This tattoo is simply stunning. Healing, restorative, beautiful… and we loved spotting it being shared on Facebook, with lots of positive comments.
The artist is David Allen, who is based in Chicago. Read more about him and view his work at allentattoo.com
The response to this piece is incredible. Tattooing is a beautiful and absolutely viable option for concealing or altering scars. When coupled with an artist you’ve researched and feel connected to… taking the reigns and regaining some sort of control can be empowering. There is healing in this!
Things&Ink editor Alice Snape is currently in training for the London Marathon 2015, she’s running for Sarcoma UK. Read more in her first Marathon diary entry.Here’s part four of her marathon diary – some video inspiration.
This video went viral last year, but I still love it… I find watching it comforting and it just makes me want to get out there and go for a run – providing me with much-needed motivation during my marathon training.
Directors Matan Rochlitz and Ivo Gormley released the short film – ‘The Runners’ – on 15 November last year. Using a bike with a cart attached for the cameraman, the duo interviewed runners through the seasons, which you can see change beautifully throughout the short film. The runners keep on running through rain and shine. In a piece published in The Guardian, Ivo Gormley wrote that one interviewee had been “humbling” in his honesty about his determination to run a marathon for his father, who suffers from dementia.
Runners are united in this film by one thing – running – and they run for all sorts of different reasons.
Published on Nov 15, 2013 – A short film by Matan Rochlitz & Ivo Gormley
“Pounding the tarmac through the seasons, a band of runners are brazenly challenged with intimate questions as they pace their routes. Liberated from responsibilities, their guards drop dramatically, releasing funny and brutally frank confessions, and weaving a powerful narrative behind the anonymous masses.”
I am running the marathon for cancer charity Sarcoma UK, as my boyfriend’s sister Katherine died from Sarcoma over three years ago, just a few short months before James and I met. I am running the marathon for Katherine, who I never met, but so wish I could have. I want to do this for James and his family. If you could donate as little or as much as you can afford, it will make my training seem so much more worthwhile. My JustGiving page is justgiving.com/AliceSnapeMarathon
“It’s the day before my first ever half marathon race and I don’t feel (too) scared (yet). I am more excited than nervous at the moment… I have trained as much as I can. I have been running four times a week, including one long run a week. The farthest distance so far being 13.7 miles (the half marathon is 13.1), and last Saturday I ran 10 miles. I have practised what runners call ‘hydration and nutrition’ on long runs. I have used gels (strange, gloopy things to give you energy while running) and swigged bits of water from a teeny tiny running bottle that fits in my pocket…
“I start my pre-race day with an 8am hot yoga class, to stretch out my limbs. And I work on the latest issue of Things&Ink all day (The Anatomy Issue, which is due out at the end of February, it goes to print next week eek)… eating healthy meals along the way. For lunch, my sister (Things&Ink stylist) Olivia makes us a cauliflower and tuna bake… this involves cutting up broccoli, cauliflower, red onions, tomatoes, tuna and feta, and baking it all together in the oven – delish. My best friend (and Things&Ink makeup artist) Keely is also running the half marathon, so we have a pre-race dinner together and I stay over at her house, so we can go together in the morning (and calm each other’s nerves). Over our salmon fishcakes, sweet potato wedges (good pre-race carbs) and broccoli, we chat about how much our lives have changed – a Saturday night of last summer would have consisted of (a lot of) wine and possibly a cheeky couple of ciggies (I haven’t smoked now since last July). Oh how we’ve changed. We go to bed at 11pm, after watching repeats of Dinner Date (rock ‘n’ Roll).”
The Watford Half Marathon Course – looking at the course before you race is so nerve-wracking… it looks so far!
“Alarm goes off at 6.45am, we have to leave at 7.30am to get to race HQ at 9am to collect our numbers and timing chips. I don’t want to get out of bed, and curse myself for this crazy, healthy new lifestyle (it’s sooooo early for a Sunday, surely most sane people are in bed?!). Breakfast consists of gluten free granola, almond milk, blueberries, banana, a coconut water and a coffee. And Keely and I plan our route to Watford and make sure we have everything we need – gels, TomTom Runner watch, ear warmers and gloves… Of course we’re already dressed in our running gear.
