I have migrated to Wordpress: https://benedictgolde.wordpress.com/

Day 23

One week of blog posts left for the 30-day challenge, meaning one week to figure out my website and then its onto Season 2. I have a bit of time this weekend; I’ll get myself a large coffee and sit with my laptop until I figure it all out. I’m also excited for Season 2 as I already know some of the posts will be whilst on tour in the US, making for some epic stories that I’ll be telling first hand.

Running down the river this morning; my mind was all over the place. As I got about 3 miles into the steady 9 I did this morning, I suddenly realised how out of the moment my head felt. I just reigned it all back in right there on the river bank. Brought myself back to the present, stopping myself from over-thinking the future and worrying about the past week. In the words of The Story So Far, I quite literally “let it go”. It felt good. 

The trouble with modern day living is it’s easy to not exist in the present. I work around young people, I see them every day existing in this virtual world that lives inside their pocket. Some of them are so far removed from the real-life present moment that they forget it’s even there and it genuinely makes me sad. One of the reasons I prefer to teach in SEND is that about 80% the learners don’t even have a phone, a social media awareness or even knowledge that the internet exists. It means they are never anywhere but in the moment. I have nothing but admiration for that, even if it isn’t necessarily their choice. 

The kids with phone’s however, can’t help but look at them all the time – finding it hard to go any more than about 10 minutes on average without a quick glance. They don’t even know why they’re looking at it. Damn, most of the time whenever I look at social media I’m not really sure why I’m looking at it. There’s this insistent need to have a quick scroll through Instagram, to check Snapchat and some of us older lot are even still feeling the need to put up a Facebook status (for some reason). (I wrote a song about it: Ghouls - Internet Famous)

They want to deal with it in schools and colleges as it’s an increasing problem; I would argue that it’s actually a problem across life itself rather than just education. To treat the issue we would need to start way before kids are anywhere near an educational facility, we’d need to start within the technology itself before it even reaches any people. Hopefully, Elon Musk and his crew work out a merry-medium by which technology only enhances the real life present moment, keeps us more engaged in non-virtual activity and gets us outside keeping us from going inside. Take that concept over to education and you might have devices that make kids want to get more engaged in what’s going on in their lesson, rather than the meaningless (but sometime hilarious) meme pages of Instagram.

Something I find really helpful for me personally when it comes to the virtual world, is keeping a manual diary and notepad. I have it with me at all times. It’s something that I started doing when I went on a cold-turkey break from social media last year. Where I’d typically scroll on my phone, I fill the gaps by instead doodling or writing random notes. I don’t know why but it feels a lot more productive and if not a bit therapeutic – more so than any social media scroll. I also find that I can remain very much within the moment when I’m manually writing something or doodling away. (A learner left a can of Monster energy drink in the class room and it had ‘Dia de los Muertos’ graphics all over it. I drew it because I thought it looked cool.)

So, what do you think will happen next for social media and that lovely rectangular mass that we’re all so addicted to? Will they figure out a happy medium? Will the virtual moment and real-life present somehow combine?

Day 22

I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling 22. The learners in one of my music groups told me Taylor Swift is old news. I guess I’m becoming old news too.

I went to my Nans for dinner last night, usual for a Wednesday. Nan and I always have a nice meal and a good chat, followed by a delightful pudding. Last night we had Lasagna followed by apple strudels and ice cream (my favourite). It got me thinking about nutrition and the fact that I should probably post something about it on the blog. 

(My work lunch wrap’s meal prep situation: I do this every Sunday.) 

Last year I made the decision to do extensive research into nutrition and educate myself, it’s something that goes along nicely with being a fitness addict and most would probably argue that it’s a crucial factor to it all. I’d go as far to say that I think absolutely everybody should be taught the basics of nutrition; it should sit in the school curriculum alongside Maths and English. The truth is, regardless of if you’re a training athlete or a completely sedentary unit, nutrition is one of the biggest contributing factors to your everyday wellbeing. It should be no surprise to anyone that if you eat right you feel good, you sleep better, you have more energy, your mental health stays more intact, you look better, your brain functions more coherently, the list goes on and on. You quite literally are what you eat.

DISCLAIMER: When I say I decided to research and educate myself, I refer to reading accredited sports science journals and books that have a long list of appendices to back up the facts. Instagram and the internet are full of ‘nutrition guides’ that include a lot of false/non-science backed theories. Don’t believe everything you read on the internet. Rule number one of life. The second disclaimer is that, once you do educate yourself on nutrition you become more aware of how wrong a lot of people have it; this can become incredibly frustrating in day to day conversation.

(What a vast majority of my meals look like)

Nutrition basics – Benedict’s version:

Now, the few principals below are very basic (think key-stage 2 maths rather than university level). Remember that nutrition is a vast deep ocean with lots of intricate details that even human beings have yet to figure out, my little blog post is the shallowest of paddles within the vast sea of food.  

Principal number one: Calories.

Ah the Calorie, a word that gets thrown around like a wild fire these days. The calorie was actually invented as a way to gage the use of heat energy in relation to steam trains, or something like that? Anyway, the basic principles of calories are this: All foods contain calories. That’s right, pretty much everything except for water has a caloric index.

The human body does one of three things with calories: - it burns it - this doesn’t just happen in exercise or movement; your body uses calories to fuel your organs, beat your heart, blink your eyelids, etc. - it absorbs it - this relates to repair and growth, not just in your arms after you’ve smashed dozens of bicep curls but the repair of any muscular damage, including that back pain you keep complaining about. - it stores it – dependent on a few factors it might store it in the overhead locker of the cabin for quick and easy access or maybe it will go with the checked baggage for use later on. Yes, I’m comparing the body to a plane.

Depending on what you do on a day-to-day basis, what you’ve done every day since you were born (pretty much), as well as a few genetic/hormone factors, decides how your body uses the calories you give it. The calorie continued…

In regards to weight management (losing weight or gaining weight) the simple equation is: Consume more calories in a day than your body uses in a day = weight gain. Consume less calories in a day than your body uses in a day = weight loss. I use the word weight and not fat because gaining weight is exactly what you do if you want to build muscle, gaining weight isn’t necessarily negative or positive and it certainly doesn’t mean getting fat. To figure out how many calories your body uses on a daily, it is just simple maths equation. You can google search ‘calorie calculator’ and get a rough estimate or the other way is to get a fitness watch/band that gives you a rough estimate and will even vary depending on your heart rate and movement. At some point in the future, I think that all human beings will most probably be implanted with a chip that gives you your exact caloric expenditure, heart rate and other important health related facts. We’ll all be able to adequately fuel ourselves for the activities we want to do. Until then, your Fitbit will do.   Okay, so that’s the very basics of calories, now the next principal breaks it down a little further but I think it’s important to be aware that this second principal is crucially important before you go off and consume your daily caloric intake in breakfast cereals or whatever your food preferences are. (I eat Porridge every single day for breakfast and have done for about 5 years.)

Principal two: Macronutrients.

This is the breakdown of calories into the 3 main food groups: Carbohydrates, Protein and Fats. A couple of things about food groups; regardless of if you’re an athlete, gym rat, body builder or a sedentary male that does nothing but play Fortnite - your body requires you to hit adequate macronutrients! The problem is, most people don’t. Which is why a vast amount of the population are walking around with headaches, feeling tired 24/7, stressed and full of pains and dents even when doing very little.   A few things: - Carbohydrates get a bad name because sugar falls into the carbohydrate bracket. However, not all carbohydrates are high in sugar and therefore should not be avoided just because you saw in a magazine how a low carb diet might get rid of your midriff in 2 weeks (it won’t). - Dietary fat (as in the macronutrient) is not the same as fat stored in the human body. Fat stored in the body is excess glycogen that can come from any of the food groups. If you eat foods high in fats, they aren’t necessarily bad for you. Yes, that’s right, high fat ice cream or foods with loads of butter in them won’t make you fat - eating excessive amounts of any food group (going above your daily caloric expenditure) will mean your body stores the excess foods in your glycogen stores i.e. body fat. - Protein: foods high in protein are the new trend; every other wrapper has ‘high protein’ on it. Whilst it is important for everybody to eat adequate amounts of protein, it should be noted that foods high in protein (such as meats, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds) don’t need to state that they’re high in protein – don’t be fooled by marketing. Some of these ‘high protein’ treats might be super high in sugar and processed foods that will leave you with nothing but a stomach ache. I use MyFitnessPal daily to measure my macronutrients and make sure I’m eating adequate amounts of everything. It’s a very useful app and I would recommend it – even if you just trial it to see if you’re eating what you think you’re eating. I think most people would be surprised what a lot of foods are made up of. After tallying your macronutrients for a while, you start realizing how misunderstood a lot of foods are. Foods that you’ve been replacing with what you thought were ‘healthy’ options you suddenly realise are quite functional and foods that you consume in excess because they appear ‘good for you’ aren’t necessarily doing a lot for your body. Power is in the hands of the individual who has the knowledge, or something like that. 

