So Lonely - The Police

No surprise no mystery - Sumners

I’ve heard many people over the years say they feel ‘lonely’, or they feel ‘alone’. 

Sure, the feeling of being on one’s own or removed from other people can make you feel very lonely indeed, but I can’t say I’ve ever felt that way myself as I’ve always had my inner self to explore and keep me company. Have you felt that?

 

The feeling of isolation might become overwhelming for some, as not everyone’s happy living a hermit-like existence. You see, we’re pack animals by nature and need social interaction for mental stimulation and well-being. Historically where we lived, provided just that, in a community surrounded by family and familiar faces. People were more likely to live where they were born, and that was that for generations.

 

Fast forward to 2026, and however much the internet has opened the horizons to a much wider world to discover from the comfort of a keyboard, the Covid lockdown sent people searching introspectively onto a road of self-discovery, and into a period of inner thought.

 

‘I mean, you are never alone with your thoughts’ – that’s how I see it.

 

The beauty here of course, is that you only have yourself to please. One of the joys of running is the time it gives you for thought, or metacognition (thinking about thinking) as I like to refer to it. Whilst running to Lisbon in 2004, I had 43 days on the road for thought and reflection. I can remember just about emptying my brain of all thoughts on that road trip and every year at the Marathon des Sables, I take time out to reconsider life, purpose and direction.

 

Clients often say, ‘What will people think?’ or ‘I’m tired of explaining myself’ – and I say, ‘As long as you are happy with what you are doing, then that’s all that matters.’ The ‘real’ people in your world will support you wherever you want your life to take you – it’s your life, it’s not theirs isn’t it? And if you don’t ask for comment or permission, then you won’t hear the words of doubt you don’t want to hear anyway.

And, if you are never sure of where the next turn will take you – take some time out for thought. Take your time and enjoy the thought process as sometimes that’s the best part of the journey.

1,233 Marathons - 290 Ultras - 18 MDS - 10 GWR -  1 Direction 

Blame - Calvin Harris

Blame - the dictionary definition says - ‘To feel or declare that (someone or something) is responsible for a fault or wrong’. Which sounds about right to me, literally speaking of course. 

In reality, it’s more about accepting it was all of your own doing imho. You see, I believe that YOU are the only person that YOU can ever really blame however much YOU might try to project the reasons for it elsewhere. Sure, there are always situations and accidents that are out of our control but when decisions have been made and you’ve made them, the buck stops with erm, YOU.

I’ve heard a million excuses in my time as a coach. It’s too hot, cold, wet, dry, short, long, whatever but hardly ever ‘I just got it wrong’ or ‘I simply wasn’t good enough’ There’s always a reason for it being someone else’s fault. Being honest with yourself is the key to success I believe. 

And if you get it wrong or are simply not up to the task in hand. Stop, learn from it and try again. But this time think about how you are going to celebrate when you succeed rather than think up a failure excuse before you start.

 

In my world, nothing is or has ever been easy. But I’ve never complained or tried to blame conditions, situations or even other people for my failures. To me, life has a simple logic. 

There are no short cuts to success and only hard work and pure graft will get you wherever it is that you want to be. Where in time you can become your own Winner. Of course, if you don’t want to be a winner and not be the best version of yourself, keep on blaming everything and everyone around you. 

 

However, it would be a shame to miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime and leave blame to those that need a reason to why they’ve failed.

1,233 Marathons - 290 Ultras - 18 MDS - 10 GWR - 0 Blame

You get what you give - The New Radicals

4AM we ran the miracle mile - Alexander & Nowels

When we think about success, we often imagine massive breakthroughs, sudden inspiration, or dramatic transformations - but in reality, most progress is built on something far less glamorous namely ‘Consistency’.

Consistency comes from doing it again and again - whether motivations high or low, or whether conditions are perfect or not. It’s the promise you have to keep with yourself to take steps in the right direction, even when the journeys hard.

The magic lies in accumulation. A single run won’t make you faster and one gym session won’t make you stronger, but repeated daily effort works. And over time, it delivers.

Consistency builds trust in yourself. Every time you work out, you prove that your goals matter but it’s important to remember that consistency doesn’t mean perfection. You’ll miss days. You’ll stumble. What matters most is choosing to begin again without drama or self-criticism. Progress is a bumpy ride, I know.

So, start small. Focus on today and get it done.

And eventually, you’ll find it’s not the extraordinary things you do occasionally that shape your life, it’s the ordinary things you do every day that do.

1,233 Marathons - 290 Ultras - 18 MDS - 10 GWR - 1 Life

Planet Earth - Duran Duran

This is Planet Earth - Le Bon, Rhodes & Taylor

Life is a series of moments strung together over a period of time. That time being called 'Life' itself. The moments we love to recall are those of great happiness and success perhaps, and like most people I can recall plenty of fist punching moments during my sixty-three nearly sixty-four-year existence on planet earth.

 

I can of course recall an equal number of dark moments when 'Life' didn't make sense and when things were so bad there seemed to be no way out, but luckily those moments passed away, and I’ve navigated myself to safer waters.

 

I recall warmly my final run into Lisbon after 2004kms on the road, knees buckling in relief, but I also recall taking just four steps after being paralysed with GBS with equal warmth.

 

Each has its own merits and I'm glad both moments are engrained into my DNA.

 

My message to day is to enjoy 'Life' and take whatever it brings you good or bad as it's these moments that make 'Life' worth living.

