Welcome to another in my series of guest posts; this time by Ben (or The Fool Tweets as he's known on twitter).

Ben writes a blog over at Mutterings Of A Fool and has this to say about himself: "You are what you eat which most likely makes me a sausage. Crazy runner type, dad to the beautiful Matilda and owner of the craziest English springer spaniel".

If you're familiar with Ben, you'll notice straightaway that he wrote his bio before his wife gave birth to their second child; a little boy they've named Henry. Please do pop on over to his blog, or send him a tweet, to congratulate him. You can even take a peek at the newest addition to his family.

And now for Ben's post...

 

Music can sometimes be the difference between finishing a run and not. The right song, at the right time has the ability to get you through the wall when you’re really up against it. I have to be honest and say that if I’m running out in the countryside or along a trail then I don’t tend to listen to music, mainly because I enjoy taking in the scenery and in a somewhat sadistic manner quite enjoy the sound of my puffing and panting in the still dawn air.

So here, especially for you, is the ultimate 5k playlist, it’s about 30 minutes long which is a good marker to aim for and would see you doing roughly 10 minute miles (yes I know we should use metric but I honestly can’t visualise what a 6 minute kilometre feels like).

But of course if you are aiming for a longer time then just chuck a few more tracks in the middle to bulk things out. You need something that is relatively calm with an even beat, but not something too mellow that slows you down.

In my mind a good playlist starts relatively easy as you’ll have enough adrenalin pumping at the start of a race without high tempo music also. Then moving into songs with a good beat that distract you and keep you motivated. Finally it should pick up the pace at the end to help keep those legs turning and maybe even a sprint finish.

1.       Robert Miles – Children

2.       Black Keys – Gold On The Ceiling

3.       Doves – Black and White Town

4.       Stereophonics – More Life In A Tramps Vest

5.       Pendulum – Slam

6.       Journey – Don’t Stop Believing

7.       Arcade Fire – Wake Up

8.       Queen – We Are The Champions

A mix of music there but of course it won’t fit everyone’s taste, but if you don’t like some of those classic tunes then quite honestly you have no taste! But whatever your running or fitness challenge is, make sure you enjoy it and set goals that are realistic and achievable for you. If music is the thing that will get you through that challenge then spend some time getting your playlist right, it’ll be worth the investment.

Week 2 : Begin with a brisk 5 minutes walk then alternate 90 seconds of running with 2 minutes of walking, for a total of 20 minutes

See how happy and content this cat is? That's me, that is.

I'm 2 weeks into my Grr Argh! Challenge and I'm feeling more energised than I have in a long time. The progression from running for 60 seconds to 90 seconds wasn't tough and I was surprised to find I'm already a lot more capable and fitter than I was a couple of weeks ago. I even added in a couple of extra workouts this week; a short but intense circuit of core strength exercises and a 30 minute power walk with the dog. It just goes to show exercise really does breed energy.

But by far the biggest transformation has taken place in my head. I mentioned in my previous post "Beginnings" that I'd started feeling happier and more relaxed. Well, that's moved on a step and I've found myself experiencing a constant low-level buzz of motivation; a desire to do more than collapse on the settee and zone out in front of the television after the boys are in bed. The only downside to this is I'm struggling to know how to fill those few precious child-free hours in the evening.

I have a few tv programmes I absolutely cannot miss and outside of that, I can normally be found with my head in a book but I'd like to have a go at something new; something that requires me to engage mind and body and which I can put down at the end of a night with a real sense of achievement. Some of the recommendations I've had from twitterland are:

Macrame or extreme potholing from Trifle Is My Nemesis

Hang-gliding from Claire Deeming

Stalking from Swallowsbird

Gardening or Terence Stamp collecting from SAHDandproud

Ninja pirate from Unsednamed

Quite a mix of suggestions, underlining I really should have set out clear parameters when I tweeted for ideas for a hobby!

So, what do you do in your free time? How do you relax? And do you have a hobby (or two!) you can recommend? I'd love to hear from you.