Gotta rock the faux fur, even just before a half marathon. At race HQ they called us the “furry runners”
“When we arrive, we’re overwhelmed by all the professional looking runners – this definitely isn’t a fun charity run… there’s leggings and teeny shorts everywhere, and some seriously fit-looking people. Keely and I are wearing our faux furs when we arrive, and we can feel people starring at us. We seem a little out of place against all the sports gear – like (tattooed, faux furry) fish out of water. We collect our timing chips and numbers and settle into race HQ (a tent in the park with chairs). We decide we don’t want to check our handbags and faux furs into the baggage store until the last minute (it’s FREEZING and all the runners in shorts and vests are making us feel even colder). While we’re waiting for the 10.30am start, we chat to an interesting lady (who we guessed was around 80) who tells us of her many marathons, and how we shouldn’t concentrate too much on how fast we’re running, just how we feel and to enjoy it – running as fast as feels comfortable on the day. We agree, and decide it’s time to head to the start line (with a quick stop off at the porta-loos), the nerves are really starting to set in.
“The gun sounds, and we’re pretty far back from the start line, we must cross it around two and a half minutes into the race. We start jogging at a slow-ish pace, it’s pretty crowded (there’s 1,700 people running). The first couple of miles we’re all so close to each other, and it feels strange running with so many people. I miss the solitariness of my early morning runs. By mile four, the crowds are clearing a little as everyone gets into their own pace. Keely and I split then too and decide we want to run our own races.
“The Watford course is unexpectedly beautiful, and we wind around country roads. But what I totally hadn’t bargained for was the hills. The course is intensely hilly, and it feels like it’s more up than down. People were walking all around me and I was trying to stay motivated and keep on running, but it was so hard. I was running so slowly up each hill (there may have been some swearing too, sorry Mum). And the hills just kept on coming… even when the race marshalls said it was the last difficult hill, I didn’t believe them. (They definitely lied to keep us motivated). For the most part, I really didn’t enjoy it. It was a really tough challenge. But there were some simple pleasures along the way. I tried to take in the countryside and enjoy the (what felt like very few) downhill stretches (although even these were a little scary as one was so steep it felt like I was on a rollercoaster and I might topple over at any moment.) I also enjoyed some of the signs people made to cheer us on, my favourite reading: Toenails are overrated. I thought of my battered and bruised tootsies. I also enjoyed a fellow runner telling me I had “good form”. I felt some light relief at the end when the marshalls said there were just 500 metres remaining and I could see the finish line, but I just had no power left in my legs. I normally try and speed up at the end, but I had nothing left to give.
Crossing the finish line and trying to smile…
“As I crossed the finish line, the girl next to me said: “That was the worst two hours of my life, and I didn’t enjoy any of it.” I didn’t totally disagree, but I knew secretly that I wouldn’t feel this way later. I collected my medal, finisher t-shirt and gulped down some water. And went to try and find Keely. We hugged and high-fived: we did it. I managed to complete the course in two hours 15 mins, five minutes slower than I had wanted, but I blame the hills.”
Over the finish line and still smiling in our medals and runner tees… makeup artist Keely and editor Alice.
“Later, we had Sunday lunch (which tasted amazing), nothing tastes better after a tough and long run. And later that night, over a glass of wine, we mulled over our achievement. Even though straight after the race we vowed we would never, ever, run that course again, we’re already changing our minds and talking about beating our own times next year… and I guess that’s why we love running, the pain is short lived, and we soon forget the hills. We just bathe in the after-glow of our own personal little victories (remembering that this time last year 5k was a struggle and I never really dreamed I could run for over two hours without stopping!)… and start planning the next chunk of our marathon training, next week 16 miles? Well, we’ll see how it goes… There’s a long way to go.”
Me in my new running gear, taken at Christmas at my parent’s house in the midlands.
