Parks are closed. Trails too. Events are cancelled and we are dusting off our road-running shoes. Yes, we are living in a sensation of limited freedom. But today I share how it is the choices we make that will give us back our wings. Here are my suggestions for ensuring that you thrive through these challenges.
 
What is Freedom?
​We all value it, so what does it mean? Freedom is simply the ability to have choices. To choose what we want to do, when we wish to do it, and how too. The reason so many of us feel trapped right now is that it feels like our choices have been taken away. However, all that has been taken from us are our habits, our routines, our old normality.
 
Find your new normal
Without our old routines to latch onto, we can feel wobbly and unsettled. We can wake in the morning feeling edgy or unmotivated. We grasp onto media and social channels to fill in voids. Another cuppa to fill the emptiness. Awake at night with ‘busy head syndrome’. But if we recognise what is at the core of this unsettledness, a sensation of ‘stuckness’, then we have the capacity to choose our way out. Personally, I am choosing to ‘find my new normal’ and you can too. Begin by writing a list of all the options you still have available to you. Don’t forget to include all the new options that have become available, such as online yoga or camping in your back yard. Then begin to schedule this into your ‘training’ routines or my Training Planners.
 
Dream bigger
The word freedom raises images of a bird spreading its wings and soaring higher. So, where do you wish to soar once the restrictions end? If you were the bird, what type would you be? An eagle striving towards its target? A dove peacefully watching the world pass? A chicken reworking its turf? A duck diving beneath the surface? Weird? Yes! Whacky? Definitely! But this analogy will help you to realise what goal you are setting and what attitude and values you need to adopt to achieve it. From now on, every time you head out the door or begin planking in the spare room, see it as training for this dream to come. ​(Need inspiration? Join me on one of my Find Your Feet Tours!).
 
Find the abnormal in the boring
I am getting so many requests from individuals about how to avoid road running. So, I would like to ask - why? Why avoid the road if it can take you on an adventure every day? A road is a window into a landscape. Along its verges you will see remnants of those who travelled before you, vegetation gripping with strength & ferocity to a precarious life, a day awakening around you, birds cheering you on, insects humming cheerfully, front yards to ponder, letterboxes overflowing with stories. Yup, there is so much to see when you run on the road… you just need to CHOOSE to see it! In fact, the other morning the highlight of my run was seeing a scorpion crossing the road. This simple something is what I would have missed had a chosen to not venture outdoors.
 
Find Freedom on the hills
It may be hard to find the time, energy or open space for exercising during these times. To get the most out of yourself and your precious time, head for a hill. If you are nervous about getting injured from road running, upgrade your running shoes and then find a hill. It is so hard to injure yourself running gently uphill. I am not asking you for hill sprints. In fact, I beg you not to! Instead, run up, aiming for consistency and great running form, then walk or jog back. Repeat. Again, if you find this concept ugly and awful, then you are choosing to find it ugly and boring. Perhaps choose to see the mindfulness, health, vitality and challenge in it instead? ​(I write lots about the virtues of hills and hill running technique in my Trail Running Guidebook).
 
Don’t make do
I am seeing lots of very worn-out running and walking shoes on the footpaths and local urban pathways. If you are leaving the gym, pool or trails and venturing towards the concrete or asphalt, this is not the time to run in dead shoes! Make sure you select something that has a little cushion and provides some protection to your feet and legs. You can visit my Find Your Feet store and ask one of our gurus for advice if you need help choosing the best shoes for you.
 
Do your strength activation
Lazy butt? Weak calf muscles? Grumpy back? Achilles grumbles? These are all signs of a lazy core and gluteal muscles. Pull out the yoga mat and YouTube galore! There are so many great exercises online. You may also like to join an online yoga class or reach out to your physio or PT who may be offering tele-consults. This is the perfect time to address the imbalances.
 
