JANUARY
1 Jan: New Years Day (public holiday)
11 Jan - 5 Feb: Jan Boot Camp
26 Jan: Australia Day (public holiday)
FEBRUARY
8 Feb - 5 Mar: Feb Boot Camp 'Get Started' Boot Camp
13 Feb: Paddy Pallin Adventure Race Canberra
19 - 21 Feb: Stromlo Running Festival
MARCH
8 Mar: Canberra Day (Public Holiday)
6 - 8 Mar: Proposed Coast Challenge Weekend or 4 event challenge in Canberra (TBC)
8 Mar - 2 Apr: March Boot Camp 'Get Started' Boot Camp
26 - 27 Mar: Relay For Life
APRIL
2 April: Easter Boot Camp & Breakfast (Good Friday)
5 April: Easter Monday (Public Holiday)
24 - 26 Apr: PhyZeek With Altitude (Anzac Day Public Holiday) or Golf Day (TBC)
6 - 30 Apr: Apr Boot Camp
MAY
1 - 2 May: Wild 100 (Blue Mountains)
3 - 28 May: May Boot Camp
29 - 30 May: Capital Punishment (MTB, Canberra)
JUNE
14 June: Queens Birthday (Public Holiday)
31 May - 25 Jun: June Boot Camp
20 June: Canada Fun Run
JULY
28 Jun - 23 July: July Boot Camp
AUGUST
8 Aug: The City To Surf (Sydney)
26 Jul - 20 Aug: August Boot Camp
SEPTEMBER
23 Aug - 17 Sept: September Boot Camp
22/9 - 3/10: Round Raratonga Road Race & Festival (Cook Islands - TBC)
27 Sept: Family & Community Day (public holiday ACT)
OCTOBER
4 Oct: Labour Day (public holiday ACT)
20 Sept - 15 Oct: Oct Boot Camp
NOVEMBER
5, 6, 7 Nov: PhyZeek At The Beach
18 Oct - 12 Nov: November Boot Camp
27 Nov: Paddy Pallin Adventure Race Canberra (TBC)
DECEMBER
11 Dec: PhyZeek Christmas Party
15 Nov - 17 Dec: December Boot Camp (5 weeks)
20 - 24 Dec: PhyZeek CHALLENGE Week
27 Dec: Christmas Day Public Holiday ACT
28 Dec: Boxing Day Public Holiday ACT
The last couple of months have been HUGE for PhyZeek! In October we were awarded the Fitness Australia Peoples Choice Award for NSW and more recently
we won the Fitness Australian National People's Choice Award. Winning any award is an awesome achievement, but winning an award because our
clients have voted for us is extremely humbling. A big thank you to Melanie Howard for taking some great photos for us in celebration of this award.
Nicole and I would like to thank all PhyZeekers that voted in this year's awards and we would also like to taking this opportunity to thank all of our
clients once again, for your on-going support and commit to PhyZeek and to your own lifestyle and fitness. We look forward to celebrating these awards
with all PhyZeekers at our Christmas Party on 12 December...
Earlier in November the annual PhyZeek At The Beach, Beach Boot Camp weekend was held. 14 PhyZeekers took part in what was definitely an EXTREME weekend on
fitness and fun in Narooma. PhyZeekers were split into 4 teams and they all came up with their own team names:
Beached Whales: Brooke, Jo, Dave & Danny
JAK's and That: Adrian, Julie & Kylie
Gluteus Maximus: AJ, Dan, Mark & Mel
The Incredibles: Holly, Pete, Kate & Gareth
The weekend's activities included kayaking, bike riding, running, scavenger hunts, sand castle building, a triathlon, relays, surfing, tai chi and more. We
also enjoyed some great meals, laughs and great company. At the conclusion of the weekend it was JAK's and That that won the overall points tally. Adrian
was voted by PhyZeekers as 'BootCampers Boot Camper of the Weekend' and Julie was awarded Trainers Boot Camper of the Weekend.
Thanks to Caz, Claire, Kate, Mel & Sal for making some delicious food and snacks and also for your help over the weekend. Thanks to all PhyZeekers who
attending this weekend and for making it a successful, enjoyable and rewarding weekend for everyone.
We look forward to doing it all over again next year.
