Misty Mountain Hop - Zeppelin

Lyric:- 'Over the hills where the spirits fly' - Page, Plant & Jones

Song choice:- Led Zep IV has been in my collection for nearly 40 years and even though it was released in 1971 it's still fresh today and includes the eternal Stairway to Heaven, which I could have also chosen too.

Well my spirits have certainly been flying and I did see the misty Dublin Mountains today with my #MdS15 Runners who live in Ireland in preparation for next year's race.

Now they say that there's nothing like an Irish welcome and I wouldn't argue with that one bit as I've had a brilliant weekend coaching and getting to know the nicest group of people you could ever meet. Very funny, enthusiastic and eager to get to lap up my Desert Knowledge.

I gave as good as you get and if you have the opportunity of being in one of their tents I would as the 'Crack' was highly amusing. I think I gave as good as I got. Well hopefully anyway.

I'm not looking forwards too much to the Ferry and midnight drive back to Caerdydd but then again, I'll have lots of happy memories of this weekend and I did clock up marathon #858 as a bonus.

More tomorrow... 

Jig of Life - Kate Bush

Lyric:- 'Catch us now for I am your future, a kiss on the wind and we'll make the land.' - Bush

Song Choice:- Following on with my Kate Bush homage, this song reflected my thoughts entirely coming into Dublin on the ferry this afternoon. From her Bushes magnificent 1985 album 'Hounds of Love' , this song really gets the feet tapping just like the awesome 'Red Shoes' song which was narrowly beaten to the 'Blog song of choice today'.

I'm not sure I needed a kiss on the wind but it sure was a long way from Caerdydd to Caergybi but well worth the trip so far judging by my welcome from the Irish #MdS2015 runners I've met this evening.

I start moulding them tomorrow morning for a weekend full of Multi-Day Desert Training in preparation for next April's race. I'm looking forward to Sunday's Marathon in the Wicklow Mountains as I've never run there before and so far all we know for sure starts and finishes at a pub. How Irish is that!

What could be better eh?

Listen yourself and see what you think?

The Sensual World - Kate Bush

Lyric:- 'And how we'd wished to live in the sensual world, you don't need words - just one kiss, then another' - Bush

Song Choice:- I couldn't resist a bit of Kate, especially during her current series of concert dates. This is one of her truly incredible songs, musically and imaginatively just P E R F E C T. Listen yourself and let this creamy and sensual song wash over your ears...mmh, yes.

I was in Hammersmith last night seeing my Dixons Carphone Average 2 Awesome runners following a busy day training two more MdS wanabees in Cardiff, which after a complete break over bank holiday in darkest Pembrokeshire, brought me back to earth with a bump.

Tomorrow's trip to Ireland to coach another 15 MdS Wannabes from the Emerald Isle will top off quite a week of globe-trotting and explain my absence from my blogging.

Then again, I have 'The Sensual World' an album I didn't buy at the time to listen to, and find out what I've been missing all these years...

Did you miss out too? - Wrong place, wrong time? - I'd love to know...

Music - John Miles

Lyric:- 'To live without my music, would be impossible to do' - Miles & Marshall.

Song Choice:- I just loved this song back in 1976 and still do... To my great surprise it was produced Alan Parsons who engineered Dark Side of the moon which is interesting. Looking back it's no wonder that Punk came along and shook the music world up as even back then it was already a bit dinosaur track but who cares as it's John Miles at his best.

I was asked the other day what I'd do if I couldn't run anymore and I think I'd actually be ok. My good friend and ultrarunner Glyn Marston has survived and he's managed to find a new life in Dodgeball of all things...However, if I didn't have music in my world, then that would be unbearable as it's been a constant companion for me thru thick and thin for as long as I can remember.

My life rhythms, adventures and experiences have been partnered with this music. My song choice reflects my mood and if you are a regular reader of this blog you'll know what music floats my boat.

Desert Island Discs would be a bloody nightmare!

Of the Tracks? - too hard to judge but my iTunes says 'Fly on a Windshield' by Genesis played 273 times.

Out of the bands - well that's RUSH if I had to choose one, then Floyd, Genesis and U2 but then there are loads that I could add in here...

Who floats your boat...as there's even space for Disco to Drum and Bass in mine but NO Bieber please!

