Boy - U2

I've had a most interesting day coaching a great athlete preparing for London, Comrades and MdS#14. Not only was Ian Beckingham incredibly fit but he was also REALLY interesting as he's a Keyhole Surgeon.

I love meeting people who are at the forefront of ground-breaking technology in any field but when it concerns the human body and how one person can make so much difference to someone else with what they've developed and learned during their professional career is really humbling. And he's a nice, modest chap too.

Best part is he's already in great shape and with that extra push from yours truly can achieve even greater things.

Awesome stuff and I really enjoyed my job today!

More tomorrow...

Riders on the Storm - The Doors

It's not what HAPPENS to you that makes you who you are, it's how you DEAL with it that matters. Battling thru life's highs and lows is never easy... we've ALL been there and got the T-Shirt on that one but where we as athletes have the upper hand is that we RUN.

Running has always been great THERAPY during testing times and apart as well as my love of music which has helped me reach many a finish line in tough multiday races.

What gets you thru your life and have you any constants? (Not counting family members of course).

I'd love to know...

More tomorrow.

Just a Day - Feeder

Not just any day but a good day to get back on my prep before a long run with MdS#13 Runner Per Hedberg, tomorrow. Right now I feel that these long, slow, grinds are making a great foundation on which I am building my confidence for the race which is now only 40 days away.

Things felt great today as my ankle grief is going and last weeks easier mileage has given me that half-term break I needed from the hard training I've put in over the past two months.

I'm looking forward to my long run tomorrow too...Let's hope it goes as well as today's outing.

More then

Move any mountain - The Shamen

Certainly moved some on the mountains of sand in Merthyr Mawr today with MdS#13 Runner Kate Heffer on one of my MdS Training days in Wales. The sand really drives home just what's in store for those taking on the Sahara, especially when it comes to climbing 'The Big Dipper' and it's 100 ft wall of sand.

We RAN up it three times, after a three mile warm up in the sand dunes that run from Candelston Castle down to the sea.

It felt great to be going hard up The Dipper, especially as a few months ago it was more of a mountain to climb back then.

Let's hope it continues to get easier the more I go and run there with clients. If you haven't been there yet and you are running in Morocco in the near future, I suggest you do...

More tomorrow.

Who do you think you are? - The (All Conquering) Spice Girls

More like STOP by The Spice Girls today as I have a bit of a hurty ankle. It's more like ACS really but I'm sure it's been caused by the top part of my Saucony Peregrine 2's digging into the fleshy bit on the top of my foot.

It's not quite the rest that I wanted but it's not worth twisting it any more today as I am off to the dunes tomorrow with MdS#13 Runner, Kate Heffer tomorrow.

A good run in Merthyr Mawr will take the pain out of my ankle and put it firmly in my lungs!

More then...

Stars on 45 - Stars on 45

The days are tick, tick, ticking and I got my arse into gear today and bashed out a medium paced 6.4 miler. I'm still very tired after the weekend's London ULTRA but it was good to get out in the cold late afternoon light.

Astonishingly to me, after my music died 30 minutes into my run - I speeded up and really got a move on. I've always thought that music was empowering but it looks like it devours my pace. I'll have to keep an eye on that, if I can keep one open.

Sleep is needed and more miles... more tomorrow.

Fire - The Cult

With just 46 days to go to MdS#13 it was time today to get my backside in gear and get some running in. It was only a measly 3 miles but after last weekends London ULTRA extravaganza it seemed a very good place to start.

It was nice and easy way back into training and tomorrow it will be time to up the mileage and start focusing on the next six weeks of training.

I'll keep you posted with my progress and I'm looking forward to getting a LOT of miles in the bank.

More tomorrow...

The Race - Yello

Well, I don't know about you but I'm just about knackered after The London ULTRA... and I didn't even run it! 245 people did however and didn't they do well? I really enjoyed seeing the clients I've been working with over the past few months do so well and beat theirs and my expectations in relation to their race times.

A special mention must go to Andy Saville who did an incredible 4hrs 06mins for the 50km who this time last year was struggling to even finish an ULTRAmarathon.

Nice one Andy!

