Midweek, point‑to‑point experiment

Run #25 was a different one: I did it on a Wednesday morning, leaving home and finishing at the office instead of running a loop or out‑and‑back. It was my first true “run commute” half‑marathon, turning a trip to work into part of the 52@52 challenge, alongside my usual mix of driving, surface train, and bike.

Catching up the missed Week 20 run

This was also the way I finally made up for the run I missed back in Week 20. I really didn’t want to carry that “debt” into the second half of the challenge, so if I was going to fix the gap, it had to be now. Doing a midweek half felt like the cleanest solution: get it done, restore the count, and start the second half with a clear slate.

Route planning: distance vs. traffic lights

Because this run had to end at my workplace, I spent a bit of time planning the route to balance two goals: avoid as many traffic lights as possible and still add enough distance to land at around 13.1 miles just as I arrived. That meant choosing streets that were a little quieter, going around some busier intersections, and stretching the route just enough so the half‑marathon would finish right at the office.

No audiobook this time

I didn’t listen to any audiobook on this one. I never wear fully closed or noise‑cancelling headsets while running—I don’t want to lose awareness of what’s happening around me, especially near traffic—and I knew this route would be pretty noisy in the stretches close to avenues and highways, which would make it hard to follow a story properly. It was also my first time on this exact path, so I needed to check the phone here and there to confirm I was still on track.

Surprisingly fresh at work

In the end, everything worked really well. I got to the office not overly tired, grabbed a shower, and felt more “activated” than drained, so I’ll count that as a big win‑win. In fact, this ended up being one of the fastest half‑marathons I’ve done so far in the challenge—apparently I was pretty excited to get to work!