(I gave up Diet Coke recently)

Principal 3: Food = Function. My number one rule with food is to look it as function. You eat to fuel yourself. My body takes a beating everyday from running between 8 and 12 miles 6 times a week. My strength training means I benefit from a dinner high in lean proteins after my workout. It is important that I fuel right in order to stay free of injury and function as the athlete I am. Furthermore, I am a human being who needs to keep my immune system operational, my mental health balanced and my internal organs pinky-fresh. Functional whole foods will do this for me, highly processed nutritionally hollow foods won’t – simple as. On a more basic level, I look at food and how it can benefit me. If it’s not got a lot of nutritional benefactors then I’m not that interested. Let’s take a burger for example; a lot of people would say a burger is ‘unhealthy’ or a ‘cheat’ meal. However, I’d argue that a burger is just a normal functional food: The bun gives you adequate carbohydrates, the meat is a source of protein, cheese and/or sauce for fats and then the salad elements make up micronutrients (which is posh for vitamins and minerals). Granted, if the burger comes with deep fried meat or lavished in oils then it’s caloric content will be higher but it still doesn’t mean my body can’t use it to aid in my everyday functionality. You could feasibly eat a burger for every meal of the day, every day and you could hit your macro-nutritional and caloric needs, no problem. Foods that I would argue are pointless and have no functionality are as follows: Sugary drinks – during a marathon coca-cola can be an ideal way to keep your glycogen levels up whilst you plaster through all your deposits - it’s a good way to get quick release sugars into your system. So, unless you’re in a hypoglycemic state then I would argue that coca-cola is pretty pointless and shouldn’t be included in the everyday diet. Biscuits: Again, made up of quick release sugar that unless your body is in dyer need of a glycogen hit, then there are no nutritional benefactors to a biscuit. You can eat an entire chicken breast for what 3 digestives give you in calories and that chicken breast will give you loads more nutritional benefactors.

Nibbles: This is a personal preference but I really don’t enjoy nibbles or ‘picky’ snacks. Simply because, if you spend your day snacking through share-bag crisp packets and then you tally up the caloric intake – more often than not you’ll find that it’s not done a lot for your macronutrients and the caloric intake is the same as another full meal. I’d rather eat the additional meal i.e. the apple strudel and ice cream.

I am by no means qualified in nutrition and might even have got a few things wrong myself but I do exist with a healthy relationship towards food. I eat 5 servings of lasagna and 1.5 apple strudels and maintain abdominal muscles but more importantly I also feel no remorse when I do indulge. I don’t eat like a hamster the rest of the time; I eat big meals full of wholesome and good ingredients, which means I stay fit and healthy, I have a good mental health balance, I’m not full of aches and pains, getting daily headaches and I sleep like a log almost every night. It is a shame we live in a society that hasn’t got much of a clue about food and I am forever getting frustrated when I hear people feeling guilty when they have a nice dessert or go for pizza. That said, I’m not going to tell you what to do and I do believe that if you’ve found a system that works for you then stick to it. Do what makes you happy.

Anyway, I’m bored of talking about it.

Day 21 

When I started this blog, granted it was on a little bit of a whim but it’s something I’ve been meaning to do for a long time. My biggest problem is one that I think effects all creatives to some degree. I spend a lot of time working on my art, creating/writing almost every day whether it be music based or something related to art in some way, but up until recently I haven’t put much of it in the public domain. For the longest time, a lot of my creations have just laid dormant only to be seen by a select few family members, simply because I was worried whether they were good enough to be out in the big wide world or because I wasn’t sure how to release them. It wasn’t until my frustrations with the fact that the only work in my name that is publically available is the songs and work I’ve done/am doing in Ghouls finally caught up with me. As I’ve said before, I am proud of everything Ghouls have ever put out and continue to put out (new single will be on Kerrang! Radio tonight at 10pm, just FYI), but it is not a complete representation of all the work I do, nor does it reflect the quantity of work I churn out.

It wasn’t until I started reading these Austin Kleon guide books – “Steal Like An Artist” and “Show Your Work”, that I decided to take action and start this blog as an incentive to quite literally “Show My Work”. To get some regularity to it all, I am uploading a song/video to YouTube every week that go live on Wednesdays at noon; today’s video is now live and posted below. The other action I am taking is to continue this daily blog, posting every day – after this 30-day challenge is up, I will be taking 2 days off to get my website ready for launch and then Season 2 will start (this should be on 15th October) on a brand new www.benedictgolde.com.

This week’s video is a cover/original – the song Let You Down is by NF, however the lyrics in the verses are my own. I actually recorded and wrote this song back in February. I was days away from moving back to Cambridgeshire having spent 8 years living in the North London suburbs, I was feeling pretty nervous about the change. I have a tendency to make really sure decisions then, despite knowing deep down that they’re the right decision, just before crunch time my anxieties come into full play and I have a miniature meltdown. It’s funny to listen to this song and recall how I felt about the change as its been one of the best moves I’ve ever made. In hindsight, it’s hard to think why I felt anxious at all, but I think it’s a pretty natural way to react to any major life changes.

(throwback to North London living.)

Let’s talk about perfection. 

Casey Neistat said a quote in one of his podcasts – “Don’t let good get in the way of good enough”. Referring to that if you hold your work back because you feel it should be better then you are delaying time on getting yourself out there. People enjoy watching someone grow, develop and get better throughout their careers – by holding back, you are delaying the start of progress through process.

This week I actually recorded a different song; I’d developed a bit of a saw throat whilst recording the vocals and didn’t feel it was good enough to release. After making the decision to release Let You Down, I recorded a video for it but, again felt it looked rushed and didn’t seem to fit the song. The result meant that I sort of pieced together a video from what I could – GoPro footage that I took whilst my girlfriend and me were on a walk. I’m glad I made the upload but you can see how obstacles can get in the way of putting work out there. I just kept in mind that its process and progress over getting it exactly right. If I’m not fully happy with a video/song it’s okay because next week they’ll be another, and another after that, etc.

(this is me outside my old flat on the day I moved out.)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the video and can take something from today’s blog post. Make sure you subscribe to my YouTube channel – 100 subs by the end of the year?

Also, here’s a picture from this morning’s 9 mile run because, running is the best.

Day 20

Before I start any ramblings; tomorrow there will be a new video on my YouTube channel. As part of my goals for this year, I am uploading a song/video every Wednesday at 12 noon sharp. Please check it out, I will be sure to include it in tomorrow’s post. This morning started as usual, 8 miler along the river. It’s been the best part of today by far and the most amount of head space I’ve had since I got up. Tuesday is a busy day for me and today is particularly chaotic as technology has decided not to work in my favour, as well as a badly timed hair appointment (needs must) having to fit into the schedule. At least I can go to bed tonight knowing I made it through the day and be donning a fresh snip.

To save myself time whilst still committing to my daily posts, here is a post titled: How my day has gone in herbal tea flavours (the idea stemming from the fact that I currently have a lemon & ginger on the go). Waking up: Sweet and tropical - it was warmer today and any day I wake up is a good day.

Morning run: Morello cherry is my favourite fruit. Cinnamon is my favourite flavour profile. Running is my one true love and favourite thing ever.

Breakfast: If I could I’d have breakfast for every meal. Porridge for life. Vanilla Chai is my favourite breakfast tea.

Work: This is where things get ropey. (one mint is enough, surely?!)

Work part 2: Nobody really likes this one but they feel like they have to. Good for the system but not for your taste buds.

Post-work stress: I mean... If nothing else, its better than hot water.

Bedtime: Oh man, pure magic.

There you go. Expect more interesting content tomorrow when I have more time, less caffeine and haven’t lost my ability to think in a hectic schedule.

Day 19

Man, it was fresh out this morning. It’s noticeably getting lighter later in the morning as the sun didn’t pop over the horizon until I was over half way through this morning’s 9 miler. Still, it felt nothing but bliss cruising the river. I always appreciate that first run of the week, especially after surviving rest day without losing my mind.

