House of Love

For once this post will combine three of passions. Gigs, running and painting.

The gig was the Wave Pictures at the Full Moon last Thursday. It’s only three months since they played their last, but to be honest I could see them every week. The gig was a lot busier than the Daniel Johnston gig in October and there were a few chemically altered and loud individuals there, but with David Tattersall having a fine line in pithy putdowns the atmosphere was great. Sian came with me and loved the gig, which is a plus because she hated the King Creosote gig I took her to last month (she actually enjoyed the Buzzfeed article about people in shit Mr Blobby costumes that we read at Temple Meads more than the gig). Loved the gig, bought the album, the drummer sweated over it, fantastic all round.

Saturday just gone saw my first ParkRun of 2015. I’ve been running pretty fast recently so I thought I’d have a pop at a PB again. I’m also a bit lighter and have been pretty much dry i.e. on the wagon for the last month and a half.  I followed the same routine as last time of having a lean day the day before, and dragging myself out for a trot that evening, I even wore the same Boston marathon top, but thankfully washed since the last time. Saturday’s ParkRun was nowhere near as cold as the last one, but I felt the usual aches and pains before. Cycling down I was coughing and spitting and thought “This is going to be a messy one.” I bumped into my mate Rob Phillips and after a natter I lined up with everyone else. I’d set my Garmin for a 6:30 pace and did slow down a bit on the first mile to save something for the end.

The pace was hard, but I remember thinking all the way round “Yeah I can manage this.” And when my pace inevitable dropped I did have enough in the tank to ramp it back up. Surprisingly there was no coughing and spluttering on the way round and in the last 100 meters I went for a sprint finish, which still didn’t stop someone getting in front of me just at the last second, happens every time. I did feel a bit wibbly wobbly after crossing the finish line and did think that I might be ill, but I kept it together. Yes, I did get a new Personal Best of twenty minutes and twenty five seconds, twenty five seconds off! I was very pleased. My aim this year is to get under twenty minutes in the ParkRun. I didn’t have much time to bask in my sweaty glory cause I had to jump on my bike to have a scrub in the Hilton and then onto Oxford, which is another story.

I may not be doing the Bath Half Marathon on the 1st of March. The reason? In a brilliant piece of timing my exhibition at the 100 Years Gallery comes down that day. At the back of my mind I’m thinking if I sell enough paintings (presuming I sell any) that I could do the half then jump on a train and bring the rest back. Crazy talk I know, but here’s hoping. I’m hanging the exhibition tomorrow and as per usual there’s a last few moments of drama, but that’s pretty much par for the course. Nervous and very excited!