Lessons from a 1300+ Day Running Streak

Jason · 00:00Welcome to episode 178 of The Numbers Game. I'm Jase. I'm joined with Marty and Nick. How are we going today, fellas? Nick. See, I tricked you, Marty. I was, uh, it's not Nick. I'm just so used to, uh, I'm feeling comfortable. I'm used to intro ing people. We've actually got a guest today and Nick's not here.

Jason · 00:15You've totally thrown me. I have thrown you, Marty. I've thrown you. But before we welcome our guest, how are you, Marty? And then I'll get the big welcome introduction happening for our guest.

Marty · 00:23Oh, I was all right until you threw the whole rhythm out. You know, I had everything set up. Just, I was pumped. I was hyped.

Marty · 00:30And I had to double check. I'm going, I'm sure I'm looking at a bloke named Greg Bramage and I'm 52. You can't mess with me like that. That could throw my whole day out, mate. But, uh, I'm good. I'm, uh, just, uh, collecting myself and, uh, really looking forward to this chat because, again, you know, we're going from someone who's ultra fit doing some amazing things to someone who's very unfit here, so I'm gonna, I'm gonna pick up a lot as I always do with our guests, so, yeah.

Marty · 01:00Great, great to have Greg on the show. I'm excited. So yeah, Jase, you probably are best to give us a background on Greg because you know him very, very well.

Jason · 01:08Of course, before we throw to Greg to see how he's going, I'm excited to be in this episode. Greg actually featured on the pod about two years ago. It was April 2022.

Jason · 01:19We had Greg on to talk about life changing habits. Greg, uh, foot by way of background had started running, uh, every day. He was on a streak of maybe a year streak. Then it was 365 days and pushing 400 or 500 days at that stage. And for our audience, believe it or not, we're now over 1300 days since Greg strict started and the guy is still running or still exercising every day.

Jason · 01:44Um, the life changing habits have continued. Um, welcome to the show, Greg. How are you going? Hey guys, thank you

Greg · 01:50for having me back. Uh, alter ego Nick going forward.

Jason · 01:55Yeah, look, I was, I was just so excited. I wasn't paying attention. I've got my usual rhythm of the, the

Jason · 02:00welcome, uh, you know, build up to the show, but just so I'm throwing a little bit more of the background cause you know, For those who know future advisory story and maybe Marty, you know, you might even not know some of this stuff, but Greg and I have actually worked together for, I think it's around 22 years.

Jason · 02:17So Marty, when I started at McDonald's at the ripe age of 14 and nine months, Greg was actually my crew trainer. And he was the first person that kind of guided me and steered me into the world of McDonald's, teaching me what systems and procedures were. So, uh, poor old Greg's, you know, you might even have a question for Greg of what it's been like to put up with me for 22 years.

Jason · 02:38But, um, did you know that Marty?

Marty · 02:39No, I know cause I've dealt with you for the last four years. I, uh, empathize with Greg and I'm glad he's on the show to sort of give me some comfort, Jase. But, you know, we love you. But who smashed more Big Macs at the time? Was it you, Jase, or Greg?

Jason · 02:55Uh, I reckon it was me and that's, that's almost where my running journey began.

Jason · 02:59I, I'd

Jason · 03:00blown, I'd blown, I'd blown out to 95 kilos at that stage, like between 14 and 18, smashing beers once you turn 18 and going out. And I reckon, uh, Greg noticed that I was. Uh, probably getting on the larger side and he took me to Listerfield Lake, uh, we're Endeavour Hills boys. That's where we grew up.

Jason · 03:16And uh, I remember one of my first ever running experiences was, uh, Greg kind of shuffling his feet really slowly while I was huffing and puffing and dying, uh, trying to do a lap of Listerfield. Do you remember that Greg? Definitely

Greg · 03:28do mate. Uh, it started with Maccas and I think Max is still on the card, so,

Jason · 03:33uh, it's a regular for us still.

Jason · 03:35Uh, well, it's, Maccas is a regular for Greg and it's part of some of the questions later on that have been sent in by our team as to Greg's diet and how that's all going. Um, you know, mate, it's been an epic journey, not just, um, obviously life changing habits episode talked about what running had done for you.

Jason · 03:53And we want to do a bit of a follow up with some questions. I think there's always plenty that can be learned from someone who has, um, You know,

Jason · 04:00routine habits, dedication, and mindset. And we want to kind of dive into a bit of that. Um, I think, you know, working with you as well, I've seen the difference that it's made to, to your life and mine over the, the, you know, 13, have you got the official days I should have asked?

Jason · 04:16Well, we were at 1, 300 and, uh, 1, 306. So just over, we just, just ticked over. So, you know, c c congratulations and well done. And. You know, there's obviously heaps that you can learn from that. So, um, to kick in, we've got a few questions that we've organized and then we'll, we'll kind of fire away as we go.

Jason · 04:34But, uh, also leading into this, we talked in one of the previous episodes about the London marathon. Um, what was your experience like and how have you recovered from the London marathon mate? How are you feeling?

Greg · 04:44Recovered well. Um, training for the next marathon now. With eight weeks to go, but that was an experience, uh, beyond imagination, uh, 55, 000, I think completed marathon runners.

