“You’re addicted!” The only way you’ve avoided hearing that phrase is by either not telling people you train most days of the week or by not actually training most days of the week. Such sins of omission are entirely understandable. Keeping the peace, or a low profile can be difficult enough when you’ve got a tan like a panda bear and legs as hairless as Michael Jordan’s head. The full story has been known to cause non-athletes to think your last known address was Area 51. Wait till you do an Ironman, then when you explain to people WHAT it is, you will learn the true meaning of blank expression.

But addicted? It’s not like any of us would ever say, “I can stop this any time.” We don’t pretend our lives could go on without sport and remain fulfilled, enjoyable. And shouldn’t that be the definition of addicted? Shouldn’t a true addiction be something we are honest about, the thing without which our lives would lose some luster? (more…)

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So my maestro friends at Puma have come up with a way for you to race Usain Bolt from your desktop. Thats right, where you are now. Not only is this an ingenious way to waste some time, but your colleagues will also stare at you as your piledrive the left and right arrow keys on your table.

Nice.

Some might even say………. oh dare I say it………………. Just do me a favor and….. Click HERE

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How happy is that kid? Awesome.

I`ve had the best friend here for the weekend past, and not only did it amount to a new record in funny moments, I also realised something quite important (quite the thinker I am becoming) that maybe alot of us miss out in life.

My best mate and I are like kids when we`re together. Its quite confusing for alot of people around us, as our humor becomes very much like that of a 6 year old, especially after a few drinks. We connect on a level that is very simple and our understanding of each other is quite simple too. I trust he has my best interests at heart and in the fore of his brain all the time, and he feels that way too. Make no mistake – we fight like kids too sometimes, but thats more to do with ego than actual problems that have a effect on the world as a whole. (more…)

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I like that picture. Choose your peergroup wisely I say! They might be the reason you`re not getting there….

I know there are alot of people who read this blog who are going through constant personal change and challenges. We are all trying to improve our lives and live a life of purpose and success is one of the major driving factors for most of us, from personal success in swimming a 50m butterfly to making that first million rand.

Our emotions and programming are generally our biggest enemy and the way we react to people and situations often has very little to do with the actual situation and far more to do with what has happened in our lives leading into that moment. We as humans find it almost impossible to live in the moment, almost always living in the past. We almost never treat those around us based on how they treat us, but rather on how other similar people in our lives past have treated us. I see this alot in my relationships with people and its something I`ve spent the last 2 years really working on. (more…)

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For obvious reasons, all my sports passion gets truely satisfied with the Olympics. I am a big supporter of putting in the effort and coming out with the result. The Olympics are a real testament to the human spirit, and if you are not convinced, I urge you to watch the Paralympics, which is my true favorite.

The father of my godchild and true legend Brett once told me about plants (he has an affinity for them) : “It wants to live” and when it comes to Paralympics its a true testament to being human beings and not human doings. I grew up with a best friend who only had use of his one arm after a nasty car accident and the one thing he taught me was that he was normal and that there was nothing different about him. In fact, until we were 8 years old, he outswam, outbiked, out treeclimbed and outate me on every occasion, with ONE arm. (more…)

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Party like Dave Z…grow a tash and spray some giant bottles of Moet. Roco style…

Laugh a little, no matter how politically incorrect the picture is. Thanks to Seth from 2Oceansvibe for this.

JFT and keep it clean, otherwise take pictures and send me some…

Big things coming next week. Big things. Call me if you`re bored, I have been known to have lose morals concerning free beverage where there is coffee involved.

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I often get asked why I train so hard, so much, or specifically, for what? Its hard and alot of people dont understand the investment we are making in ourselves when we are out there pushing the limits. For some athletes, its a daily fix, but for an extended group of people like myself, we are making a long term investment into our health, so that indeed, when we are 60 years old, we dont give up and become fat lazy old people who`re uncomfortable, immobile and suffering with all sorts of ailments.

I want to be an old guy full of vitality and life, brimming with the urge to discover new things continuously, smiling with the essence of life flowing through my veins.

Make no mistake, I dont train enough to get to my physical potential. I hover in the 15-18 hours a week training arena. I work a full day and I have to deal with people as my work, which is a draining enough experience on its own. To get to full potential, I would have to go through a process something like this: (more…)

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Rooted in the complication of Western society, our daily lives lack the now of our ancestors. Days pass into weeks of restrained existence; days spent where our most definitive stroke may be control-S. Tens of thousands of years of descent with modification in our sapient brains tell us this isn’t what life is meant to be. So we go on holiday. And what do we do? We look for the defining moment. Something to restore life to our life.

In interviews with race car drivers, big wave surfers and overweight corporate raiders climbing Mount Everest, one hears a common refrain: that in their moment of greatest difficulty the rest of their lives ceased to matter. And it’s not that they didn’t care about the job, the family, the dog, the bills, it’s that if only for a moment, they could see life stripped of its complications, they could see themselves in an unencumbered way so that they were no more and no less than a person doing. (more…)

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So what we be havin you ask?

Today we be havin tha heart of tha champion man! Ok enough dictator impressions now. I woke up in the dark this morning and was not loving the fact that I had to don little clothing and head out to run in the dark. I had a chat with myself. I may have pinched myself in the bum to get up. By the time I was out the door I was convinced I was cursing myself. (more…)

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Its been a long weekend in terms of achievement, personal gain, reflection and a good few laughs in the middle there too. My bicycle had a few repairs to it and wasnt quite ready for the weekends ride, but alas, like a knight in shining armour, my housemate came through and let me lend his bike. This got me thinking about what the perfect housemate entails. I had 5 hours to think about it on Saturday morning as I rode his bike in the sun, the clouds, the drizzle and the downright icecrystal rain. Power.

The Perfect Housemate

1. You are more or less the same height. This is useful for loaning bicycles.
(more…)

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