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Powered by Mizuno and Sydney Running Centre
Thanks to Julian from the Sydney Running Centre located in Edgecliff (Sydney), who has kindly donated a pair of Mizuno running shoes to keep me injury free as I prepare to run around the globe raising awareness to help alleviate child mortality.
The Sydney Running Company has provided great advice to me over the years, taking me from a heaving shoe to something that was lighter and which I have found to be more suitable for my running.
Here is some great advice from Julian in this video. Don’t forget about their free running club on Monday evening at 6.15 pm.
Julian and his team love talking running. I mean, really love talking running! So if you have any questions or want any free advice, they are the people to see.
Thank you! “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. -Lao-tzu
Thank you to everyone who has supported Life Bridge and the 10 City Bridge Run since 2010, and especially more recently through the Pozible campaign. The support received is not only financial, but importantly the encourage, advice and feedback people have generously given along the way.
I was out running the other evening and recorded this short video to say thanks. Earlier that evening I had learnt the good news that my crowdfunding has successfully reached its target.
Now, to gird that goodwill together and advance to the next level, one step closer to us together making a difference.
More about my methodology to come shortly.
For now, a big thank you for making this possible.
12.12.12 Design Forum
The journey taken during the 10 City Bridge Run will culminate in a Design Forum held in Seoul on 12 December 2012 (12.12.12) to crowdsource good ideas, and to listen and learn from four key questions.
* Q1: What is best practice, and how is that is having an impact? Who is succeeding and why?
* Q2: Is best practice contextually specific? Can good ideas be shared into different and unpredictable environments?
* Q3: What is not working well? Can we map the negative factors that prevent innovative change?
* Q4: How might a human bridge be part of a solution? What might this look like?
An outcome from the Design Forum will be to determine a list of lessons from failure and success titled “10 Tangible Ways To Make A Difference.”
This is a framework to work from, and over the coming three months before the 12.12.12 Design Forum, there will be plenty of good ideas to improve this approach. The Design Forum will be picking up on a great idea from my good friend Kelley Joyce, and looking at ways of how this can be inclusive of other locations outside of Seoul using social media.
Plenty of good ideas. I’m sure you have some of your own. Care to share?
Training Schedule For Commencement Date 10.11.12 (10 November 2012)
The start date for the 10 City Bridge Run has been pushed back to make best use of time, allowing for a start date of 10.11.12 (10 November 2012), and finishing in Seoul one month later.
A Design Forum will be hosted in Seoul on 12.12.12 (12 December 2012), and we hope that you will take part even if that means organising your own event where you live. More on that later.
Here is the training schedule for the period ahead:
| Training Schedule | |
| Thu, Sep 6, 2012 | 8 x 200 m |
| Fri, Sep 7, 2012 | Rest |
| Sat, Sep 8, 2012 | 24 km |
| Sun, Sep 9, 2012 | Rest |
| Training Week 4/12 | |
| Mon, Sep 10, 2012 | 8 km |
| Tue, Sep 11, 2012 | 4 x 1600 m |
| Wed, Sep 12, 2012 | 8 km |
| Thu, Sep 13, 2012 | 9 km on machine |
| Fri, Sep 14, 2012 | Rest |
| Sat, Sep 15, 2012 | 24 km |
| Sun, Sep 16, 2012 | Rest |
| Training Week 5/12 | |
| Mon, Sep 17, 2012 | 8 km |
| Tue, Sep 18, 2012 | 6 x 200 m |
| Wed, Sep 19, 2012 | 8 km |
| Thu, Sep 20, 2012 | 5 x 1000 m |
| Fri, Sep 21, 2012 | Rest |
| Sat, Sep 22, 2012 | 24 km |
| Sun, Sep 23, 2012 | Rest |
| Training Week 6/12 | |
| Mon, Sep 24, 2012 | 8 km |
| Tue, Sep 25, 2012 | 8 x 400 m |
| Wed, Sep 26, 2012 | 8 km |
| Thu, Sep 27, 2012 | 7 km on machine |
| Fri, Sep 28, 2012 | Rest |
| Sat, Sep 29, 2012 | 20 km |
| Sun, Sep 30, 2012 | Rest |
| Training Week 7/12 | |
| Mon, Oct 1, 2012 | 8 km |
| Tue, Oct 2, 2012 | 5 x 1600 m |
| Wed, Oct 3, 2012 | 8 km |
