you pay when you have a break and miss the hard work that the others have been doing, a long road back to somewhere near a month ago.

The hardest thing has been getting back into routine.....I find it's easier to stay in routine than to change it when things are going well and I am focused, however once you break that routine, it then becomes harder to get back to the original plan and workload. 

Last weekend was very memorable for myself, but also the Aquanita Stable and Simon Miller. The team sent 2 runners to the races for 2 winners including the great mare Power Princess, who's record since transferring to our stables has been phenomenal. We first picked her up with 2 wins under her belt and 40k in prizemoney, fast forward 2 years and she has now won in excess of 700k with black type and a 3rd behind the mighty Black Caviar....Masterful training by Miller and track rider Kyzasolsay. They know the mare backwards and she never lets the team down! She goes out for a well earned rest on top of her game, so will come back with plenty still in the tank.

On the flip side am really impressed, but also sick of Skype already, missing my girl Gem who is enjoying some time in UK, and January cant come quick enough so i can get  over there and see her, and travel Paris together (amongst other places) they say absence makes the heart grow fonder and i can certainly concur with that theory.

In other news I have decided to finish up at The Running Centre at the end of the year, have a few other options in the pipeline, but have had a massive amount of fun and enjoyment working with all levels of runners in Perth and making their running enjoyable. The Running Centre will continue to grow and get stronger as people come in and experience first class customer service and expertise, and I wish the guys their all the best in the future. 

Speaking of customer service, i recently went in to the city to get some Christmas present shopping, and could not believe the level of customer service at a shop called Pulse...The staff their were super helpful, so much so that i was inspired to write to the owner and let him know how well his/her staff had treated me and made me want to come back and shop with those guys only.  I believe if we are to complain about bad customer service, then we should make the effort to compliment outstanding customer service.

Looking forward to the weekend, where the stable has some more quality runners engaged, then the Xmas party Sat Night which is sure to bring about some stories and good times.

Thanks for checking in again. Stay safe, enjoy the festivities and bring on January FFS...:p

RD

Winding Up - Winding Down

Hey Folks, thanks again for checking in for another bumper edition of Marto's Magic! 

This week has been pretty up and down, have finally got the runners on and started some training which is about time....have got some good rest days out of the system and it's now time to get training hard and wel again, will also have another 2 week break from hard training when i arrive in Paris, but should be all systems go when i get back from there to get a marathon ticked off this year. Looking forward also to getting back training with the EEP crew after a month off, am sure they will give me a fair hiding for the few weeks Ive missed training as hard as they have been.

Was a sad night Friday night when I had to say goodbye for 5 weeks to Gem, especially not being able to be with her for Christmas and New Year, but wont be far after i get to meet her in Paris, so really looking forward to getting over there and tucking into some frogs legs with Doubles...

Until then its Skype for now....

 

(last ditch effort haha)

But was cheered up by the outstanding performance of Miss Bux yesterday in the Placid Ark stakes. A filly with outstanding talent, which the stable has known about for a long time but have not been able to step her out due to soundess issues, Great to see her show the public what we have seen on the track, onwards and upwards for her.

Spent the night at the Inglewood Pub tonight with some very close mates, and had a great time chillin listening to the band play and relaxing with a good laugh.

Am also pleased to announce I will be back into Comedy early next year, having signed up for the heats of the RAW COMEDY 2013. Think there is a series of heats in Feb, followed by the Final and then if your lucky enough to get through the final is televised live on ABC so thats the dream at this stage! 

Coming into the silly season which is Christmas, i urge everyone to stay safe and enjoy the festivities! Lets not drink and drive, and remember what Christmas is about. To me it's not about getting stressed trying to buy the perfect gift, or getting stressed about how much money to spend on loved ones. To me it's about celebrating and being thankful for all the good things you have in life, and appreciating the gift of health and family.  

Till next time...Cheers

RD

Back from the Wilderness

Hey Folks, it's been that long since I've blogged I almost need to re-introduce myself!