PhyZeek held our first Easter Friday Boot Camp and Special Family Event! The event was bigger than we ever imagined with over 45 adults and 35 children joining us
for a morning of exercise, breakfast and fun.
The Adults event commenced at 7.45am with a range of challenges and activities at Nara Park, followed up with hill sprints at Parliament House and a run down past
the National Gallery of Australia. Over 1 ˝ hrs of exercise for most!
And.. while the Adults were put through their paces with Mike; the kids had loads of fun with their own 'mini' Boot Camp. For an hour the kids participated in
various activities including Star Jumps, Hurdles, Jumping, Squats, Musical Statues, Stuck In The Mud and Relay Races... then - the EASTER BUNNY arrived loaded with
chocolate eggs for all the kids! After a meet and greet, the Easter Bunny showed the kids to the 'magical garden' where all the chocolate eggs could be found...
and the 'hunt' began!
Special thanks to Sal, Kathryn, Mel, Brooke and Amee for helping Nicole keep the kids entertained. Thanks for Scott Cameron and Nicole's Parents; Brian and Wilma
for cooking up a storm on the BBQ, thanks to Mark for the use of his generator and powerboard - which meant we could make smoothies! And thanks to everyone who
helped us set up and pack up and to all the Boot Campers who participated in the day. There was not only a great group of adults taking part but all of the kids
that attended were extremely well behaved, polite, helpful with the younger kids and respectful.
It was a great way to start off our morning and the Easter Weekend and an absolute pleasure spending the morning with great friends and valued clients. Welcome to
PhyZeek for those of you who have not trained with us before - we hope your first PhyZeek experience was a good one (and that you didn't pull up too sore afterwards!)
and finally, we would like to wish everyone a safe and happy Easter break.
Mike & Nicole
Relay For Life 2009 27th - 28th March 2009, Australian Institute of Sports, Canberra
This year 24 PhyZeekers participated in the Relay For Life. Together we raised in excess of $7000 for The Cancer Council ACT and
kept our baton moving around the track with 639 laps in 24 hours.
While the 'official' baton was kept in action, the 'unofficial' lap tally continued to rise also. The PhyZeek team was split into
2. Team PHYZ and Team ZEEK. PhyZeekers were encouraged to continue moving around the track, completing as many laps as possible in
the 24 hour period.
The 2 team Captains definitely lead by example! Megan - captain of Team Zeek clocked up a total of 120 laps and Pete - captain of
Team PhyZ 133 laps. Special mention should also go out to Adrian who between 8am and 6pm on Saturday, completed 100 laps - bringing
his overall total to 150 (the most individual laps by a PhyZeeker this year).
The majority of the team stayed for the whole 24 hour period and whilst by Saturday afternoon they were all a little stiff and tired,
they didn't give up! Even Shannon from The Biggest Loser was impressed! He even stopped off at our campsite for a quick group photo!!
Congratulations to the PhyZeek team on another outstanding effort at the Relay For Life. The total raised for The Cancer Council
ACT by PhyZeekers over the past 12 months is in excess of $17,000... which is just awesome!
Thanks to everyone who brought tents, tables, BBQ's, chairs etc and for your help with food preparation and clean up (thanks Serina
for cleaning all the BBQ utensils and to Jo and Mark for making salads!!).
Thanks to those who donated to our team and thanks to everyone who participated.
Nicole and I truly appreciate your commitment to the Relay For Life in 2009, your commitment to your own fitness and also your
commitment and support of PhyZeek Personal Training.
We look forward to doing it all over again in 2010.
The Inaugural PhyZeek At The Beach training weekend was held over 7, 8 & 9 November, staying at the Island View Resort
in Narooma.
19 PhyZeekers took the challenge including Dan Fasch from Jerrabomberra Physiotherapy, Ross and Kaliegh Blake from
JuicePlus+, Nicole and myself.
Ross and Kaliegh shared their knowledge of JuicePlus+, general nutrition and eating habits with the group on the first
night. Remember PhyZeekers WHITE BREAD (or Crack as Ross calls it) IS DEATH!
Dan proved to be an asset to the weekend events, not only providing a talk on Friday night regarding injury prevention and
care, but he also provided a massage and injury management service to all clients (as well as joining us for most of the
boot camp activities!) yes, Dan had a busy weekend (and he has since joined the Jerra 2 Day Boot Camp - welcome Dan!!)
