Through my local Park Run's Secret Santa I was gifted 'The Running Book' by John Connell. A suitable gift from one runner another or at least from one social runner to another. At our Park Run, people run for all sorts of reasons, which I'm sure is true of the hundreds of Park Runs around the world, though to be part of the Secret Santa exchange you do need to have embraced the social part of the experience.

The book is really a stream of consciousness from John Connell as his runs around the country side of County Longford, covering the distance of a Marathon one afternoon. As well as describing the route, it pivots into the history of the area, the impact of colonialism on Ireland and other places, and the joy and necessity of running.

A really enjoyed the read, satisfying my connections to Ireland, interest in history, rural childhood memories and of course relationship with running. 

While reading the book I wanted to be on the run with him and thanks to Google Maps and Street View I was in someway able to follow his footsteps. This led me to create a map of the run, keen to identify the places and monuments he mentions along his route. This blog post is to share the map I created with the Internet, in case other people have the same desire as me.