Find excitement in tempo running
If you are more experienced, this is the perfect time to up the tempo. I absolutely love tempo running and I implore you to get creative. Begin with a 15-20min tempo run but over time begin to adjust the terrain and durations of your tempo sessions. Add hills. Break it into 10-minute segments with shorter recoveries. Try a new route. Go longer. Bugger it… run backwards if you have to! Anything you do, so long as it is paired with great recovery, will be a step in the direction you choose.​(Learn more about tempo running in my Trail Running Guidebook).
 
So, as you can see, we have choices. In fact, they are all around us and we are blessed to live in landscapes that provide so many to us.
 
Choose freedom in self-isolation.
Choose to keep a dream alive.
Choose to run along a road to nowhere and watch the world not pass you by.
 
BE WILDER.

This morning I received this query from a trail runner who has been utilising my trail running training planners for her preparation for Ultra Trail Australia. 


Hi Hanny,


I am following your UTA50 trail running training planner which I finding to be great & flexible for my needs.
But … with the postponement of Ultra Trail Australia events coming up in May I’m wondering how to go forward from here with my training schedule? I know it may not be easy to work it out as there is no time frame involved yet for the event to go ahead but any advice you could give to me & other runners training for UTA would be so greatly appreciated.

Thanks!


This is a very big challenge as we now find ourselves rapidly changing tact in the face of massive event cancellations and more time spent at home. This has certainly been front and centre of mind for me. So, today I want to provide some advice for how we can ‘change tact’, including how to prepare for an event if you are unsure of when the race date will be. Here are my suggestions:


Return to Base Training mode:
I believe that most event organisers will be required to look at race dates in approximately 6 months’ time, maybe a little more. This means that the earliest you will likely be racing again is mid-September. In light of this, and no matter how fit and strong you are feeling, I strongly encourage you to return to Base Training mode. That is, a focus on your aerobic development through:

• Longer solo runs (90 – 180mins)
• Tempo Runs (comfortably-uncomfortable longer efforts from 15 - 40mins in duration)
• Longer hill efforts (ie. > 8mins in duration).
• Consistent jogging and walking on easier days

All of this can be done solo and from your home. The added beauty of this is that no matter how great your base fitness is, it can always be refined and enhanced. Any opportunity you get to return and consolidate your aerobic fitness is a godsend! Consider this, an Olympic athlete takes 4 years to prepare for their event at the Olympic Games!
I write more about aerobic base training ideas in my Trail Running Guidebook. You will also find that returning to the very beginning of one of my Trail Running Training Planners is not stepping backwards, but rather adding to the process of consolidation.


Find quietness and playfulness amongst the ‘outside’ noise:
We are living in such a news-filled, social media-fuelled frenzy right now. But unless you have actually been ordered to quarantine I strongly suggest you keep finding quietness and playfulness outdoors. I personally suggest doing this early in the morning, when the day is at its most calm. Afterwards you will be ready to tackle anything that is thrown at you in the day! Here is what I suggest:

• Rise before dawn and change into your running clothes (have these prepared the night before)
• Pop your favourite pyjama pants back on over the top (this is a lovely little gift of compassion prior to exercising)
• Prepare yourself a mug of tea. I combine this with a small handful of diced organic dates for some energy.
• As you drink your tea limber up your feet, calves, legs and hips. Try to avoid looking at the news, emails or social media but rather enjoy the quietness of the pre-dawn.
• After 15-20 minutes, slip outside with your headtorch and run into the dawn, taking notice of the light changing, the birds’ chorus, the world awaking around you.
• Change the mindset from ‘training’ to ‘playing’ or even to ‘experiencing’. The training mindset can come back when certainty returns. Instead, try to do something or notice something that you have never done or seen before. 
• In essence, find presence and playfulness on your runs (or walks!).

Still go for Missions!
Don’t miss out on the greatest joy of all – the Mission! You may even want to incorporate a few extra shorter Missions to help you stay sane. Head out alone or with a friend (although run with a gap between you). If you are alone this is either a time to enjoy the tranquillity or listen to podcasts, such as my Find Your Feet Podcast. If you are heading out solo, perhaps consider investing in a Garmin InReach Mini like I have been using on my own solo missions. If you are interested in this great safety device you can discuss this with me or my Team at Find Your Feet.