This weekend was really good. It’s not that any other weekends have been bad, it’s just this weekend felt particularly good. I was super productive, wasting no time on any social media or pointless internet videos, instead spending down time in deep conversations and/or on walks. 

It was a particularly significant weekend for my brother Josh. He had his first ever Bodybuilding competition, something he’s been working towards for the best part of 2/3 years. Nothing but hard work and dedication meant he left the competition with an honorable 2nd place and a place in the British PCA finals, which will be in two weeks. I’m nothing but stoked for him as I’ve witnessed firsthand how much graft he puts in. Plus, he’s been (and continues to be) on a mega strict diet whilst his endurance athlete brother necks endless apple crumbles and brags about how good his homemade pizzas are. 

My brother.

For those that aren’t aware my brother is a bodybuilder, qualified strength and conditioning coach and personal trainer. As a blood relative, we share a lot of similar personality traits but choose to use them towards different activities. We’re both addictive personalities, high functioning minds with obsessive work ethics and both like ambitious challenges. Josh’s goal is to become a professional bodybuilder, have a decent online following and to be the best he possibly can be in the field. The guy dedicates everything towards these goals – bar a few hours spent on his Xbox (we all need decompression time). He has a decent Instagram following and has recently started a YouTube channel – definitely subscribe and follow, if you don’t mind seeing him in his pants every now and then. I urge the YouTube subscription because some of his vlogs are editing by yours truly. As you’d expect with any close family member, Josh and me have done and seen a lot together. There’s obviously quite the highlight reel but I think we’d both agree that going to South Africa together has to be one of our most significant shared story’s. We travelled to Jo’burg to see family that live out there, from there we headed to the Kruger National Park to have coffee and rusks amongst the wildlife and we also met a German/Australian couple who had a particular hatred for ex-president George Bush, the affable politically driven oldies shared our safari. After the Kruger, we headed to Cape Town, where bad weather meant that we were unable to do the shark diving and instead went on a wine tour – we are both non-drinkers. However, on that day we decided to make a one-off exception, safe to say we both felt a little queasy after but due to being much more food orientated than drink, our inhibitions meant that after a few sips of wine, biltong and burgers became the biggest priority. It was an epic trip and I could go into a lot more detail – below is a YouTube video I made from the trip.

Josh and me aren’t just family, we’re mates. I’m proud that I get to say that. It’s so nice to know that I’ll always have that lifelong friend, no matter what happens. A brother is so important because it is someone you will share so many profound moments throughout your life with. He continues to teach me lessons, and despite being younger, offers me sage advice when I need it. Josh, for the most part, is a lot calmer than me and has a tendency to be a lot more relaxed about a lot of the things I can be quite uptight about – he’s very good at calming me down. SO here’s a shout out to my little brother, I encourage you readers to go and follow his journey! 

Josh’s links: Instagram = http://instagram.com/gingertraining  Facebook = http://facebook.com/joshgooldfitness YouTube = https://www.youtube.com/user/MrMass101

Day 18

Rest day. Need I say more? Last night we arrived home from Salisbury at 12:35am, not an unusual time to go to bed on a Saturday night for a vast majority of people, however both my girlfriend and me are early risers who zombify into red-eyed non-functioning sloths from about 10pm onwards. Still, I’m awake this morning feeling pretty fresh because my body is an incredibly efficient machine - shout out to fitness and health (and coffee). 

Last night the band played a show in Salisbury, sharing the line up with our collective friends in Riskee and the Ridicule. As a group, we don’t have that many collective ‘friends’ within music, however since meeting the lads in Riskee, we  have been on some the most epic adventures together. They play good music which I genuinely listen to regardless of our relationship, they are really genuine and humble people and any time that both bands have shared together has only been enhanced by the company. 

There was a particular excitement surrounding last night as, in three weeks, both bands are headed for a short run of shows out in the USA. Ghouls have of course been to the US twice now, both times holding some of my most profound memories, however this will be Riskee and the Ridicule’s first time out there. I cannot wait, not just for the adventure myself, but also to share that first time experience with them. 

Riskee & Ghouls: Story time.  We first encountered Scott, Jimbo, Dave and Matt at a show in Camden. If I’m not mistaken it was July 2013, we’d just finished a short run of shows with OPM (”Heaven is a Halfpipe”). Over the years Ghouls have played with some incredibly talented bands who work very hard and I wouldn’t ever want to detract that from any of them, however, a lot of the bands we play with aren’t necessarily bands I would ever listen to due to my music taste not being that way inclined. At that Camden show, I wasn’t just impressed with Riskee’s set, I was genuinely a fan. I wanted to actively listen to their songs, watch them again, follow their progress - like I do with Blink or Green Day. 

After organising a few shows together and letting each other into one another’s respective musical worlds, we discovered we had a lot in common and that also both bands went well alongside each other. Not only that, but all members got on really well. At the time, the band’s goal list had “Europe tour” at number one and what better way to experience our first ever run of shows across the channel than with our new found punk friends. Riskee and Ghouls headed to Belgium and Germany in August 2014. 

(Trying to act serious in Camden - posers.)

Highlight memories:  - Both bands quickly discovered that the hospitality for bands on the mainland is second to none; rarely do you play a show where the organisers don’t feed you and make sure you have a nice warm sleeping arrangement. The go to dish being Pasta and Tomato sauce.  - Playing and then sleeping in a big hall in Diest; Jimbo was curled up in the middle of the floor with his snore echoing through the whole chamber.  - Sleeping on top of, inside and underneath the cars in a car park in Mol. Accommodation had been provided but we (for some reason) decided to use the cars instead. 

(Some horrifically embarrassing evidence and also some questionable looks in the video below)

Since then both bands have been through a lot together, there’s many stories to tell but for the sake of my time and your time, here’s a some more brief highlights:  - Europe Tour: Round 2.  The first run of mainland shows was good but as always, the second time was better than the first. The most fond memory on this tour was a show in Ghent; a coming together of care, love and attention made for this incredible evening that I hold as one of the most significant shows in Ghouls history. 

- City Sound Project, Canterbury (2013 - 2018) Canterbury puts on a festival every year called CSP, in which the city becomes a hub of music; each venue/bar putting on sounds from all over the genre spectrum. Both Riskee and Ghouls have played it almost every year since 2013 and it’s always a great coming together for both bands - a sort of checkpoint where we get a good catch up. 

- Ten Thousand Words On - Album Launch Show - The Monarch, Camden (4th April 2014) This show is obviously a highlight memory for Ghouls. Our first album’s launch party and what better way to share that event with our friends in Riskee and the Ridicule. I’m so proud of that show and I’m so happy that they were there to experience it with us. 

(Ghent, Belgium - February 2015)

Day 17

I don’t know why but I felt the need to push out a 10 miler today. The air was crisp, there was frost along the fields and when I returned to my start point 8 miles in, I just kept going and looped another two. Such a liberating feeling, to know you can just carry on because you feel like it. Just shy of 100km over the last 7 days, better have a rest day tomorrow although (if you’ve been reading the other posts) we all know how I feel about them...  Saturday again, luckily I have a good agenda for the weekend with plenty of plans to keep me busy from the anxieties that come with the shift of routine. Tonight the band play in Salisbury, a city I’m actually quite fond of. It’s a quaint place with lots of little traditionally British buildings, it’s residents are humble and always very welcoming to us whenever we’ve played. 

Now, I don’t like to live in the past; my focus is very much fixated on the present and, unfortunately, probably a little too much on the future. However, today I am going to reflect on the weekdays gone by, using a song to outline how I felt about each day. This week was a relatively average week in the grand scheme of life events; I ran, I went to work, I went to the gym, I did a few activities, saw my Nan etc. I think it’s important sometimes to reflect on what seems to be ‘general’ life time. When it comes to mortality, no time should be considered ‘general’ and if you dig a bit deeper, I always think you can realise that in every day there’s unique moments. “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” Said John Lennon. But what if, “Life is what happens you’re wired on caffeine and endorphins on a Saturday morning, chatting nonsense on the internet”. - Only one way to find out. 

Monday: I try not to have favourites, but if I had to chose: Monday would be my favourite day of the week. This week started with an 8 mile run, in somewhat colder weather than we’ve been getting here in the UK recently. Work was good; I have some nice classes on Monday. Someone said to me that my job reminded them of Jack Black in the School of Rock, except I’m paid to be the slightly bonkers teacher who forms a rock band with the learners - it’s a pretty accurate description of what I do on a day to day. So Monday’s song can be the “School Of Rock” anthem. 10/10 movie, if you haven’t seen it. 