Friday night consisted of BBQ dinner, introductions and as mentioned previously a talk by Dan, Ross & Kaliegh. We also went
through the schedule for the following day (and some general housekeeping rules eg. boys toilets/girls toilets, sleeping in
PJ's etc - you know.. normal stuff!).
PhyZeekers were split into 4 teams:
STINKY PITS - Celina, Amanda, Dave & Adrian
TEAM OBAMA - Zoe, Sarah, Andrew & Alex
JUICY PHYZ - Ross, Jo, Steve & Deb
CRACK HEADS - Pete, Floss, Danny & Kaliegh
(Dan and Nicole were the subs)
Saturday morning we were up bright and early and after a quick smoothies for breakfast the weekend of 'torture' began (just
kidding - it wasn't that bad!). A 3km run to Wagonga Inlet was just the beginning... We met up with our Kayak guide Lyndell
(Lighthouse Charters Narooma) by the water. Lyndell told us a little about the ecology of the inlet, the wildlife and a little
history of the area then we set off for a 1˝ hr kayaking adventure. It was a little windy and rough on the water the start,
but it wasn't long before the wind calmed and the morning turned out perfect for kayaking; this place was absolutely unreal.
A nice balance of hard work and 'leisure' paddling. Special mention to Danny was awarded 'runner up' in the best wipe-out
competition after his attempt to splash a fellow kayaker didn't quite work out as planned! It wasn't good enough to knock
Sarah off the top of the table though, with her massive wipe-out infront of the café!!
Most PhyZeekers had never kayaked before and now can't wait to do it again. After a quick brunch and pack up we headed back
to Island View - on foot, and sharing the duty of 'kayak carrier' for the duration.
Following a quick rest the Beach Volleyball/Burpee Battle began...
After lunch, we were all set for an epic 3 hour session on the beach. PhyZeekers split into their teams and did everything
from digging their own graves, collecting water, filling and carrying army ammo canisters and buckets, water running and rope
carrying to running sand dunes, piggy back rides and agility drills...
When 5 o'clock came around we were all ready for a good rest, nice meal and a couple of quiet drinks. Oh and a massage or two.
In the evening, points were awarded for:
Best Team Name: Winner - Team Obama
Most Creative Push Up: Winner - Crack Heads (honourable mention to Stinky Pits for their efforts including the use of a grape)
The 'Tube': Winner - Team Obama (thanks to Alex)
Longest Plank: Winner - Stink Pits (thanks to Dave)
Sunday morning saw a sleep in to 6.30am (yes - that is a sleep in for some of us!). An intense 1˝ hr beach session featuring
'Fight Gone Bad' was followed by a cooked breakfast... at 10am, nine PhyZeekers took to the waves for a surf lesson, Celina and
loss went for a bike ride and the rest of the crew were entertained by some whales (no I don't mean the surfers, but they were
entertaining too!). The 'Surfer of the day' award went to Deb for not only staying up the longest but following it up with a
pretty funny wipe-out.
By 1pm we had finished all of the training, had lunch and were ready to head for home. Awards were presented before we left:
WINNING TEAM: Crack Heads
BOOT CAMPERS BOOT CAMPER: Floss and Zoe (voted by the Boot Campers)
BOOT CAMPER OF THE WEEKEND: Dave Hall (decided by Mike & Nicole)
BEST WIPE-OUT: Sarah
SURFER OF THE DAY: Deb
Everyone put in a mammoth effort - making it was hard to just pick one outstanding Boot Camper - well done everyone.
Nicole and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The 1st PhyZeek At The Beach training weekend was a huge success and what a great group
of people to spend a weekend with.
A big thank you to Nicole's friends Claire and Caz for helping prepare the food, Adrian for his help with transporting equipment
(yes you can blame Adrian for the ropes making it to the beach!), everyone who helped out at the BBQ or in the kitchen and once
again a very special thank you to all that participated - we couldn't have done it without you.
Stay tuned for information regarding the PhyZeek with Altitude Training Weekend, coming up in March 2009 - hope to see you all there!!