Greg · 04:58I think there were 25

Greg · 05:00shy of breaking the world record Guinness book world records. So if we had done that, another 25 people have finished. We all would've got a plaque for the most marathons completed in one race. So they're going to go for it next year. Uh, the, I've got my name on my shirt. So apparently the crowd was meant to be unreal.

Greg · 05:18So what I did pre, uh, and, uh, pre race and what I heard from all the tips was to get your name printed on your shirt. So I got my expensive running singlet and got it printed my name Brammer on it. And throughout the race, throughout the 42 kilometers throughout the three hours of running, I would have held my, heard my name yelled out over a hundred plus times, um, I ran into some issues, uh, on the back end of the, of the marathon of pushing myself a little bit too hard and the crowd of getting stuck into me.

Greg · 05:45Brahma, keep going. You've done so well. Finish off. Just really pushed me over to over the line when I thought maybe it was a DNF that was going to come.

Marty · 05:53That's so exciting, mate. I mean, at 52, you don't get your name called out very often anymore, so I might have to get into marathon running

Marty · 06:00as well, but take me back to, you know, when I listened to you talk about this and you've been running for 1, 306 days straight, Who is that person that was on the couch prior to starting the run compared to now?

Marty · 06:15Um, I know there'd be a lot of positive changes, but I'd love to know how wide that berth was from where you started to where you are now, because that must be, you must look back and think that's incredible in some way.

Greg · 06:29Uh, definitely was. I suppose if you go back, you know, Four years, I guess, um, I was no energy, uh, didn't want to get off the couch.

Greg · 06:38Just stayed in my bubble. Um, it was easy just to say no, uh, to have a kick of the footy, uh, to go for a run. The answer is no. Um, it's definitely changed. I'm open to doing new things, learning new things, uh, being better for my business partner, for my wife, my kids, the energy level, um, totally changed. Um, and looking back over photo.

Greg · 06:58Yes, there was, The weight

Greg · 07:00side has also changed, but mentally and physically, uh, as a whole new level that I'd never experienced before.

Marty · 07:06Yeah, it's incredible, mate. Well, like I just go, what was the switch? Was it like, I know we'd probably talked about it two years ago, but again, for our audience to give context, what was the switch to start?

Greg · 07:17Uh, I don't like losing to Jason. He put a bet on the table, uh, 20 days of running, 20 minutes. Let's see who can lose the most weight. Um, and. 200 gift card gift card at the end. So that's what started it. That's what triggered it. And then it was a personal challenge. Don't give up, keep trying. Who says you can, you can't, you can't run more than 20 days, 50 days, a hundred days, one year, two years, three years, thousand plus days.

Marty · 07:42And what I love about that is the mateship in that as well, because again, you know, you know, Jason's obviously challenged you in that moment. Probably, yeah, because he wanted to beat you too, but, but I love the fact that as mates, there's sort of that accountability and care for each other, even in the initial start point.

Marty · 08:00I think that's, uh, that's brilliant guys. And that's probably why I know it would be what makes you great business partners as well. Cause genuine care on top of the capabilities that you both have. So, uh, that's tremendous Jase that you sort of called that.

Jason · 08:12Well, it's, it's Greg and I had come through a bit of a difficult time.

Jason · 08:15We'd had a business separation and future advisory was starting. There was heaps of things in the air and it was COVID. I mean, I don't know if we've moved on to the point where we forgot about that thing that happened, especially to people in Melbourne, but we're kind of in lockdown. There was limited things we can do.

Jason · 08:30And yeah, I threw that challenge out there because I was miserable too. Like I wasn't happy. Um, there was no routine, no structure, no habits to my day. And, you know, I said to Greg, we need to snap out of this and start this. And, you know, with, you know, creating that 20 minutes a day, I'd actually said to Greg, You know, let's, let's do five kilometers, you know, uh, you know, five kilometers a day, that's the challenge for 20 days.

Jason · 08:56And Greg, Greg had gone, mate, I haven't ran for six months. I can't do five

Jason · 09:00kilometers. Let's just make it 20 minutes. And even if he just shuffles for three Ks, like as long as he did, he's 20 minutes a day. And I was like, you know what? That's fair. All good. And yeah, throwing in, you know, we're accountants, we love challenging, like we're accountants for the accountability and the numbers side of it.

Jason · 09:14So it was how much weight could we lose? How many kilometers could we cover and all the rest? And, you know, getting to the end of that. And then when I, you know, Greg had messaged just saying day 30 tick and I was like, Whoa, he's still going. Cause. Yeah, lockdown had ended, the challenge had ended. I cracked the shits cause I lost and had to pay 200 to Greg.

Jason · 09:31And I think he got a nice new pair of sneakers that probably started part of his, you know, running shoe obsession. And, um, you know, then I got one for day 50. And I was like, Oh, day, day 50. Like, geez, geez, Greg's doing well here. And I remember day 100, another friend rocked up to Greg's house with a cake with some candles on it.

Jason · 09:51And, you know, where I'm getting at with this is, you know, we talked about the first one being called life changing habits, but honestly, for Greg and I and our business and, you know,

Jason · 10:00his wife, his kids and the people around us, there's a huge difference in how we're perceived, what our energy levels are like, how we react as business owners, um, you know, stress, how we handle it and how we, you know, kind of bounce back from things.