The goal does not have to be a race:
Perhaps you were going to do a race and it was cancelled? Perhaps you were affected by one of our Find Your Feet Tour cancellations? Or maybe you hadn’t yet found your ‘thing’? I personally have spent a lot of time over the last 3 years setting myself my own challenges, such as my French Pyrenees Traverse or recent Western Arthurs Traverse in Tasmania. There is nothing stopping us from hatching lofty dreams and working towards them, heading out to the mountains or coastlines where the trails still weave, the trees stand tall and proud and the fresh air awaits us. To help you ‘find your thing’ begin by asking yourself my favourite question, ‘What if…?’


Maintain your strength at home:
Whilst most gyms are not yet closed, it is probably a good idea to steer clear of these. This doesn’t mean you need to lose your strength. In fact, if you are going to increase your running and walking loads, it will be important to ensure these muscles are fully activated and strengthened to cope. Here are some of the exercises that I utilise into a 15-20min circuit. I love to do this workout prior to my morning harder or longer runs (ie. 2-3 days per week). You will need to pick 4-6 exercises from the list below and combine into a circuit (one to the next to the next…). I repeat the circuit 3 times or to fatigue. 

• Single leg glute bridges
• Monster walks
• Fitball hamstring curls
• Single leg balance on a cushion
• Lunge & Reverse Lunge
• Unilateral Heel Raises
• Fitball ‘Stir the Pot’
• Planking with movement
• Side plank
• Deep core stability on your back
• Hip to wall stretch
• Knee to wall stretch
• Piriformis stretch
• Lunged quadricep stretch
• Pidgeon Stretch
• Any abdominal work – crunches, twists, v-sits etc.

Use walking or cycling as your cross-training:
Again, I would be avoiding gyms, pools and group activities. The great news is that there is honestly nothing better than a solid, long walk or ride for cross-training. So, grab your walking shoes or dust off your bike and find solitude in these activities on your easy days (or at the end of your hard day as an alternative second session after work).


Embrace Yoga
There are so, so many YouTube options for doing yoga at home. I love to do a short 20-30min yoga workout in an evening, or even in the middle of the night if I am too awake and cannot sleep. I would start finding your favourite workouts on YouTube.


Mindfulness & Meditation
I am not the individual who can crawl out of bed and sit still straight away. For me, the mornings are for playfulness and movement. However, I still fully believe in the importance of meditation, especially in these times of such chaotic news messages. I have a few methods that I utilise:

• At the end of a run I find a quiet park bench, log or boulder and sit quietly for 3-5mins, closing my eyes and listening to both my breath and the world around me. I use this time to express my gratitude to the environment, the opportunities & those individuals who I need to express gratitude towards.
• At dinner time or on climbing into bed at night, my husband and I always share our highlight of the day. This is a form of mindfulness as it brings presence to those moments of the day that can otherwise get buried in the negative noise.
• Every night, after reading my book and prior to falling asleep, I do a solo meditation where I focus on my breath and the relaxation of my body & mind. However, if my brain is too busy, I have found this YouTube guided meditation absolutely brilliant. It helps me get into a deeper, more dreamless sleep and awake feeling calmer & refreshed.
• When I finish an important task at work I always take a moment to pause and make a cup of tea. When I am doing this simple activity, I try to be really present on the preparation of the tea. This is an act of mindfulness.
• I have been really trying to master the art of Happy Heart Meditation. Have a listen to my Find Your Feet Podcast Episode recorded with Ivan Zwart. We also sell Ivan’s book at Find Your Feet.

You can run on a treadmill:
Yes, it might be unpleasant but you can absolutely still exercise on a treadmill if you have one. I personally always put a treadmill at an incline of >2% and begin slowly until my core muscles begin to activate. Aim for sessions that are shorter in duration but higher in quality, such as your tempo runs or longer aerobic intervals. I write more about aerobic training ideas in my Trail Running Guidebook.