Drawing inspiration from him, I will be getting back into my own running this week. After a LONG, LONG, LONG sleep.

More tomorrow.

Show Me the Way - Frampton

Jenny and I have had a lovely day of pure harmony running the London ULTRA route today. We've seen some lovely houses we would love to live in but could never afford (Palace View in Crystal Palace, my favourite) but who cares as we just enjoyed our time together.

All the race preps done and if you are running tomorrow we'll see you bright and early.

www.rorycoleman.co.uk - Performance Coach


www.ULTRArace.co.uk - The Home of ULTRArunning in the UK

Location:Western Avenue,Southall,United Kingdom

London Calling - The Clash

Well I'm coming towards the end of my Running Half-Term Week and its been most enjoyable I can tell you.

They say 'A Break's as good as a Rest' and it really applies this week as I have enjoyed a proper rest from running. Oh I know I did 26.2 with Ben but that was a nice day out really and not a big part of my training schedule.

Apart from the miles route marking tomorrow it's a couple of more days rest until getting back into the final 50 days leading up to MdS X.

More tomorrow and if you are running on Sunday... See you then.

www.rorycoleman.co.uk - Running Performance Coach.

Location:Western Avenue,Southall,United Kingdom

Have a Cigar - The Pink Floyd

I've had a great day of Coaching today with award winning reporter Ben Wilson, from Outdoor Fitness Magazine. For those of you whom read the magazine and get my newsletter will be familiar with Ben and his path to fitness, weight loss and Ultramarathon running.

The immediate thing I get with Ben is this wide eyed innocence to running and an enthusiasm to learn which is really refreshing but easy to fan and make the flames even higher. I'm not sure who got the most out of today as I feel refuelled and refreshed from our 26.2 miles of running on a day where Wales legendary weather gave us 100% of its worst behaviour.

I have no doubt that Ben is and will give 100% to any goal that he's set and I've already sown a couple of seeds in his mind that he can focus all of his positive running thoughts on for the near future. I'll keep you posted on his progress...

www.rorycoleman.co.uk - The Running Performance Coach

Location:Pembroke Road,Cardiff,United Kingdom

Superman - Black Lace

On my, I think I've just pulled out of a nose-dive of sleepiness that has flattened me this weekend. I know in reality that it's a resulting remnant of the effort that I have been putting in this year so far but I can quite honestly say I was ready for bed at 7.30pm last night. Yes I know how to live it up!

It show's you that you need sleep to re-charge ones batteries and that you just can't be Superman and Superhuman ALL the time. I see it so often with ULTRA-runners and advise rest to everyone I coach as being an imperative part of their routine. Well my advice has paid off and I feel a bit more lively tonight and might get to 9.30pm you never know.

Are you over-doing it do you think?

No Good Trying - Syd Barrett

I can't believe that a week has already passed by since The Pilgrims Ultra. Time really does fly when you are running! Also if you are not careful you run out of steam... I did today as the week caught up with me and my eyelids were firmly shut on the settee late this afternoon as I enjoyed a marathon free weekend.

Looking at my last two months of training, I am clocking up 50-90 miles a week over 5 days, which for me is working me just about at my limit these days.

The quality of the training seems to be paying off to as my recovery is better and doing all my sessions on hills makes any flat run feel quite easy.

I know for MdS and then UTMB I need to get out more up the valleys and start nailing some slopes... But not this weekend as I am having a well earned break, are you?

Rory Coleman - Performance Coaching www.rorycoleman.co.uk

Location:Romilly Road,Cardiff,United Kingdom

Goody Two Shoes - Adam Ant

I went to London yesterday and met the lovely people at Profeet. It was a really refreshing meeting too as their thoughts on what to put on your feet agree with mine. The technology they showed me, (second to none) and their openness to my needs as a muiltiday marathon runner was spot on.

You see for many years now I have been asking shoe manufacturers to stop making trainer insoles with curved edges around the heel cup as they cause two major areas for blisters on the inside and the back of the heel. I've seen it time and time again at the Marathon des Sables as it's the first major occasion that people have walked with damp feet for along time over a long distance. The painful tell-tale velociraptor walk around the camp afterwards can be avoided so easily I believe.