Jason · 10:14And then even, you know, from not just a business level, but a personal side, you know, the fact that Greg and I, you know, In our lives got to travel to London together and, and, you know, tick off a bucket list item running the London Marathon, which is one of the most, you know, insane events in the world to get into and run.

Jason · 10:31So, uh, it's been one hell of a journey and, you know, while we're kind of throwing The questions out there and the, you know, at 1306 days, Greg, at any point in time, I'd love to know what's, what's been the biggest challenge in keeping the streak alive and, and on the hard and difficult and shit days, what actually gets you up and gets you to do it.

Jason · 10:52Get

Greg · 10:52that run done. Uh, it's a consistency in habit, right? It's creating a new habit for yourself and it's part of your day. So I need to find a

Greg · 11:00day. That's what I tick off every day. Um, yeah. Now it's changed from a running streak to exercise slash running, um, just for where I am at my training program. Uh, but there definitely has been some, some tough days.

Greg · 11:12So you would think, you know, running every day that you will eat better and not drink. Um, I definitely have, uh, eat a little, um, eat a little bit better, uh, the drinking still there, not as much, but, um, probably one of the hardest days, I guess, was, um, when I've got might've been COVID virus, something that sort of bedridden me for two days.

Greg · 11:31And I think I was at 700. I said, that's it, um, the streak's over, I can't even keep anything down, I'm throwing up non stop, um, it's over, and then I messaged one of my mates and said, I'm, I'm done, I'm happy, it's over, I got, I got a good run out of it, two years, uh, I've just got nothing left, and he pretty much wrote back and it's around the people that you surround yourself with, um, and he wrote back, harden up, uh, rest up a bit more, focus, get yourself right, you've gone this far, don't let a stupid

Greg · 12:00virus end the streak, you end the streak, When you want to end the streak and that was enough to push me along as saying I got chills So 11 30 11 30 that night I found some energy To get that 20 minutes in and and kept it along and it was it was easier after that but it was that mindset or that trigger point and the people that you you know, you surround yourself with to Just snap you out of it and When I want to end the streak, I'll, I'll end it on my turn.

Marty · 12:23So do you prep in advance for your running? Cause I guess in the beginning you would have, you know, set up your morning or set up your day somehow to ensure you're running, but what do you do sort of naturally now that you really had to consciously think about in the early days in, in starting to run to now I would think it would be very habitual, uh, is there any, is there anything that you're doing in prep work to know you're going for a run or is it just a part of life now?

Greg · 12:50Just with business life, uh, prepare yourself to give you the best chance to succeed. Right? So early parts was, um,

Greg · 13:00understanding where my family and my work life sit and what I can't change. And then where, what space I do have to run. So if it's morning or late, how do we do that? So if it's morning, have the clothes ready to go.

Greg · 13:10I'm not fiddling around wasting 15, 20 minutes or not getting out of bed because my clothes they're ready to go. If it's nighttime. Yeah. We make sure we get the kids down and then do my time so I can, uh, do my run or do my exercise so I can spend some quality time with my wife. So it's some things don't move in life, some things you can move, but working away and planning ahead and giving yourself the best chance to proceed is, is where it's at.

Jason · 13:33Gregor, you, uh, mentioned, you know, quality time with your wife and, and you mentioned your, your daughters and getting them down to bed at night. So around those habits and routines of making it work. But I guess. You know, some people make excuses that they can't get it done or they're too busy with family.

Jason · 13:48You know, talking about Christmas Day, um, Mother's Day, all these different events that happen where you'd think maybe that's the day that you can't get out and get the run done. How, how supportive have,

Jason · 14:00have Kate and the girls been in making sure that, you know, are they, are they with you with this? Like they support you and they love the, they've become part of the streak or?

Jason · 14:08Is this frustrating for them sometimes?

Greg · 14:10I suppose the streak or the exercise is, is part of me and they support me. Uh, it's definitely. The positive part has been I'm fitter, I'm a more active dad, it's rubbed off on the kids, the kids are keen to try to run with me, ride the bike alongside me, and even when it's the night time session and I have to get on the treddy downstairs, the girls are trying to get on the exercise bike.

Greg · 14:34and the cross trainer while I do my runs, so it's definitely run, you know, rubbed off on them, uh, for a fitness level and seeing what I do on a daily basis, and they know I go for a run or exercise every day, so that positive fitness side of things is definitely rubbed off on, on the kids. For, for Kate, or the negative part on it, the guilt of, Mother's day, Christmas day, birthdays, having to try to go out for a run or an exercise.

Greg · 15:00I try to time those days to best suit our family needs. So I'll get up way earlier to get the run done. So I don't chew into that time. Um, but it's, it's about having the right support network, be life, uh, work and everything around you that, you know, you want to have the people around you that will support you and help you be the best that you can be.

Greg · 15:20And this is my stage of life that this means a lot to me. You know, I'm lucky to have those people be Kate, the kids and a business partner in Jace.

Marty · 15:28Yeah, that's, that's incredible to have that support network. How have you optimized your running, uh, over time? Because obviously it first starts as a habit.

