Postcards From The Coast - Vol. 6

Postcard No. 6 - Post and during one of my biggest challenges for the year the North Devon Marathon in support of the North Devon Hospice.

June has been an intense month.

Let’s recap.

It got hot, then it got a little hotter, then it was too hot and then it went back to just being hot.

Oh, and the small matter of world cup started, I’ve hardly watched any of the games. (Joke because you know I’ve watched every game or the highlights of every game so far)

Like many football fans I feel these hydration breaks have been somewhat farcical but if nothing else hopefully, they serve as a good reminder to us all to make sure we stay hydrated during the warm weather.

Thankfully for those of us on the coast the sweet relief of a dip in the ocean is close and although I continue to witness far too many folks doing their best impression of lava lamps by glowing a bright red colour whilst lying on the beach those sunset sea swims are a pretty great way to cool off and end the day.

On the live music front I’ve been privileged enough to play a lot of gigs this month, with local shows keeping me busy for the majority and one show a little further afield in Cheltenham ending the Road to Lakefest competition I’ve been a part of over the past 6 months.

The Road to Lakefest Final itself was a great experience. To make it to the final six acts after the competition started with over 600 entries is something I’m proud of, especially as I was the only solo artist to progress that far. However, people who know me, understand that I can be quite competitive, so naturally I was disappointed that it didn’t go my way in the end. It was a great experience to be a part of with so many people offering kind words about my music and performances throughout the competition. I truly believe a lot of good will come from all the hard work, I just don’t quite know what that will be yet. Regardless of the result I’m still really excited to be on the bill to play Lakefest in early August!

FINALLY, after far too much time teasing it here, my new single Run Free was released this past Friday! After numerous hours of recordings, re-writes and edits, as well as being close to four years on from when I initially wrote the first lyrics of the track in 2022 by Lake Bled in Slovenia you can now listen to it wherever you like to stream your music or even download it from my site on Bandcamp.

I must’ve played Run Free live a hundred times since that rainy day in Slovenia and for a long time it was the track people asked me about most, wondering when it would be available in digital form. I managed to placate some of the pleas for the song by recording a live session a couple of years back, but honestly, I knew that they nor I would be happy until I finally got a recorded version out there.

I feel grateful for the kind words and support people have given the track and I hope it finds all the people who share a similar determination to see as much of this beautiful world as I do.

If you haven’t had a chance to give it a spin yet, then find out what I’m rambling about and click to listen to ‘Run Free’ below.

 https://ffm.to/runfree

Putting the message of ‘Run Free’ into action this past Sunday, I put myself through the gauntlet for charity by running the North Devon Marathon in aid of the North Devon Hospice.

I knew beforehand it would be tough, but now I can say with certainty it’s a brutal course that takes you along large stretches of uneven coastal paths, across beaches and sand dunes, through many fields, up and down many stairs as well as small stretches of road running. In total it includes the small matter of 1000m of climbing and 1000m of descending over 42.2km. I repeat it’s a brutal course. So, one thing you must do is make sure you’re super prepared, and training goes smoothly.

Or in my case injure yourself midway through the training cycle and sleep very little in the week leading up to it.

At the end of April on a hilly run of only 21km I developed tendonitis just below my ankle that derailed the rest of the training plan. Over the final two months pre-race I managed only 20km of running in total, with 11km of that coming the week before the start line, a test given to me by a physio to see if appearing at the start line was a sensible decision. Instead of running this past couple of months, I had to become very familiar with the exercise bike in a small dark hot corner of the gym racking up many km in the hope I could keep myself in some form of reasonable shape.  I managed well on the bike, still I knew with such a lack of running time under my belt this could turn out to be a rather uncomfortable experience. It proved to have its sharp moments with some heavy leg cramps, the unexpected return of hot weather (those are probably linked) and booting an unseen rock along a dark section of the path like a prime Roberto Carlos.

 Nevertheless, with the help of so many friendly faces, at least 100 jelly babies, multiple cups of water over the head, some tape and a few painkillers my body held up well.

I genuinely enjoyed large points of the run (postcard photo is prime evidence), even the isolated parts where it felt like it was just me, the birds and the ocean.

I guess focusing on putting one foot in front of the other taking it all one step at a time kept me in a solid state of mind. I will concede now to all that questioned me about this beforehand that it was a crazy choice for a first marathon, but I like to challenge myself and felt this was a great way to do that.

So there we go, June has been a busy month in so many ways, I’ll be glad to continue in this fashion throughout July with the summer season bringing more gigs, more music, as well as finally getting around to a few other things on the to do list that I’ve put off…

I’ll continue to try and be where my feet are, even if those feet are a tad sore and need a mini break!

Next Gig:

July 3^rd – Tarko Lounge, Barnstaple