The Nourished Folk

Running Diaries 🏃‍♀️⠀
Week 13 of training for the Melbourne Marathon 🏅⠀
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A bit of a rollercoaster of a week.⠀
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Monday started with tired legs, so I swapped my planned 10km tempo for an 8km Zone 2 run with my daughter and her friend, who are training for City to Bay.⠀
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Tuesday I turned 40 🎂 and also reached my $2,000 fundraising goal for Beyond Blue, which is what allowed me to gain entry into the Melbourne Marathon. I’m still waiting to hear about the next steps, but I’m so incredibly grateful to everyone who donated and helped me reach that goal. Some people even donated twice, which is crazy ❤️⠀
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By Wednesday I could feel something coming on, although I still managed a really fun interval session.⠀
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Friday was meant to be my big 34km long run. After being sick for two days, I thought I was feeling better… but my chest was still quite tight. Add strong winds and warm weather and it made for a seriously tough run. I called it at 28km.⠀
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I was disappointed. Again.⠀
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Illness and travel have meant I haven’t managed to hit the full distance in a lot of my long runs this training block, and it has definitely left me questioning whether I’ve built enough endurance for marathon day.⠀
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I think I’m starting to change my expectations for this marathon. Instead of putting pressure on myself, I want to focus on getting to the start line, enjoying the experience, making it through and seeing what my body can do on the day.⠀
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Saturday morning I was back with my Moana Parkrun buddies, volunteering and handing out finish tokens, followed by a long lunch with some of my favourite girlfriends to celebrate turning 40. ⠀
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And then Sunday was a special day.⠀
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I ran 12km at City to Bay with my daughter and her friend — their longest run ever. And they absolutely smashed it.⠀
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No complaining. No rushing. They just took their time, kept moving and finished strong.⠀
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I was so incredibly proud of them.⠀
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Getting to share that experience with them was easily one of the highlights of this whole training block. ⠀
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A reminder for the days when life feels like a lot:⠀
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I am worthy of joy, even when life feels heavy.⠀
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I am worthy of rest, even when there’s still a million things to do.⠀
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I am worthy of hope, even when I don’t know what’s coming next.⠀
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I don’t have to have everything figured out before I’m allowed to feel good.⠀
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Hard days don’t make me less worthy of good things. ⠀
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I am doing my best, and that is enough for today. ⠀
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Not my perfect.⠀
Not my most productive.⠀
Not the version of me who has everything figured out.⠀
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Just me, doing what I can with the energy, time and capacity I have today.⠀
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Some days that might look like smashing goals.⠀
Other days it might look like getting through the basics and calling it a win.⠀
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Both count.⠀
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You don't have to earn rest.⠀
You don't have to prove your worth through productivity.⠀
And you don't have to do more to be enough.⠀
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You are doing your best.⠀
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And for today, that's enough. ⠀
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A movement goal is about so much more than the movement itself.⠀
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Any time you set yourself a goal to run, lift, walk, stretch, train or simply move more consistently, it has a way of bleeding into the rest of your life.⠀
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You start to feel more energised.⠀
Your mood lifts.⠀
You sleep better.⠀
You feel stronger in your body.⠀
You have more patience.⠀
You feel more capable.⠀
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And suddenly, you’re not just moving better — you’re showing up differently.⠀
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For your work.⠀
For your kids.⠀
For your relationships.⠀
For yourself.⠀
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That’s what makes a movement goal so powerful.⠀
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It isn’t just about what happens during your workout.⠀
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It’s about the ripple effect it creates through everything else. ⠀
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Move your body. Not because you need to fix it, but because of everything it gives back to you.⠀
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You belong wherever you can be yourself without shrinking.⠀
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Where you don’t have to make yourself quieter, smaller, easier or more agreeable just to fit in.⠀
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You deserve people, places and spaces where you can breathe deeply, speak honestly, laugh loudly and be your whole self.⠀
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You don’t need to become less of who you are to belong. ⠀
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RUNNING DIARIES 🏃‍♀️ | Week 12 — 56km⠀
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A little bit of a deload week this week, which meant giving the legs a little less running and a little more strength, weights and Pilates. Because apparently running 56km is my idea of “taking it easy.” 😂⠀
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Aside from one tempo run, the focus was really on slowing things down and keeping the easy runs easy. I’ve got a big week on the legs coming up, so there was no need to burn myself out before I even got there.⠀
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If you joined me for either of my yoga classes on Tuesday night, you might have noticed a little surprise foot and ankle stretch… followed by some calf massage. And I think quite a few of us discovered just how tight our calves were. Not me. I already knew. 😂⠀
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I also squeezed in two training sessions with my daughter and her friend, who are running the Adelaide City to Bay next weekend. I love getting to share running with them — they complain, they crack jokes, sing and generally keep me entertained.⠀
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I finally made it back down to Moana Parkrun too - as a volunteer barcode scanner. Kids’ sport has meant it’s been a while, so it was really lovely to see familiar faces, catch up, talk running and hear what everyone is training for.⠀
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And I finished the week slowing right down with a beautiful Yin yoga session with Mark Peely, put on for the Salt Yoga teachers.⠀
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And now… onto another big week. 💪🏼🏃‍♀️⠀
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Put one hand over your heart.⠀
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Take a breath.⠀
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And say something kind to yourself.⠀
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Something you would genuinely say to someone you love if they were feeling the way you do right now.⠀
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“You’re doing your best.”⠀
“You don’t have to have it all figured out.”⠀
“It’s okay to feel this way.”⠀
“You’re allowed to rest.”⠀
“I’m proud of you.”⠀
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We can be so gentle with the people we love, yet so harsh with ourselves.⠀
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So today, try turning some of that kindness inward.⠀
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You deserve to hear those words too. ⠀
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Slow living isn’t about doing it perfectly.

It’s not about creating a life where you never feel overwhelmed, never rush, never lose your patience or never have too much on your plate.

As lovely as that sounds… it’s just not real life.

Life is complicated. We have responsibilities, relationships, children, work, deadlines, unexpected things and days that don’t go to plan. We don’t exist in a vacuum.

Slow living is less about avoiding overwhelm completely and more about becoming aware of it.

Noticing when I’m doing too much.
Recognising when I’m running on empty.
Paying attention to what my body and mind are telling me.
And then actually doing something about it.

Awareness and action.
Noticing and evolving.
Paying attention and making it count for something.

Slow living isn’t about slowing everything down.

It’s about becoming intentional about what deserves our attention in the first place.

living