Forty - U2

'And made my footsteps firm' - Clayton, Evans, Hewson & Mullen

There were lots of many firm footprints for me yesterday as I circled the 400 metre track at Barry's Jenner Park Stadium some 161 times to complete the Barry 40 mile track race and put Mick McGeoch's challenge to me firmly to bed.

Funnily enough and contrary to anyone's misconceptions that I don't like laps or lakes I never had any negative thoughts about the race and I'd completely bought into the 40 some 12 weeks ago when I started my training towards it. You don't spend hours and hours and hours on treadmills, like I have, without a goal in mind and it's been my main focus of this year's winter training for me.

My 6hrs and 19mins won't go down in any record books, apart from Mick's comprehensive results sheet of course but it will reflect the fact that I ran 40 miles at a steady pace, all the way on a very warm spring day. It represents a new 6hr PB for me as well as a 40 mile PB that I set back in 1996.

The best part is that I could run again today and hopefully that's a reflection of my conditioning and not so much that I could have gone faster, which I know I could have.

Maybe it's sub 6 next time! Yikes, did I really type that?

More tomorrow from the funny farm...take me awayyyyyyyyyyyyyy...

Pharrell Williams - Happy

Well, I should probably warn you I’ll be just fine - Williams

I'll know this time tomorrow and I'm not quite sure how I should be feeling right now as it's a long time since I ran for six hours around a 400 metre track. Exactly how long it will take to cover the 64373.76 metres, who knows, as I'm bloody sure I don't. What I do know is that I'll be giving it all I've got as I've consumed a normal adult's yearly sugar allowance during the last 24 hours!

An evening of settee slouching will hopefully help no end and I can feel a very comfortable nights sleep coming my way.

My GPS Heart-Rate monitor, iPhone and iPod Nano are all on charge and I'm packing my P20 suncream as getting even though getting a suntan in Barry is especially rare at anytime of the year, there is rumour of a March heatwave tomorrow. I've also got a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones to blot out Mick Mcgeoch's race commentary as he's bound to give me a lot of stick in the latter stages of the race (only kidding Mick).

Let's hope I finish before the final whistle in the Wales v England game... more tomorrow as I'm off for some more energy drink and a lie down. All this carbo-loading is exhausting.

More during the #barry40.

Moment for Life - Nicki Minaj

'But to live doesn't mean you're alive'...

How many folk do you know that are living but not alive? It's amazing just how many people are on the treadmill of life and just can't get off or change the programme they are in. It's almost like they're living wearing blinkers and all that matters is getting to the end of the day, week or year in one piece only to start again back at life's square one.

Now, I'm not criticising as if that's ok with you, then that's YOUR business - it's a free old world out there and no one especially me is perfect BUT this week in particular it's ALL been about the process of change and upping ones game, especially for my 12 Carphone Warehouse Average2Awesome people who are now on board with our coaching to make positive changes to their lives...hopefully forever.

My first three calls of the day also reflected this wanting to change and for those clients, change is happening fast, attitudes are changing and new smaller waisted trousers are being bought.

I too am upping my game and my 161 laps of the track on Sunday will certainly give me time to think on about what MY goals are. They've changed a lot since I was 18 and I'm certainly not the man I used to be, so there's hope yet.

What would you like to change about yourself?

Coleman Coaching - The UK's Leaders in Inspirational Coaching.

Location:Pembroke Road,Cardiff,United Kingdom

Loner - Black Sabbath

'The secrets of his past locked deep inside his head. I wonder if he will be happy when he's dead' - Butler

I'm no doubt going to go to some dark places at Sunday's Barry 40 (161 and a bit times around the Jenner Park Stadium) and I'm busy sorting out my tunes ready for my six hour brain disengagement and Loner by the Almighty Sabbath could well make my play-list.

No doubt my prog-rock repertoire will also get a good dusting off as well as some Pendulum played VERY LOUDLY indeed.

I had a dry run (actually a very sweaty run) down the gym in the bay today and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. Close to the Edge has never sounded so good. Have a listen and try the section at 15:00 mins - what a track...let's hope it moves and grooves me at the weekend eh?

It's carbo time and the last run of the week tomorrow...

Barry - Let's Rock.

Paperback Writer - The Beatles

'It's a thousand pages, give or take a few, I'll be writing more in a week or two. I can make it longer if you like the style, I can change it round and I want to be a paperback writer, Paperback Writer' - Lennon & McCartney

On a day where I've seen a great new MdS book in print by one of my clients, Mark Roe (Forward by yours Truly), I've spent most of my day processing the paperwork from Monday's 'Carphone Warehouse Average to Awesome; (#CPWA2A) Campaign ahead of starting my own running tomb in the next few days.

I always say it's all about the planning and I'm planning like a good 'un on the background to my 'Average to Awesome' piece of literary genius and it's good for me to be having to be so detailed with my writing and record keeping as I am one of the world's biggest BIG picture people and find this stuff extremely difficult to process. 

At 52, I know what I'm good at and quite happy to say so too!

If it's half as well done as Mark's Book, it will be a modern day classic!

There's more book admin to do tomorrow as well so let's hope I can keep the faith and maintain the pace. 

More later eh? 

Watercolour - Pendulum

'Throw your fists up, come on with me' - Thompson

I had a simply 'BRILLIANT' day training 12 amazing people from Carphone Warehouse in the wonderful Park Club Gym in London as part of my #CPWA2A Campaign for this year's Race to the Stones. 

To be honest I wasn't quite sure what to expect as the prospective candidates were unknown to me before we met but luckily the diversity of sex, age and ability was just what I was after.

The desire to change and complete 'The Race to the Stones'...from all of them was unquestionable.

Hearing them speak their testimony to camera really brought a lump to the throat and a tear to my eye I can tell you and my return journey to Wales gave me some quality time to consider all of their applications to be part of my #CPWA2A Group.

I'm working with them again next week and I'm really looking forward to starting the transformation process of going from 'Average to Awesome'...

The Pendulum Song - Really makes me throw my fists up...it's my anthem of the #CPWA2A...

More later...

Shamen - Move any mountain

MdS Training in Methyr Mawr

'I will not fail nor falter, I shall succeed, my perception is altered I do believe. Faith is so strong now nothing shall bar my way, from conviction, no fiction this is my day' - Sinnott & Angus

Well what a weekend we've had and if you are taking part in the MdS next month and you weren't with us...you certainly missed a trick. However our bumper group experienced a real baptism of fire running in the massive sunny sand dunes of Merthyr Mawr and climbing the extremely hostile Pen-Y-Fan (886 metres) on one of the most hostile of days weather that I've experienced in the Brecons. It was simply BRUTAL. How the crew from S4C managed to keep filming up there was quite remarkable as were ALL of our people who toughed it out in the driving hail and increasing wind-chill.

The best part for me on these weekends is the bonding that takes place between EVERYONE who comes along and it's great for them to know each other before they get to Gatwick.

From the feedback, we've already had...well they loved it and we loved to too. Personally, I got home and simply crashed out cold as all that mountain air is a killer...

Tomorrow's another day and I have 26 lucky CarPhone Warehouse employees to meet and choose 12 to be part of my #CPWA2A that will see them taking on a massive challenge in July.

There's never a dull day eh? Acton here I come!