The Tempest - Pendulum

Lyric:- You dropped the drawbridge, You let the Vampires in - Swire Thompson

Song Choice:- Love Pendulum, Love this Song, I don't love Vampires!

They are everywhere, all around us. All day. They invade our heads, hearts and homes and if you're not careful you'll become one too.

It's a form of mediocrity, a slide of personal standards and an opportunity to be downright ordinary. Facebook has become a breeding ground for them and before you know it you're liking and sharing their venomous ways.

Lesson:- Don't drop your drawbridge, don't lower your standards, stand tall and be Vampire Free.

It's most liberating!

Rory Coleman - 899 Marathons - 232 Ultras

12 Marathon des Sables - 9 Guinness World Records - 21 Years' Alcohol Free.

Location:Pembroke Road,Cardiff,United Kingdom

Election Day - Arcadia

Lyric:- Restless (so restless indeed) - Le Bon, Rhodes & Taylor

Song Choice:- The ‘Duran Duran Lite’ Combo's Election Day track has always been one of my favourites and the lyrics match my mood perfectly my mood today. It’s a great song and my choice has nothing to do with the continuing squabble for UK leadership which is quite frankly a very dull thing to come back to.

It’s the ‘Restless’ part of the lyric that hit home earlier on as that’s how I’m feeling today ‘Post-MdS’, ‘Pre-Deep-Breath-In’, and prior to the next marathon escapade. It’s the lull after the storm I suppose and a state of mind that I don’t enjoy even though I know more good times are around the corner.

A couple of long runs with a few hours of Prog Rock will no doubt help clear my mind of any Desert Debris but for now I know I’m fatigued in Mind, Body and Soul and that it will pass. I’m better off right now just going out and letting the miles cleanse my tiredness and renew my enthusiasm.

Do you ever get like that, sort of totally wiped out? Bit like a Party Leader on a Live TV Debate?

I’d love to know if you do and how you get over it… who'd be a politician eh? 

Evil Angel - Breaking Benjamin

Lyric:- 'You are the faith inside me' - Klepaski & Burnley

Song Choice:- Breaking Benjamin are quite a new act to my music repertoire but they have made a sound mark with me especially with the above track and the brilliant anthem, 'The Diary of Jane'.

I had to have faith today as I went out for my first tentative post MdS run. I started with a simple 2.5 mile brisk walk out followed by a jog back home.

Boy it hurt!!! Well the running bit did anyway as it feels like weeks since I ran anything. It's amazing just how out of condition your body can get in such a small time when you are not running and smashing 156 miles of walking in the Sahara Sand.

No doubt there is a bit of PTRD in there too (that's Post Traumatic Race Disorder to you) as it's hard to reignite the furnaces post Sir Ranulph and all that there media.

Ah well, I'll give it another bash tomorrow.

More then...

Written in Cardiff - 899 marathons - 232 ultras - 9 Guinness World Records - 12 MdS

Definitive Gaze - Magazine

Lyric:- Got this bird's eye view and it's in my brain, clarity has reared its ugly head again - Devoto & McGeoch

Song Choice:- The 1978 'Real Life' album has some great tracks and this album opener has always been on my hit-list. Have a listen yourself here from 'Whistle Test' all those years ago.

Well I'm back from the desert, sadly without my luggage as yet (that's still sunning itself in Morocco) but I'm still wearing a huge smile from the whole MdS Experience with Sir Ranulph. The 'clarity' that Devoto sings of in the above song isn't necessary ugly but it has definitely entered my thoughts over the past couple of weeks and the 156 miles of Sahara Sand provides a wonderful place of solitude. 

It's a great time and place to consider and re-evaluate one's life. It's always been like that for me and it's the reason I return there every year... It's never been about the running for me, it's always been about being at one in the desert and the time for reflection is just priceless.

No doubt the weeks ahead are going to be super-busy and I'm grateful for that but I'm going to keep hold of my clarity, that's reared it's ugly head for as long as possible. 

Do you ever get to feel like that?

More tomorrow...

