have bear will run italy - q & a

​Reluctantly I am sharing some of the HBWR details here. 
Mainly because my mum has subtly encouraged it...

"Um... I'm not sure where you'll be each day as I haven’t got your itinerary with me..." 
This was not surprising as I hadn't given her my itinerary yet.
When I say ‘reluctantly sharing details’ it’s not because I am being coy or secretive, its mainly because I feel like most people wouldn’t be all that interested in reading the details!

ASTOUNDED.
I have again been humbled by the generosity of my friends, family and complete strangers that have donated and supported this adventure. Sometimes I feel like a phone call or a text message is not enough to say thank you but then I am reminded that everyone is in this for the same reason. I may be doing the running but everyone is invested in the HBWR plan because they want to help kids and they want to remember Lucian Page. It is a recurring thought that has kept me motivated along the way.

When you take the time to donate money or to send your best wishes, you immediately become part of the team. Raising money is about more than just doing something note-worthy or something that catches the attention of the public, it’s about building a vessel that everyone can get on board with. Finding a worthy cause that makes people feel like they are part of something special – something that will make a difference in the lives of others.

‘Have Bear Will Run’ is hopefully becoming something that makes a difference to the children it helps as well as to the people that help drive its vision. Small steps help build big dreams.

WHEN DO YOU LEAVE?
I fly out at the less than ideal time of 9.40pm on Monday the 27th of June. 
It’s a 31 hour beast of a flight stopping at Kuala Lumpur and London before arriving in Rome at 10pm on the 28th of June. It was cheap and that is important on trips like this!

WHAT ARE YOUR TRAVEL PLANS?
I arrive in Rome and get a taxi to my accommodation in Ostia on the West Coast. 
After a day of striping back my gear and stretching, I’ll take a bus across to Pescara on the East Coast of Italy carrying only what I need for the next 5 days. There I will stay the night and then get an early start on the 1st of July!

ARE YOU EXCITED?
Strangely, No Im not.

If I was going to Italy for a holiday, I would be jumping out of my skin but with an adventure like this I know what is ahead of me and I know how it’s going to feel. I am quite nervous at the moment and have been for about 48hrs now.
There are a lot of things that have to go exactly right for a trip like this to succeed. I am slowly getting used to the physical and mental challenges of endurance event but every single one is different. I can rarely predict what my body will do on a given day, regardless of preparation and I can NEVER predict what my mind will throw up once I get started. They say that endurance events are 90% mental and the other 10% is mental too.

During the Marathon des Sables in the Sahara Desert I took a mental battering and only just stumbled through the finish line. It was akin to a heavy weight title fight where the referee was just waiting to jump in and stop the fight. Mentally, I was like a punch drunk fighter hopelessly holding on to my much stronger and beefier opponent!

However the Anzac Ultra last year was a different story all-together. Physically it was challenging but after 160km I accepted that pain was something I could deal with instead of fighting. I wouldn’t say I blocked it out but I learned to cope with it a little better and ran what I felt was my best marathon time at the end of 200km. I’m certainly not boasting though – it would have still been a pedestrian time!

My point is that what is ahead in Italy is more of a challenge than a holiday.

HOW DO YOU FEEL AS THE EVENT GETS CLOSER?
I get a little edgier and a little less patient. 
Small tasks appear much bigger than they actually are.

My mind starts to get nervous and goes about planting seeds of doubt in the hope that I won’t actually go through with this… It takes a consistent conscious effort to stay in control of my head and break my days down into smaller tasks so as not to get overwhelmed with big picture stuff. It sounds strange I know but when I am faced with this ‘Fight, Flight or Freeze’ mentality, small action steps are what keep me moving forward.

Last night I walked randomly around the supermarket checking out all the specials in an attempt to keep busy. I’m sure Coles had someone following me waiting for me to slip a Mars Bar in my pocket! 
FYI – ‘Quilton’ Toilet Paper is a steal at the moment.

WHAT DO YOU PACK?
As little as possible! Over the years I am learning to make do without a lot of day to day essentials and on a running trip like this that definitely comes in handy.

Day to Day –
1 x running shirt 
1 x running shorts
1 x hat
1 x pair Mizuno running shoes
3 x Injinji toe socks
3 x pairs underwear
1 x pair shorts (for at night)
1 x polo shirt (for at night)
1 x pair thongs
20 Band aids
Toothbrush and Toothpaste
20 x Neurophen
20 x Voltaren 
5 x Roctane Gels
5 x Hydrolight satchels
5 x Cliff Bars
1 x Safety Pin
1 x travel size deodorant 
1 x lip balm
1 x tennis ball
Water bottle
Phone and ear phones
Ear Plugs

WHAT DO YOU EAT?
I intend to start early in the mornings to get as many km in as possible before the heat of the day hits (avg temp seems to be 30 - 35 degrees) Cereal, toast and a coffee would be great.

During the day I will stop for an early lunch (11am) and eat what I can find, hopefully a sandwich or something I can eat on the go. 

Regular water bottle stops will be essential and bottled water will be the quickest and safest option I think. Note to self – I need to practice my Italian water request – My Spanish request is spot on but I don’t think that will wash in the hills of Italy…

Afternoon snack will be the Gels I carry (with caffeine!) and the Cliff energy bars. One each per day.
Dinner will be early hopefully and may involve salad and pasta while washing down a hydra-light drink, before stretching and crashing out!

WHAT IS THE RUNNING ROUTE?
Pescara on the East Coast to Ostia on the West Coast. It’s basically 250km across the middle of Italy.
Each day is approximately 50km (give or take on various days) with the last day running through the city of Rome. I’m guessing that day will take a bit longer as I negotiate crowds and get continuously lost.

DO YOU HAVE ANY RUNNING SUPERSTITIONS?
Funnily enough I do have two strange quirks when I run. I insist on cleaning my teeth before I run for some reason? And I always feel the need to touch things while I run...

As I get more fatigued and my mind starts to become more of an enemy than an ally, I find touching things as I run gets me out of my head and back into reality. Signposts, trees, walls, anything that gets me back to reality and stops the voices in my head.

EMMA is the voice in my head that has become the single most influential factor of my running life.
EMMA (Excuse Making Machine Alert) - and we all have an EMMA in our head, knows me better than I know myself. She knows just what to say to put doubt in my mind. She will focus on an injury or highlight how far I have to go, how hot it is, how much my back pack weighs, how resting will help me run better tomorrow… The excuse making machine is always there but I am learning how to turn its volume down now.

Touching things as I run sometimes helps me focus on the physical and not the mental side of running.

WHAT WILL THE FUNDS RAISED GO TOWARDS?
With the incredible generosity of my friends and family I would like to offer 2 Lucian Page Scholarships this year! One for a cancer surviving High School student to help with their ongoing studies and one for a Primary School student.
It is not what I initially planned but I have been blown away by the big-heartedness of people! And now instead of saving the funds for next year, I want us to be able to help another student this year! I’m super excited about this!

WHATS NEXT?
After I get back from HBWR - Italy, I would love to meet up with everyone to share the tales of this voyage. I am hoping to book a venue somewhere in Sydney and invite whoever would like to attend to come and relive the adventure with me. This may be where I can verbalise why I do these things. It has a lot to do with making sure I am not living by accident.
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We only get one chance to draw as much out of life as we can, while helping as many people as we can. I’m not saying we all have to run silly distances, but HBWR makes me feel like I am doing my little bit to help others.
Thank you again to everyone that has sent messages of support and taken the time to donate - Now for the easy part... Have Bear Will Run Italy!