Marty · 15:37Uh, what have you learned about your running? Maybe running style? Have you got a coach? Uh, how has it evolved? From when you first began,

Greg · 15:45it's definitely evolved. It started for 20 minutes, um, and trying to beat a bit with Jason. Then it became a running trick for how long could last a hundred days, one day, two, one year, two years, three years.

Greg · 15:58Then it became, uh,

Greg · 16:00running to achieve a goal. Let's be less than 1 percent of the world and let's complete and complete a marathon. So we did that ticked off that. Um, and then it became, well, you've run one marathon. Why don't you go for the. For the six global marathons before your foot before you're 40.

Greg · 16:16All right, well, let's do that now. So as, as that came along, the streak came hit a thousand days. Um, and then when you start to train further and you start to do these bigger runs and trying to push your body to where your body's never been, you start to work out that the streak worked early to get me to where I'm at.

Greg · 16:34Things need to change. If I want to keep evolving and getting better, pivot, be both business and life to get, to get better. That's where, if you talk about. A coach I talk about business coach life coach people who have been there done that before you only know what you know So it's obviously there's a lot of knowledge out there a lot of people telling you different things But having people that have experience and you can gain and learn and soak

Greg · 17:00Uh for both work and for running that's that's the same philosophy that i'm using So yes a coach and online resource is definitely something i'm leaning on to get better You As a runner, uh, to achieve my latest goal of hitting those six majors before I, um, before I, uh, turn 40.

Jason · 17:17Now, you know, having a coach, I've recently picked up a running coach too. So it's an interesting one. I'd say, and just to kind of fill in a bit of background as well, uh, maybe on your first marathon time. Compared to, you know, uh, Gold Coast last year, you ran a 309, um, and is the goal now currently to get a sub three hour, two 59 and below?

Jason · 17:39Have I got that right? Uh, yep.

Greg · 17:41That's the goal to get into another elite level of a target point, which is your sub three hours. Yeah.

Jason · 17:47So when, when Marty asked the last question, I was worried about, uh, how long we had in the podcast to be able to get over it. Cause he asked about, you know, how the running has evolved and, you know, being on the other side and knowing more about you, um, This one's not a, not a question

Jason · 18:00that we'd prepped you for, but how many pairs of running shoes do you own?

Jason · 18:03How much money do you think you've spent on running gear, being shoes, jowls, headphones, and everything else? And then after that, the serious question is what's the best bit of advice you can give to someone on getting their running journey up and about?

Greg · 18:17Oh, well, that's, uh, that's, uh, that's a, how long is a piece of string of how much I've spent, uh, as Thank you.

Greg · 18:24Become and learn about running and learning about it in terms of fueling, food, um, pre race, during race, after race, uh, and then you, you start talking about shoes and carbon fibre, Piba foam, we're talking a lot of different things. So if we're talking about shoes, I've probably got about 10 different racing pairs of, uh, shoes, which are probably, 300 to 400 bucks each.

Greg · 18:47And then if you talk about your daily trainers and speed workout shoes, a variety of other stuff. So there's a lot of money being spent. Uh, but again, it's always learning what your body can achieve. Um, so that first

Greg · 19:00marathon that you talk about where it was three hours, 46, and I struggled and walked and, you know, They call it bonking because you run out of energy because you didn't feel right to be the start and during the race You learn that and you get better the next time.

Greg · 19:12So, uh, we're talking a lot of time on your feet um, but again, it's of might be of running for 1306 days, but it's still a learning curve of you know What your body can handle, what you can do mentally, and obviously sometimes just what's on the day and those other things in terms of fueling and shoes, they all help.

Greg · 19:30But yeah, it does come a lot down to the mental side of things as well, in the long runs.

Marty · 19:35Greg, is there an end to this streak in the way it's operating at the moment? Or is it just something that will be a part of you ongoing forever.

Greg · 19:45Uh, the streaks evolved. It's now I've learned that running every day to achieve the goal that I'm trying to achieve, which is a sub three that I can't run every day based off my mechanics and body.

Greg · 19:56So it's exercises. What I do in between on the so

Greg · 20:00called rest days, I'll be on the bike or the cross trainer at the moment that's working for me. I started doing strength and conditioning as well. Um, which I didn't realize it was required for these long runs. So at the moment it's part of me, keeps me active.

Greg · 20:12It gives me at least a minimum of 20 minutes where I'm switching off and the phone isn't buzzing with work questions or, or I just get some, some peace and some, some time to myself to better improve myself. So,

Marty · 20:23so psychologically it's like now when we're optimizing, so. If you can't run every day to achieve the results that you want to achieve, obviously, but your everything is still focused on that every day as a part of your journey, like whether it's strength conditioning.

Marty · 20:40Um, so you're continuously, you're still doing something. Yeah, absolutely. Every day, regardless. And that'll be just a part of who you are by the sounds of it.

Greg · 20:49Yeah, just trying to get getting better and learning along the way to be better and achieving again, yeah. Be business or not. You try to work out what your end goal is.

Greg · 20:58I know where my end goal

Greg · 21:00needs to be and I've reconstructed it to work out where and what I'm flawed at and which is strength and resting because I always ran. So a little bit of resting and a little bit easier on the bike is better for the body so I can push harder on the hard runs. And get, you know, get those longer runs in to hit my marathon time.

Greg · 21:16Definitely is very cool.

