storytelling

Run Notes

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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

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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.