When I was in my teens, I learned to run. My mate Terry was really into running at the time and so he always wanted to run around the park after school. My dad, and I don’t quite know why, got a running machine at home, put it in the living room, and I used it to practice. And I got quite quick. Not as quick as Terry, but pretty quick. At sports day I would usually do pretty well, in the 100 metres anyway – I didn’t have the stamina for much else, except 200m. Oh, and the javelin. I tended to get lucky in that I’d race against really slow people too. I obviously won enough races that the sports teacher picked me for the athletics team one time, to race at Copthall in the 100 metres sprint. I think Terry may have had something to do with it. I was about 14. Everyone I was racing against was at least 16. Even though I was just as tall as most of them, I felt tiny. You never know, I told myself. Maybe the Force will be with me. And then they bolted. Sure, I gave it my best shot, but contrary to lying cartoons the tortoise does not beat the hare, came a woeful last. Oh well. I went back to the art class, and never raced again.
I don’t run any more, don’t exercise much at all.
#22 of 30. Incidentally, I have decided to name this series “I hold my pen in an unusual way”, after the first (and most appropriate) entry.
petescully 
Hi Pete,
I’ve very much enjoyed reading your blog and seeing your sketches–both are fabulous! I have two questions: First, may I use images of your sketches to show my middle school art classes? And second, am I just overlooking them or have you not yet posted 23-30 of your series “I hold my pen in an unusual way”? I can’t seem to find them, at least not as yet. I would very much like to display all your series to my students to give them an idea of the different ways they can use/format their daily sketchbooks. I am hoping to create a power point, using yours as well as a few others’ sketches and photos of actual sketchbooks, kits, etc. This is the first time these kiddos will have introduction to such and I hope to instill a lifelong love for it into them. Those are my hopes anyway. Thanks for replying, regardless your answer. Leslie
Hi Leslie, thank you for your comment! Yes, you may use them in your class (and I appreciate you asking me first, thank you!), as long as it’s not for publication or anything. Always a pleasure to encourage kids to draw. As for my ‘Hold Pen in Unusual Way’ series, parts 23-30 are yet to be written but will appear soon. I’m trying to fill a whole sketchbook using the same two pens. Pete