- Mike & Nicole
Feedback from PhyZeekers that attended this weekend: Mike and Nicole, you put on a fantastic weekend. You are a lovely couple and I thoroughly enjoyed your company. As I have a
some budget restrictions I cannot do boot camp on a weekly basis as I have a gym membership commitment already however please
include me on all weekend trips. I'm there no matter where you are going! Thanks again for a fantastic weekend! :) - Alex.
Thank you for a wonderful weekend and to congratulate you guys for your success in both Beach Bootcamp and Phyzeek. I am really
impressed with what I have seen over the past 8 months and look forward to the next 12+ months. I would never have thought that
I would get a such a kick out of exercising and really I think this comes down to Mike's attitude. If he was any harder in his
approach to making people do what they didn't want to it probably wouldn't work as well as it does. Mike, you are an excellent
communicator and a really good bloke! I just hope you enjoy what you do and much as we all do!!! - Dave.
I had a great weekend. Being the "north side outsiders" we were made to feel very welcome by everyone and especially you
and Nicole. I met some great people and enjoyed getting to know them all. Thanks for all the fun training, the support,
encouragement and laughs. - Cheers, Rachel "Floss" Garbutt. PS. Lovin' my stubbie cooler!
A dedicated group of PhyZeekers took to the streets of Sydney for the City To Surf on 10 August. This was a first
for many of our runners who soon found that the challenge wasn't only running the race, but also battling the
crowd - with over 70,000 people taking the plunge.
The participants were broken up into 4 groups RED (serious runners with previous times under 75mins), GREEN (times
under 100mins), BLUE (1st timers - runners) and YELLOW (back of the pack group, mainly made up of walkers, some
runners that registered too late, social butterflies and more importantly the entertainment).
The PhyZeek Team (spread over the various groups) consisted of Pete, Dave, Mike, Andrew, Ben, Anna, Renee, Greg,
Margy, Verity, Stephanie, Deb, Sally, Susan, Mark, Eric, Julie and Nicole. There was also Renee husband Steve and
of course all of the kids Callum, Hannah, William & Thomas!!
Bands played on roof tops, drink stations were common and toilet stops were imperative for most participants it
seemed as the line up at the toilet stations were huge!
Several members of our team had been training for this event for several weeks, participating in the Sunday Running
Sessions. These members in particular finished in some impressive times and had a real sense of achievement once it
was all over. Special mention to Deb - after only taking up running in the few months leading up to the C2S, Deb
successfully completed the course in style and in an impressive time and still seemed to have energy to burn when she
was done. Mark - good work on not only finishing the race well, but then turning around and going back to the 11km
flag to meet up with Sally and the kids and walk back with them.
A big thank you to Sally, Anna, Callum and Hannah for your help with our boys William and Thomas... pushing the
prams can be tough - especially when there is 70,000 people on the track! And keeping kids entertained is sometimes
just as tough - so thanks Callum and Hannah for keeping the smiles on the boys faces for the duration and for sharing
your lollies with them. :-)
The weekend started with dinner in Darling Harbour and for most finished at a club in Bondi (can't remember the name!)
where we contemplated how we were going to get back to the city! We had heard that the crowds would be nuts and that
Bondi would be packed to the rafters - but had to see it to believe it I guess! The bus lines were huge and ordering
a cab was near impossible... If the weather had stayed nice after the race it wouldn't have been so bad, but a dramatic
drop in temperature combined with rain made for a fairly miserable few hours while we negotiated our 'exit strategy'!
Anyway, all in all a fun and successful weekend for everyone. We have all learnt from this experience and will be even
better prepared for next year both training and transport wise (there was mention of limo's picking us up in Bondi?
Great Idea I reckon!). The challenge now, which I am sure we all agree, is to do it faster next year and I am sure that
everyone is more than capable to meet that challenge!!!
Congratulations to all participants, it was not only an extremely enjoyable weekend from a personal point of view; but
it was quite humbling to see each of your results and the sense of achievement you each had on completion of the race.
The next challenge for most of the people in this group is The Canberra Times Fun Run, held on 14 September. Looking
forward to another successful day!!