Tuesday: 8.5 miles, another slightly chilly one so I was wearing a silly hat. Another good day at work being faux Jack Black (the considerably healthier version). I was very productive on Tuesday, it being my busiest day, I still managed to record the video for the song I released on Wednesday - don’t forget there’s going to be videos every Wednesday from now until (at least) the end of the year - so Tuesday’s song can be the on I uploaded (shameless). 

Wednesday: It was liberating knowing that video had gone up. I know it’s a cover and a very simple video but it’s the start of something I’ve been meaning to do for years. The hardest part of any idea is the execution to make that idea into a real product. I read an incredible book about start-ups called “Zero to One” - a solid recommendation for any entrepreneur and/or creative. For that, Wednesday’s theme tune can be the famous 368 (Casey Neistat’s YouTube show) soundtrack, as a shout out to my favourite entrepreneur.

Thursday: Thursday I woke up pumped from the video dropping and I had also seen my Nan the night before, and she’d made me an incredible homemade Rice Pudding. The music class I take on a Thursday got a question I asked about Green Day wrong, I told them that we had to scrap the lesson plan and instead do a full comprehensive study on punk rock history so that their music taste’s could be re-educated appropriately... (obviously we stuck to the plan in the end). Thursday’s song can be this absolute banger, although a little solemn, an anthem that belongs to the month:

Friday: My Friday is somewhat opposite to the majority of Mon-Fri workers. I don’t go out, I go to bed around the same time I do every other night, I don’t drink so there’s no alcohol or anything involved, I eat ice cream and dessert almost every night of the week so I just have a relatively normal night - which I absolutely love. My lovely girlfriend came over and we watched Masterchef for whatever reason? I guess sometimes you have to take some decompression time. Friday’s song goes out to her: <3

Day 16

Every single day, I wake up and have a genuine excitement over the fact that I get to drink coffee. There are also occasions that I get the same excitement prior to going to sleep, the night before. Even if I could, I wouldn’t want to drink it in the evening; the morning and early afternoon are appropriate times for coffee and having a restriction on drinking times makes for all the more excitement in those times I can. As an addictive personality who has a highly functional mind, and also being an amateur athlete, it is probably no surprise that the roast ground is something I genuinely couldn’t live without. So, today’s blog post is my ode to the caffeinated magic liquid that is coffee.

(me with a Iced Latte - Ghent, Belgium - 2017 I believe...)

Coffee: A brief history. I was 22 when I first tried coffee properly. Much like most immature pallets, I couldn’t handle the bitter taste of it. Liquid refreshments had only ever been something that my taste buds would associate with sweet. At the time, I was working shifts at a leisure centre as a lifeguard. I wasn’t anywhere near as in tune as I am now with the early starts and would often wonder into work feeling tired and lethargic. My manager at the time kept saying that I needed to get into coffee. He said that it would ignite me in the morning, that no matter what I thought of the taste, coffee was more about the feeling and what it did to your mental state than being a refreshing beverage. Intrigued by his enthusiasm, I decided I would give it another go.

Due to my taste buds swaying to the sweeter side of life, I started by having my coffee diluted with milk and full of sugar – obviously not being as much of the health-conscious fitness addict I am now. It helped me acclimitise to the taste none the less. As I got used to the taste, I started to notice the affect caffeine was having, especially on those early mornings and especially in my training – as that also started to get more serious. Progression was made and I was soon without the sugar - I found it detracted from the taste and the feeling, plus I’ve never enjoyed the sensation of ‘furry’ teeth. About a year into my new-found love and I was leaving the milk aside too, finding that my pallet had caught up with adult life and deciding that the bitter taste was bitter bliss. Black coffee for the win. 

I then did what anyone does when they discover a new fixation. I dived deep into the world of coffee. Trying all bean strengths, learning the differences between a cortardo and flat white, purchasing a filter kit, a French press, an espresso machine; becoming that beginner obsessive. Bring it right up to the present day: I am much less of a self-proclaimed connoisseur but I am an addict who loves coffee. my coffee skill level is just where it needs to be and I have found a system that has worked for me.

(Yes, that is me in the background, back in my leisure work days)

My day in Coffee:

In my day to day life; I will typically have a double espresso first thing in the morning as a pre-workout to my morning run. Post-run I like to have my first sit-down coffee with my breakfast, which I always eat at work (although it’s not always much of a “sit-down”). I then like to enjoy another coffee post-lunch to help buzz me into my afternoon lessons. If it is a strength training day then I like to leave this a little later to aid as a sort of pre-workout, although this is definitely all psychological. Anything after 4pm and I tend to leave coffee alone, as I said earlier, it is good for me to put restrictive times on things because it helps to keep that daily excitement and the love forever strong.

(Coffee before the run is a game changer.)

Memorable coffee moments:

Through my travels I’ve been lucky enough to try some magnificent coffee from all over the globe and through my athletic endeavors I feel like I have reaped full use of some of those highly caffeinated hours. Here are some of my most memorable coffee experiences: 1. Cold brew coffee in Georgia: The band were on tour in the USA for the first time and, it being America, we were subject to advertisements for the “new cold brew coffee at Starbucks”. On that tour, we did a lot in a very short space of time (as usual). We’d been out there for a few days and those days had included the Brooklynite Half Marathon, several rough sleeps and some incredibly scenic long drives. In one of our many pit-stops, somewhere in Georgia (or maybe South Carolina), we stopped off at a Starbucks and decided we would endeavor in the advertised refreshment due to it being 30 odd degrees outside. From the first one we tried, I was hooked, now it has become a staple of USA touring. Cold brews in the USA! 

(Lads in the USA, 2016)

2. Coffee at Midnight in Germany: Another tour story, this time in Europe. We’d played in Munich and due to some incredible good (terrible) organization on our behalves, we had a 14-hour drive for the ferry home the next day. In an attempt to break the journey up a bit and create less pressure on timing, we decided that we’d stay up and drive through the night, getting as near to half way as possible. Once booking a questionable hostel in the city of Frankfurt, our journey was set. We got off stage at about 11:30pm, packed the van and then all shared a coffee and an assortment of subway cookies that a fan had given us, before heading on a delirious caffeine fueled adventure into the night. That’s the only time I’ve been to Frankfurt, I was there for about 5 hours, slept a good 4.5 of those – I sort of hope that remains as my only time there.

3. Morning Coffee in the Kruger. My brother and me were on safari in South Africa. Every morning our host/guide would wake us up at around 4:45am, just as the red sun rose above the wilderness layered horizon. He would give us coffee and rusks before we set out on our morning safari. Rusks are a South African crispy sweet biscuit that go hand in hand with the caffeinated goodness, combined with the sound of wild hippos in the Sabie river below our hut and you’re in a world of ecstasy. Although you non-morning people might think that time sounds horrific, when you’re out in the Kruger – there’s no better time to be awake.

(Kruger National Park, South Africa - 2015)

Day 15

Well, the Garmin somehow returned from the dead and I successfully tracked and uploaded today’s 8 miles to Strava. This morning’s run can be titled ‘the sunrise that kept on giving’. The higher the sun reached above the horizon, the better the picture got, filling the sky was a hue of orange and pinks. And some people question why some of us love the early morning…

Yesterday I made a start to my goal number one for this year: to upload more of my own creative content. I am stoked to finally have started this process after what has been years of debating the idea. Weekly videos, every Wednesday, between now and the end of the year. I’m amped and I’ve already made a start on next week’s upload. If you haven’t already, feel free to give the video a watch:

Today marks halfway through the 30-day daily blog challenge and I’m going use it to share 5 of my latest favourite things:

1. Dessert Flavoured Shower Gel: My girlfriend and I were wondering the aisles of Tesco a few weekends ago. For years, I’ve wondered why shower gel’s, shampoos, general scented goods used for body hygiene, etc don’t exist in trendy sweet food smells. I know cocoa butter has been around for a while, but I’ve always wanted a salted caramel deodorant or vanilla bean shampoo. So I was genuinely ecstatic when we found a Cherry Bakewell Tart shower gel. My day’s are that little bit better now I get in the shower after my morning run and cover myself in sweet delicious scented liquid soap. I have since tried the Foamy Banana and Marshmallow flavours, but Bakewell Tart is still winning. If Imperial Leather are paying attention: An Apple Cinnamon Crumble gel or maybe a Caramel Macchiato shampoo for your next creation? 