Editor Things&Ink editor Alice Snape is currently in training for the London Marathon 2015, she’s running for Sarcoma UK. Read more in her first Marathon diary entry.
Part two of my marathon diary – and it’s just a short entry documenting an early morning run…
Monday morning, 19 January 2015: It’s 7am, and I am forcing myself to go for a run before a freelance shift at Hello! magazine.
I am already awake as my alarm sounds at 6.15am. I lay in bed for 10 minutes visualising myself running outside in the cold. I try to figure out if I have the energy to run, can I be bothered? It’s so early. I try to remember how much I love running, and the after buzz that sets me up for the rest of the day ahead. It’s this that makes me get out of bed (even though I would definitely rather stay under the duvet with my hot water bottle).
I go to the kitchen – it’s still dark outside… I have a pre-run banana, spoonful of peanut butter and a cup of earl grey tea… As I watch BBC breakfast and and do my warm-up stretches, I hope it might get light before I leave the house – it doesn’t. I dress in my running thermals and manage to set off at 7am… I always have a few pre-run butterflies in my stomach, even if I know I won’t be out for long.
I only want to do a short run, but I manage to set off at a good pace – for me a really good pace is a 9-minute mile – and I really feel like my lungs are working hard. I struggle for the first ten minutes as I get into stride. As I run into mile 2, I try and assess my body, how each part feels, which muscles are straining and how my feet feel. I decide I feel strong and keep up the pace. My body feels warm, even though the air is freezing cold.
I run through the streets of Brixton, although I decide not to run my usual round of Brockwell Park – it looked too dark and scary. So I wind round a few different streets and end with a lap of Ruskin Park – which is just round the corner from my house. The sun is finally coming up by this point and it is starting to get light.
I complete five miles, and by the end I am happy – I run the last ten minutes at a slightly slower pace. My cheeks are red, I am sweating and I know I will feel an after-run glow for the rest of the day. I do a cool-down walk to my house, and complete some stretches before I get showered and ready for the day ahead.
Read part one of My Marathon Diary to find out why I am running for the cancer charity Sarcoma UK. And please sponsor me on my justgiving page. More updates coming soon, as I build up my longer runs. Wish me luck.
Our music writer, Jen Adamson, took the vape challenge to see if a week of swapping roll-ups for a vaporiser would help her to cut her smoking habit down and eventually help her quit. We asked her to keep a smoking diary, here’s how she got on….
I’m a smoker and for every health reason under the sun, I need to and should cut down. I think with the realisation that I’ve now smoked heavily for a good 10 years, it’s high time that I give it a go and at the very least try for a week to quit. Drum roll please…
My challenge is to cut back with the help of a vaporiser. I smoke a maximum of about 10 thin roll ups a day. I personally think I’m a heavy smoker, although I have already changed my smoking habits. I used to smoke normal cigarettes before I started smoking roll-ups. One day I would like to completely stop smoking, for good.
“First let me explain how the electronic vaporiser works: they are battery powered devices that produce a water vapour that resembles smoke. The vaporiser that I tried was on the large side, being around 5 inches long compared to a roll up which is around 3 inches in length. The vaporiser unscrews in the middle so that you can drop some of the refillable e-liquid inside. While smoking you press a blue button on the side of the tube at the same time as you inhale. It was really easy to use and simple to re-fill. I used nicotine infused e-juice in a pomegranate flavour.”
Day One I work in a bar and today I’m doing the day shift. During these shifts I usually smoke five roll-ups spread out to break up the work. As it’s the first day I’m really making an effort to smoke the vape, I even sat and smoked it inside the office, but the vape isn’t giving me the satisfaction that I’d normally get from cigarettes.
Day Two As well as smoking the vaporiser yesterday I also smoked three roll ups. I’m trying not to change my routine too much and the cravings are starting to kick in. I enjoy rolling cigarettes and having five minutes to myself outside. I want to smoke the vaporiser during the times I usually smoke, opposed to smoking more during the day because I have the vape. Today has been stressful and I’ve smoked five roll ups.