Recently a group of PhyZeeker's took part in the Canada Fun Run in aid of Cancer Research on behalf of Cancer Council
ACT. Participants include Dave Newman, Danny Berry, Andrew Garrety, Deb Garrety, Mark Hudson, Sally Hudson, Greg Evans,
Marguerite Evans, Stephanie Leonard, Susan Proctor, Adrian Coles, Steve Thiele, Amanda Reid, Gareth Holdom, Verity Fuller
and Mike Harrow.
There was a 10km run, 5km run and 5km walk, with many using the run as a warmup for the 2008 City2Surf to be held on
Sunday, August 10.
The inaugural PhyZeek with Altitude Boot Camp weekend took place over the Anzac Day Long Weekend. 16 keen 'PhyZeekers'
took to the slopes (snow free slopes of course) for a weekend of training (and good company).
We split into 3 teams and the teams were responsible for their own team names:
G7 [Gareths Gigantor Gladiator Go-Go Guys and Girls - or something like that - typically, Nicole came up with
this team name!]
Gareth (Captain)
Mark
Julie
Penny
Nicole
LOST [named after Adrian getting lost during Jerra Boot Camp]
Adrian (Captain)
Claire
Peter
Eric
Jo
AF [Awesome Fivesome - or so they thought :-)]
Dave (Captain)
Kirsten
Michael
Greg
Melissa
A points system was introduced, giving team members points depending on the difficultly of their climb/run etc or for
the activity they participated in.
Let the competition begin!!
Day 1 (Friday)
All PhyZeekers arrived at the RAN lodge, settled in and were ready to go by 2pm. An orientation style training
afternoon was on the menu, we trekked around the Thredbo Village and up around the Golf Course. Water falls, streams and
great views - what a great place to train. The trek around the Golf Course was a fairly easy one for most, but we made
up for it with a boxing session on the side of the mountain (one of the ski slopes). It was a well-deserved 'down hill'
walk back to the lodge for most after that!
Melissa was a welcome addition to the PhyZeekers, although she was unable to participate in the physical activities,
Melissa kept us happily fed - leading the way in the kitchen! Melissa, together with Jo cooked us an awesome feed of
spaghetti bolognaise on Friday night. A few well deserved drinks and a chat about Day 2 and it was an early night for
most.
Day 2
A bright and early start for all boot camps, we were on our way up 'the mountain'. Gareth, Peter, Adrian and Dave chose
to battle the hardest track up 'Dead Horse Gap'. Mark, Julie and Nicole chose 'Straight Up' and the rest of the pack
took 'Merritts Nature Trail'.
Each track had it's own challenges and we all arrived at the top after approx. 1.5 hrs. The weather turned a little nasty
by the time we arrived up there, so we all rugged up ready for the trek to the Kosciuszko Summit. Within a matter of
minutes plans had to be changed - gale forced winds, sleet and snow prevented us from going any further. We were all a
little disappointed but had to head back down - choosing to walk Merritts Traverse for the journey back to the lodge.
A few good photo opportunities were sort on the journey both up and back - there is always time for a photo!! Some great
memories were definitely captured. One that stands out from this journey home is the 'PhyZeek BobSled Team'...
As we had planned for the Summit walk to take up most of Saturday, returning to the lodge early and in poor weather
meant a slight change of plans. The group decided that a trip to the indoor pool was in order - I think the highlights
of the pool outing would definitely have to be Mark and the indoor obstacle course - need I say more??
In the evening, points were on offer again for the PhyZeeker that could spin the most repetitions using the 'Ab Ring'...
Not only a good workout for Kirsten, Gareth and Peter but the abs were hurting the rest of us from laughing so hard at
them!!
That night we enjoyed pizza from the local Pizzeria, a couple of well earnt drinks once again and some 'Buzz' time. Once
again - competition was fierce! Gareth, Adrian and Melissa deserve a mention for their expertise however it was the
Michael the 'Silent Assassin' that showed everyone up!
Another early night!
Day 3
Cold temperatures, Rain and Snow were the order of the day on Sunday. The 'Thredbo Amazing Race' commenced bright and
early. Teams split themselves into groups of 2 or 3 and took to the streets of Thredbo Village to answer their trivia
questions. It was cold and pouring rain, but everyone got involved - even those who had pulled up a little sick or sore
from the day before.