Rory Coleman - 899 Marathons - 232 Ultras

12 Marathon des Sables - 9 Guinness World Records - 21 Years' Alcohol Free. 

Don't give up - Peter Gabriel

Lyric:- You're not beaten yet - Gabriel

Song Choice:- I listened to this during the 56 mile long stage and the lyrics fit my emotions today as I try to take in covering 156 miles of the Marathon des Sables with Sir Ranulph Fiennes, as this year's race has all been about him and not me.

Everyone taking part has their own reason for entering the race and have their own race expectations, just like I've had in my 11 previous events only this year I've been extremely fortunate to share my entire race with the incredible Sir Ranulph Fiennes.

And incredible he is on so many fronts...mostly because he's so humble, approachable and loveable. I've laughed so much at his extremely dry sense of humour and heard all of his life stories first hand. Talk about hair-raising...

Most of all, I witnessed first-hand how he kept-on going despite being completely broken, in constant, life-threatening pain when others I the race far younger, in far less discomfort threw in the towel.

This MdS will be the 'Sir Ranulph' year for me and one I will always treasure. Playing a part in his life history is a real privilege and we've ended up being such good friends along the way.

Everything you've ever read about him or heard about him is true. If you need inspiration he's the man and if I can do MdS at 71 years of age, like he can...I'll be a happy man.

Did I think he'd ever give up? Of course not, he's Sir Ranulph Fiennes...

Rory Coleman - 899 Marathons - 232 Ultras

12 Marathon des Sables - 9 Guinness World Records - 21 Years' Alcohol Free.

Location:Quarzazate

Still of the Night - Whitesnake

Lyric:- 'In the heat of the day' - Coverdale & Sykes

Song Choice:- I love a bit of Whitesnake, partly because of the great songs they recorded in the classic era of New Heavy Metal Pomp of the 80's but also for the ridiculous hip thrusting, leather spandex clad videos that accompanied the music. Totally entertaining and take a look here for yourself - it's an awesome guitar solo!

Joking aside the 'Still of the Night' is something I'm looking forward to at this year's Marathon des Sables. The time when it's completely dark, silent and there's that wonderful cool feeling of peace that follows a day of being burned alive in the sand.

If you've been there, you'll know what I mean. Even in a tent where you don't even have to reach out to touch the people next to you, there is a feeling of solitude that is most overwhelming. It's one of the reasons I go back each year and it's become my annual pilgrimage and a real retreat as you can easily leave the camp and all the other runners and feel the liberation of being alone in the sand.

That long walk out into the sand is one of my real life pleasures and it's one I'll get to enjoy again tomorrow...in the still of the night.

You see it's not about the running - it's about the experience of being alone with yourself and being happy with the person you are with.

The Price of Love - Roxy Music

Lyric:- A debt you pay with tears and pain - Everly & Everly

Song Choice:- I love a bit of Roxy and I didn't realise that the Everly's wrote this baby. Anyway, it seems quite apt that you pay with tears and pain eh?

Success comes at a price. The cost is an investment of pure hard work and determination. You can't 'buy' success, just ask a Billionaire Premier Club Chairman, as all the millions in the world can't guarantee your desires when there's sport and people involved.

There's a 'Life-Experience Hiatus' happening right now accompanied by having all the 'Right Gear' but really having 'No Idea'. Just take a look at 'Ironman' photos or folk in their MdS Logo'd up kit and you'll see what I mean. It's doesn't look natural at all and just highlights the 'Look like a Right Plonker Factor'.

The '10,000 hours Ideal' is SO right. Having the RIGHT gear is of course a much better approach, I don't need Logo's or a Desert Uniform to get me in the 'Zone'. The 'Zone' is in my head and it's business as usual for me on Sunday for 250kms of Sand, Mountains and Extreme Fun.

As I head off with Sir Ranulph, at least I know he is 10,000+ on everything so there's no worry on his part but for some of the  500 Brits going, I do think that some might have 'Bought' off more than they can chew...I'm envisaging a huge pile of discarded compression gear, front packs and blister management at the end of Stage 1 this year, apart from those people I've trained for the race! 

Rory Coleman - 897 Marathons - 231 Ultras

11 Marathon des Sables - 9 Guinness World Records - 21 Years' Alcohol Free.