Lights Out - Royal Blood

Lyrics:- 'You're not so hard to forget, with all the lights out' - Kerr & Thatcher

Song Choice:- Another track not yet released? My word I'm like John Peel reborn here! 

Anyway take a look for yourself at this first track from Royal Blood's new album 'How did we get so dark' which is released on June 16th. If it's anything like their first, we're all in for a real treat and 'Figure it out' is still on 'parkrun' playlist which speaks volumes for just how great that song is, three years on from it's release.

It's the 'Light's Out' bit I'm interested in for today's blog as I'm not so sure it's that easy to forget what's going in one's world when the light's go out at night. I know a lot of you go to bed worrying about all manner of things in the small hours. It's never an issue when I first 'Hit the Hay' as when I was taking part in the Flora 1000 Mile Challenge in 2003 (you know, the one mile an hour every hour for 1000 hours event), I went to sleep over 300 times in 6 weeks and got into a special fall asleep routine that got me snoring in just a matter of seconds ever since - ask Lady C.

However, I find it's the waking up at 4am routine that's the tricky one, especially at this time of year when it's already starting to get light. You see, the moment my brain cells are activated there's nothing I can do to get me back into 'The Land of Nod'. And I use get up now and have an early morning cup of tea, write a blog and catch up with an old episode of 'The Sweeney'. My word Regan and Carter never needed much sleep!

I know I won't get much tonight as I'm heading for Marathon #990 tomorrow and I'm very excited to be in the last 10 before the 'BIG ONE' at the 'Robin Hood Marathon' on September 24th.

Do your 'Lights go out at Night?'... Or still Glowing?

More tomorrow...

Rory Coleman - 989 Marathons - 243 Ultras - 14 Marathon des Sables

9 Guinness World Records - 8,521 Days' Alcohol Free

& 1 Inspirational Running Memoir - Get your copy here.

Avicii - Levels

Lyrics:- 'Oh, sometimes, I get a good feeling, yeah' - Pournouri, Kirkland, Bergling, James & Woods

Song Choice:- This great dance track from 2011 provides an excellent backdrop to my thoughts today about 'Levels' in a kind of 'Life Graphic Equalizer' way if you are into my way of thinking. All those different frequencies make up who we are, and how much emphasis we place on them is fascinating for any 'Life Coaching Voyeur' like myself.

You see, I understand completely that folk need to go out and conquer a marathon, Marathon des Sables or even a 100 miler to get 'A good feeling'... but if you did this at weekend for instance and are using the 'Marathon/Ultra-Marathon Experience' as part of a new life-journey - my point is, 'That was yesterday and what are you doing today to help you along that journey'.

If anything at all...

'Cos that's the thing. It's so darn easy post event to take your foot off the gas and return from 'Awesomeness' back into 'Averageness' in a period of less than 24 hours. I believe it's better to do a week of 20 milers on one's own rather than bash out 100 miles and not to leave giant windows in one's recovery process.

It's what you do on the days in between the 'Good Feelings' that count - So, what are you doing to 'Feel Good' today?

Rory Coleman - 989 Marathons - 243 Ultras - 14 Marathon des Sables

9 Guinness World Records - 8,518 Days' Alcohol Free

& 1 Inspirational Running Memoir - Get your copy here.

Location: Caerdydd, Cymru

Squonk - Genesis

Lyrics:- 'All the King's horses and all the King's men' - Banks & Rutherford

Song Choice:- I've always loved 'Squonk'. It's a song about a North-Amrican mythical creature of the same name that when captured, dissolves in a pool of tears, nice. The song was designed to sound like Led Zeppelin's 'Kashmir' which was recorded the previous year and funnily enough at Headley Grange where Genesis had recorded 'The Lamb'. 'Squonk' opened the band's live performances, right the way through their early 80's concerts, including the two that I was lucky enough to see in '78 & '80.

Anyway, it's the 'All the King's horses and all the King's men' line that I'm interested in for today's 'Bank Holiday Blog'. You see it's a year today since I went into Llandough Hospital to start my GBS recovery and it got me thinking into what I've learned during this past 365 days.

I'll go to what I've learned later on, but I didn't come to that conclusion from completing  this year's Marathon des Sables or by beating my brains out, bashing out 100 miles along the Thames Towpath this weekend, trying to please the Facebook Failure Enabler's that folk seem to attract nowadays. There's nothing worse than not-completing to a round of 'Well at least you trieds' or '50, 60 or 70 is extreme' etc. in my book. I'm pretty sure that none of my 'Life Learns' came from 100 mile Ultras...