| Thu, Oct 4, 2012 | 16 km |
| Fri, Oct 5, 2012 | Rest |
| Sat, Oct 6, 2012 | 24 km |
| Sun, Oct 7, 2012 | Rest |
| Training Week 8/12 | |
| Mon, Oct 8, 2012 | 8 km |
| Tue, Oct 9, 2012 | 8 km on machine |
| Wed, Oct 10, 2012 | 8 km |
| Thu, Oct 11, 2012 | 8 x 200 m |
| Fri, Oct 12, 2012 | Rest |
| Sat, Oct 13, 2012 | 24 km |
| Sun, Oct 14, 2012 | Rest |
| Training Week 9/12 | |
| Mon, Oct 15, 2012 | 8 km |
| Tue, Oct 16, 2012 | 6 x 200 m |
| Wed, Oct 17, 2012 | 8 km |
| Thu, Oct 18, 2012 | 5 x 1600 m |
| Fri, Oct 19, 2012 | Rest |
| Sat, Oct 20, 2012 | 24 km |
| Sun, Oct 21, 2012 | Rest |
| Training Week 10/12 | |
| Mon, Oct 22, 2012 | 8 km |
| Tue, Oct 23, 2012 | 8 km |
| Wed, Oct 24, 2012 | 8 km |
| Thu, Oct 25, 2012 | 6 x 800 m |
| Fri, Oct 26, 2012 | Rest |
| Sat, Oct 27, 2012 | 10 km on machine |
| Sun, Oct 28, 2012 | Rest |
| Training Week 11/12 | |
| Mon, Oct 29, 2012 | 8 km |
| Tue, Oct 30, 2012 | 5 x 1600 m |
| Wed, Oct 31, 2012 | 8 km |
| Thu, Nov 1, 2012 | 16 km |
| Fri, Nov 2, 2012 | Rest |
| Sat, Nov 3, 2012 | 20 km |
| Sun, Nov 4, 2012 | Rest |
| Training Week 12/12 | |
| Mon, Nov 5, 2012 | 8 km |
| Tue, Nov 6, 2012 | 5 x 1600 m |
| Wed, Nov 7, 2012 | 8 km |
| Thu, Nov 8, 2012 | 5 km |
| Fri, Nov 9, 2012 | Rest |
Methodology: How I See This Working
I filmed a short video while out doing 8 x 400 m sprint training on the weekend, and shared it here for you to understanding my methodology better.
Check out the video here, and the notes below amplify the message. Let me know if relating this story while I am out of breath between sprints is a distraction at all. I was hoping it added some authenticity to what I have been doing (albeit, would be good if I wasn’t so much gasping!)
Essentially, there are five parts to this journey to help alleviate child mortality:
Part 1: 10 City Bridge Run. The Run.
This is essentially a stunt. Running 10 sub-marathons of 24 km in 10 cities across 10 countries all inside of one month. Is it necessary? I think so. Is it possible? Only if it is funded through crowdfunding at www.pozible.com/lifebridge. Please don’t feel compelled to support me. I am not into guilt trips. If it doesn’t get funded I will have no option other than to close this down. A missed opportunity. We can do better than that.
Part 2: Outcome 1 – The book, ‘Life Bridge’.
This will be a beautifully produced photo-pictorial book with 100 photographs of human bridges. It is something we are going to create, and will tell a story of strength through connection. More on that later.
Part 3: Outcome 2 – Design Forum to be held in each city I run.
This is perhaps the most important aspect of this project. To go and see, and to capture lessons and stories. The Design Forum won’t necessarily be huge. It is the conversation that is important. The conversation will continue long after the Design Forum is completed. Innovation as a process to help alleviate child mortality is what this is about, and the vehicle is a human bridge.
Part 4: Outcome 3 – 10 Tangible Ways To Make A Difference.
From the experience and contribution of ideas people will be making during the journey, especially through the Design Forum, a co-created list of 10 Tangible Ways To Make A Difference will be collated. I owe this suggestion to Charles Tsai, an impressive social entrepreneur from Canada who impact has been felt internationally.
Part 5: Outcome 4 – Three year Plan (2013-2015)
Another great social entrepreneur, Paul Polak, inspired this outcome through his book ‘Out of Poverty: what works when traditional approaches fail‘. Paul argues that working from three-year plans is most effective to create change. This will be the expression of the 10 Tangible Ways to Make A Difference into some measurable way that people can contribute in some form (not simply in money) to help alleviate child mortality.
There is by coincidence a three year window between now and 2015. How might this be used to help bridge the existing efforts with other people who might be able to do more but are not engaged? Worth examining further. I believe so.
I am not promising a silver bullet, nor I am suggesting that this effort will solve a problem where others have failed. We have all failed together. Looking after each other is all our responsibility.
