Move on up - Curtis Mayfield

Christ College, Brecon - Not a bad place to train...

Lyrics:- ‘Just move on up, towards your destination’ – Mayfield

Song Choice:- I’ve always loved listening to this track in the car as it’s got such a great groove to it and it’s full of drive. It’s speeding ticket potential rating must be right up there with best but it’s the notion of moving towards one’s destination that really hit me for today’s blog.

You see, I’ve been coaching a group of people from all over the UK this weekend in sunny Brecon, who are preparing to run in the Sahara, Atacama or Gobi Deserts and I’ve been really knocked out by their enthusiasm and thirst for knowledge. A room full of ‘Six-Day Racing Self-confessed Run-A-Holics’ is a very powerful place to be I can tell you and on a group run after the classroom sessions, it felt like we could’ve moved the mountain that we were running up.

BTW it was bloody steep and after my blast around the Merthyr Tydfil parkrun earlier, I didn’t have the oxygen to say much going up that baby. Note-to-self, run more hills!

Anyway, the thing is, it felt that these guys, ‘Moved on up’ yesterday - sat up and made huge strides towards their destination. Their chances of success at their races which in some cases are still 230 days away, hopefully have improved greatly with a new knowledge base. I certainly learned a few things myself from the other experts that spoke too, which is a good thing and I’m looking forward to leading a group training run around the sand dunes in Merthyr Mawr to complete their Desert Training experience this morning.

For you though, if you aren't running across deserts in the near future, if at all, maybe it’s worth taking some time out today to consider how you might move on up, towards your own destination whatever that might be. And like these guys get some help and guidance along the way to point you in the right direction as you’ll ‘Move on up’ a whole lot quicker.

Amen.

Rory Coleman - 997 Marathons - 244 Ultras - 14 Marathon des Sables

9 Guinness World Records - 8,628 Days' Alcohol Free - 476 Days' post GBS
& 1 Sad Day for the World

Location: Cardiff, Wales.

Barcelona - Queen

Lyrics:- 'Shaking all our lives' - Mercury & Moran

Song Choice:- Following yesterday's events in Barcelona, it only feels right to write about one of my favourite places on the planet. I'm not going to have my thoughts, memories and images tarnished by people who want to kill and main others and I'm only ever going to think positively about this amazing City.

I mean, it's no wonder that Barcelona draws in so many visitors. If you've ever been there, I'm sure you will have wondered at the Sagrada Familia Cathedral (left) and the genius of a certain Senior Goudy. I've also visited the Olympic and Football Stadiums and used their famous bus hop-on-hop-off tours to get a complete picture of a very 'bohemian' place to experience. There's always a certain sense of relaxed freedom and I've got great memories of Lady Coleman running a couple of 24hr races in the north of the City and enjoying her success at going on to be part of the GB team.

It's a special place.

So that's what I'm going to continue to think. I'm going to keep on enjoying the freedom that should be part of our everyday lives. Enjoy the FREEDOM that running brings and that has brought me an extra dimension in my life to be able to enjoy the world and go back to Barcelona and experience it again in the future.

I hope you also feel empowered to continue to live life to the full and not let things stop you doing the things that you want to do.

Amen.

Rory Coleman - 997 Marathons - 244 Ultras - 14 Marathon des Sables

9 Guinness World Records - 8,626 Days' Alcohol Free - 474 Days' post GBS
& 1 Sad Day for the World

Location: Cardiff, Wales.

You're the Voice - John Farnham

Lyrics:- ‘We have the chance, to turn the pages over, we can write what we want to write’ - Reid, Qunta, Thompson & Ryder

Song Choice:- This song is such an anthem and I’m sure lots of people have sung along to it at the tops of the voices especially when they’ve feel like they’ve not been listened to or even heard at all. Being such a Power Ballad, the song was famously used for The World Liberty Concert in The Netherlands on May 8th, 1995 to mark the 50^th Anniversary of the liberation of Europe. Not a bad accolade for a bloke Dagenham eh?

It got me thinking about what band or song I’d associate myself with part from Rush’s New World Man which has my book title ‘A Rebel and a Runner’ in it of course but thinking on a wider scale whether I’d be in a group, what I’d play or whether I’d be a solo artist. I’m sure I’d like to be in control, that probably goes without saying and the microphone is a very powerful tool. However, I would like the freedom and expression of having those lead solo breaks where I could show off my skills and get the ‘Wow’ factor that I obviously crave. I’m not sure how I’d cope with playing in a group though as I’m not a team player AND in my early life, I’d have probably had all the right criteria to get immediate membership to the ‘27 Club’.

So, my question for today is… If YOU were a band or a solo artist who would you be and why? Say of you were a completely out of control person that went on to clean up their life but now plays a lot of sport still liking the limelight, you might be an ‘Alice Cooper’ say… sounds kinda familiar eh? You might be someone that is just happy to play along with others taking the limelight, yet wanting the success it brings without all the hassle… Well you’re in Coldplay but no-one knows your name.

I’d love to know and ‘Write what you want to write’ as having a Voice is important, Making yourself heard - Well that's a whole lot harder and SHOUT if you need to.

Amen.

Rory Coleman - 997 Marathons - 244 Ultras - 14 Marathon des Sables

9 Guinness World Records - 8,625 Days' Alcohol Free - 473 Days' post GBS
& 1 Inspirational Running Memoir

Location: Cardiff, Wales.

Who are you? - The Who

Lyrics:- 'Tell me who are you' - Townshend

Taken from The Who's album of the same title, it was the last single to feature Keith Moon before his death in September 1978. I wonder if he ever knew?

It’s a great question to ask yourself and one that’s not that easy to answer, especially if you are in mid-life-transformation right now. The health benefits of losing vast amounts of weight are obviously far too numerous to mention, but it’s our own reflection and what we project to others that really interest me for today’s blog.

I once had a work colleague whose catchphrase was ‘Big man’s gotta Big Plan’ - it was his probably downfall as he never did deliver, well as far as I know anyway. You see, no-one especially prospective clients, ever really believed him. I didn’t after a very short while it was such a lot of BS. For him though, he needed to project this larger than life character and volume in both body and voice to pluck up enough courage to go and knock doors.

Back then a lot of business was placed with such Sales People and folk bought product if they bought the person. I wonder if he knew who he really was at the time or how his own perceptions and projections limited his career.

Another client who was 97kgs dramatically lost 24kgs felt vulnerable whilst out in public and promptly put the weight back on to gain his old confidence back. It wasn't like that for me though as I found quitting booze and losing a similar amount of weight liberating as I left the old me behind and redesigned a new me, where I was much happier with my self-image and never turned back.

Never fear though as friends and colleagues will always put you straight as they will either encourage with ‘You look amazing’ or vampire with ‘You’re no fun anymore’ and add the ‘You look gaunt’ or ‘Think of the excess skin you’ll have if you carry on losing weight’ slam dunk.

It’s a process that you’ll have to work through as your transformation continues. My thoughts are that being slimmer and heathier won’t solve your major life-problems - it might however give you the confidence to tackle some relationship issues both at work and at home and give you more and more confidence as YOU get used to knowing WHO the new YOU really is.

Amen.

Rory Coleman - 997 Marathons - 244 Ultras - 14 Marathon des Sables

9 Guinness World Records - 8,624 Days' Alcohol Free - 472 Days' post GBS
& 1 Inspirational Running Memoir

Location: Cardiff, Wales.