Endurance in the name of Mental Health Education

08/01/2020

Hello followers of Endurance in the name of Mental Health Education.

Thank you all so much for your support in the lead up to the Alpine Classic 320km bike ride. An event I decided to attempt to really push myself physically and mentally while raising awareness and funds for batyr.

Due to the devastating fires that are wiping out our beautiful country one day at a time, the call has been made for Alpine Classic to cancel this years event.

I trained hard, rode many kms in training for this event but I am not sad because I 100% agree with the decision at this time. I’m not sad because I enjoyed every bike ride, all the adventures the training for this ride took me on and the milestones I reached. I am not sad because it is just a bike ride that I can do another time to support the Alpine Region. I am however, very sad about the lives, animals and land lost over the last weeks and months.

Endurance in the name of Mental Health Education isn’t and was never intended to be just one event. I will be back with more exciting news and ultra-endurance events to follow in the coming days. I will continue to try and make a difference by using my love for endurance to raise awareness to smash the stigma on Mental Health ❤️

26/12/2019

250km today dedicated to those who are spending Christmas without a loved one ❤️

Sending strength your way at this time of year.

Always grateful for my family and all the fun times we share together!

One month to go until I attempt the Alpine Classic 320km. My longest ride and highest elevation gain today. It was an awesome day out, from feeling rubbish this morning to quickly changing my mindset... it always comes back to how lucky I feel to be able to ride on the Great Ocean Road, there is something so magical and free about it! This is the longest ride I will do before the day... got to leave something to the imagination! 😳😂

01/12/2019

It’s been a little while since my last post but the kilometres are still ticking over, my legs are heavy and my butt hurts, But the spirit is high!

I took a quick trip to Bright over the weekend to ride some big girl hills and Rejig my memory of the kind of terrain I am to expect on the big day! 🚴🏼‍♀️⛰

This weekend I really saw the power of what a positive mind can do. Not once did I think ‘I can’t’, not once did I think ‘this sucks’ and not once did I think ‘this is too hard’. My thought processes were, to share a few... ‘Theres no such thing as bad weather (when snow is forecast! 🤪)’, ‘how GOOD is this?!’, ‘is this really real?’, ‘this view is incredible’, ‘I love climbing’ and of course... ‘I am so incredibly grateful to be here’. 😍

On Saturday I left Melbourne at 6am, we were on the bike by 9:30, rode to the top of Mt Buffalo by 11:30, rode down and across to the top of Mt Hotham by 4:30 and back to Bright for Pizza at 6:30. One of the best days I’ve ever had. The stoke level as you reach the top of the mountain you’ve been climbing for 2.5hrs is so high and the views were 110% worth it! 180km and 4000m elevation

On Sunday we geared up for another big day with the intention of riding from Bight, over Towonga Gap to the top of Falls Creek and then back the same way, a 120km day with 2500m elevation. We were highly ambitious climbing Falls Creek as a snow storm was forecast! But sometimes you have to have a little bit of adventure otherwise there is no story to tell! We decided to turn around just before the Top as it was snowing and we had to still get down! Unfortunately the weather won over us and we had to call it a day half way down the mountain due to safety. We were so lucky Kath was at the Bogong Power Station who welcomed us in, turned the heating on, made us hot drinks and wrapped us up in blankets while we waited for Ayla to pick us up.

Although the trip didn’t end as we had hoped, it was such an awesome weekend of riding bikes along side my best friend and riding buddy 💕

I loved every minute and it definitely opened my eyes to how big this challenge is, no turning back now... just shy of 2 months until I will take on Mt Buffalo, Mt Hotham, Falls Creek and Towonga Gap, 320km all in ONE DAY!

Why am I doing this? I am on a mission to Smash the Stigma alongside batyr. I’m challenging myself both physically and mentally in the name of Mental Health Education; Giving a Voice to the Elephant in the Room.

Want to get involved in helping me achieve this goal as well as raise funds for batyr?

Send me a message or you can donate through this link 🙌🏼💕

https://www.givenow.com.au/crowdraiser/public/enduranceinthenameofmentalhealtheducation

21/11/2019

💙

20/11/2019

No matter how you feel, Get up, Dress up, Show up and Never give up. 🙌🏼

If you asked me if I was to ride 200km at 5:30am this morning I would’ve said HELL NO! Late nights and a few stressful days meant I was tired and unmotivated this morning. But the weather forecast was too good to miss out, so I got myself out there and... had the ride of my life! ☀️

First time hitting 200km after spontaneously adding the extra 20km to my planned route, feeling so good I couldn’t quite believe it! No wiping the smile off my face today! Thank you weather man, amazing what a little bit of sunshine can do! ☺️ (fresh legs also help!)

Throughout the 7+ hours I couldn’t help but think how fortunate I am to be able to spend the day riding my bike in such an amazing part of the world 🙌🏼 Grateful for Mum and Dad who gave me a leave pass from moving house too! Welcome to Ocean Grove! 🥰

Now, I’ve done my part it would be amazing if you could help me out with a little donation to my fundraising page for batyr. These funds raised go to creating more ‘Being Herd’ programs provided to young Australians to feel comfortable speaking up and sharing their stories with mental ill-health to help others who may be struggling in silence. . Myself and the team at Batyr would be forever grateful for any small or large donation you can spare. Thank you so much! 💕

https://www.givenow.com.au/crowdraiser/public/enduranceinthenameofmentalhealtheducation

17/11/2019

100km before 9am with superstar Annabel on her new whip! 🚴🏼‍♀️😍 rounding off a ‘lighter week’ before stepping up the kms again next week! Hopefully in some warmer weather 🤞🏼

Straight into supporting the 2XU Triathlon Series and Roz Richards in her debut Triathlon Event!! From the queue and the smiles, it was a great success! Get around this Mobile Myotherapy service to keep you on track towards your next event 🙌🏼 Proud of you Roz and thanks for your support, always! 💙

Training can take up a lot of time, but supporting those who support me will always be my number one priority 🥰

16/11/2019

Stoked with my new top to rock around my new ’block’! 💙

At the moment I’m ‘Riding for the Herd’ but my next big goal will definitely be ‘Running for the Herd!’ 🙌🏼 (stay tuned, training has started!)

