Last Sunday was the Tiree Ultramarathon: 35 miles around the island, 14 beaches and a couple of (small) hills. It is a yearly ritual and the beginning of the academic year for many, so feels a good point to look back and look ahead.
I’m not sure how many ultras I’ve done now. I was at the first in 2014, but missed the one the year after (not sure why) and maybe three or four others. Last year I was very well prepared having completed my 65 for 65 in July, but this year having had plantar fasciitis in the spring, never really started running, so, when I got to the island in mid-July, I’d only had three runs since the 2025 ultra. Couch to 50K in six weeks is not to be recommended!
This year was a little better weather than last year but, 28 miles in, the 40 mile-an-hour head wind running Gott Bay was a bit challenging :-/ I was too busy running to take my own photos during the ultra itself, but I’d done a few practice runs on the parts of the course in the weeks before and here are a couple of panoramic videos of some high(ish) spots on the eastern part of the island, to give a sense of the glorious views, even on the less sunny days!
Also a few photos by different people along the way …
Since last year’s ultra I finished three books, AI for HCI, Statistics for HCI (2e) and HCI the Basics, that are due out in 2nd Oct, 16th Nov and 9th Dec respectively. Over the summer I’ve had various proof copies to check, with just one to go. I’ve also been preparing additional web resources including extensive online glossaries for each book, and slide sets. Still quite a lot of work to do on the latter before their respective publication dates!
During the summer we also had a special visitor – we’ve been looking after Robin, our daughter’s dog. So, daily walks along the beach where Robin decided that she likes to carry home razor shells.
And … next year … First I will definitely prepare better for the ultra … but I feel I have said that before! On the writing front, as well as the books being published during the autumn, Clara Crivellaro and I are finishing the long promised book on AI for Social Justice and I’m also writing detailed notes based on my Creativity course at IxDF with the idea that these will be further edited to become a book.
Also some other things being planned for 2027 … watch this space …