2. Blogging: In the last 15 days I have taken to blogging. I am absolutely loving this platform, more than anything, for the therapeutic side of just putting thoughts into words. As far as this blog goes, I want to carry it on past the 30-day challenge. So what I intend to do is get a website. At the end of this 30-day run, which I am going call ‘The Pilot Season’, I will publish this website so that Season 2 will be one level up. Sound good? I am thinking 30 days per season, continuing on with the daily posts.

3. The Great River Ouse: I am lucky to live along the banks of the Great River Ouse. As someone who loves running, it provides some incredible routes that bank alongside the water. My new favourite route is to run from the gym (next to work) through the town of Huntingdon, along the river all the way up to Houghton Mill – it provides the perfect backdrop for my morning miles and I honestly can’t get enough of it. If you’re a Cambridgeshire local, even if you don’t like running, I recommend a nice autumnal walk – especially in the early AM.

4. Plyometric Workout’s: Plyometrics aren’t anything new to me but lately I’ve been enjoying how they make me feel. My brother (shout out to @GingerTraining), who is a fully qualified Strength & Conditioning coach, got me onto plyometric exercises after a series of injuries a few years ago. They are explosive movements that ignite the type 2 fast-twitch muscle fibres. I don’t know a huge amount of detail in the sports science behind it, but if you’re a distance runner and you want to make improvements to speed and time, as well as a less injury prone body, then including plyometric exercises in your strength routine is a must. The morning after a plyometric session and a good stretch I have fresh springy legs – ready to pound the pavement for a good hour or so; day in, day out.

5. Late September/Early October Sunrise. The nature of this time of year means it typically gets over looked but I honestly think it’s one of the best. One thing is that, this time of year lacks the media buzz of any forth coming holiday, which is refreshing. But, it’s those early morning sunrises with the red skies that really get me going about this time of year. The air gets crisp but not too cold, the mist rises off the water and I just love the feeling of opportunity as the day gets started. 

Half way through the pilot season! Starting this blog is something that I could have spent ages thinking about but due to the Steal Like An Artist logbook, I just started it without any real plan or direction. I find it the best way to start anything is to let it manifest into its own creation, the important thing is that you’re doing it, not just thinking about it. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy these posts as much as I enjoy writing them. Gonna write them either way though…

Day 14

The weekly videos have started: 

I love country music. It’s a genre I genuinely listen to on a daily basis. In fact, a bucket list item of mine is to go to a proper country music festival, out in Tennessee or somewhere similar. Now, when I say American Country, I’m not talk old traditional Johnny Cash style songs. Oh no, I’m talking cheesy guitar-layered throaty-voiced pop songs about trucks, dirt roads and late-night dancing. To clarify, I do not own a truck, cruise down dirt roads or go late night dancing. Being someone who grew up in the fields of Cambridgeshire, UK, I’m a little far removed from the American back roads. My location of birth and upbringing meant that I wasn’t introduced to the wonders of country music until 2014 – when I first ever headed to the USA.

In 2014, I travelled to California. For me, California was nothing short of a Hollywood movie-driven childhood dream. Everything felt like a stereotype but in the best way. I flew out to San Francisco; spending a few days in the city (somewhere I really want to return to), then heading to Santa Cruz – a beach town, full of the representative surfer dudes. I then headed over to Yosemite Valley for a wild experience like no other and finally ended in Los Angeles, which, was actually a bit of a disappointment when compared to the previous places. I plan to return again soon.

(A youthful me in the hills of San Fran.) 

Anyhow, one thing that caught my attention whilst cruising the 101 was the music playing on the radio. These pop songs being sang with thick deep-south accents, with lyrics that were all about trucks and working the farms. At first, I couldn’t take it seriously but as I listened I could see why it was one of the most popular genres across the whole of the United States. These superstar artists that are selling out arenas, are barely known across the pond here in old Grey Britain. It was surreal but I left that trip with a new-found love and haven’t looked back since.

American Country has definitely grown in popularity in the UK since I returned from that trip and in an ode to my love for it, I have decided to cover a country song. (I have also written songs in a country style which I will release soon.)

(Yosemite Valley, CA, USA - January 2014)

The video in today’s post marks the first video of a series that I intend to upload on a weekly basis. Wednesday is my chosen day and I am going to try and stick to the regimented time of 12 noon GMT. Yes, that’s right, every Wednesday at 12 noon I will release a video that includes a song that I have either written or covered, and a video to go with it. This is all part of goal number 1, from the “things I want to achieve this year” post.

Please like, subscribe, etc if you wish to be part of this journey with me. Let me know what you think of the song, as well as any constructive advice/critique so I can improve on future videos. The whole idea here is to not let perfection get in the way of productivity and mainly put my creative endeavors out in public eye for anyone and everyone to see. As Austin Kleon says in Steal Like An Artist: Show your work. It’s not going to get anywhere whilst it’s sat on a computer hard drive.

It wouldn’t be a blog post if I didn’t talk about running. My Garmin’s Bluetooth has given up and it means I can’t sync my workouts with Strava… technology. I might just go back to the stop watch days and writing splits down on my arm. Anyway… incredible weather yet again on today’s 8 miler.

Day 13

Lucky number 13 and aren’t we lucky that I’m finally getting round to writing this today. Tuesday is by far my busiest day of the week; a mixture of a hectic timetable and not many minutes between each activity to do so much as to catch a breath and drink a swift espresso (priorities). I heard a great analogy today about a busy day feeling like a ‘Wack-A-Mole” machine - you get one thing done but another pops straight up. That’s not to say it’s a been a bad day - I love busy. My mind thrives on movement, productivity and general hussle. 

This morning I clocked a relatively pacey 9 miler before work. The mornings at the moment are magic - the mist coming off the river, the pink-orange hue where the sun is rising, the crisp air and that crystal clear thinking space. The perfect morning run. 

I won’t lie, I’m a bit all over the place in terms of writing today’s blog post. I have a lot of ideas but they all would take me longer than my allocated time slot that I have to write this so I’m going to save my more lengthy ideas for other days. There still being 17 days to go, of course... (plus more as I intend to carry this on beyond the 30 day challenge). 

Here’s the story of my day, told in album art:  Waking Up: Fresh. 

Morning Run: Iconic.

Work (part 1): Organised Chaos. 

Work (part 2): Join the club. 

Trying to get things done: Did this album even exist? 

(What) Bedtime (will feel like): Floating to sleep. 

Right, tomorrow is 2 weeks of blog. As celebration I (should) have a YouTube video uploaded.  I will let you know more tomorrow but subscribe if you haven’t already! 

Day 12

Clear, clean and crisp; my favourite weather and time coming together in a sweet combination to make this morning’s 8 miler the perfect start of the week. With that in mind, today’s blog post is going to be another running story. This time of my first marathon: Athens 2015. 

(Today’s miles - featuring a silly hat.)

It was early 2015 and the band were touring the UK. We were in Brighton and had arrived early, deciding to head to the beach in our pre-show time to take in the sea air. That same day had been the Brighton Marathon so the beach front was swarming with finisher t-shirts, bright shiny medals and some funny looking walking (post-marathon legs). Muss and me, both being into running, started a conversation about completing a marathon being on both our bucket lists. The atmosphere in Brighton felt electric and you could see the accomplishment beaming on people’s faces. We both agreed that we should just enter one, and not just any marathon – one that was in an adventurous place that neither of us had ever been. 

After a quick search on the internet, we had decided on the Athens marathon; it was far enough away that both of us could train for it, it was a place neither of us had ever been and it’s called the ‘authentic’ marathon as it is the very place in which the marathon distance originates from. It ticked all the boxes. Prior to entering, I’d never really adhered to any formal training plan. I would typically run 5/6 times a week but would rarely track distance or time. The furthest I’d ran at that point was about 10 miles, so I went about getting a proper training plan that included nutrition in order to clock up the mileage. This is when running really became more than just a casual hobby for me, the start of what has developed into a huge part of who I am now. 

About 4/5 months, many training miles and a couple of hundred bowls of porridge later, a leaner and (sort-of) marathon trained version of me was boarding the flight to Athens, with both Muss and his brother. In the lead-up to the race I’d gotten quite nervous, suddenly realizing the task that was in front of me. My longest training run had been a 22 miler and I’d made the decision to just run and see what time I came in. 