Jason · 21:18Now, I can't take credit for this question. Uh, Nick did want to get involved and send in a few questions. So I've, I'm throwing this one in the mix here, but you know, for someone who has ran so many days, you've got a busy life, you've got a busy schedule with work. Um, you know, we've got Christmas parties and events that happen.

Jason · 21:35Nick wanted to know, what's the craziest story you can think of that About fitting in a run or getting a run done, you know, what was the environment? What was the time of day? Where were you? What's what's the lengths you've had to go to to keep the streak alive?

Greg · 21:49Well, obviously the the one where the streak almost ended and squished the virus Not almost calling it causing the end of the streak.

Greg · 21:56That was one of the the tough one the other one is I also have a business partner that

Greg · 22:00does Tend to like to drink and get caught up drinking and enjoying life and celebrating life with him You Um, that pushed me over my, not that I'm endorsing drinking, but pushed me over my limits. So it was a very tough day.

Greg · 22:14Uh, the following day I had to call in sick for work. Um, And I was still not feeling very well or still a little bit hung over towards the end of the day, but still needed to get it done. So I was sort of trying to get out the door and, uh, threw up a couple of times on the run, but, um, not feeling too well, but got it done still, nevertheless.

Greg · 22:35So, uh, that taught me a lesson not to drink too much or drink too much with Jason. Anyway,

Marty · 22:39talking about running to the toilet, he still got out. That's incredible. Goodness me, I wouldn't be able to move. But, uh, I was thinking in regards to Just, just the processes and thought processes to the commitment and the actions to running.

Marty · 22:59Um, have

Marty · 23:00you applied that to any other areas of your life or business? Cause I always think it's interesting when you're dominating in a particular context, have you used that? Have you used that strength consciously in other areas? Cause you did mention that you go like, you know, I'm pretty ferocious when there's, when there's new opportunity on something, you obviously have another level of confidence with what you've done, but I'd just be interested to dig into that a little bit.

Marty · 23:26If you, if you've used those skills in different contexts, personally or professionally.

Greg · 23:30Uh, the business has gone through a lot of changes or me and Jason have gone through a lot of changes within the business over the last couple of years. Um, I don't think. I think with all this running in the mental part of it, that's my mental strength has definitely increased.

Greg · 23:46I don't think I would have got through it. So there's common feedback within the team of, I don't understand how you guys do it. Um, I think it's a learning thing. Um, this has sort of created my, of what I can, can achieve and what I can

Greg · 24:00learn.

Jason · 24:00Um, So I'll, I'll chip in there. Cause you know, I've got the experience of being able to listen to you and, and hear from you over the three years and, you know, From an inspiration level, I messaged some of the team before this and said, Oh, you've got any questions for Greg?

Jason · 24:13And a lot of the messages I got were just, you know, I'm just in awe of him. You know, I'm inspired by him, the way he, he does things. So there's this leadership and presence that we get from Greg, from what he's learned and what he's done over those years. And beyond that, Greg was also, you remember listening to coach Bennett on the Nike run club app.

Jason · 24:31And coach Bennett says a lot of things that, you know, to help you get through the runs that you're doing. And often, sometimes some of those sayings were interchangeable to bring into the workplace and, and Greg would reel off these one liners in the middle of a meeting, I'd be like, man, that was really inspirational.

Jason · 24:46Like that's, that's awesome. But this is the new version of Greg or the, the upgraded. Post running version of Greg that we didn't have a couple of years ago, the guy who might've been a bit more quiet, a bit more reserved, a bit more behind the

Jason · 25:00scenes is now front and center of the action, leading and inspiring a team of people that can look up to Greg and go, you know what?

Jason · 25:06Like I can take lessons from his habits, routines, dedications, uh, dedication. You know, to want to be successful. And we, Greg talks about at work, how, you know, if you want to be successful, you have to put in the work. So I think, you know, they're the kind of things that we, we don't, we wouldn't have without this version of Greg and what he's learned over the years from the running journey.

Jason · 25:26Do you agree, Greggy? Yeah. Made from the front.

Marty · 25:28Well, I can even tell from two years ago. your confidence and strength in communication and just your aura and what you've accomplished. You can, you can tell that what you've accomplished is in your body and mind and the way you communicate. It's quite, it's quite confronting actually, in a good way, in compared to even, you know, you'd started the journey obviously for a year, two years ago, but it's very, very powerful.

Marty · 25:50It comes across powerful, just, just in your energy. So it's, um, Yeah, it's fantastic, mate. You've done an unbelievable job and to work, I would think to work

Marty · 26:00under you would certainly inspire and transcend people to ask better questions about themselves, because it's funny, even on some of the questions that we ask you, I feel like sometimes it comes from a place of excuse almost, of going, how the hell is he doing it?

Marty · 26:14You know, you know what I mean? You know, and you're answering very directly because you've lived it and you don't know it until you've done it right. And you've done it and you can absolutely tell the authenticity in what you've done. It's a very, very inspiring night.

Jason · 26:28There was, there was one extra, there were questions I did ask the team to throw a couple my way and this one's a bit deep and a bit philosophical, but do you feel like you have a why?

Jason · 26:37And that doesn't, not just about business or about personal, you know, about the running, but, but what's your why that drives you or gets you up or gets you excited? Appreciate it. What's Greg's why?