Been plenty happening on all fronts;

My running has been going quite well, although have lost the love of the sport at the moment..recently ran a 10k PB at Margaret River in 33:46 and felt ok throughout, the boys in front set a solid tempo and ran super (Alex, Greeny and the Tractor), just couldn't reel them in but still a PB is nothing to be disappointed about. 

The last month however in training has been a massive struggle, motivation to train and the mental side of things has been the toughest, with doing so many k's per week (between 100-130) takes it's toll both physically and mentally, and i think the body and mind just need a quick freshen up, couple that with a niggling quad/hip injury that makes running uncomfortable and it's not making it enjoyable. So trying to freshen the mind up ready for some more hard training working towards my first Marathon next year. 

On the Charity front I'm not sure if many have been reading about my good mate Rig lately, but Aaron Richardson is doing a crazy swim from Rotto to Cott at Midnight in a few weeks time....I'm sure your thinking he is crazy, and your pretty much right. But take the time to check out this video to see why, and how you can help. Any prize or cash donations would be greatly appreciated

In my last post i also was updating everyone on Gemma and her fall from a horse which broke her neck! Gem is coming along well and almost back to her old self (apart from the neck brace). Gem is also travelling overseas soon, and I plan on joining her in Paris for 10 days. Having never been out of the country it's a great opportunity to invest in myself, take a break and enjoy Paris with my girlfriend.

 

Ok, so now to the Melbourne Cup...i think this year it will be run at a fast pace, with all the overseas horses wanting the speed on to ensure it's a genuine staying test, so many form lines coming from everywhere, and I can't help but to think Mount Athos is the token spruik international horse that comes every year and fails dismally.... Also with a Euro Jockey (albeit a great jockey) it makes me want to look elsewhere. I'm going to tip the best stayer in the race which I believe is Americain....right jockey, right horse, right weight, right time, right track conditions...to beat the super classy stayer Dunaden....Also think Ethiopia is a strong chance on his cox plate run, would be great to see a trainer like Pat Carey get the result as he has worked very hard for a very long time. Throwing in Fiorente and Mouryan for roughies in a very difficult and open race.

The good and bad of Racing

Hey Folks, thanks for checking in once more for another interesting edition of Magic! 

Well this weekend has really highlighted the up's and down's of racing for me. 

Has been a good week of running, been hitting every session well, under poor weather conditions but with a good crew it make's it that much easier. 

Have also managed to finish my latest book about surfer Mark Occhilupo, a great read even if you don't like surfing, great read on life, and challenges, and tempations...here is a clip of Occy in action

My next book is called "What makes your brain happy and why you should do the opposite". Looks very interesting so will keep you informed. 

But getting back to the title of the blog. The Good and Bad of racing has been highlighted this weekend, with a special mate of mine and Aquanita's finest apprentice Gemma. Gemma had a fall at trackwork on Saturday morning and by all reports seemed quite a simple fall, i was following about 800m behind her with another great mate Pat Carbery, when we wheeled around the corner flat out to see Gem laying motionless on the track, and a track staff member Dave, who was waving at us to go aronud, luckily thanks to Dave we spotted Gemma on the track and narrowly avoided her. But as i went past i couldnt help but feel sick as she was laying face down with her shoulder in an impossible position. As Pat and I pulled up and walked back in, it appeared she still had not moved (I'm told afterwards she had been moving before we got back to where she was). It was about 10mins until i could get someone to take my horse so that i could get out and see how she was, and was very relieved to see her laughing, talking and crying...Sounds tough but once i heard she could feel her feet and hands and was concious, usually that means anything else will mend...thats the bad part of racing, the risks associated with the sport. 

The good however is the reaction from the racing community, it can be very fickle at times and seem its very dog eat dog industry, but to hear how many people ask how she is, how many people have sent things to her and visited her has been a timely reminder the industry really is very close. The track was closed for close to an hour, and I didnt hear anyone sook or whinge about them taking their time to get her off the track. The staff at Ascot Racetrack First Aiders need to be congratulated on the way they handled the situation. 

Fingers Crossed Doubles can make a speedy and full recovery.

I'm looking to have another solid week of training, reading and enjoying the 34 degrees expected tomorrow! Beach Time!