At the time, I was unaware of what I was capable of in running as well as not being too bothered seeing that it was my first marathon. We boarded the flight slightly giddy with nerves and I distinctly remember us all joking about who would end up on the bus. The bus being an actual bus that picks up any stragglers who have failed to complete the course in the cut off time, which is typically something like 7 hours. Muss’ brother seemed concerned, although you would have to walk at a relatively slow pace for the entire 26.2 miles in order to stand any chance of being on the bus. We arrived in Athens and headed straight for the Expo, the atmosphere took me right back to Brighton, if not even being more charged as this time we were taking part – plus we were in Greece. Athens is an absolutely stunning city. If you haven’t been before, then I seriously recommend it. It might even be the best city I’ve been to in Europe so far. The expo was full of excitement, we collected our numbers and took a nervous pre-race picture. That evening we decided to take it easy as the race was the following morning. We went out for a nice meal and a small walk around our hostel’s area, which was perfectly situated bang in the centre of Athens – an easy 5 minute walk from the finish line on normal legs (it took me a good 15 post-marathon). A few more jokes about the bus were thrown around. Due to the time difference, our bodies were about 3 hours behind, which meant the 5am alarm came as a bit more of a shock than anticipated. The Athens marathon route means that you have to get a coach to the town of Marathon and then you run the 26.2 miles back to Athens, finishing in the Panathinaiko Stadium. The coach journey took a while, which was sort of expected, all I could think in my mind was the fact that if it took that long in a coach, then imagine what it would feel like on the feet. Upon arriving at the race village in the sports stadium within Marathon, my nerves turned to pure excitement. The sun was just popping its head over the mountains as we started our pre-race warm ups. At the time, I wasn’t that clued up to what a warm up entailed so we sort of just jogged around the track with all the other runners - if in doubt, copy everybody else. 

Before we knew it, we were on the start line and the gun had sounded. The song How Deep Is Your Love by Calvin Harris was playing as we crossed the start; that song always taking me right back to that moment. The first thing I noticed was how many people had decided to immediately stop for a quick toilet break, just metres over the start line. All those nerves, I guess. I felt nothing but strong throughout the whole race. My mind was so focused on the moment that I didn’t even consider the fact I was running 26 miles, fully consumed in my stride. 

For my nutrition, I’d opted for using what was provided at the feed stations - the segment of banana at the half way point was nothing but pure joy. There’s nothing quite like the taste of food when your body is in need of it. The course was pure beauty, the temperature was good and the atmosphere was amazing. Every little Greek town we passed through was full of spectators shouting “bravo, bravo” as we trod on by. 

(All that hair, and the nose ring...)

As we rounded off into the city, I distinctly remember feeling quite emotional at mile 24. There’s definitely something about running long distances that evokes the emotive part of your brain. Running into the stadium was nothing short of incredible – if you watch the little video I made, I swear a lot because I was in disbelief that I was finishing and all those months of training were coming to a close. As I said earlier, at the time I wasn’t much of a runner in terms of time etc, but it was after this marathon that I really got into it and started to reach the PB’s I’ve managed to achieve. 

Anybody who has completed a marathon will know how it feels when you cross the finish line and you take those first few steps at walking pace. Oh my does it come as a shock. Your legs don’t work properly for a good few days after and stairs become your worst nightmare – particularly walking down them. Muss, his brother and myself celebrated well that night, proceeding to have some of the most memorable few days of my entire life. For whatever reason, later on that night, we decided to try and run up acropolis – the term ‘recovery’ jog could be used but we were just being silly. 

I think everyone should have a go at the Marathon at some point in their life. Especially if you are a runner or someone who enjoys running. There is something about knowing you’ve completed a distance like that, which makes other areas of life feel a lot easier. There’s also something about knowing you’ve done something a lot of others haven’t, it makes you feel just a little smug.

Day 11

Opted to stride out the miles on the treadmill today. I think every runner would agree that a run outdoors with the fresh air is better, but a mixture of events just meant the treadmill was more convenient for me. Benefits of a treadmill: Easy to keep good form, you have to adhere to speed (fast or slow), you can listen to music, people watch in the gym and any gastro-related stress is easily dealt with due to having toilets nearby... 

Anyway, I’ve been wanting to write this post for a little while, even pre-blog, due to the nature of what I saw in my brief time as a teaching assistant. I spent a term and a half as a TA in the SEND department of a high school, just south of east of Watford. Unfortunately, the school had a bit of reputation in the area for its poor behaviour and with this, came some great moments. I used to take a daily log book, in which I made small notes of; events that happened, subjects discussed by children and antics I witnessed from the ‘factory floor’ - as it were. I won’t name the school and I will say it was a lovely place to work, my colleagues were very friendly and I actually used to quite enjoy working with the kids I was a assigned to but, oh man did some sh*t go down.  

Here’s some of the highlights: 

Music class, Tuesday 10th October:  There’s a picture of Elvis on the board with the title “The Blues”. Teacher, after a good handful of attempts to stop the kids from blowing up the plastic wallets he’s handed out into makeshift pillows, has asked them who is on the board. Amongst the rabble of wheezing children, Child A put up his hand and answers unprompted “I know who that is sir, it’s Elton John, my Nan likes Elton John”. Elton, the king of rock and roll.  Science class, Wednesday 15th November:  Title is “Are You Healthy?”. Judging by the bag of Haribo and Doritos that Child A has already consumed in the lesson, as well as Child B who is sat at the back of the room munching a Morrisons Ploughman's cheese sandwich about as discreetly as it smells; I’d say not very. Especially seeing as its only 8:55am.

Double Drama, Thursday 5th December: Child A walks in an hour and 10 minutes late. As he waltzes through the door he throws a roll of cash at the teacher. “Sir, man don’t need school no more, mans making P already sir.” (roughly translates as - I’m not coming to school anymore as I already make enough money). Teacher has unravelled the roll of cash and counted out £175... Child A is 12 years old. A look of disbelief in both our eyes and neither of us are quite sure how to handle this situation, but meanwhile, Child A is now stood on a chair swinging his tie around his head singing “I’m in the money.”  History class, Thursday 4th January: Instead of sporting the golden jumper that I often wear to work, I have my new grey Crew Clothing knit on. Child A comments on it in front of the other 35 pupils in the history class. “man like Mr. Gold isn’t gold anymore, he’s silver - Mr. Silver, sir is on some next poverty ting”. (this roughly translates to: sir finally has a new jumper, it took him so long that he must be poor). Comic genius according to the rest of the class: I have no come back.  Science class, Thursday 11th January: Child A and Child B “have major beef” (they no longer like each other). I have been assigned the task of monitoring Child A to avoid altercations and Child B has just entered the classroom. Teacher has done nothing but say “Class, be quiet” for the last 22 minutes and there’s no use me trying, I’m the poverty-stricken Mr Silver according to this class. Suddenly Child B has picked up his chair, thrown it across the room and its headed straight for me. I duck and it hits the wall. Child A has retaliated by attempting to throw his chair, which has also narrowly escaped my head. Every other student has caught the entire ordeal on SnapChat and I am now famous throughout the school. 

Philosophy & Ethics class, Wednesday 24th January: Subject matter is North Korea. Child A has raised her hand and said that her dad used to work in North Korea. Teacher and I share questioning looks. Approximately 30 minutes later, Child A raises her hand and admits she is mistaken: her dad used to work as a Courier. This makes a lot more sense.  

Monday 6th February: Child A has stolen a laser pointer from the Drama class room. I have told him that he needs to return it or I will have to let the teacher know. As the day comes to a close he has decided on keeping it, forgetting that he has already admitted to stealing it and claiming it’s actually his from home. I would let someone more senior know but they are currently dealing with Child B who had a machete in his bag. The Crocodile Dundee joke has been said several times in the staff room. 

Friday 9th February: Child A is upset to hear of my departure from the job. Upon saying his goodbyes, he has said that he is dreading the return after the holidays upon which one of my former colleagues will be assigned the post of his ‘helper’. He admits that he doesn’t like working with the other members of staff because they are overweight and smell. The language was a bit more grotesque. Before the bell rings for my final goodbyes, the colleague that was being referred to asks for my advice on handling Child A so well, I wish I could have told her the truth. Farewell Mr. Silver, hopefully your new job will buy you a few more jumpers. 

School is just another walk of life. I enjoyed my brief time working in one, but it wasn’t for me. Despite the college I work at now being an educational facility, the Special Education department is way less of a factory. It’s about enrichment and engagement; a lot more than the mainstream system of a high school allows. I personally didn’t enjoy high school, but thats for another story. 

Happy Sunday, y’all. Also, I’m going to do the website. I need some help though, so if anyone has any expertise in website hosting, please contact me. 