Maybe Dave should supply his team with a GPS next time after he found Michael and Peter walking toward the Pool. Dave
enquired as to where they were headed and they said 'the lodge'... Dave soon informed them that the lodge as actually in
the other direction. :-)
The number of windows in the front of the Silver Brumbie lodge was a puzzler for most and finding the stairs to Alpine
Way was also difficult (however I am sure everyone would have walked/run straight past them at one stage!).
Hot Chocolate and Coffee welcomed us back to the lodge after the Race was over!
G7 were the winners of the Amazing Race and also took out line honours in the overall points race. G7 Captain Gareth was
the individual highest point scorer with Adrian a close 2nd.
Special mentions to Peter, Penny, Greg and Michael - the first time 'PhyZeekers' it was great having them join the team.
Also thanks to everyone who helped out with the meals (pretty much everyone I think).
A few other PhyZeek with Altitude memorable moments include:
- Michael and Eric for their different approach to 'cling wrap preparation'
- Julie's determination during her trek 'Straight Up' the mountain. Well done Julie!
- Jo's competitive nature shining through during the Amazing Race. Good work Jo - you went hard!
- Peter and Penny's having their own 'special' trek back to the lodge on Saturday.
- Mark and the pool obstacle course (yes I know I have already mentioned it - but it was funny) and Greg you were just
as funny!
- Mike putting the bladder in Nicole's Camelbak upsidedown (Nicole wrote this one!).
- Nicole sucking so hard and abusing her Camelbak because it didn't work, only to find out not far from the top of the
mountain that the bladder was in upsidedown - thank for pointing that our Julie (Mike wrote this one)!
- Claire and Kirsten leading the way up Merritts Nature Track... Nice work girls!!
- Greg lending Penny a helping hand up the tall so called 'steps' on the Merritts Nature Track.
Relay for Life 2008 28th - 29th March 2008, Australian Institute of Sports, Canberra
Cancer is definitely something that has touched all of our lives in one way or another, so when PhyZeeks 'original' PT
client and Boot Camper Dave Newman made the suggestion to put a team in the Relay For Life - I grabbed it with both hands.
It took 2 days to get the team together, leaving us with only 10 days to get our fundraising sorted out! Yes, we left it
a little late - but these keen PhyZeekers don't mind a challenge - and they definitely rose to it.
PhyZeek offered to pay the entry fee for all Team Members and in return we asked that each team member try to raise at
least $150...
In true 'Danny' style, he suggested that whoever raised the most money got to TRAIN THE TRAINER - running boot
camp for 1 morning session and putting me to work! Danny's suggested was welcomed by all (although I personally was a
little hesitant).
Yes - Danny won the challenge, although he had some pretty fierce competition. The PhyZeek Team raised in excess of
$10,000 for The Cancer Council ACT. An absolutely awesome effort which just blew me away.
The Relay commenced at 6pm on Friday evening (28 March). Jo, Sarah and the Clayton Utz ladies sorted all of the
decorations for our camp site - they even got themselves some very funky red and white striped socks! Zeek the Moose had
the trademark 'Z' sewn to his jumper and the White and Red 'Z' headband made its was around the track without fail for
the 24hr duration [although after 12 laps with Dave wearing it on his head it soon got delegated to a 'wrist band' :-)].
Our camp site was 2nd to none I reckon - 2 tents, a couple of tables, plenty of chairs, great snacks, food & drinks,
outdoor heaters (thanks Carol) and great company. The team ran into the night, hardly missing a beat. And although we
didn't win the most laps competition we sure came close with a final tally of 539 laps.
Thank you once again to all PhyZeek Team members who gave up their time to participant and thank you also for such an
amazing fundraising effort. Thank you to our 'support crew' including Con, Ben, Tracey and Trent [oh and my boys William
and Thomas :-)]. And finally thank you to all of the people, businesses, friends and family that supported our team and
most importantly donated to this worthy cause.
Nicole and I look forward to doing it all over again next year (with the addition of a BBQ and a massage therapist at
our campsite????).
- Mike
The 2008 Relay For Life PhyZeekers
Rachel Barnett, Danny Berry, Sarah Brumec, Carol Coventry, Sarah Coventry, Zoe Grimmond, Mike Harrow, Nicole Harrow,
Gareth Holdom, Eric Lam, Alice Linacre, Dave Newman, Amanda Noy, Jo Palmer and Anna Tulley.
Introduction
