Why Run?

When I tell people I run the most common response I get back is, ”wow you’re very good, I can’t even run for a bus..”  

I never  thought I would be an avid runner,  it always seemed to look so painful and boring.  But there I was two years ago, fed up with paying extortionate gym fees and with three gorgeous London parks on my doorstep, signing up for my first 10k.  Once you are committed to an event and have started to beg anyone and everyone you know for sponsorship, it sort of becomes an obligation then – there is no going back!  I had been approached by a UK charity based in London who work with street kids in Brazil (ABC trust) and I promised to raise them at least £250.  I was bowled over when I received my first sponsor of £150!  I didn’t even know the person who had pledged it that well – but they obviously really wanted to donate their money and they trusted me to run that 6 and a half miles – and not collapse en route!

Because of work commitments, the only time I could run was 6.30/7am in the morning.  I am used to getting up early for filming, but this was a real penance for me - when I first began my four month training it was not quite spring yet, so I was getting up before the sun and heading out in the icy cold (donning a hideous pink beanie hat!)  But my heart soon lifted, as I frequently watched the glorious sun rise over my beautiful city, and I felt I got my work day off to a good start.  The benefits of running certainly outweigh the negatives.  It lifts your mood, calms stress, burns calories and tones your body.

As for the 10k itself, well to be honest, it was not the easiest thing I had ever done – two days before I pulled a muscle in my hamstring, so I ran with a whiff of eau de Deep Heat about me. I also didn’t pace myself very well, so two and a half miles in I wanted to give up!   But the feeling I got at the finish and for the rest of the day was the best in the world, and one I want to bottle and use whenever I am feeling down. It was amazing!  I now know why people run the marathon, while most of us sit back and watch in horror from the comfort of our sofas.  It is just so rewarding.

This year, I am running the British 10k in July for ‘Winston’s Wish', a charity based in my hometown of Gloucestershire who work with bereaved children and their families. I am doing it in memory of a family friend who died last year aged 33.  Whenever I don’t want to get up at the crack of dawn to run, or my shins hurt, I think of her and her two beautiful children Lauren and Louie.

Watch this space, as I may be asking for sponsorship soon ;-)

J x

A few tips for running:

• Invest in a decent pair of running shoes!  Don’t ever just run in plimsolls/cheap trainers.

• Make sure you warm up before running and  warm down after – walking and jogging is good for a warm up, stretching is better for warming down.

• If you’re new to running, start with just 15 mins one day, 20 mins the next. You can build up to an hour if you want, once you are a regular runner.

• Never run when you have a heavy cold or are recovering from ‘flu.  Remember this saying:  “You must listen to your body. Run through annoyance, but not through pain."

• Don’t eat too much just before you run – this will cause a stitch.

• Sip water as you run esp. during summer – don’t gulp down too much (causes a stitch too).

• Run in the park, as opposed  to the main roads, and if possible on the grass.

• If 'not in the mood to run’:  don’t analyse/think too much before hand, just get out and run – you will feel better after.

• If you prefer to run on your own:  load your iPod with upbeat songs. http://www.amazon.co.uk/101-Running-Songs-Various-Artists/dp/B002FWYKVQ

• Need the motivation:  get a running buddy who you can arrange to meet on a regular basis to chat with as you run  - the time will go quicker.

• Running with a partner also helps to pace yourself.

• Set a goal for yourself by signing up to run for a charity event – 5k, 10k, or half marathon.

• Finally ENJOY – it’s free to do (always a good thing!)

http://www.abctrust.org.uk/

http://www.winstonswish.org.uk/

My summer with Scorsese

It's not every day that you get a phone call saying that a very famous director has specifically picked you from a photo to work as an extra in his latest Hollywood movie.  This is what happened to me just over eighteen months ago.  An extra, you may say? Just an extra? Believe me, I would have worked as 2nd, 2nd assistant runner if it meant I would get just one glimpse of the fantastic and legendary film director that is Martin Scorsese, at work!

So my summer of fun, laughter, blood, sweat, and even some tears working on Hugo, began. Firstly I learnt what 'threading' was, as my eye brows were plucked and shaped within an inch of their lives. My long brown hair was cut into a short 1930's bob, and I was forbidden from getting a suntan on the few days we had off. We were played old black and white Pathe films of train stations and commuters and the sort of characters we would be portraying. We were taught to walk like 1930's ladies, and were dressed by Oscar winning costume designer Sandy Powell as if we were principle actors - an account of the fact that the story mainly unfolds in the train station and we could be featured. We had to wear real fur coats, during a heatwave, tight high heels, and hats that came down so low, you often couldn't see. We worked on average 12 hours per day, and spent more days on set with the cast and crew than at home with our families. Indeed someone stuck up a piece of paper in hair and make-up that read: "I have no life!" 

Every few weeks some of us had to have our hair cut again - nothing like having a hair cut at 6am - believe me, you don't chat about your next holiday, or if you are going out that night (we weren't..) you close your eyes and sleep. I fell in love with my make-up lady Pam who would see me at my worst, make me laugh and let me use her posh hand cream! I was slightly devastated when she left suddenly to go to be with Johnny Depp on the next Pirates of the Caribbean. She was soon replaced by Anna, whom I rushed to see every morning to be made beautiful with Ruby Woo lipstick and have a gossip and a giggle about important things, like boys. I developed a huge crush on my silent French hair stylist Julio - who on account of the language barrier, soothed my irritability and tiredness in the pre-dawn mornings with his soft hands and rendered me literally speechless as he painstakingly pin curled my hair. 

On set, we were entertained by Fraiser, the 2nd assistant director who lifted our spirits when we were tired and not just because he had the most stylish 3D glasses and wore pink socks. On stifling hot summer days when we feared we might faint from all the running about set in our  wintry costumes, Christian the 3rd assistant crowd director would regal us with funny stories of filming with 5,000 extras in films such as Rise of the Planet of the Apes, in more than 40 degrees heat. 

Now I am not a big dog fan and have a huge fear of some, but I often had to stand next to one of the three Doberman that were playing the station master's dog. It was here that I learnt patience, for every time they were told to sit, they would stand and vice versa. The boy dogs rarely did as they were told - much to their trainers' embarrassment.  It was then that they would bring on the girl dog, who was the perfect doggy actress.  As the weeks grew into months, I grew fond of them and one used to acknowledge me each day with a lick as she went past! Because of 'continuity' I was often placed up near the dog and Asa Butterfield, who plays Hugo Cabret, so therefore it meant I was next to Scorsese himself. It was amazing and a joy to be able to see how he directed both the two children and how they responded so well to him. He didn't particularly speak to us personally, but was observing us at all times, and on a couple of days his pa took our favourite Scorsese dvds and he signed them for us. 

There is so much more I could write about the wonderful summer I spent with Scorsese,  (like the day, one of the extras slipped and fell down, and we all suddenly got 'stunt money', for walking up and down the station stairs in heels), but this I will keep for my book (which I promise myself every day I will write..).

Hope you enjoy the film just as much as I did making it!

J x