Day 10

It’s that oh so lovely day of the week again - rest day. Rest day, I hate you. Essential but I’d rather be out running. It’s okay, my girlfriend and I have a substantial walk planned this afternoon and a bit of retail therapy to take my mind away from the lack of endorphin. Also, I’ve started recording a song that I plan on releasing for next week’s upload. Exciting times. 

Last week I posted “My Greatest Story” and I thought that, seeing as on my rest day I get that little bit longer to write the post, I would delve into some of the other life stories that I think are worth telling. 

Being in Ghouls has come with its rewards, despite it being the aim to take it as far as we can, it still feels surreal to think that playing music has taken us to the US twice (3 times if you include the tour in a couple of weeks), Europe countless times and more recently, Australia! That said, it hasn’t come without it’s hardships and through the years we have done some pretty hilarious D.I.Y tours. Despite the romanticism behind the idea of 'being on the road’, ‘living out the van’ and ‘sleeping on floors’ - it can get pretty grim. These days, I’m all about the Air B’n’B lifestyle. An athlete has to look after himself.

(Looking Hench in Baltimore, ML, USA - October 2016) 

So, in no particular order, here are some of the more hilarious and questionable places we’ve had the pleasure of calling a ‘bed’ for the night:

1. Paris, France - July 2012. “A student hall’s fire escape”.  This was the first time the band went abroad. We were young and nothing like the band we are now and even had a few different members. Young and ready for anything, we had a call from a friend in another band who said there was a last minute support slot open for a gig in Paris, that was the very next day! I don’t really know what we were thinking, being the naive youth we were, we booked the Megabus for the following morning headed direct for Paris. 

We had no plan for accommodation other than “We’ll find somewhere”. The show was quiet but we were high on life. As if we were in Paris to play a show, with 24 hours notice. As the night came to a draw, we gathered on the banks of the river Seine with no idea as to where we were going to sleep. Our drummer of that time, suddenly appeared with two very nervous looking students who had agreed that we could stay in the fire escape of their halls building. Despite their suspicious glances to one another, our hosts were very kind to us and gave us an assortment of french snacks to go with our fire escape dwellings. It was literally a spiral staircase that ran the back side of a tall building in central Paris. Made to, quite literally, escape a fire - not ideal for the 7 of us that were there but I don’t recall it being a bad sleep. 

(Early Ghouls, this is from 2012 - I know, who are those people?!)

2. Sheffield, UK - August 2013. “An old lady’s Marijuana horde”.  In the summer of 2013, we all happened to have the whole month of August off. We were trying to raise funds to record our first album through a crowd funded campaign - seizing the opportunity of the time off, we booked ourselves a whole month’s tour, 30 days long, to help raise these funds. The tour was called the “Can We Crash At Yours Tour” and, we did just that. Played a show almost every night with nowhere booked to stay, hoping someone would be kind enough to let us “crash” at theirs. It actually went surprisingly well and plenty of lovely people gave up their sitting rooms and sofas for a bunch of over-excited musicians. 

There were, however, a few nights on that tour in which the crowd at the shows weren’t, let say, the ideal band-friendly-stay-at-mine-and-we’ll-make-breakfast tomorrow dream that we’d had in our minds. There was one night in particular, about mid-way through the tour, in Sheffield. We’d played what I recall as being a sort of pub/venue, announcing on stage that we needed a place to crash. A slightly haggard old woman came forward and said we’d be more than welcome to sleep in her living room. 

Upon arriving at the flat above a kebab shop in the Sheffield suburbs, we were greeted with the distinct smell of cannabis. It didn’t take long to see why, there were nuggets of weed everywhere! On the shelves, on top of the toilet, down the sides of the sofa, in jars in the kitchen, everywhere you can think of - weed nuggets. She immediately lit a joint as soon as we got there and started rambling about how she didn’t need ‘nout but a coffee and a spliff” to be happy. 

I don’t smoke weed, nor do I have any interest in it - it’s not something I frown upon or judge people for, but that night I had to endure a good 6/7 hours of second hand stench - I definitely woke up questioning why some lamp shades are spherical. 

3. Greensboro, NC, USA - October 2016. “Tap-out wherever, dude”.

I think this might be one of the worse nights sleep I’ve ever had, made worse because we were trapped in a foreign country with no alternative. When we’re in the UK, we know we’re never that far from somewhere we know - a friend or relatives house. Even in Europe now, we know enough people that I’d feel we could get ourselves out of a sticky situation. Plus, we’re all working adults now, so we usually book accommodation - #DIYbutwithhotels. However, this was our first time in the USA and touring somewhere unfamiliar on a budget for the first time always comes with a few hairy situations.

We played a show in Greensboro, North Carolina, mid-week in a pizza/dive bar style place. It was empty except for a couple of pizza bros who looked as though they’d have had a great time at the flat in Sheffield. Our host was a gentleman called Graham, who was playing in another band. Once the gig finished, which was a lot later than we’d expected due to Graham’s band not conforming to the conventional 3-minute song standard and instead opting for 12/15minute epics (which weren’t epic, to say the least). We headed to Graham’s place, detouring via a gas station due to Graham and his fellow band mates having the “munchies”. 

We arrived at Grahams “pad”, which reminded me of the scene when Marty McFly goes back to the future, to his neighbourhood and Biff has taken over. Once inside the house, we were greeted by a room in which there was one sofa, a floor that had never seen a vacuum, and a man sat as close to a television as you can possibly get, playing Call of Duty. He was yelling his head off, down a head set at fellow online players in a thick southern American accent. Graham’s words were “just tap-out wherever guys”. We were about a week into what had already been a hectic tour, I was fresh off the back of my Brooklyn Half Marathon win, “tapping out” was never going to happen with our friend Cliff, the gentleman yelling at the screen, in that room. Also, where exactly were we supposed to ‘tap out’. Graham said we were welcome to the “sofa in the yard” - which was an old sofa in his garden. I decided to opt for sleeping in our rented Nissan Quest, which was full of gear. 

I managed to clear a space just big enough for me, tucked into the fetal position and just preyed that the night pass by. Several hours later, we woke up, hurried our way out of there and sought refuge in a nearby iHop. Saved by pancakes. 

(The infamous Nissan Quest. I drove this 3,333 miles down the east coast of the USA)

I’ll leave it at that for now. There is more to tell but I have to go out and get some clothes. Day 10 of 30 on the daily blog. I am seriously considering to keep this going beyond 30 days and may even purchase a website domain as incentive. If anybody has any advice on web hosting for bloggers then please let me know. 

Day 9

Anyone who knows me, will know how much I love running. It is a genuine addiction; I find a day without any movement/exercise in general a complete misery but running is my favourite way to exercise (open water swimming comes a close second). Now I do enjoy the way strength training/gym work makes me look and I’m well aware I could look good without running every day, but running just gives me a feeling that for the rest of the day, makes me feel electric – like ‘anything is possible’. Also, I enjoy knowing that, if my day starts with a run, no matter what else happens that day at least I did the run and that was my time spent doing my thing.

Anybody who says they don’t like running usually hasn’t run for long enough or far enough to realise how good it makes you feel. That said though, I do understand that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I have full respect for anyone who commits to a sport because it makes them feel good. It’s a wonderful thing, to find an activity that gives you that feeling, I feel sorry for those who have yet to find out what theirs is.

(Graham Water 10km, December 2017)

Anyhow, here are some tips and tricks for anybody reading this that might want to try running, or already runs but is interested in what I find has helped me through the years to becoming, not only a better runner, but a more efficient, less injured and healthier runner:

1.    Learn to run. The best way to put this is in swimming terms. Let’s say that one day, you decided that you were going to go swimming, but you don’t know how to swim. Perhaps you understand the basic concept of how to swim but you’ve never really done it properly or maybe you had lessons as a kid but didn’t really concentrate and get your form right. Going to the pool and flopping your arms and legs around, hoping that you make a length, would look pretty silly and wouldn’t be much of a workout. Also, you’d likely be risking injury, if not to yourself then definitely someone else! Running is the same. We often don’t think of running as having a technique because it’s something that we just do. However, unless you were brought up in Africa then chances are you haven’t been running every day since you learned to walk, learning and practicing proper technique every day since. I won’t go through proper running form on here but it doesn’t take much searching to find a guide on how. Just know that if your form isn’t correct, when you first start running with a proper form, it will feel weird.