Life Bridge is an aspirational project to inspire the capacity for change. I believe it will make a difference. I do need your support to make this work. I can’t do this on my own, and their is no intention for that to be the case either. Please join me on the journey through sponsoring me at www.pozible.com/lifebridge.
Do me a favour, and please forward and RT this link. I need you to step up. Please help.
Six Bridges of Connection to Jackie-O
Kyle, Jackie-O. So good to meet last year- can you remember this photo we took together? Ok, maybe you were a little two-dimensional then (just a cut-out). You had a night-time sandwich bar operating at the studio. Getting a free sandwich was good, but not quite as good as what it would be like to meet you in person.
I know that much of what is written about you both sometimes just skims the surface. But I know that you both go a little deeper.
Jackie: great to see Kitty arrive safely into the world, and the photos on your website are just beautiful. Can we talk about your pregnancy? That must have been a life-changing experience for you and Lee, not just the complications before birth but more importantly everything you have blessed with since. It is wonderful news!
I am running 10 sub-marathons each of 24 km in 10 cities across 10 countries all inside of one month starting 10 October this year to raise awareness for how we might help to alleviate child mortality. Your story inspires me Jackie. Would you be open to helping inspire actions that make healthy births a reality for many in the developing world who presently face a 20% chance of tragedy?
Love to talk. Can we? Will you? Please join me in the journey to make a difference.
You can read more here at http://www.pozible.com/lifebridge.
20 Laps of Sydney Harbour Bridge: Training Run 24 August
My training run for this Friday. 20 laps of Sydney Harbour Bridge = 24 km. Each lap is about 1.2 km, so the distance is pretty good.
Come and join me if you want- happy to walk a lap with you if you want to take it more gently, or just come and say hello from one of the ends of the bridge. If you want to run a couple of laps, or even just one (or two for the return trip), please leave a comment and I will make sure we meet up together. I will be running between 5 pm and 7 pm, and you will know where to find me…
I like running across the bridge. Great view. The foot traffic around that time might get a little busy, and I will just have to fit in with the crowd as best as I can if that is the case.
Rescheduled my training run of 24 km this week from today to Friday.
Check out a brief video talking about this run:
Forget Everything You Thought You Knew About Strength
My favourite inspirational video, maybe of all time. Sit back, turn the music up, and get fired up for the next 1:30. If this does nothing for you, go and see a doctor: you need your heart checked.
Strength, perseverance and determination. Qualities we all admire. This video about the 2012 London Paraolympics paints a different perspective. It’s time to do battle. Meet the Superhumans.
I need your support too. I am going to run 10 sub-marathons each of 24 km in 10 cities across 10 countries all inside of one month. I am doing this to raise awareness of how we can alleviate child mortality.
Please join me on my journey by supporting my endeavour. Details of what I am doing, and why I am doing it, along with details of how you can support are here on http://www.pozible.com/lifebridge
Enjoy the video. Let me know what you find best about it.
The Not-So-Coffee-Free Friday: Part 2
Today, I have rescheduled my training, and will run six laps between Pyrmont Bridge and Anzac Bridge (4.2 km one way) to cover a 24 km distance. Along the way, I am hoping to stop by for a quick coffee with my good friend Annette Higgins (caffeine is a good stimulant for increasing athletic performance). Consider sponsoring me $4 (you only need to do it once ever)- the cost of a coffee- while I am running.
You can do this through the link here at http://www.pozible.com/lifebridge. It is a crowdfunding site, which means many people contribute small amounts to fund a creative project.
Next week, I will run 20 laps of the Sydney Harbour Bridge (1.2 km one way) during a training run. You are welcome to join me for the whole distance or just one lap. Happy to slow to a walking pace (for one lap) if that suits you best!
Times are tight. I know that. But would you play a small part in my journey by sponsoring me $4?
Actually, there are no small parts in this journey. Everyone has their place, and even $4 makes a big difference to the outcome: helping to alleviate child mortality. Read more about how I believe I can make a difference with your help at the link above.
Thanks for coming on the journey.
Go To Where The Action Is
A number of friends recently challenged me on why I had planned to go to the cities I had chosen to visit. “Ought you to spend more time in places inside of Africa?” they asked.
Initially, I argued on the basis of the narrative that I had formed. This was how I could justify visiting places like London.
But as I thought more about the advice that my friends were giving me, I realised that they were right. Watching a video by Paul Polak around the same time closed the deal for me. His advice in order to make change was to ‘go to where the action is’.
That meant ditching London, Banda Aceh and Fukushima, and instead embracing three new countries inside of Africa. The journey has taken a different twist now, and I think for the better.
I re-recorded a video I had made to reflect the changes, and you can watch it below here:
Building Bridges 