Hence the insole in the picture and the research that I am about to undertake using my Brooks Adrenaline GTS UK Size 11.5 with the Profeet ULTRA Insole MK1 Prototype. It already looks a winner to me but I will bash in a few miles today on it and report back. If they work it will be a major help to anyone doing the MdS and Profeet can cut them to fit your shoes exactly, as they did for me.

More later...

London Calling - The Clash

I've just got back from 'The Smoke' after a couple of great meetings with a couple of new partners for my Performance Coaching Business. It's been really exciting and I'll be blogging more about both companies and what I will be doing with them over the next months tomorrow.

Before then, I am going for a nice lie down after all that driving and enjoy the rest of this rest day of running.

More tomorrow...

Happy Birthday - Altered Images

As it was my 51st Birthday today, I had a lovely day off and enjoyed a 7.8 miler around Penarth in the sunshine... Following yesterday's run up and down the Big Dipper just two days after a double 33 miler at the weekend I felt totally revived today and enjoyed an 8 min mile pace run around some of the loveliest parts of Caerdydd.

It was a good job too as I had to make some room for my Birthday Supper at The Mint & Mustard Indian Restaurant. I'd run 7.8 miles every day if I could eat there!

More tomorrow after a day in London working with two new partners in my Performance Coaching business.

Everybody Hurts - Avril Lavigne

Wayne on 'The Dipper'

It's been another day of Marathon des Sables training for me, this time with MdS2013 runner, Wayne Newton. It was most refreshing, not only that Wayne is just a lovely chap but that we went to Merthyr Mawr sand dunes instead of running the normal 26.2 around Cardiff.

Good news for my tired old legs following The Pilgrims ULTRA but also because it gave Wayne a real taste of what's in store for him (and me) in just 60 days.

It took us to our third rep to run all the way up The Big Dipper... it always takes a couple of gos to get it right I've found and from a standing start it's just far too easy to blow out half-way up. Coupled with a few miles to the sea and back it proved a great afternoon's training session.

My tired quads and hip-flexors are now just a distant memory :-)

Reset - Ayaka Hirahara

An unusual choice today but an absolutely spot on one as I had to 'Push the Reset Button' a couple of times in the last ten miles of The Pilgrims ULTRA 33 yesterday to get back on the case. There's loads of things that run through your brain during 7 hours of Mud Bath and Mountains and when a couple of them collide, then the wheels can start to fall off. Pulling out of the dive is a tricky old thing...

I got to that stage at about 20 miles yesterday suffering I thought with very tired hip-flexors and a bit of a lowering of my expectational horizon of the task in hand. The truth was, I was really hungry and needed more fuel than I had eaten after Day 1 and before to Day 2 of the event. Yes, I was tired after 50 miles, yes it was both muddy and hilly but the old adage of 'Mood is Food' as well as some Trance Music that got me thru.

This consisted of a complete pack of Bloks, 500ml of Go-Electrolye and a fistful of Sausages. And boy-oh-boy it worked, very quickly I got fired up and back on the task in hand. I really blasted the last few miles thanks to 'The Splash and Dash' feed.

Might be worth considering when you are feeling knackered in an ULTRA.

Special thanks to Ian Calder (very kind), Matt Hebden (very funny) and Neil Thubron (very accommodating) for a great weekend of friendship and fun.

Tiger Feet - Mud

Well I smashed it... Well in my terms anyway. I must say that The Pilgrims ULTRA was pretty brutal if I was being honest and the mud just unmanageable in places and Box Hill - a bugger.

Then again, why enter if it's easy eh?

Totally pleased and I'm going to bang it tomorrow too! I'm off to cry about the Rugby now...

www.rorycoleman.co.uk - Running Performance Coach.

Location:Bletchingley Road,,United Kingdom

Out of Nowhere - Timewave

Well tomorrow's nearly here and before you know it so will the MdS... just 64 days to go the clock is really ticking now. Suddenly it seems that we have lighter evenings and the flowers are starting to peek out of the ground and there's no doubt things are a lot more livelier now we're into February.

I'm going to make the most of the weekend ahead and try and smash it as fast as I can...

Famous last words and watch this space eh?