Greg · 26:47Why not? People said, Oh, you can't run for a month or you shouldn't run for a month or you shouldn't run every day.

Greg · 26:54Why not? You know, you can't go for a thousand days. Why not? You can't run a marathon, it's too hard,

Greg · 27:00it's too much work, you've got a family, you run a business. Why not? You can't do the six marathons, when are you going to fit in that? How are you going to afford, how are you going to take kids out of, out of school and, and take them and give them experience of a, of a lifetime?

Greg · 27:11Why not? So, I challenge those people who say and, uh, that they can't get up, it's too hard to go for a run, it's raining out there, it's cold, I was too busy. The answer is always too busy. I didn't have enough time. Well, if you want to make time, you make time. So, um, so my answer is why not?

Marty · 27:31I just got a tingle, Greg, cause in, um, when Colleen and I got married in our speech to each other, we had, we had a line to say when people say, Uh, why, we'll say why not, and it's um, cause we, we always thought, and, and this is the thing, I, I sort of, I get it on a business level, because even when, you know, I was at the bank, people, there was so many negative comments as to leaving and starting a business and fear mongering.

Marty · 27:59And like

Marty · 28:00you've already explained in this podcast, it's the people that really encourage your journey and encourage you to have a crack that mean everything. And, and that gives so much more power than the fear in other people's heads that they, you know, they can't help but communicate. And that's why it's really important to surround yourself, um, with people.

Marty · 28:19But you also have to have that personal strength to be able to. You know, dismiss those comments because, uh, it's amazing if you're, if you're slightly vulnerable, um, they can sit with you, those types of comments externally. And uh, you know, it's, it's, uh, I think it's that why not is such a great thing when anyone's trying to think of some new pursuit that they're looking to do.

Marty · 28:42Absolutely. I'm, I'm just pumped.

Jason · 28:46I've got a question and it's something that I, I sometimes struggle with, uh, when it comes to running, um, while I'm inspired by you and I've tacked onto your, you know, the apron strings or whatever the saying is that, you know, Greg said he wanted to do

Jason · 29:00the global six major marathons.

Jason · 29:01And I've just tacked on and said, if you go, I go mostly because I wanted to do the international travel and thought it'd be a bit of fun, but you know, there's times when you go out for a run or anything that you do that might be, seem like a chore. You know, like running or going to the gym, you know, are there times Greg, when you hate running or that you're not in, like not enjoying it, or are you going out there and loving it every time?

Greg · 29:24There's times when it's, it's tough when there's workouts and I need to push because I know it's going to get me better. Um. It's not always easy, but it's not always hard. I suppose one of the best things that I, that I, that I've read and I heard and multiple people who have been here before said, slow down to run quicker.

Greg · 29:43What do you mean slow down to run quicker? Um, so many people want to start running and they go out all the time trying to hit their PBs every time, let's go faster every time. But it actually works the opposite, you know what I mean? When you train hard, go hard, and then the rest of the runs, take it easy.

Greg · 29:59Give your

Greg · 30:00chance for your body to recover. Um, so you can go away hard again, and you'll get faster. So that, that little term of slow down to run quicker has never, never left me. So majority of my runs are cruisy. I can chat, I can talk, I can run backwards. You know, main for a lot of them is just getting the K's in the legs, but when it's time to go, it's time to go.

Greg · 30:20And that's the hard runs. And that's what makes you better as a, as an athlete and a runner.

Marty · 30:24Greg, I, you know, I know, I think that you're a highly intelligent. Person, not only because you're an accountant and a runner, but because you barrack for the Essendon football club, which, uh, just puts you in another league, really.

Marty · 30:37But given, given, uh, what you've learned in running, what's one thing you could give to the Essendon football club to, uh, you know, get us a flag this year? Is there anything you've picked up along the journey that you could share? Cause I know they'll be listening,

Greg · 30:53uh, never give up to the final siren.

Marty · 30:55Oh, bang.

Marty · 30:56Hear that? Come on, Scott. Get him going.

Jason · 30:59Come on,

Jason · 31:00Brad. Make it happen.

Marty · 31:01Come on, Brad. We need it.

Jason · 31:02Well, Greg, maybe Greg wasn't there. Did you come and see Brad Scott with me? No, it wasn't. He, he talks about elite athlete behavior. And I think, you know, when, well, you know, while Greg is the first person to admit, maybe his sleep could be a bit better and maybe his diet could be a bit better and maybe his business partner influences him to have a few drinks sometimes when, when we shouldn't be.

Jason · 31:23Maybe a little bit. You know. Brad Scott does talk about elite athlete behavior and, you know, leading onto this, Greg, you know, following the Essendon football club question would be, you know, running that many days, not sleeping that much and, and people saying, you know, Oh, but you shouldn't run that much because your body will fall apart.

Jason · 31:42You know, you've somehow gone from the guy at the very start, you complained to me and said you had a bad back and that you couldn't run. But over 1300 days later, you've kept your body in a, in a shape and a condition where I think you dropped 17 kilos for starters, which probably helped on the back pain and

Jason · 32:00everything else.

Jason · 32:00But what is it that you then also have to do to put in the work that's not just going out for a run, but making sure that you, from a recovery point of view, you know, what are the things you're doing to look after yourself?

