Looks like some of the plants are really shedding pollen now!

My new Torin Plush shoes arrived, so I thought I’d break them in straight away. Strange to have painful soles in places with more or less the same shoe I’m used to, but they seem pretty good!

I’ve stopped running with the voice navigation app I used early on so just pointed myself towards Battersea and tried to cut around some hills. Seemed to work okay except for a couple of stops. At one point I bumped into one of my kids’ teachers for a chat. Positive to hear the school is doing everything it can to make for a safe return if it happens.

Podcast - I think I’ve more or less finished 1800 Seconds on Autism now. Some fascinating stories from a man who was diagnosed in his sixties!

Music - Caribou has a great 1 hour residency set on Radio 1.

That’s week 18, HM 18

It’s always slightly dispiriting wrapping up a project that didn’t quite fulfil its potential. It’s part of the process of always trying out new things, but I was really committed to this one. Anyway. My next thing won’t be in “Corporate innovation”! Luckily what was a side project, the online school I’ve been helping build, is smashing it. So soon I’ll be working on that 100% for a good few weeks at least.

So, to get rid of some frustration, I went out for a fast-ish 10k and felt pretty strong!

My new Altras have arrived so this was a good chance to break them in too. Onwards!

Thanks to everyone for your advice about when to change. And to Tom for his helpful thoughts via email. I’ve found a shop in Nottingham that had an Altra sale on, so I’ve got three pairs on order that should arrive any day.

I’ve been running with the Torin 4 for most of the year now, and because I have really wide feet, they’re perfect. I’ve tried other brands in the running stores I popped into before lockdown, but my feet always force the upper to hang out over the sole, which feels unstable.

Even with Altra there is some variation. I first bought a pair of their new Kayentas but I’m having to return them because they’re too tight.

So, I’m keeping with Torin Crush because I know they fit, and also getting a pair of Torin Plush to see if the extra cushioning might help my knees. And on top of that, some of their trail shoes for when it gets muddy. I’ve been enjoying going on the grass where I can, so I’ll try some more of that with these!

Okay, there, I got my days mixed up! It’s finally happened. Days blurring into each other without much difference, and now fewer regular video calls to provide a rhythm!

I decided to head up to Hyde Park again today, and I’m glad I did! It was just as empty this week as it was last. The hill on the way back is a bit of a blighter though!

Lovely to see the cygnets out on the lake too. It’s been quite a week with my work. On what until now has been my “side project” but will likely soon become my “main project” at least for a while, we got a mention from the Secretary of State for Education about how revolutionary what we’ve built is proving to be. Very exciting stuff planned there!

So this is half marathon 17 in 17 weeks, and I’ve now got to 50km per week. I’m not running to a plan or anything - that just feels like about the right level at the moment. 🤷‍♂️