I Never Imagined Where Running Could Take Me
If you know me, you might be surprised to know that once upon a time, I could not run to save my life.
I had the realisation about 5 years ago that I wanted to feel more fit and healthy, with the simple objective of wanting to go further on trails and see more in nature.
I bought a new sports watch to track my steps, and I went for my first run in a very, very, VERY long time.
Never could I have imagined where it would take me.
The beginning of my running journey
In 2019, I had started to suffer under the toil of 80-hour weeks at work, living upstairs at the gym I worked, and the consequences of neglecting my health.
In an attempt to regain some “balance”, I started trying to go for more walks outside and more hikes in national parks. I really enjoyed hiking and my curiosity to explore created a need for increased cardiovascular fitness.
I asked for a Garmin sports watch for that birthday and my hyper-fixation on data started with counting my steps.
Long story short, I started running.
I began by trying to run laps around the football field near my house as running laps at soccer training was the most familiar form of running I knew.
It wasn’t pretty; in fact I couldn’t run more than 200m without my back seizing up. I huffed and puffed, but persisted long enough where I could start to run a few km at a time.
Then I set my eyes on a 5km run. Once I did that, I tried to do that faster and faster. When I hit the goal I had set myself in the 5km, I worked towards a 10km run.
During that process, things changed.
I was out on a run that was meant to be 8km, but I made the mistake of listening to David Goggins’ audiobook, Can't Hurt Me, and that 8km run turned into a 14km run.
“I don't stop when I'm tired. I stop when I'm done” - David Goggins
As soon as I got home from that run, I wanted to try a 50km run.
Pushing the limits
I started running more and more, ticking off a half marathon, a 30km run and then I went for my first 50km run.
To this day, that 50km run was probably the hardest run I’ve ever done.
Every part of my legs were cramping, I vomited 4 or 5 times, and quickly realised I was not prepared to run 50km. However, I did it.
I can’t recall the exact time frame here but I believe it was towards the end of the year.
Despite how difficult I found that 50km, I was still excited by the prospect of running further. So I set the goal to run 100km in April 2020.
I learnt so much while training for that 100km run. Dealing with overuse injuries, figuring out the benefits of the different kinds of running training strategies, learning about hydration and nutrition, and about the mindset needed to run long distance.
Although I wish I learnt some of those things at a different time… Let me explain.
Three weeks before the run I suffered an ankle injury, which left me essentially unable to run for the last 3 weeks of prep. Not ideal. You may also have noticed the date and recall a rather significant world event that was happening then (the c word).
Living in Sydney at the time, just 3 days before the run was set to take place, the trusty government began to enforce a 5km radius that we were meant to stay within.
5km radius, 100km run. Doesn’t quite add up… I did the run anyway.
I ran 100km south from Sydney through the Royal National Park. Despite the challenges, I managed to complete my first solo 100km run and somehow still wanted more despite it being another pretty brutal experience with a knee injury 60km in, issues finding water, and just generally not being fit enough.
Going the extra mile
So in November of that same year I set my sights on a 24 hour run. To give it extra meaning, I turned it into a fundraiser for mental health within Australia, partnering with Beyond Blue.
The run itself was a brutal experience. I broke both of my feet 13 hours in, the nutrition I brought went rancid in the heat during the day, and the night went so cold and windy I began to stiffen up.
Despite the difficulties, I managed to keep going for a full 24 hours, and ended up covering 170.3km, raising a massive $20,000 - it was a very proud moment for me.
Running alone for 24-hours taught me a lot, and I pushed myself so hard that, at the time, I never wanted to run again.
Almost never. I moved over to track sprinting and set my targets on a sub 12 second 100m sprint. After dedicating the rest of 2020 and most of 2021 sprint training, I hit my goal, running an 11.94s 100m.
As I reflected upon my training, I realised something was missing. Despite the enjoyment I got from developing the technical aspects of sprinting, I began to miss the arduous, relentless challenge of endurance running and the way it could help me to grow and develop as a person.
So in November I started running long-distance again, setting myself a new challenge under the banner of a new fundraiser.
The 999 Project
The 999 Project - 9 marathons, over 9 consecutive days in 9 different cities.
I did this in April 2022, 2 months after marrying my beautiful wife, on the first leg of our new journey, living out of our newly refurbished campervan.
You read that correctly, Day 1 of The 999 Project was also Day 1 after packing up our home and setting off into full-time van life, which spanned the following 9 months (but that’s another story for another day).
We travelled north from Sydney up the beautiful east coast of Australia, with the 9th and final city being Byron Bay.
Each day we travelled to a new city, each day I ran a marathon, for 9 days straight, running 78km on the final day to represent the 78% of men who account for suicides in Australia.
I haven’t stopped running a day since, and I have no plans to stop. In fact, I have run for the past 850+ days and I know tomorrow won’t be the day that streak ends.
Where running could take you
When I first started running, I had no idea it would become such a centrepiece of my life.
I’ve travelled across Australia, explored some incredible places along the way, and ran basically every trail of the Australian outback wrapping up through North QLD, across to Northern Territory, around Uluru, down through South Australia finally making my way to Perth, Western Australia, where I now live.
I grew my business, won some races, raised thousands of dollars for charity, travelled internationally, met countless amazing people, grew as a person, influenced the lives of many, and ultimately found my passions because of the day I started running.
So if you’ve been thinking about starting to run, the possibilities are absolutely endless. You have no idea how many incredible places it can take you, how many wonderful things it has to offer you, and how it will change your life - as it has changed mine.
If that’s not reason enough to start, I don’t know what is.
And if you need some guidance to get started, get in touch with me.
Yours in running and life,
Daniel Lucchini
