Music to my ears..?

So, here’s a blog post that I’ve been meaning to write for a while now.

Go back just over four years, and a young man who looked a lot like me (but like I’d had a bike pump shoved up my arse and had been inflated to near bursting point), stepped out from his apartment block in Nueva Andalucia, in Spain, wearing bermuda shorts, an Everton top and a pair of Umbro footie trainers, and stumbled, spluttered, coughed and wheezed his way once around the block.

Getting back to the apartment block, this dashing chubber was filled with an amazing sense of self-worth and achievement, as well as sweat and phlegm. But the experience, that once around the block, was horrendous, every second a pain and boredom-induced punch in the soul. He didn’t walk, but he got close. However, unless he wanted to spend the rest of his days looking like a Hall of Mirrors reflection of himself, he was going to have to find a way to endure the discomfort… OK, let me tell you a secret...psss, I'm talking about myself!!!

***Note by way of encouragement for anyone getting into running/triathlon/fitness/whatever and thinking ‘I’m never going to get there’, this past Sunday I ticked off a 25k steady long run in 37°C heat following a fairly heavy weekend of big swims and long, hilly bike rides… I just Google Earthed that first run around the block to discover that it was a smidge under 1km. From small acorns grow mighty oaks, and that’s truer in exercise and training than almost anywhere else, in my opinion.***

So, I headed down to Alcampo or some other budget supermarket and bought myself a little MP3 player I could clip to my top for running. I got home, put a few choice, upbeat indie classics on there and headed out for my next, epic 1km slogfest. And hated it.

Music wasn’t the answer. It didn’t transport me. I still found myself thinking about every dreaded stride and frustrating metre I covered. And then, pretty much by chance, I stumbled upon the Russell Brand podcast (an hour of highlights from his radio show). I was working from home at the time and, over lunch, had a sandwich and a cuppa on the balcony while listening to, and chuckling along with, the weird and warped vocal delights of Brand, his mate Matt, and occasional contributor (and understated comedy genius) Noel Gallagher. Aye up, I thought (I was feeling particularly northern that day due to Noel's contributions, as well as my tripe and gruel sarnie), call me crazy but this just might work…  

Next time I went out for a run, I was equipped with an unlistened to Brand podcast and, guess what, I managed to go a little further (1.3k!). Get in! This, I decided, was the future and, from then on, I haven’t looked back (coz that’s asking for trouble when running…). Unlike music, podcasts allowed me to tune out, to transport myself to another place and another conversation, and to concentrate on what is being discussed.

I also see them as a wonderful form of multitasking. Unfortunately, due to a small incident that almost brought down BBC radio and led to Brand andJonathan Ross leaving Aunty Beeb, the Brand podcast is no longer around. But, over the years, I’ve added more and more to the repertoire, and these serve not only to pass the time but to educate me on all manner of my favourite subjects. By and large, these fall into the categories of sport, film, music and humour.

Of late, however, I’ve discovered that I’m able to return to music as I run. I guess, like anything, there’s a threshold that needs to be broken. If you’d have told that chubbily-challenged young man that he’d be doing weekly 25k training runs in searing heat, he’d have a) not believed you, b) tried to eat you, and c) been unable to imagine enduring the boredom of a 2 or 3 hour run. But the more you do, the easier it gets. 20k used to seem like an awful long way on a bike to me… but the more times you ride longer and the longer you ride, 20k becomes barely worth getting on the bike for. You’re mentally training as much as physically.

Of course, there’s one sound that no athlete wants to here while out running: silence. The slow realisation that you forgot to recharge the MP3 player before heading out. Strangely, though, that’s happened to me a couple of times of late and I’ve found myself really enjoying the noiselessness, just me and the sound of my footsteps for company. But I'll keep this for occasional runs and stick mainly to my podcasts, thank you very much. 

So, here are some of my favourites and why I like them; if there are any blinders I’m missing out on, do let me know.

Sport

Fighting Talk: Wherever possible, I like to get my news with a teaspoon or two of humour, and this is one of the best and most consistently funny podcasts out there.

Football Weekly: Best general football podcast going, I think. Really funny and really educational.

IM Talk: One for the triathlon geek, really, but the Kiwi presenters are likeable enough, you can keep up-to-date on triathlon and Ironman news, and they make it feel like a little listener family. They also do a monthly ‘Legends of Triathlon’ podcast which is awesome for anyone who loves the sport.

Marathon Talk:  Same as above. But I tend to follow distance running news far less than triathlon, so this is great for increasing my knowledge there.

Ben Greenfield: An awesome triathlete who is also an incredibly knowledgeable nutritionist and coach, this can get a bit samey but nice to duck into now and then.

Endurance Planet: Has several podcasts, including a general news one, medical advice, nutrition advice and a show about ultrarunning.

Competitor Radio: Interviews with big names in endurance sport – pick and choose the ones I listen to.

Film

Kermode & Mayo: Now that the Guardian’s excellent film podcast is no longer, this is good for reviews, news and opinions. They’re sometimes a bit annoying and, well, ‘dad-ish’ but there’s something comforting in that familiarity. I’m a bit of a movie geek and this appeals because of that.

Music

Music Weekly: Another Guardian offering, it covers everything from some classical composers to latest, cutting-edge grime MCs – don’t love it all, but it’s always interesting and a great way to discover new bands.

Humour

Adam & Joe: Like sitting in a pub with two of my funniest best mates – this is the one that makes me look like a complete bonkazoid insanogram as I run down the road, giggling to myself. They only do short seasons and I die a little bit inside when they go off-air again.

Hello to Michael Sheen, Fairport Convention and Jason Isaacs. STEPHEN!