Greg · 32:11I suppose I actually spend more time recovering than running. As you learn and try to understand your body.

Greg · 32:19Um. You learn that recovery is huge. I spoke about it before, fueling, um, pre run, post run, during run, but also uh, the post run is yeah, most nights i'm on the roller, massage gun Or getting in a massage, the chiro, and I got these Air compression boots that I use regularly to help the blood circulation and then you're on the magnesium stuff So there's a lot of things that I picked up along the way that helps me and works well with my body but Uh, I probably spend more time recovering and that's probably watching You know, an athlete like LeBron James of how much he spends and the amount of millions of dollars that he spends on recovery to make his

Greg · 33:00career keep going at his age and how much minutes that he plays.

Greg · 33:03I learned it from him. I learned it from Tom Brady. So again, you learn from the people that have mastered it. There's a reason why they spend so much on recovery. So. You know for this player being the guy that's just running a thousand days. Why can't I do it too? So I find my own way that I can do it obviously don't have the Exhaust of that but what I can do with the boots and the roller and the massage gun helps me keep achieving my Smaller goals and compared to other people in the world.

Marty · 33:31So Greg if When we talk to you in two years time from now, what, what does life look like? What do you hope to accomplish? I get the marathons, uh, I think the six in the next year or so, but, um, what, what does life look like in a couple of years for you given, or is that a part of the excitement of the journey of not knowing and seeing where it leads?

Greg · 33:52Yes, don't know where, where it is. Hopefully the, the six marathons are done. The kids are a little bit older and they're moving over to athletics and I will be helping

Greg · 34:00coach them. But I love sharing my knowledge and Instagram is a, is a new, Jason pushes me on it to, uh, to share my knowledge in terms of my, my shoe knowledge and PBAR and what I've learned.

Greg · 34:11And, uh, I love the fun of it on the Instagram, but also love to share, uh, my story and what's helped me get to where I am, uh, what I've learned along the way. I've got a lot of other people into running now, which is exciting. I don't know. It's really taken up a new phase. They, for the London marathon, they had 500, 000 people apply for it last year, which was a record.

Greg · 34:33Um, only 17, 000 get in from that selection roughly. And now this year that was the most ever, and now they've upped it to 850, 000. So I don't know where this running community has come from, but it's, it's huge. It's big. It's big, it's bigger than I've ever expected and I'm a part of it and I'm, I'm, I'm excited to give back to the local, you know, park runs and communities and where I can share as well.

Greg · 34:51So what I've learned, my new, my, my little knowledge that I have learned, I'm happy to share and you know, if anyone's got any questions, obviously always happy to share and, um,

Greg · 35:00pass it on. I

Marty · 35:00think there's a lot of people that listen to this podcast, Greg, so that those numbers creeping up on those marathons, no doubt have been inspired from that session two years ago.

Marty · 35:09So, but what I would say, what, what resonates with me too, when you talk about. Putting money into your recovery, even from a business sense, I think there's a real lesson there as well. And like a lot of young men I speak to, you know, they spend 95 percent of their time just striving at work, pushing boundaries and, and that's fine.

Marty · 35:31But a lot of the times They don't put the time into recuperating and actually taking care of themselves in that journey. And I think, um, like anything, I think we always need to look after ourselves but still strive aggressively towards goals. I think just listening to you talk about it in a sporting, in what you're doing in sports and running, um, definitely resonated even from a workplace situation of going, you can go

Marty · 36:00hard, but you do have to spend time relaxing and recuperating the muscle and then the mental muscle on top of that as well.

Marty · 36:06So I think there's a, you know, Yeah, there's an even deeper lesson there, not only in, in life, but in, in business on how we need to look after ourselves as professionals to perform at that elite level. So yeah, it's, it's certainly resonated.

Jason · 36:21I think as well, adding onto that, the, the community aspect to it as well, like you're not in it alone.

Jason · 36:25I think a lot of people see running as a sport. where it might be you against you, but there is this epic community. Um, you know, I hadn't done a park run until Greg and one of our team members, Kath had started talking about these park runs. And I felt like, where have I been on this earth? I'd like to not know that this park runs existed.

Jason · 36:43And Greg had done maybe a dozen of them over a five or six year period. And again, one of those stupid challenges that we do popped up and it was to do. Greg had done 12 in five years. So I lipped off and said, let's do 12 in 12 months. And of course, Greg beat me and he did it. So I've

Jason · 37:00gone for a double or nothing this year for 24 park runs in, in 2024.

Jason · 37:05Now that's not the point of the story. The community side though, like Greg, you know, it's talk about the running community, people messaging and getting around each other, rocking up to a park run and volunteering. You're now doing a pacer. So you're, you're going to help pace people to achieve their times.

Jason · 37:21Is that Does that help you now or motivate you or give you a sense of, you know, the, the passion drive and purpose as well, now that you've added

Greg · 37:29these extra things to the journey? It's part of my journey, learning to, to pace and, and share and, you know, watching other people achieve their goals and if I can help them as I still got my own goals, but been able to share that knowledge and the pacing on the last gig that was good to talk and help a couple of people to their p PB and they come and spoke to me after about how much they appreciated that, that I was able to help them.