Day Three Today I have the day off, Hurrah! I’ve started to smoke the vaporiser inside my house, which feels really unnatural and weird. I don’t smoke inside my home and my daughter doesn’t like me smoking the vape inside either, even though it doesn’t smell and the smoke isn’t harmful. Back on the doorstep for me! My cravings are easing a little and I only had three roll ups today.
Day Four I’M CHEWING THE END OF THE VAPE! I’m trying hard not to smoke roll ups but I just don’t feel I’m getting the nicotine hit that I need from the vaporiser. I’ve also smoked three roll ups today.
Day Five I cracked today! I went out with some friends who also smoke, so I did too. It is just so hard to say no when everyone around you is smoking. I’ve finally realised that I have no will power, something that you need in large supply if you want to cut down smoking. I tried to use the vaporiser as well, but I can’t get used to smoking it inside, personally I think it is a little bit rude to vape indoors. I’ve still gone down from 10 to four or five roll -ups a day but the vape hasn’t left my mouth!
Day Six
I figured out today that it’s the ‘hit’ that the vape isn’t giving me. When inhaling it doesn’t give that ‘drag’ feeling that you get when you inhale on a cigarette. I think the vaporiser I have is much too mild. I thought because I smoke quite thin roll ups that I wouldn’t need a strong vaporiser, that I would be fine on a milder one. In reality I think it would be easier to cut down if I had a stronger one, but I guess it is all trial and error where vaping is concerned.
Day Seven, the last day! I haven’t given up yet! The one thing the vape has really done has helped me to cut right back! I haven’t stopped smoking completely; smoking is a hard habit to break. I think the vaporiser is a way for me to replace one harmful habit for another not so harmful one. I think one of the reasons I find it so hard to quit is that I enjoy having a moment to stand outside and take a break. The vaporiser is not a cure for smoking, but a way to replace cigarettes, the pressure shouldn’t be put on them but on you. Willpower is the biggest thing, but undoubtedly they do help. I’ve liked having fingers that don’t stink of smoke and clothes that don’t reek of it either. A colleague at the bar did notice that I smell less of smoke now and, to be honest, I didn’t even take that into consideration!
I’m going to carry on using the vape, as a replacement, so that I can lower my nicotine intake by decreasing the amount of nicotine juice I put inside the vaporiser. Hopefully I can progress to just smoke the flavoured juice and hopefully I can stop smoking roll-ups all together. Baby steps…
Tips for Swapping Tobacco for Electronic Cigarettes
We’ve asked online vaping and e-liquid specialists VapeClub.co.uk what advice they could give to a newbie just starting out in their transition from smoking to vaping. Here’s what they had to say:
1. Try a few different devices and pick one that suits your needs
Some people want the look and feel of a tobacco cigarette so they’d be more suited to ‘cig-a-like’ devices. Other people want the improved performance of the second generation devices that don’t look much like a cigarette but provide a better throat hit or ‘drag’ experience. Have a go on a few different models and find the one that will work best for you.
2. Choosing the right nicotine strength:
The nicotine strength in electronic cigarette usually ranges from 24mg (Very High) to 0mg (Nicotine free). Finding the right strength for you is going to take a little bit of trial and error. Vaping is not 100% efficient many smokers find that when they make the move to vaping they actually use a higher nicotine strength than they imagined they would need.
3. Prime it for full effect.
A few primer puffs will allow the atomiser to get up to full heat before you start to inhale and allow the device to work at its full potential.
4. Do not be afraid to experiment with flavours!
It’s very common after even just a short while vaping for people to realise just how much they don’t enjoy the flavour of tobacco.
5.Get involved in the community and learn as much as you can!
As a new vaper it can be a bit daunting. Don’t worry, we have ALL been there, and there is an ever growing community of vapers both online and in real life who are more than happy to give you tips and advice and help you learn everything you need to know.
Hang in there… Anything that is important to you is worth fighting for. Good luck and Vape on.