Why ‘the Herd’? batyr is named after Batyr (‘hero’), The Talking Elephant from Kazakhstan. Batyr provide programs to allow young adults to ‘give a voice to the elephant in the room’ by sharing their lived experiences with mental ill-health, to inspire other young adults to speak up and ensure they’re not alone on this journey called ‘life’. 🐘 You can be apart of the Herd too... either by supporting me on my upcoming challenges or signing up for a fun run as part of the Batyr ‘Run for the Herd’ team and raise your own funds! 🥳

For more info on what I’m up to...
https://ally-duff-endurance.squarespace.com 💕

11/11/2019

I N S P I R E D ✨

Thank you batyr for an awesome evening experiencing one of your ‘Being Herd’ programs!

I chose Batyr as my organisation of choice for ‘Endurance in the name of Mental Health Education’ because I strongly believe in their work in creating a safe and engaging environment to ‘give a voice to the elephant in the room’.

Your kind donations and support go toward increasing the amount of schools, unis and workplaces who get to experience one of Batyr’s programs. Inspiring more people to speak up and seek help.

Thank you to those who spoke about their lived experiences and the Batyr team running the show.

Let’s all get on board, no donation too big or too small... it’s all a step in the right direction in spreading the word 🎊 Much love 💕

https://ally-duff-endurance.squarespace.com

10/11/2019

Longest Ride and Highest Elevation Gain ✅ 180km, 3,300m ⛰

This challenge is insane. I still don’t think I know what I’ve signed up for. But I do know each ride I am getting physically and most importantly mentally stronger.

I spent almost 6 hours on this one section of road today, going up for 15km and flying back down... 4 times. If that’s not going to test you mentally I’m not sure what will.

The first two climbs went by fairly easily, the third I started to get a dreaded stitch (most likely because I scoffed down lunch because it was arctic conditions). I focused on my breathing and controlling my heart rate and fought against the thoughts of ‘maybe I can’t do it a fourth time’.

At the bottom of the 3rd climb I put my headphones in for the first time on the ride (these only come out when desperate!) and sang my way up (Thank god for B.E.P 🎤), my eyes fixed on the road in front. I didn’t check my watch once, by this stage I knew the road very well so I just focused on moving forward, controlling my breathing and drinking! Fourth climb complete! 🥳

As I said before, this challenge is insane but I can’t help but think of how much I want to make an impact through batyr. That’s what gets me through 💪🏼

You can find out how to support me on this journey through this link

https://ally-duff-endurance.squarespace.com/support

08/11/2019

A friendly reminder from the team at batyr 💕

Happy Friday! Thank you all for your support 🥰

06/11/2019

138km, 5hours40mins and 1700m elevation in 30+km/hr winds! Another hard day out... (they all seem to be!! But I do love it... getting comfortable being uncomfortable and testing the limits 💪🏼)

A slow start with loose cleats on my shoes (quick detour back home to fix) and dodgey gears to start but all was fixed and the ride continued at 6am this morning!

Starting with some steeper hills in the Highton area (40sec Challambra PB woop woop!) before meeting Millie for our Wednesday 80km loop. The wind was ST-RONG!! A head wind to start which was crazy but ok as we knew we would have a cross/tail wind for the longer sections of the ride and then we finished with a brutal head / cross wind home! The wind destroyed me! Thanks Millie for the tow as I struggled back to Waurn Ponds 🥵

Straight to Woolies to get some more fuel into me. A Powerade, Red Bull and trusty Snickers Bar. Along with Bakers Delights kitchen banging out Taylor Swift tunes I felt like I had some energy to get going back into the head wind. 4km later I decided I needed another break to allow for the red bull to kick in (hopeful) and mentally refresh as I had Cochranes Hill, Scenic Rd and Queens Park all to climb before getting home.. all into a head wind or a mighty cross wind (blowing me sideways). I was well and truely cooked but... I did need to get home. So up I went... one foot infront of the other. Surprisingly the hills weren’t the problem it was just the wind that I had an issue with 🤯 (old Ally wouldn’t ride in these windy conditions 🤭)

Lessons learnt today...
• DO NOT wait until 3hrs into your ride to start eating 🤦🏼‍♀️
• Riding with friends into a headwind is so much more fun than on your own! Thanks Millie 🥰
• Red Bull does not give you wings! 🥵
• For Millie Chapman.... don’t forget your contacts! 🤓

06/11/2019

Love this! 💕

"Today was a Difficult Day," said Pooh.

There was a pause.

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Piglet.

"No," said Pooh after a bit. "No, I don't think I do."

"That's okay," said Piglet, and he came and sat beside his friend.

"What are you doing?" asked Pooh.

"Nothing, really," said Piglet. "Only, I know what Difficult Days are like. I quite often don't feel like talking about it on my Difficult Days either.

"But goodness," continued Piglet, "Difficult Days are so much easier when you know you've got someone there for you. And I'll always be here for you, Pooh."

And as Pooh sat there, working through in his head his Difficult Day, while the solid, reliable Piglet sat next to him quietly, swinging his little legs...he thought that his best friend had never been more right."

Sending our thoughts to those having a Difficult Day today and hope you have your own Piglet to sit beside you 🧡

Original source unknown.