In the beginning...

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.