1,233 Marathons - 290 Ultras - 18 MDS - 10 GWR - 1 Life 

A Momentary Lapse of Reason - The Pink Floyd

One slip and down a hole we fall - Gilmour

Is there anything in the world that's free? Even the air and water aren't free! Especially if your car requires either at the petrol station or at Waitrose where a litre of ionised water costs a staggering £2.25.

 

However, ‘Free-time’ is actually what it says - Free. A Free gift, which sadly gets frittered away whenever something else pops up to distract us from taking advantage of a momentary lapse of freedom.

 

Take today, and I'm sure just like you I've had a Trojan of a first week back, working all hours God sends to make my business succeed. I did however make some space today to run 42.2km and enjoy the elements of a very cold yet bright trip to Barrybados and back.

 

On these 'Day outs' as I refer to them, topography is viewed, change is seen, weed is smelt (a lot) and most of all, life's good things are realised. I mean, the whole 42.2km is free. Free from distraction, negativity and demands of others. All you do is breath in the scenery and keep running until you've had your fill.

Over the weekend why not spend your free time more wisely and cash in on the outdoors?

1,233 Marathons - 290 Ultras - 18 MDS - 10 GWR - One Life

Good morning Judge - 10cc

Judging your progress against other peoples can do far more harm than good. Whilst observing others can often inspire, measuring your success against someone else’s life, abilities, or achievements is rarely a good thing as it can undermine your confidence, motivation, and mental well-being.

Firstly, everyone’s journey is different. People start at different levels, have access to different resources, face unique challenges, and carry unseen baggage. When you compare yourself to someone else, you are usually comparing your inner failings to their visible success. 

You’re not aware of their failures, sacrifices, doubts, or support systems that shaped their progress. Judging yourself without accounting for these hidden factors gives an unrealistic view of your own value.

Secondly, constant comparison erodes your self-esteem. When you focus on what others are doing better, you train your mind to overlook your own strengths, growth, and achievements. Over time, this can create a sense of inadequacy, even when you are making genuine progress. No matter how much you achieve, there will always be someone who appears to be more successful, more talented, or further ahead than you. If your self-worth depends on being ‘better’ than others, you will never feel secure or complete.

Thirdly, comparing yourself to others distracts you from your own goals. Instead of asking, ‘What do I want?’ or ‘What matters to me?’, your attention shifts to meeting external expectations. This can lead you to pursue paths that don’t align with your values, simply because they look impressive or are socially rewarded. True fulfilment comes from progress that feels meaningful to you, not from keeping pace with someone else’s timeline.

Another reason to avoid self-judgment through comparison is that growth is not linear. People develop at different speeds in different areas of life. Someone may excel early and struggle later, whilst another may progress slowly but steadily over time - your current position does not define your potential.

Finally, self-comparison weakens self-compassion. When you judge yourself harshly, you leave little room for learning or mistakes. Yet mistakes are essential for growth. Treating yourself with understanding allows you to improve without shame. 

In the end, the most meaningful comparison is not between you and others, but between who you are today and who you were yesterday. Progress, however small, deserves reward. By letting go of comparison, you give yourself permission to grow at your own pace, define success on your own terms, and appreciate your unique path.

1,232 Marathons - 290 Ultras - 18 MDS - 10 GWR - Never Self-Judged

Changes - David Bowie

Time may change me - Bowie

Anybody can change. But you can’t change yesterday. Lots of people live life looking in the rear-view mirror - it’s not about what’s gone it’s about the way ahead. You can’t change what’s gone but you can shape the future, and that future for me was a sheet of blank A4 paper. 

I knew the things I didn’t want to do anymore. I didn’t want to drink, I didn’t want to smoke, I didn’t want to eat rubbish food. I didn’t want to waste my time. That was the hard thing. I was wasting my time, I was wasting my life, I was going to waste my future. 

 

What I could do was to shape the things that the new Rory Coleman was going to do on one side of A4. 

 

It was a truly exciting moment. A moment when I thought, okay what shall I do? I know I’ll start by getting fit.

 

After standing on the scales, I went for a run from my front door on a very cold and wet January evening in 1994, for about 100 steps it turned out, in my jeans, my winter jacket and my leather shoes because I hadn’t any running gear. There was no Internet to go to, and research how to run, so I just thought ‘let’s do it’. And passed out after 100 steps but it didn’t matter because I’d found my thing.

 

For any budding marathon runner, London is always the bait, is always the lure, and I signed up for the London Marathon in April 1995. 56 days post my first marathon in Telford, I was lighter, faster, fitter and literally I jogged around in 3 hours 54 minutes. Marathons one and two ticked off…

 

Going past Cutty Sark, going over Tower Bridge, running over the cobbles (you did back then), and then turning that final corner by Buckingham Palace, I was caught on the BBC TV highlights coming over of the line, arms in the air, and that was it. 

 

I’d arrived and it was just the most amazing feeling ever. 

 

And I loved it so much that I went and ran another marathon the week after and another one the week after that. And I’ve been running marathons every 8.7 days since. 

 

You see, I believe everyone’s elite. We’re bombarded by eliteness. We see eliteness all of the time. We see athletes, musicians, entertainers and we look at these people. They’re household names, aren’t they?

 

I’m not a household name, far from it, but I’ve pushed myself as far as my body and mind can go. I’ve wrung out every last drop of effort I’ve ever been able to muster and put it into what I’ve done so far in life. 

 

Anything is possible. Literally anything. 

 

We all love to be inspired by people, inspirational people that can tell you just how amazing they are.

 

Well, you’re amazing too. It’s just that you haven’t realised how amazing you are.

1,232 Marathons - 290 Ultras - 18 MDS - 10 GWR - One Big Change in 1994