Not Born to Run

Printmaking, Illustration, Writing & Book Design

Every single time I go for a run I don’t want to be doing it. But what if you ran longer and more regularly, would you finally start to enjoy it? For my graduate school thesis project I decided to test this theory and document the experience. I signed up for a marathon and not just any marathon: the Marine Corps Marathon. Impressive, right?

I used a running app to track my stats like date, time, distance, pace, and route. When checking out my progress in the app, I noticed that the routes I took sometimes made really interesting patterns and seemed to have a story to tell all on their own. My mind started spinning. How could I extract my data and turn it into a visualization? Using the dates I ran, distance, and the cool, wiggly paths I made, I created an art installation using linoleum blocks to make prints and printed each run—forever memorializing the experience. The final collection of lino prints were installed on a 36’ long wall and exhibited at George Mason University.

While my apps tracked my stats, I tracked my emotional and mental experience. I used a journal to document my thoughts after each run, which I used to write a short story about the complete experience, which I aptly titled Not Born to Run (I don’t think that gives the story away, does it?). The book was illustrated using my very own lino prints and water colored drawings.

CREDITS

Linoblock Printer: Sarah Dolan
Book Printer: Digilink/CSI
Advisor: Jandos Rothstein