Greg · 37:50So I love that in general and I love doing runs and it's become more than just a streak. It's become a lot more for me and the people that I've met

Greg · 38:00and I want to give back to that community to keep it moving.

Jason · 38:02Bring, bringing this in, inwards a little bit towards, you know, future advisory in business. Um, you know, you're a business advisor to, to a lot of people out there, you know, you're, you're their accountant and they turn to you.

Jason · 38:13How, how has this helped you in becoming a better business advisor, you know, not just a business owner, but the, the clients that you deal with now, has it changed the way you talk to them or, or, you know, your relationships?

Greg · 38:25Uh, I suppose for me, I always want to keep growing and learning. So, uh, the running part of the straight part has definitely helped me on a mental level, uh, and what I can handle, uh, obviously still low in observing, um, and sponging what I can, um, and.

Greg · 38:42Always it's been in my in my genes to share what I know. So as we grow as a business and come across different things I'm willing to share and it's never never changed from work outside of work. I'm always willing to help people wherever I can Yes, some clients pay for it. But

Greg · 39:00it's not all about that.

Greg · 39:00It's about trying to help whoever wherever I can, because what goes around comes around. So, um, as I grow and learn both inside and outside the workplace, happy to share and give people the knowledge that I've, I've learned over time.

Marty · 39:14And we're always learning, aren't we? As business owners, as people, and, uh, the fact that you can share that knowledge, um, I certainly love that.

Marty · 39:23In our business and I, I know any clients that have come across the future, you know, the accountancy side is just the logistics where the real value is, is the care, the strategy, the understanding of goals and where a company wants to go through and, uh, and achieve them and how they best go about it. And you guys brought a lot of wisdom and a lot of logistical benefits to, you know, companies.

Marty · 39:46Clients and, and, uh, continue to do so. And I just love the journey that you're both on in regards to business partners and sharing these life experiences together. Um, I think it's inspirational and you'll like,

Marty · 40:00you'll have memories for a lifetime, not only what you do in business, but outside of business too.

Marty · 40:04It's very, very inspirational guys. Uh, particularly, yeah, obviously Greg's the highlight. For today, but Jason, the camaraderie and mateship, you just don't see that as often in this day and age. So working very nicely boys.

Jason · 40:19Ah, well, thank, thank you, Marty. And look, I can honestly put it down. Like I honestly say right now that my life would be very different without Greg's influence and input from 14 and nine months at Maccas to.

Jason · 40:30You know, I think I've shared the story about the only reason I became an accountant was because Greg didn't want to let me throw my degree away. I said, nah, I don't want to be an accountant, stuff this. I'm, I'm going to go snowboarding or something. He said, you're an idiot. I got you a job already. You just got to come in for the interview.

Jason · 40:43And I was fuming. I thought, I can't believe this. He's gone and got me a job as an accountant. It's the last thing I wanted to do and cut to, you know, another, 10, 15 years on, we get to do this every day, um, rock up to work. We were just on a team meeting before and talked about, you know,

Jason · 41:00how, how we love roll rocking into work.

Jason · 41:02We love being surrounded by a team. We love our clients and the partners that we work with. So, uh, I feel very blessed and privileged. There's a lot of gratitude for Greg and for those around us. Um, so yeah, I'm, I'm couldn't be happier. So while I'm on a bit of a tangent for those playing at home, Greg mentioned his Instagram.

Jason · 41:21I do think he's looking for some, uh, for some extra followers to get on and like, uh, the videos and posts he's doing. So follow Brahma underscore triple zero. So B R A M M A. And then underscore three zeros, get on there and give Brammer a follow on Instagram. If you're in the business world, you can find Greg Bramage on LinkedIn as well.

Jason · 41:43Um, love sharing loves the community. So definitely feel free. If you've got any questions to throw Greg's way before I do the little wrap up and throw to Marty for his favorite part of the episode, Greg, do you have a final bit of advice for anyone thinking about starting their running journey or someone who

Jason · 42:00thinks that they're You know, it's not for them or they can't do it.

Greg · 42:02Um, just get yourself out there. You know, you don't have to put a heavy target in a marathon. 1K, 2Ks, 3Ks, just a 5K. Just remember, slow down, uh, slow down to run quicker. So just take it easy. Not everyone needs to be a PB. Uh, it's about consistency, both in life and for running. You can be consistent. Uh, the rest will come.

Marty · 42:25Well, yeah, amazing.

Jason · 42:26Yeah. And well, that's been another wonderful episode of the numbers game. We thank you for tuning in and listening. I've thoroughly enjoyed this one. You know, I've got a big past and big history with Greg and, and, you know, he has to put up with my crap every day. So it's nice to be able to get him on the podcast and let him, uh, have some of the spotlights, uh, for the amazing things that Greg's done over the last couple of years.

Jason · 42:47Um, Inspiring journey, Greg. Thank you for your time. Uh, listeners as always, like, share, comment, follow, give us your feedback. Uh, you can find us on all of the places that we've told you all the time. Uh, best way to get us

Jason · 43:00is probably through the Instagram page or LinkedIn where you can contact us and the email hello at the numbers game podcast.

Jason · 43:06com. au. Until next time, get those sneakers on, get out there running or until next time.

Marty · 43:12Throw your goals far enough in front of you so you can run and catch them. Thanks, Greg. Game over. ---