Run Notes
This is very much a work in progress - I am trying to find a way of capturing the story of a good run… which is quite hard to achieve without it becoming an exhausting endeavour. This is my most recent attempt. I ran up some hills while on holiday in Athens last week. (Warning - it has too much of me in it but it also represents some progress as far as technique is concerned - which is why I am sharing it here.)
The contextualising of personal footage via a bespoke animated map is a solid step forward for my storytelling technique - I took data recorded on the Workoutdoors app and then used the brilliantly flexible Footpath app to create a reference video (via screen capture) as a basis for the animation that you saw in the clip:
The video footage was shot using my iPhone - and although the image quality is superior in so many ways I felt sad about having to stop so often to remove and open my rucksack to get it out. I need to find a better way of filming more flexibly and immediately - there are so many things you see on a run which would be fab if you could capture them more quickly. It’s all about removing friction and layers of hassle. I feel I am nearing the solution…
Each week I try to take part in the local Worthing Park Run - this is a piece I shot recently with an Insta360 camera which I don’t think works very well due to the limitations and friction of the technology involved.
(I should also say that I detest the music on this clip but I was pushed for time so whatevs…)
I think the 360 camera isn’t quite there yet - although the form factor is cute, the shots are too often grainy; the labour involved in reframing shots is annoyingly tedious. Once the novelty has worn off you are left with essentially 1080p clips of occasional quality. I want something better and I think a switch to GoPro after so many years of resistance might be the way forward.
I am hoping that I can:
easily store one in the front part of my running bag without it being a hassle
whip it out quickly and record decent 4k (and higher) material with good stabiisation
be able to access and edit the material quickly in FCP
not be hindered by battery issues (assuming that I am not filming everything - just the odd clip of something that catches my eye)
This is a sketch of my next kit list when I fully intend to capture a longer South Downs run - possibly the Three Forts Challenge…
I will be posting more updates as I make progress.
The Three Forts Challenge T Shirt Design 2022
I was given the opportunity to re-design the latest Three Forts Challenge T Shirt!
This is the best I can do until I get my own (ironed) one in a week or so when the actual run happens.
This is the reverse design - having spent some time running behind people with well-designed shirts I realised that this was an opportunity to give people something to reflect on… I tried to summarise both courses (and the thrill of it) in one simple image. Thanks Duncan Anderson for the opportunity.
In May 2018 I ran the Three Forts Half Marathon with one of my best mates. Billed as ‘The Tough One’ the course is not a standard marathon course - it rejoices in exhausting steep hills with spectacular South Downs views. Forget standard times too - this is not ideal if you are watching the clock - it is more about the experience. That day was unusually hot and I am still unsure how I managed to get round. I produced this very personal infographic celebrating the event. Overall we had a really brilliant time.
We ran it a second time in May 2021 - some appropriate post pandemic relief and a chance to catch up. Here’s a roughly chopped public edit of something I shot on the day with a 360 camera. Excuse the rough edges but you’ll get the general idea. I highly recommend this course if you haven’t tried it before - we had such a blast.
So my next adventure begins in two weeks’ time. I am stepping into my first marathon as I take the full 27 mile course onboard. To be brutally honest I don’t really care for marathons - it’s all about the experience of those hills. The cut-off time is 6 hours(!). I figured that since I’ve been doing 20 miles in just over 4 hours, if things get really bad and I walk for seven of those miles I should hopefully get to the end… will post an update when it’s all over.