2.    Fuel your workouts. If you’re just a casual jogger who hits the occasional 5km then this doesn’t really apply to you, but if you’re training on the regular then you need to be adequately nourished – especially if you’re hitting long distances and high mileage weeks. The problem, particularly with running, is that most people start because they want to alter their body image – lose weight, tone up, etc. First things first, whilst running can help you lose weight and might give you some muscle tone on your legs – it’s not going to give you a fitness models body. If you want to look like James Bond coming out the sea then running isn’t the answer – you need to be hitting the gym. Running long distance burns a lot of energy and if you’re not replacing that energy adequately, you will burn out and it will result in injury. Think of a car without any petrol, when you run out of energy – you won’t be running anymore. Then think of a car that runs out of oil – under eating eventually breaks the body and it can’t find the energy to repair itself. I run a lot, so I track my daily caloric in and outgoings as well as my macronutrients to make sure my body gets all the nutrients it needs and is adequately fueled – for anyone interested I just use MyFitnessPal and have done every day for about 2/3 years. Running an hour everyday means I eat a lot, but I’m not wolfing doughnuts every 5 seconds; plenty of veggies, plenty of lean proteins, absolutely no skimping on meals and avoid processed sh*t as much as possible. I don’t adhere to any dietary bracket and also don’t believe in cheat meals - if it’s made properly and eaten in moderation then all food is good. 

3.    Get to know your physio. Most runners take a trip to the physio when they get injured, by which point, it’s too late. The point is to take care of your body whilst it is healthy, don’t wait until you’re in pain to get a sports massage. Get a regular massage. Go once a month, even when you’re feeling fresh and springy. Professional athletes are on and off the bed on the daily, some of us amateurs are hitting the same millage as them, so you need to take that into consideration. I actually would recommend that everyone go and see a physio once a month, whether you’re training or not - modern living means that almost everyone is full of muscle imbalances that will eventually lead to injury. How many old people complain about back pain?!

 4.    Get some gear. Gear I couldn’t live without: Firstly, trainers - don’t waste your time on ‘support’ shoes. In Chris McDougall’s book Born To Run, there is a chapter about how the creator of the first ever ‘support’ running shoe, had never run in his life and had done absolutely no scientific based research to prove it worked – it was solely a marketing move. There is no proof (see point 5 about research) that ‘support’ shoes actually do make you less prone to injury and many cases they’ve shown to alter natural running form to make people more susceptible to muscle imbalance and therefore injury. Get a neutral, relatively flat (low heel drop) pair of trainers. If you’re busting up muddy terrain then consider trail shoes but if it’s the concrete you’ll be treading on then go for road shoes: I use Nike Pegasus (the OG trainer) and Nike Zoom Elites. Another must-have gear, for me personally, is a watch that tracks your workouts. A proper one; apple watch will work but Garmin are a sports brand that actually design their watches to track runs, cycles, swims, etc.

5.    Do your research.   I’m not just a guy who loves running and therefore goes running a lot. I have read a ton of runner biographies, running related books, sports science journals, nutrition guides, etc. I am fully invested in the sport. It’s a true passion. When I say research, scrolling through Instagram definitely does not count. If you are getting ‘facts’ from the internet then you’re doing the wrong kind of research – books are your best friend. Even this blog post is just my opinion. I’d like to think I have reasonable knowledge in the field but I’m just a human being who is always learning – I should also mention that I don’t have any academic qualifications in the field either. A book I would recommend, that covers all things fitness, is Ross Edgely’s – Worlds Fittest Book. It covers all the essential areas, not just for running, and it spells them out in simple terms. It is also backed by accredited sports science journals. Ross being the guy who is currently swimming the entire coast of the UK.

(This morning’s 8.5 miler - bliss)

So, there you are. A little guide to running by me, Benedict. I’m not the best runner in the world, but I love it and when you love something it’s good to tell people. I also love apple crumble and vanilla ice cream – running means I eat that on the reg and somehow maintain abs – just another reason to love it even more.

Day 8

Contrary to popular belief, drizzle is an amazing weather to run in. When it’s cold it can be a slightly different story, but if the temperature is playing ball then allowing yourself to get soaked on a soggy and wet 8 mile run is an invigorating way to start the day! Whilst treading along the river this morning, I had an idea about how I can decipher all my interests across my YouTube channel.

The goal is to create and upload weekly videos; some of these videos will be music/song based: #SongChallenge videos, some of these videos will surround my athletic endeavors: #AthleticChallenge, and the others will hopefully resemble travel style/adventure vlogs: #TravelChallenge. How does that sound? The whole point surrounding this is that I upload more of the content that I create. I want a good reason to put it into the public domain and not let it fester deep on my computer hard drive as I have been doing for so long. “What is a product if nobody knows about it?”

(The video from yesterdays post.)

As for today’s post - in my Steal Like An Artist logbook, the task was to steal a book title and write your own story under that title. I went on bookdepository.com and looked up the best sellers; it came up with a non-fiction book called 21 Lessons for the 21st Century. My best interpretation of that title was to list lessons I feel are useful in modern life. The result concluded that 21 lessons were too many. The list I wrote out ended up being 7 lessons but I have decided in light of it being day 8 of the daily blog, that I shall write 8.

So, without any more delay, here are 8 lessons for Modern Living:

1.    Socialising online is a lonely place. No matter how realistic the virtual world gets, nothing beats a real interaction. I would go as far to say that even a negative interaction is better done in real life – it’s no shock that arguments are often much easier to settle in real life. Meet up with your friends, limit texting and messaging and make the undivided time for family. Real life is always better.

2.    Learn to be excited about the moment. Modern living means we are constantly thinking about the future, planning our next move and figuring out later days. It’s easy to get excited about future plans but remember that once upon a time, past you was planning the present and might have even been getting excited about it. I always try to get excited about there here and now, even if its excitement over my coffee as I drink it. The best comparison is that to running a race; you look forward to that finish line but if you don’t take in the moment then it’s over and done before you’ve had a chance to realise what it is you’re going through.

(my morning espresso)

3.    Have set times for your phone and emails. I read a really sad obituary once about a CEO who died of cancer. Not the cheeriest of subjects to go over, but within it was an anecdote about how much regret went into prioritizing emails and texts instead of being in the moment. Not giving conversations with loved ones undivided and full attention, and instead having your head buried in what seems like the most important text or email, could end up being your biggest regret when it comes to your death bed. Keep that in mind.

4.    Do something for long enough and you’ll get good at it. This is something I have to remind learners all the time. In a world where instant gratification is becoming the norm, people seem to be forgetting that to be good at something or to have attained something good, you have to put lots of time and effort into it. Human beings love the idea of a quick fix; it’s why all marketing is based around the ‘get rich quick’ schemes or ‘6 pack abs in 2 weeks’ diets. Its bullshit. If you want something then prepare to be at it for a while. It’s the same with learning; you can’t just turn up in France and expect to know fluent French.

(Running takes time to get good at - do it for long enough and you addicted just like me.)

5.    Ask people for help, and help them back.   This concept is so obvious and you’d think it silly for being on my list. However, the age of the internet means we can help ourselves out most of the time by just googling problems, watching how-to YouTube videos or asking a computer for advice. The problem? It is never reciprocated online. If you help out a human being, seeing that they aren’t somewhat of an a***hole, then they’ll help you back. It might be easier to look online but (refer to lesson 1) you’ll miss out on all the human interaction and emotions that go with receiving and reciprocating help. “It’s who you know, not what you know.”

6.    Go on the holiday. So, you want to travel and there’s a weekend free but you just ‘can’t get around to booking it’. Suddenly it’s that weekend and you’re wondering why on earth you’re sat at home spending money online that could have been that fine authentic Italian cuisine in Napoli (or wherever it is you’re thinking of going). You always wish you’d gone on the holiday, rarely do you regret going once you’re there. Go on the holiday. A time out of the normal routine will always be more memorable.

(Me up Helvellyn, along striding edge, on June 9th - I remember because I was there. I don’t remember June 15th, I was probably at work...)  

7.    Move more than you don’t. This is easily said as a runner and somebody who finds it hard to sit still. Though, even on a long run day where I’ve churned out 13 miles, done a full-on strength session and rode my bike to and from the shop – I still make sure I get up and walk around every 30 minutes or so. Movement keeps the blood flowing, which in turn gives you energy and that helps you think, work and generally function better. It’s so simple to do - you stand up and walk about. The disruption also helps stop you from going into mindless internet browsing and getting lost in the virtual abyss.

8.    Lists of 8 are better than 21. Imagine if I’d written 21 of these… I don’t think either one of us would have been able to carry on.

This was written straight from my log book with minor edits. There’s other lessons I could have added or perhaps swapped out, but I thought it would be more authentic to just write them as they formed in my mind.