RD

Summertime?

Hey Folks, thanks for checking in...it's been too long since I've updated the blog.

Firstly last weekend was a preview of Summertime in Perth then bring it on! This summer will be all time! Great arvo spent at the OBH and looking forward to getting back to the beach! 

Have decided to participate in the 2k beach runs this summer, so am gearing up for one in a few weeks competing for North Cott so will be interesting to see how different this is to road running!

Ok so some updates...

Finally had a breakthrough in the 10k Fremantle Fun Run, going sub 34min has been eluding me for quite some time, and finally managed to get just under that last weekend in 33:56. The conditions were great, and had a pretty even run which was super. To top it off had an outstanding Iced Choc after wards with Joao and Jen at a cafe in Freo...The more time i spend in Freo the better I like it. Very alternative crowd, some great music venues and some great spots to eat!

Also completed my AIM course in Social Media and Marketing, which was interesting and learned a few new techniques to help out business' with Social Media. Have the passion and thirst for knowledge back again so happy days. If anyone out there needs a hand with getting their business up to speed with Social Media am more than happy to help out and have a look.

On the book front have been reading a book about Occy (Mark Occhilupo), and its such an interesting read, you can learn so much from these top sportsmen and especially the life that Occy led. It's the sort of book you can't put down once you start and wont be long till I have finished this one! 

My Grand Final tip this week is Hawthorn in the AFL and Storm in the NRL.

The Hawks didnt pay to their best last week and were still good enough, think they will be cherry ripe for Saturday and will win in a close one! 

Cheers and chat soon 

RD

City 2 Surf 2012

Hey Folks, thanks again for checking in. Here is my race report for the City 2 Surf 2012.

Once again the City 2 Surf starts off as always for me, confusion trying to find my start group...eventually i found the other guys in priority start and we all ran down to the start line. Official start time for our wave was 8:55am. Typical amatuer fashion by Corporate sports Australia, we have some newsreader, then Colin Barnett talking to us about irrelevant subjects right before race time, come 9:03 and we are still standing waiting to start. 

Eventually the gun goes off and we are away, wit the usual push and shove of the few that think its a great tactic to sprint the first 200m before stopping.

Luckily enough i had a race plan to be a little conservative early then hit the hills and smash the back end of the race. 

I started off well and was sticking to the plan perfectly, a couple of my training partners went past me shortly after this photo (Josh Hart behind me ended up in 16th position)

Josh Hart and Adam Martin, both hard workers and great runners, and decided to let them go and will try to pick them up on the back 4k of the race. Special mention also to Big Country Seany Ralph (in the green) who also went past and looked solid the whole way. 

Maintained a pretty even 3:25 pace for most of the first half getting towards Selby st hill.

At this point was my time to step up and make it count, by this time the big Diesel Adam Martin was well and truly gone and not sighted, i could see Joshy Hart up ahead, with a few more quality runners between him and myself, including Jimmy Lewin and the leader of the Womens. 

Got over the hill still feeling ok, and knew as i turned into Perry Lakes i had left myself with plenty of work to do to reel these guys in, so i had to dig deep and start to really push the pain barrier, also try and have a quick thought about technique and how to be as efficient as possible and run it out strong, i picked up a few guys going through Perry Lakes, and then it was time to put in the hard yards up the 3 sisters (oceanic drive hills).

Feeling well and truly spent, but still feeling like the legs were strong enough to hold up, I gave it one final effort, and whilst running hard the last 3k was dry retching and feeling pretty average. 

We turned right into the finish line, and I tried to kick and finish off well, felt like i was sprinting hard but in all reality i was probably going the same speed all along. 

Another year done and dusted, happy enough with my run, but very proud of the EEP and the group of mates i train with. with 4 of the top 20 in the 12k, some great results in the half, and other great results recently outside of the city 2 surf, I certainly am keeping myself in great company, not only from a running point of view, but also the character and work ethic of the group, and the intelligence and great conversation on our longer runs is a massive bonus. 

Thanks to Raf, a great coach and a leader within the community, and all my training parnters. 

RD