Get yourself equipped for winter & solo running:
Here are the items that I personally use for my winter running and personal safety, especially on the longer missions.

• Salomon S-Lab Sense 5 Vest Pack (the old season stock is currently on super special!)
• Biolite USB Rechargeable Headtorch (330 lumens!)
• The North Face ETIP gloves (they also come in a women’s specific option too but I have big hands.)
• Find Your Feet Headbands (we make these in Norway!)
• Find Your Feet Buffs (again, made in Norway)
• The North Face Light Thermal Top (it just lasts forever! Comes in a men’s option too)
• The North Face Flight Futurelite Rain Jacket (so breathable and light! Comes in a men’s option too.)
• Salomon S-Lab Sense SG shoes (the new ones are now out although I am excited to try the new Salomon Sense 4 Pro trail running shoes which also come in a men’s option).
• I love a warm jacket for after training and so I personally use the Arctery’x Atom Lt Hoody.

When certainty returns, pickup your training on the appropriate date:
If you are using my Running Training Planners, once you have a date confirmed for your event or lofty Mission, pickup your training on whatever date fits into your training schedule. Ie. if you suddenly are left with 15-weeks to train but you have been using my 6-month UTA100 Training Planner as your guide, skip forward to the point which would mark 15-weeks to go. You will have such a base fitness that you can launch straight back into your training.


If you need any one-to-one assistance, I am here to help! Visit my website for lots of inspiration, tips, advice and my training planners: www.hannyallston.com.au


If you need further advice with your equipment or apparel for winter, my Team at Find Your Feet would love to help – www.findyourfeet.com.au


Finally, I thank you in advance for any support you can provide us during this challenging time! It is now that we need to support one another even more.


Keep striving to play wilder.
Hanny Allston
​

I recently toed the start line of the 102km Tarawera Ultra Marathon and I am not ashamed to say that my motivation was three pronged – to experience being ‘back in the action’, to see this beautiful New Zealand landscape, but also to prove a point to myself – I am an athlete!  
 
I am an athlete. 
 
This simple phrase is like a sensitive funny bone – I don’t bump it very often but when I do it tingles madly and damn well HURTS! 
 
‘It would be great to see you as an athlete again Hanny!’ 
 
And it was this comment uttered by a well-meaning individual that recently knocked this funny bone and set off a painful tingling. It sent shock-waves through my entire body, a searing discomfort that had me shaking out my limbs, and beginning to fidget, then sway, and then… enter a race!
 
Am I an athlete!
 
This was the thought that I carried with me as I left the start line and chased down the lead girls on the early single tracks and then wider forestry roads. I wasn’t necessarily hunting them, I was hunting my athleticism.
 
Let me now back-track to 3 years ago when I tried the ‘athlete retirement thing’. My Swan-Song was a long 100km race through Australia’s Blue Mountains, chasing down the younger whippet and now friend, Lucy Bartholomew. Throughout those ten hours I constantly heard my head saying, ‘It’s time for the athlete to retire’. In hindsight this thought stemmed from a long sporting career and then employment at the Australian Institute of Sport where I was surrounded by the constant drumming – ‘you must ensure you have a plan for after you retire from sport’. Yes, eventually we all need to move on, or grow up… don’t we?
 
In the three years post- ‘retirement’ I discovered that athletic retirement is damn hard to do and somewhat akin to cracking a macadamia nut with your bare hands. That is, it is pretty much impossible! Once you know that intoxicating feeling of holding onto a high-level of fitness that can carry you on any wild adventure; the grace of moving with ease over hills and trails; a brain flooded with endorphins and that motivating ‘what next?’ question; and then that blissful sleep that comes after a long day outdoors… yup, retirement seems like a really dumb concept! So, it was with this realization and alignment of values that my inner athlete quickly re-awakened and she has since lead me on some epically wild adventures! I can honestly say that what I have achieved in the last 3-years are by far and away my greatest athletic achievements, such as: running the very remote, technical Federation Peak; my 19-day, 720km and 45000m vertical solo traverse of the French Pyrenees Mountains; and my recent solo & fastest known 60km traverse of the Western Arthurs Mountains in South-West Tasmania. Yes, the athletic bug has gripped me more than ever and it has just felt so, so dammed good to feel on the top of my A-game again. 
 
