Three Life Changers

The only topknot in the race!

NEWS RELEASE JULY 27 2015

Yesterday I ran a half marathon, the day before I did nearly 4 hours of yoga, and this morning I published my new book! Woot!

Yesterday; Half Marathon

As I crossed the finish line after running non stop for 2 hours and 19 minutes, I felt an enormous relief that I had run my first half marathon - 21.1kilometres (13miles).

It was even more sweet because I said I wouldn't stop or walk at any point, I would keep running no matter what.  And I did.

So running was very satisfying even though I did dip into a few mental spots where I had to mentally rest, refocus and re-align what I was thinking.

Since I have completely embraced Sobriety, I have also grown to deeply engage with the process of switching my mind from one thing to another (almost) at will.  When I was a devout alcoholic, I would let my mind wander unfettered from exuberance to depression to anxiety to joy.  

Now, as I grow into sobriety, I am genuinely re-directing my mind when I want to.  It is a type of emotional mastery and I'm really big on it right now.

Anyway, I did feel sore after around 16km, or 75% into the race.  My knees were sore, my calves were tingling like they could cramp up, and my quads were burning.

I went through my seven intentions (from Wayne Dyer) on my fingers a few times, (creativity, kindness, love, beauty, openness, abundance and receiving) and thought of an example of each intention.  This chewed up some distance.  Then I repeated my focus, flexibility and discipline mantra a few times.  This chewed up some more.

But half an hour later, my legs were still sore, and as the pain grew vibrant again it took my focus.

So I dug around in the back of my mind and pulled out some nuggets from yoga.

The Day Before; 230 minutes of Yoga

Yep.  I did a 90 minute class at 6.45AM and then a 140 minute class from 4PM.  In the morning we did an active flow and I eased into deep twists and opened my hips.  In the afternoon we lingered for 6 and 8 minutes in each pose, exploring deep muscles.  As we finished the class, the yoga teacher said "I bet you guys could've stayed for another hour" and he was right, I think.  My ears were ringing.

During our long holds, your mind does wander - not wonder - (there is a difference).  And the yoga teacher shares his unique perspective on life as you invite blood to flush tight muscles and loosen your joints.

There is a delicate balance between a deep stretch and going beyond, into the pain zone - so you are ever mindful of staying just this side where it is warm, but not electric.  It makes for an intense, present in the moment experience where time evaporates as you concentrate on a muscle deep in your buttock on each exhale.

What if pain feedback - where your body is telling you 

"Hey, um, excuse me, it's PAIN over here - " 

Could be ignored, and instead you just observe it without making a drama or story around it?

"ANYBODY?  SOMEONE? I said PAIN!  I mean, what do I have to do to get some service around here?  Don't you know who I am?  PAIN for crying out loud - let me spell it out for you - hello - I need to see your supervisor - who's in charge here?" 

Could I run along, in silence, and not make up a story about the sensory feedback I was getting?

What if the feedback was wrong and you were getting that feedback but it wasn't pain - it was just, for example, fear, or my fear of success, or my fear of growing, or my fear of being the best I could be?"

That's where my head was at as I ran from 17km onwards.  Those last 5 km I was telling myself that it wasn't pain, it was just a warm, intense feeling.  

A feeling of my body reminding me it was fit and alive and glowing with rich red blood and that I was, step by step, breaking new personal territory.  

It's life and it's beautiful and you're welcome!

And Today! - I published a Book!

"THREE BOOKS," she said "Write three books and by the time you have finished the third book, you'll have found your voice and you'll be ready to publish."

"Publish and be damned!"I spat, "I'm not waiting for permission - my life starts now and I'll learn to fly as I flap my wings!"

So I went ahead and published and today, just quietly, an email alert blinked and my book went live on Amazon.

Just. Like. That.

It's book one in the three book series.  The second book is published on September 8, then third on October 8.

Here's the book published today - Live Alcohol Free and a call out for all you avid readers to dive right in and shell out about the price of a coffee and then write a review - it really makes a difference!

Here's the second in the series, in final draft for September 8 Publication - it has the clock image as a countdown reminder.

Here's the third - for October 8. This one has a waterlilly for peace and calm.  I'm so ready to share all this work with you and hope you'll be patient as I finalise the drafts.

In other news, I'm in pre-production talks for a top secret venture so I just won't release that just yet.  But definitely maybe will share soon.

It's thrilling and humbling and all that at once! The book is a genuine 60k word exploration into setting yourself up for a long and powerful sober recovery.  I'm exploring a new paradigm, where you learn and prepare before actually doing it, and I think it has real merit.

PS I'm still really keen to publish your writing on AlcoholicLife.com - won't you pop on over and bang something out?  It's a community service thing after all!

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