Kia ora!

This newsletter is #013 in the series.

The number 13 is unlucky for some, but for me it’s a good moment in time to change what I’m going to be sending out to you all.

I started up this email as I wanted an outlet for my brain to share things about the digital world, and where my mind was.

I am constantly thinking about digital things (as you do when it’s part of your job) but I have got to the point where I want something more real-worldy.

Don’t get me wrong, the digital articles were fun to write, but I kept circling the same handful of ideas in different links. And there's something a bit rich about running a newsletter called Slightly More Fun Than Doomscrolling that was, itself, mostly about scrolling!!

From this moment on, I'm using SMFTD (Slightly More Fun Than Doomscrolling) to document something in the real world - my real world. Somewhere I can put my phone down, turn my laptop off, push myself and be a bit more human.

What does that mean for you? Well, that means I’m documenting 26in2026: my attempt to run 26 times a month, every month, for a year. It’s a bit mad, but also hopefully slightly fun.

I've done something like this before, so I kind of know what I’m getting myself into.

The previous challenge was called 52 peaks in 52 weeks, and I finished that over a decade ago now (where does time go?!), and so I thought it was a good time to face the camera again.

...and with 26in2026, I’m already 7+ months into it (I’ve been doing it quietly so far) and have managed to run 196 times this year, with 182 of those counting to the 312 total!

So... over the next couple of issues, I’ll be sending out email updates about this crazy adventure to this mailing list, so if you’re keen to keep receiving them then that’s totally awesome. I’m also updating Youtube, Podcast and writing a blog (a.k.a. Notebook) on the website too.

If you were here for the links, no hard feelings, the internet's still out there for you to search…

But if you want to watch someone try to run the length of a country while juggling life, stick around.

So, that’s all for now.

Mā te wā,

MD

P.S. Got a challenge of your own you've never told anyone about? Reply and tell me. That's exactly what I want to hear about.

P.P.S Know someone who needs a reason to get off the couch (or just watch someone else do something slightly more fun?) Send them here to subscribe.