And yet…
 
‘It would be great to see you as an athlete again Hanny!’ 
 
Tarawera 102km was not to be my day. I absolutely had the mindset and skills for performance, but I had failed to acknowledge the gradually building fatigue accumulated from the last 6-months of wild adventures. Further to this, my athleticism has morphed into something a little rougher and less-refined – perhaps more akin to shaggy, leaping sheepdog than to a racing whippet? At Tarawera I went out with the lean & mean leaders, and gave it my absolute best. Even when The Wall loomed I felt equipped with all the tools in my toolkit to leap gracefully over it – from a powerful mindset, to race strategy, to nutrition – but nothing could ultimately sharpen my heavy legs on this day and I caught my paws at many of the hurdles.
 
In every tough day there is always something to be gained. For me, the highlight of the day was definitely the bond of relationship that I found in other athletes on the trail, moving through a beautiful landscape, with our individual highs and lows. However, the greatest gift that received at Tarawera 102km, a perfect present on the eve of my 34thbirthday, was this - 
 
We are all athletes!
 
We do not need to reach a finish line, or the top of the mountain, or run with a race number pinned to our chests to allow our inner athlete to shine. Nope. Nup. Definitely not! If racing lights a fire in your belly then GO FOR IT! Charge your glass with electrolytes and let us toast your racing adventures! But if, like me, you feel curiosity beckoning you to a quieter trail, then let us celebrate this sense of adventure too!
 
Whether our journey leads us to a start line, or a finish line, or even a point in between where the body says, ‘not today!’… or whether our calling is to a remote mountain ridgeline or a local mission from our front door… Yes indeed, we are all athletes because we do the work to keep sharp, we gather evolving skills, and we know how to lean in when the going gets a little tougher. 
 
When I entered the Tarawera event I thought I needed to thrive to ease the discomfort in my funny bone, to prove to myself once and for all that I am an athlete. However, in ‘failure’ I have found even greater clarity than I could ever hope for – I am not just an athlete…
 
…I LOVE BEING AN ATHLETE! And a wild one at that!
 
Do you?
 

An unlikely story of strength and resilience
 
I am completely fascinated by the strength of our minds so over the last 12-months I have been studying advanced coaching techniques, such as Neurolinguistics Programming (how to reprogram our internal dialogue), hypnotic skills and visualization. This study has brought a huge year of growth and change, a welcome addition to my peak performance coaching.
 
The other major change that I have welcomed in the last 12-months is a home, a little wooden chalet on 4-acres on the slopes of Mt Wellington. The quaint property is littered with pademelons (small marsupials), wallabies, bird-life and even frogs on the nights when the rains finally fall. However, due to the dry conditions this summer the frogs have rarely sung and the mammal lawn mowers are finding their grass supply waning. To counter this, my husband and I have been throwing our veggie scraps out the back door. We also fill large metal bowls scattered around the lawn with water. Every night, our evening entertainment is to watch the nature channel’s chaos unfolding outside the loungeroom window – the pademelons’ mothers and babies lap at the water, the males assert their dominance and the birds swoop into the mix. Lord Packenham, our resident possum, might strut his stuff, and occasionally a rabbit might join the fun. 
 
My husband and I are slowly being welcomed. When we step outside our marsupial residents rarely flee in fright, but rather hop warily backwards to allow us to take center stage on our lawn. I love these little guys with all my heart and when a pademelon pauses his or her earnest foraging, sometimes our eyes lock. It is as if a love story is slowly unfolding. Each night as I turn for bed, thrust open the window and listen to the munching outside, I think I can sense them all saying, ‘Thank you for loving us’.
 
