Recently I have found myself starting a new life in a new town, in a completely different part of the country. I am also training for the Athens marathon and am facing the challenge of running 16-20 mile routes in unknown territory. I am an explorer in muddy running trainers, getting to know my new surroundings and its natives by pounding the pavements and trails. (Just a warning, my mind does tend to wander in fanciful ways after around the 10 mile mark!)
My exploring has led me to re-discover an old love of maps. A love which started when my dad used to read me Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons books; with wonderful maps of the children's adventures bracketing the stories ('Here Roger twisted his ankle'; 'Here they tickled trout'), Ransome always plotted just enough information to allow the geography to build up in your imagination. I longed to chart my own landscapes with personal stories and memories.
My inner geek likes to pore over maps of new places and look at all the funny names (near to me now are Diddies and Patchole), but better still is to draw a new route on a map, lace up my shoes and set off to see the names and places come to life. I could walk - but I love running, and it gets you there faster!
So I am the running explorer and this will be my expedition log.
About Me
- Laura Lou
- I am a trained medical doctor and novelist based in North Devon. After a brief stint as a Medical Writer and health and fitness/outdoor sports journalist I have decided to focus on fiction and now have completed five novels for children/young adults, one of which is available to buy on Amazon (search Laura Louise Stewart or book title Secrets of the Spirits). I have been a runner for many years and have run-explored my way around the world(Paris, Barcelona, Lausanne, Porto, California, New York and North Carolina to name a few locations seen with my runner's eye view.) My other passions are music, dancing, swimming, attempting surfing and other watersports, and thinking about doing a triathlon (whilst sitting comfortably at home drinking copius amounts of tea). To discuss work, please email me at lauralou.stewart@googlemail.com
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1 comment:
We love what you say about maps and you are absolutely right- it's so easy to rely on your gps and not do any advance work. (That's awesome you discovered Jane Austen's house on a route after studying a map.)
Your blog sounds really exciting- we too have a love of using running to discover and explore! Perhaps you'd like to write something for us or share one of your running explorations?
Either way, happy running!
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