Personal

Just a reminder, building the wrong thing faster still gets you nowhere.

The OG meme

As the cost of writing code trends toward zero, the backlog explodes. Every feature becomes rent you have to pay.

Only recently, I thought I didn't have time. I knew that would change soon, and I also knew I'd adapt - especially since I've done it twice before.

My third daughter (yep, I'm a girl dad) was recently born and already seems to be the boss.

In between naps, feeding, and endless nappy changes that look suspiciously like mustard, I'm doing a couple of extra things:

• building a community of product managers and;
• creating a flashcard system in Notion to help me memorise things I want to learn, from historical dates to topics related to my job - assuming I can stay awake long enough to use it.

Harbour 10 is done! ✅

When I signed up, I picked the 55–65 min group and didn't think I'd break 55. Ended up finishing under 53 (5:12/km).

I ran the first 8 km at a comfortably hard pace then gave it everything in the final stretch (4:30/km last km). The first half was pretty packed...narrow paths and lots of weaving through the crowd. Ended up overtaking around 900 people.

Really stoked with the result, especially the pace in that last km.

Went for a run this morning - really enjoying getting out early on the weekend. The goal was to go sub-55 for 10km, then take it easy for the final 5km. I cooled down with a gentle pace, pushed a little at the end and ended up with a 15km PB as well.

Loving these runs across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Stunning views - running past the Opera House, through the Botanic Gardens and finishing in Barangaroo. One of the best spots in the world ❤️

Over the weekend, I've been playing around with some Vibe Coding to tackle a challenge I've been thinking about.

There are probably existing products that do something similar, but for me, it's more about getting hands-on with AI and building something myself. I used to be a software engineer, so tinkering with things like this comes naturally - and I really enjoy it.

The problem I'm exploring is related to my work in the health industry, which is a broad and complex space. To give you an idea: there are general practitioners, specialists, allied health professionals like physios and psychologists, private and community clinics, hospitals (public and private), private health insurers, Medicare and government services, regulatory bodies like ADHA and AHPRA, My Health Record, and the underlying tech infrastructure like Best Practice, MedicalDirector, and Genie.

Then there are patient-facing platforms like HealthShare (where I work), HotDoc and Health Engine plus areas like patient education, pharmacies and aged care.

This is a lot!

As a product leader, I try to stay on top of market news and emerging trends but it takes a lot of time and constant context switching.

That's the problem I'm trying to solve. See MarketRippa

✅ Finished UTA50 in 9 hours and 53 minutes.

Tough course - pretty gnarly at the bottom, and I saw a lot of runners twisting their ankles. The weather was clear and kind, but the course itself was brutal. Still, the atmosphere was amazing. So many positive vibes - not just from spectators cheering you on and chanting your name, but also from fellow runners cracking dad jokes like, “Did we pay for this?”

Overall, I felt pretty confident about making it to the end. I didn't push myself to the extreme - kept it moderate at the start. My goal was to make it halfway to the Queen Victoria Hospital (QVH) aid station (around 28km). Once I got there, I knew I could finish and hopefully avoid cramping.

The 8km downhill stretch was brutal on my toes - definitely earned some black toenails - and I couldn't go as fast as I wanted. But the last 5km was mostly flat, slightly inclined. I found a second wind, overtook a few people, and pushed pretty hard. Still, a couple of UTA100 leaders flew past me like they were weightless. They looked so fresh. I hated them a little.

The last 200 metres was a grind - 900 Furber steps. I didn't stop and just pushed through. In fact, I didn't stop at all throughout the race except for refueling at checkpoints. Climbed every hill and stair section without pausing, which I'm proud of.

Tempted to consider the UTA100 one day - it's a different beast, and I'm not thinking too seriously about it yet. But once the legs recover, who knows?

If you're on the fence about trying UTA, I'd definitely recommend the experience. You don't have to go straight to 50 - there are also 11km and 22km options. Amazing atmosphere, incredible challenge.

UTA50 is next week. 50km. 2.5km elevation. Just writing this makes my legs feel heavy. Scary.

Doubts are louder. Have I done enough? Am I ready? What if I can't finish?

But I'm doing it anyway.

Doubt doesn't mean stop. I'll show up. Then I'll take the first step. Then the next. Then the next. Until it's done.

See you in Blue Mountains!

Got wrecked in the Blue Mountains over the weekend - legs felt like bricks. So hitting a PB for 15Ks with sub-6:00 pace felt massive. Nearly 200 metres of elevation in there too.

That's a big one for me. Not just the numbers - the confidence it gave me after a rough session.

These are the moments that build the legs for UTA50 - and the mindset for everything else.