My alarm usually hollers around 5am. I instantly roll out from the bed’s strong grasp, pad downstairs and slip straight into my running attire which I always lay out the night before. I then tug my pajamas back over the top, a symbol of self-compassion whilst I boil the kettle, sip tea with a dash of homemade soymilk, munch a handful of organic dried fruit and gently limber up my muscles as I stare aimlessly across the paddocks. I try to always be gentle to myself in the morning, to start slowly and allow the heart, mind and body to speak their truths. When I am ready to step outside I will peel off my pajamas, quietly tip toe past the stairs to the bedroom where Graham is usually still sleeping, and slip out into the dawn. I love this moment of solitude, when I lace my shoes and feel the anticipation of the morning’s explorations ahead. 
 
Today’s session is a solid 21-minute uphill tempo. I am excited, knowing soon that my lungs will be drawing in the cool, dewy air whilst my legs will still yelp for more. The rhythm of the arms swinging back and forth, back and forth. The spine tall. Head held proud. Feet rising and falling. I believe running is art in movement.
 
Running hard uphill on an asphalt road is tough on the good days and even tougher on the days when your head isn’t completely in the game. I usually thrive as I leave the start point at the wafting, roast-barley-valley-ambience of the Cascade Brewery, heading uphill towards the junction of Huon Road & Strickland Avenue on Mt Wellington. This junction that marks the end of the hard run just so happens to be a mere 300m from my front door. However, not every day can be a celebration of mojo and flow state running, and today I found my legs cringing sharply with lactic acid. As a result, my confidence wavered then returned, wavered then returned, pulsing with my heart as it raced to keep up with the effort I strived for.
 
So, this morning I looked into my ‘toolkit’, a collection of tips, tricks and techniques which I have actively sought and collected over the last 15 years of my running & coaching career. I considered using ‘The Whip’, mentally whipping myself into action or the ‘Get Out Of Jail’ card and backed off the intensity. I thought about ‘The Ignore Button’ and disassociated from the discomfort by entering ‘My Bubble’, a space I reserve for digging deep and blocking out the searing squeals of my legs and lungs. But rather I chose one of my teacher’, techniques called ‘Picture the End’. So, whilst still running hard up the hill, I began to create a picture of the end of the tempo – to see the roads meeting, the bus stop number, the cars whizzing past, the child waiting for the school pickup. I added sounds, such as the birds’ chorus and the belching bus. I imagined the zingy feeling in my legs as I saw myself stretching past the bus stop that marked the finish and coming to a gentle walk. I almost felt the high five slaps I gave my running buddy as we celebrated our success.
 
Yes, this morning I was able to create a vivid image of the tempo’s ending. Even when I was still ¾ of the way up the hill, the image was so vivid that I could almost touch it, smell it, hear it, feel it! I grew in strength. Then I found myself imagining a rope tied around my waste and it winching me closer and closer to this finish line. I instantly felt my pace increasing and an extra spring in my step as I I lifted taller and prouder in my posture. Suddenly, and to my absolute surprise, I had an overwhelming image of our resident pademelons grasping onto that rope and pulling me closer and closer to the finish line! In my mind’s eye, they appeared to be expressing their gratitude by helping me reach the finish line of my tempo run!
 
Yes. That’s right. The pademelons gifted me a new Personal Best Time on my training run this morning!
 
You may think I am nuts. And maybe I am?!  But what I have learnt this year is that every tiny step you take towards being wilder will make you stronger. Being wilder is my term for the summation of all the small actions that you take to empower yourself, such as recycling your plastic, ruminating on your values, eating cleaner, turning off the lights, expressing your gratitude, using a Keep Cup, looking out for your neighbors, studying new skills, journaling, exercising consistently, and loving nature in all its beauty. Every step you take towards knowing yourself and being the best version of you brings you a greater sensation of strength which you can draw on when the going gets tough or you need to add fuel to your mojo – in running and in life.
 
So, can I dare you to ask yourself… ‘what am I doing today that can help me to feel prouder, lean in with more confidence and realise my greatest potential?
 
Be Wilder…
 
Look after the pademelons!