More tomorrow

Rhythm of the Heat - Sir Peter of Gabriel

Lyric:- The rhythm is around me, the rhythm has control, the rhythm is inside me, the rhythm has my soul - Gabriel

Track Choice:- Gabriel is one of my all-time hero's; dynamic, different and always one step ahead in musical development. This 1982 offering from his fourth solo outing is one of his stand-outs and one that still sounds fresh some thirty years on.

Anyway, I had a day of coaching in the gym yesterday, consisting of three longer sessions with clients of very different athletic abilities. The physical part of assessing and putting them through their sessions was business as usual for me BUT the one thing that connected these boys and girls was their ‘Life Rhythms’.

I always have a detailed one-to-one with my clients pre and post sessions and it felt to me that the rhythms of their lives had gone tachycardic. It was like all the players in their ‘Life Orchestras’ were playing the same tune BUT at different tempos. 

The sessions ended up being more of a mental de-fibrillation and getting them back into rhythm was extremely satisfying for me and hopefully the kick start they need to go and get their show back on the road, ‘keeping in time’.

It got me thinking about my own ‘Life Rhythms’ and maybe we all need to get our ‘Virtual De-fibs’ out periodically as it’s too easy to go on playing the same old tune....before you're OUT of Time!

Is your ‘Life in Tune?’…are you 'Tuneless' and don't know what to play? Do you need a new Conductor?

More tomorrow...

Wire (Celtic Dub Mix) - U2

Lyric:- 'The longest sleep' - Hewson

Track Choice:- This is the song that got me hooked onto the Irish Fab Four. Having seen them for 30p in 1981 I wasn't all that impressed at first but this real 'driver' of a song finally broke my barriers down and opened up a real love of all things U2. Maybe it's the Brian Eno, Talking Heads connection...

Anyway, following a weekend of Double Marathon MdS Coaching you would think a nice long sleep would go hand-in-hand with all that exercise and added oxygen consumption BUT the rutting seagulls of Cardiff put paid to that at 4am this morning combined with the Dove from Above cooing down the chimney not long after. I finally surrendered around 5am to a very early start of the week. I'm a bit broken now!

Next weekend's Bank Holiday can't come quick enough and hopefully it's going to provide some rest and relaxation and maybe for once be rainfree. I can't remember the last dry one can you? No running for Mr C!!!

Now before I become my own Energy Vampire here, I am looking forward to getting back out on the run tomorrow, iPodded up and ready to listen to some tunes and enjoying the rhythm of running, rather than me talking...

Maybe I'll fire up some 'Wire' and relive that first blast of U2'... 30p was a real bargain at Rock City in Nottingham all those years ago eh?

More tomorrow...and I might listen to some Riverdance too!

Don't let it bring you down - Annie Lennox

Lyric:- 'And you will come around' - Young

Track Choice:- I'm not the greatest Lennox fan yet she majestically covered this timeless James Young classic which caught my ear in the amazing film 'American Beauty'. It's another song that makes me feel 'reflective on life' rather than sad I would say. If you haven't heard it then you should and then you'd know where I am coming from...it's a truly awesome version beautifully crafted and sung.

Anyway, yesterday's blog created quite a buzz and I'm glad so many of you emailed me saying that it had touched part of your life and your thoughts too. We live in a funny old world, one where in the fifty short years of my existence, things have progressed far beyond the imagination of a young lad born in the early 60's could ever have imagined.

For instance, in 1969 we were allowed to watch the first ever flight of the British Concorde 002 on the school television as it was such an amazing technical innovation. Forty-five years on and Concorde is a thing of the transistor age and our modern day computers are now so detailed and efficient I've just checked on my iPad in a couple of seconds that it was actually the 9th April 1969 and that it was a Wednesday...

Why am I mentioning Concorde, well I went on board Concorde 003 a couple of days ago at Duxford Air Museum, talk about a childhood dream!

And of today, well I travelled to Equatorial Guinea, Singapore, Switzerland and the USA all before lunchtime using Skype speaking to clients...whatever next eh? Beam me up Scotty perhaps!

Who knows...but it's kinda exciting and I'm ready for whatever life brings and I know I ain't gonna let it 'bring me down'.

Are you? 

The Charlatans - One to Another

Lyric:- 'Changing the way that you feel' - BURGESS, BLUNT, COLLINS, BROOKES, COLLINS, & VINCENT

Track Choice:- It's ages since I heard 'The Charlatans' but this song really caught my imagination yesterday and on investigating the lyrics, especially the above line really hit home...