What I've learned is that 'Satisfaction' comes from within. Within a world that exists between our ears and rather than searching deep down inside and correcting our own behaviour - We expend most of our time looking at and trying to change the world around us. I believe that whatever happens in the world around us or in other folks lives just doesn't matter - so why do we believe it does?

At the end of the day or 365 of them in my case, I wonder how many folk I will project my thoughts during the next year. It's not easy as the thing is, there's no right or wrong - and only time will tell if they get to see the world as clearly as I do without having to spend a year rebuilding their lives. You see for some 'All the King's horses and all the King's men' will never put them back together again.

More tomorrow...and enjoy your Bank Holiday, whatever you are doing - and then maybe look back over your day and wonder why you did what you did, instead of doing something else.

Rory Coleman - 989 Marathons - 243 Ultras - 14 Marathon des Sables

9 Guinness World Records - 8,517 Days' Alcohol Free

& 1 Inspirational Running Memoir - Get your copy here.

Location: Caerdydd, Cymru

Senses working overtime - XTC

A Bit of Turner...

Lyrics:- 'And I can see, hear, smell, touch, taste, and I've got one, two, three, four, five' - Partridge

Song Choice:- Wow, it's ages since I heard an XTC song, but this 1982 Top-Ten hit came to mind earlier on as my senses went into overtime following my breakfast talk at FDU this morning in London. Presenting always gets my pulse going and afterwards I thought I'd unwind with a couple of hours at The National Gallery to clear my thoughts and play on my won for while as I did when I was a child.

The frightening thing was, it only charged my heightened 'State of Mental Alert' and even the '19th Century Gallery' with Turner's 'Fighting Temeraire' and Wright's 'Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump' couldn't defib my brain and get me processing at a 'White Bikini State' level.

A stroll past Big Ben and across Westminster Bridge did that for me and my own state of vunerablity finally hit home and normal heart rate restored. I'm hope lightning would never strike twice there but it was amazing how folk looked far more aware of the people around them and their movements - it's not surprising though is it?

I'm looking forward to travelling back to Cardiff tonight and I'm going to take some well earned time out to reflect on what's happened over the last three days and consider where my path is going next...

These are exciting times for us all and having a 'Time Out' often helps to clear the mind.

When was the last time you had a 'Time Out'?

Rory Coleman - 989 Marathons - 243 Ultras - 14 Marathon des Sables

9 Guinness World Records - 8,513 Days' Alcohol Free

& 1 Inspirational Running Memoir - Get your copy here.

Location: Caerdydd, Cymru

Come talk to Me - Peter Gabriel

Lyrics: 'We can unlock this misery, come on, come talk to me' - Gabriel

Song Choice - I never need an excuse to choose a Gabriel track for my blog and 'Come to talk to Me' provides an excellent accompaniment for the next two days of my speaking to audiences at Clydesdale Banks new banking platform 'Studio B', in Kensington High Street, London.

Shaping a new banking revolution using only a digital platform doesn't sound like an easy task to me, but this approach really works, and being part of it's launch using my 'Process of Change' ideals and talks to engage with folk, is proving to be a very positive experience.

Sure, having any platform to showcase my credentials is most welcome but I believe I can be part of the thinking process too and add value to what .B' are endeavouring to change in existing and new clients hearts and minds.

Watching the next generation of banking unfold is really interesting - folk are so busy nowadays and checking how much cash you've got daily and how you are spending it seems to be the next obvious advance - doing in an App only more relevant.

It's still in it's early stages and changing people's banking habits overnight that have existed for ten's of years takes time. But then any change in habit does. It's something I encounter everyday of my working life - the thing is though, once the benefits of any change are explained and experienced, folk engage immediately and the path back disappears.

Let's face it, any personal update, even how we use our cash can only be a good thing.

And if you are in London today you can experience Studio B for yourself or 'Come talk to Me' at 6pm-8pm in my 'Studio B Workshop' as I'd love to help you manage your change, whatever that might be...

Rory Coleman - 989 Marathons - 243 Ultras - 14 Marathon des Sables

9 Guinness World Records - 8,512 Days' Alcohol Free

& 1 Inspirational Running Memoir - Get your copy here.

Location: Caerdydd, Cymru