Sketching
The Long Run

Among runners, it's routine to return home from a session and record it in a training log. For some that means uploading the run to Strava, for others it means writing it down in a training journal.

For Owen Delaney, an artist and illustrator living in south west London, it means sitting down to draw. 'I have a slightly different take on NDO this year - resolving to sketch a quick hand drawn map of each day's activity. The idea was to give me extra motivation to improve my drawing skills, as well as to get out and explore new places.'

'Drawing these quick sketches each day has got me researching historic maps for inspiration, as well as some more modern styles. There are a lot of different ways to depict the features we see in maps. This is a fun way of trying different things out each day and seeing what works.'

'In terms of the process, if I've run or walked on a familiar route, I'll sketch it out when I get home. For the less familiar places, I'll sync my watch first, so I can at least see the route in Strava and then base the drawing on the GPS map.'

We asked Owen to share a few sketches from his favorite long run routes. 

BOX HILL

'My favorite place to run has to be up on Box Hill in Surrey. I like the way this illustration came out, where I tried to combine the elevation with the route.'

TEDDINGTON TO THAMES

'Last year some friends and I started up a new local running club, SHAEF Shifters. This route is one we've often run together as a club: through Teddington and over the lock, then along the Thames, crossing at Kingston Bridge, round to Hampton Court, and back through Bushy Park.'

ON RIVER CRANE

'My commute to the other side of Heathrow luckily has a riverside trail I can run along and avoid the roads and rush hour fumes. It's a nice and quiet route following the river Crane from near my house to where it meets the Grand Union Canal in Hayes.'

MILES & PAGES TO GO

No Days Off is about discovery. Every run has its own revelations and uncovers another part of a larger story. For Owen, the act of sketching each day's run comes with its own lessons. 'The sketchbook I'm using has 190 pages, so it should keep me going until the end of June, when I'll start a second book. It should be interesting to look back on it at the end of the year and see how it's developed, hopefully I'll have learned a few things.'