Just a few of Phil's recent flights....

It's funny . Folk ask if I was nervous before yesterday's marathon. A bit, it's true. But not as much as being in a cinema waiting for folk to come in. This is an encore performance of Exhibition: Manet and fortunately think it's sold out...but still have butterflies. 

15 April 2013

Two marathons completed in a few days!….The first was Manet. After around 15 months of work, the film was shown in cinemas around the world on Thursday 11^th April.  30 countries, 1000 screens. Fantastic.  The reviews have been supportive and included full pages in the Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Toronto Star, and more.   One or two sniffed that it’s better to go to the exhibition to which I reply: OF COURSE!  We encourage everyone to go to the gallery or any gallery in fact.  But 99.9% of the world’s population couldn’t get to the Royal Academy. It’s a strangely arrogant criticism really, especially from a London-based critic or blogger.  I was at a screening in Brighton and the audience loved the film – and some expressed that they simply could not, for reasons of time, cost and mobility, get to the show.  We don’t yet know the worldwide attendance or reaction but it will take time to build the ‘brand’ and we’re already deep into the next two films – on Munch and Vermeer.  The first of these marathons is over though and we just have to shower ourselves down and crack on with the next.    Actually I took that very literally on Sunday (three days after the Manet screening) when I completed my first ever marathon. I’d trained quite well up until February but March was much less consistent with so much travel and work. Overall, I’d done a lot of 5-10 mile runs but I'd only run 17 miles and 20 miles once each before so this was entering the world of the unknown... It took me Friday and Saturday to prepare my stuff – gels, music, right running gear, etc.  I had to ‘load up on carbs’ which just meant stuffing my face (easily done!) and by 9am on Sunday morning, I was one of 9000+ runners in Brighton’s Preston Park. I wasn’t afraid of the distance but you never know how your body is going to feel.  Anyway, at the gun, it was so packed everything was very slow and crowded but after two or three miles, I got into a nice rhythm. The sun didn’t exactly shine (and the wind certainly blew) but it was lovely running in my lovely city.  I kept to a noticeably slower pace than I run half-marathons and found it OK, indeed fun, for the first 18 miles but then it started to get harder.  With me, it was my calves (which I’d hurt two weeks previously running without a warm-up or proper sleep & nutrition).  From 18 to 22 miles, I could feel they were getting tired. By 22 miles, I was having to grit my teeth and keep my head down. People were cramping up all around me and stopping and I just didn’t want that to happen to me. Luckily I managed to keep running and just beat my target of cracking 4 hours by doing it in 3 hours 58'. It was - as everyone had told me - super fun with all the crowds of Brighton out on the streets, kids handing out jellybabies alongside musical bands and groups of drummers, etc. For me the most genuinely moving thing was the messages of support from friends and acquaintances - as well as the super donations we've had for Mir’s teacher (we're a third of the way towards our target at justgiving/PhilGrabsky).

I genuinely felt I was running for and with friends.  I had to sprint to the finish line to ensure I beat 4 hours and did feel a bit teary as I crossed it.  Physically, I felt pretty good after the race but then jumped in a car to dash to Wembley to see the FA Cup semi-final. I don’t think 90 minutes in a car is recommended as a post-run recovery. We arrived at the stadium 4 minutes before kick-off and despite my son's protestations I thought we should jog to our seat...doh! Running up the many steps, I hurt my knee!  The game though was wonderful and I spent the next 90 minutes jumping up and down and dancing quite a few jigs….  What a special day that was.  And, as you can imagine, today I’m paying for it.  Ouch.  But two ‘marathons’ in a week – thank you to everyone who has helped. If I can do it, you can! 

 

29 MARCH 2013

Well, that was a blur…San Francisco, Reno, Sydney, Melbourne, Tokyo and now en route to France for a few days off.  It’s been busy but all has gone well. The screening just north of San Fran was busy and thus the Box Office will help recoup some of the costs of the trip. Reno was a blast – I thoroughly recommend it. Give the casinos a miss though – I checked the one out in the basement of my hotel and it was truly awful. The noise, madam, the noise.   Really delightful people in Reno and truly interested in the Mozart & Beethoven films we screened.  I even managed a few holes of golf and I have to say the can of Boddingtons on their signature 15^th hole (where you have to drive 230 yards down onto an island in a lake) was a moment of sheer bliss.  Sydney and Melbourne were great: I really do love Australia. The galleries I visited were welcoming and keen to progress with EXHIBITION. No offence to my friends in America but The sun shone and people all looked so fit… what a difference. Then an overnight flight to the crazy world of Tokyo, a long bus ride, another airport (and its hotel), then 90’ in a taxi to cover twenty miles. It’s an absolute warren of cement highways – quite extraordinary. Good, productive meetings all day and rounded off with a dinner of delicious sushi. Interviews with UK, Canadian and American press – don’t ask what time zone I’m in – I have no idea….