WHY?
Millions of our native animals have been killed or injured in the Australian wildfires that still ravage our National Parks, alpine country & communities. Like many others, I simply cannot sit back and watch. Whilst I wish I could do more, I believe that helping begins with a small step in any direction. So I choose to run for our wildlife.

WHAT?
ON SUNDAY 12TH JANUARY RUN FOR OUR WILDLIFE - All you need to do is go for a run. Grab your friends, join a local event, find a trail, or run along a winding road to somewhere beautiful. Please, please, please take yourself on a running mission and as you do, spare a thought for our wildlife & the volunteers striving to care for them! After your run, share your adventure with our entire running community using #runforwildlife#playwilder then donate funds to NSW Wildlife Information & Rescue. Collectively, can we raise over $10,000 for our native wildlife?

THE CAUSE:
I am running to raise money for NSW WILDLIFE INFORMATION RESCUE AND EDUCATION SERVICE INCORPORATED and your contribution will make an impact, whether you donate a lot or a little. Anything helps. Thank you for your support. I've included information about NSW WILDLIFE INFORMATION RESCUE AND EDUCATION SERVICE INCORPORATED below. 

WIRES (NSW Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service) mission is to actively rehabilitate and preserve Australian wildlife and inspire others to do the same. WIRES has over 2500 volunteers and a Rescue Office that operates 365 days a year assisting the community to help native animals in distress. WIRES assists tens of thousands of animals every year and last financial year received over 95,000 requests for rescue assistance.

To donate please follow this link: https://www.facebook.com/donate/1011136092594348/2558544374406215/

Every cent counts and I am just SO grateful to every single individual willing to contribute. 

Dear Reader,
 
Thank you. Thank you for taking the time out from the hustle and bustle of this festive season to read this letter. Thank you for using this moment to reflect on a year unfolded and a year about to be created. Each one of us holds the seeds for change, growth and untapping our greatest potential. And if we are thriving, we can be the change that we wish to see in the world, the spark of inspiration for others. That is what I hope to bring to you today as I reflect on my own year and the 12 defining moments that encapsulate it.

...I think that so many of us don’t let go of our ‘shoulds’, and let go of our guilt, and let go of our fears and anxieties and our thoughts that we need to kind of live life by the text book, when sometimes the textbook just has a bloody error in it...
​I think that’s probably what I learned on this journey, that traversing these mountains kind of became traversing my own inner mountains and I reached the other side and I realised that I’m still the same Hanny. But I’d also found another side of Hanny... and that was pretty cool. I brought that person home, and I’m really proud of that person, and I love that person in my relationship and I love that person in my team at work. And I love that person when I’m just sitting quietly at home in my house and when I’m just rambling on a podcast with you. I’m not embarrassed to say that, and I don’t believe I have an ego in saying that, it’s just I’m cool with being me. So that’s the Pyrenees...
 - Hanny Allston (EP#48 The Pyrenees Traverse with Hanny Allston)

This is a transcript from Find Your Feet Podcast Episode #48: Running the French Pyrenees. This podcast was a quiet ramble with myself, reflecting on this huge adventure that unfolded in July 2019. I hope you have the opportunity to listen to this podcast too..

​The rain batters louder onto the sloping sheets of exposed tin above my head. Light glows faintly through narrow slits in the timber walls of this old cow shed, its exposed earthen floors emitting a musty dampness into the small room. We lie side-by-side like cucumbers under doonas and sleeping bags, cocooned, riding out the stormy night. Just outside the rickety door a cow begins to bellow, calling to her calf. Separated from its mother, the calf is also shut up for the night in nearby barn. The owners want the mother’s milk in the morning to make gloopy piles of cheese. I close my eyes, listening to the storm rage and echo through the valley, a drum beat to the higher pitches of cows, chickens, horses, goats and humans. As my eyes close I find myself expressing my gratitude for this opportunity to be here. Once again, I find amazement for the opportunity to run through this landscape, a place on beginning to hit the tourist map. As far as I am aware, we are the first trail runners to run across this mountainous region. - ‘Thank you for this night and to the trip now drawing to a close.’Then I sleep. ​