Anyway, after a nearly a week of entertaining my nine year old daughter Pearl, it was back to work today and I had a great text from a good friend and former client of mine that said he was now four days dry and that he now felt it was his time to be free of alcohol once and for all. That's a really great message to get if you are in my line of work and music to my ears as it underlines to me that there has to be a combination of elements to conquer any addiction.

Motivation, Courage and the biggest element, TIME are the key factors to get anyone to take the plunge and rid their lives of the things they do...but irrationally can't stop.

I hope I played a catalyst in the above story because I received the text, it was a great personal statement and one which has given his abstinence real credibility for us both. I also hope he does it for his sake good as he's such a great chap and upon reading this will get an even bigger boost to make it happen.

If you are in the same boat - make it happen...

Get motivated, Pluck up courage and given Time, make it happen.. And change the way that you feel...

Achilles Last Stand - Led Zeppelin

Lyric:- 'With all the fun to have, to live the dreams we always had' - Plant & Page

Song Choice:- On my MdS Training Day with Jon Kattenberg, this track came to me as we were talking about our particular essential music tracks to take to Morocco. Funnily enough Plant's lyrics were heavily influenced by his own Moroccan experiences and that also seems quite apt.

Sometimes it easy to forget just how GOOD running can be but in a week where I've heard the term 'Energy Vampire' more than ever, it was really refreshing to spend a day with Jon. He's a natural energy giver, glass overflowing type chap so yesterday's MdS Coaching was just a great day in the office for me. Even the lovely boys at Lavernock Point were outin force yesterday to cheer us on...what more could you ask for?

After that highlight, I co-hosted a Webinar with Triathlon Coach Simon Ward aimed at anyone undertaking a Multi-Day Desert Race in April. We had a good audience listen in too and it's something I will definately do again soon.

Until then, it's another trip to Penarth tomorrow with Charlie Tuke-Hastings and more cups of tea on the Pier and Dinosaur Footprints...

There's more sunshine planned too just like it was in 1976 when good old Zeppelin were leading the way and hopefully there's more fun and dreams to come...

More tomorrow... now where's my Kaftan.

Sheep - The Pink Floyd

Lyric:- 'Harmlessly passing your time in the grassland away' - Waters

Track Choice:- Originally called Raving and Drooling, this is one of my ALLTIME favourite tracks and would definitely go with me to my Desert Island. Waters at his most cynical and corrosive best with Psalm 23 thrown in for good measure (well sort of anyway).

It's the 'Sheep' bit that really catches my thoughts every time I hear this song, which must be hundreds and hundreds of times over the years but the lyrics have always rung true as they do on 'Dogs' too.

For me there are far too many 'Sheep' out there...you know the ones, people just happy to follow the flock, merge into the background and not stand out from the crowd. Happy just to Plod...If that's you I believe it's time for you to make your mark on the world and if you are finding that things are getting a but 'Woolly' and you don't want to ask 'How High' every time you are told to jump. It's time to shape up, stop being a Sheep and get a new direction - your Own!

Life is for living and not for 'harmlessly passing your time in the grassland away' and if you get a chance to 'Look over Jordan' (Aka The Promised Land', not Ms Katie Price, now that would be diastrous), you'll never look back, follow the crowd or ever be s#1t on again...

It's really liberating...

Arc of a Diver - Steve Winwood

Lyric:- 'Arc of a diver effortlessly, my mind in sky' - Winwood

Song Choice:- Winwood's 1980 Arc of a Diver album still sounds fresh and includes tracks 'Spanish Dancer' and 'Night Train' as well as the title track. The whole album has that great early 80's Roxy Music style bass line and groove, which I particularly like. Take a listen and you'll see what I mean.

Anyway, as you probably know I did a real 'Klinsmann' yesterday and was nearly picking my teeth out of a footpath next to HMS Cambria on the Wales Coastal Path. It probably dented my pride more anything and it's surprising that I've gone so long now without going a real purler before. I'm pretty smashed up today...

I do remember going headlong during my Premier League run back in 2002 on the A6 near Leicester and then a week later heading towards Manchester but yesterday's header eclipsed both of those and I'll now be waiting for my knee to recover before gingerly hitting the pavements of Cardiff once again.

What a bummer...