Marc O’Polo

It took another round of returns, but in the end I was able to secure exactly the kind of corduroy blazer I had been looking for. At 180 SEK, it cost about a tenth of the retail price, reminding me again what a bargain Sellpy can be. Working away at Espresso House in Hässleholm, I felt reasonably on top of the autumn semester and my long to-do list. Once Linnéa had finished her riding class, we drove to her place in Kristianstad to make prawn spaghetti while rain came hammering down outside.

Today, I stopped in Helsingborg on my way back to Halmstad, running past Vikingsberg and along the familiar shores of Fria Bad, condensing decades into kilometres. After a quick shower, I caught the train to work for lunch with Ulf and our new professor, Johan Söderman, who has just edited a lovely new book on Didactics for Bildung in Preschool (yes, Bildung!).

3x Stockholm

Rusty

After not teaching for three months, it was with a fair bit of trepidation that I walked into room 308 to meet the fifty or so students waiting for me. Talking governance theory and the EU for four hours, it all went well in the end, but it still seems unbelievable that I once, as a PhD student in Lund, had a week with 36 hours in the classroom.

Otherwise, I started the day with a beach jog and some mural spotting in the neighbourhood before biking back and forth to work between the showers. Luckily, with my Transgrancanaria finisher jacket and Cunard thermos ready, I think I am reasonably well equipped for whatever autumn has in store.

Näsby

Back from our Österlen excursion, Linnéa and I made mushroom cannelloni with Västerbotten cheese, an instant new favourite for dinner. Afterwards, we played the feminist extension pack to “När då då” as night fell early and a long summer slowly drew to an end.

Before returning to Halmstad, I got to run ten kilometres along the shores of Araslövssjön, through quiet birch forests and open grasslands. Linnéa also gave me the full Kristianstad city tour, including a visit to Sweden’s lowest point and the iconic Conditori Duvander for coffee.

Now on the train back to Halland, reality will begin in less than 24 hours with two new classes tomorrow. And already on Tuesday, I will be on a high-speed train to Stockholm for the Bio+ conference.

Early voting

Waking with the first light, I ran out to Tylösand, where the sea was perfectly calm, with only an Emirates A380-800 passing overhead on its way to Los Angeles. Running back into the sun on soft trails, I felt immensely privileged to be able to start a day like this and, with every kilometre, I picked up speed, feeling stronger and stronger. It was pretty much the opposite of how I felt two weeks ago, when I pushed myself way too hard on the same route.

After a few meetings at work, including one about the new course on AI and public administration that we are developing, I went down to City Hall to cast my vote in the 2026 general election, as I will be in Prague with Sofi on 13 September. Answering the questions in SVT's election compass, I was surprised by how strongly I matched with Centerpartiet, considering that the party is almost the opposite of where I stand on several issues, including urbanization and environmental policy. 

It should come as no surprise to readers of this blog that I voted left, despite how much I dislike the repressive turn that the Social Democrats have taken.

Kungsbacka

As expected, the early morning departure was brutal, but that did not really matter once I got to see William again, ten days after our grand day out in Gothenburg. Taking the train to Kungsbacka together, I got an update on his first week back at school, including a swimming proficiency test in Härlanda Tjärn, which he unsurprisingly passed with flying colours. And in no time at all, we were at the day’s unlikely chess tournament venue: a Peugeot dealership in Inlag.

Walking onto the site, I spotted a fully electric horse truck ingeniously branded “Plug and Ride”, reminding me again how politically effective it would be to brand electric vehicles as 100% nuclear powered – shifting the discourse around nuclear power from last resort to first choice.

As for the chess, William won three and drew one of his five rounds, ultimately finishing fourth and gaining another 20 Elo rating points, all while a heavy thunderstorm passed overhead. Luckily, the sky cleared once again, so by the time I got down to Halmstad, I had forgotten all about yesterday’s rest-day promise and headed out for five sunset kilometres along the coast.

Post-pancake

For this week’s long run, I decided to head up to the forests around Skedala and its three lakes. Located halfway between Halmstad and Simlångsdalen, the area was recommended to me by my colleague Ulf during my very first week at work in 2023, advice that I have happily heeded ever since. Without a car, though, it gets a bit trickier to explore unless you are prepared for a really long run, so in the future I might take bus 318 (in one direction, at least). For those driving, the whole area is very accessible – perhaps a little too accessible for me to dare a swim, tempting as the lakes looked.

Today’s run also brought my total above 2,000 kilometres so far in 2026 and left me right on pace for an average of 60 kilometres per week. I feel that this lower volume compared with previous years is doing me good. With my train leaving at 6:01 a.m. tomorrow for chess with William in Kungsbacka, I will get a natural rest day and, rather than panicking about it, I think taking more days off is making me come back stronger.

Sellpy, the sequel

Having had reasonable success selling things on Sellpy, I recently gave in to the temptation to buy something again, more specifically a corduroy jacket from Tiger for 335 SEK. Sadly, it turned out to be a little too boxy (not really visible in the picture above), so I have decided to return it, true to my new maxim of not keeping a single item in my wardrobe that I do not actively use. But the picture at least gave me a chance to show off the beautiful tinted windows here at Hallandsgatan, windows that have somehow helped soften some of the sadness I have felt since moving in last autumn.

Pouring myself a glass of Chilean Pinot Noir, I take some comfort in having completed a full airport loop earlier today and knowing that I will run another 25 kilometres tomorrow. More importantly, I am not condemned to Île du Diable like some latter-day Henri Charrière, but free to make the best of things – even if that may indeed include a bit of Îles du Salut.

Staff days

Today and tomorrow, we are having staff days. Unlike in 2023, when we got to stay overnight at Hotel Riviera in Båstad, this time we have remained in Halmstad and in our usual building. The day was nevertheless very rewarding, with plenty of food for thought and some important decisions made about the upcoming semester.

Starting the day with a run to Jansa Brygga and some fresh bread rolls from Bärlin, and ending it with a glass of wine at Mårtenssons, I am happy that Eddie is at least coming down to Halmstad tomorrow and bringing some responsibility back into my life. Already on Thursday, however, I am heading down to Malmö to see Gabriel for lunch, something that is well overdue.

Two halves

In the end, Eddie decided to stay in Gothenburg with his girlfriend over the weekend, leaving me with a bit of time to catch up on work and running. With Malmö Marathon only seven weeks away, I thought that running two half marathons on consecutive days, while focusing on keeping my heart rate down (137 and 133 bpm on average, respectively), would be a good way to build some aerobic volume. By running half the distance on asphalt, I also hoped to get some practice on harder surfaces, much as I prefer running on trails.

Coming out to Tylösand, the weather was all wind and grey skies, with big waves rolling in and a sense of summer drawing to an end. On the way back, there was a bit of rain too and, passing the surfers at Sandhamn, the melancholy in the air was palpable. But a few hours into the afternoon, the sky has cleared again, so perhaps I should take a break from work and go for a walk into the city centre.

Members Truck

To presumably soften the blow of the recent 100 SEK per month price hike, American Express is currently touring the country with a silvery truck, giving out pastries and chances to win Michelin-starred dining experiences.

Seeing that the truck was in Helsingborg today, I got off my absolutely jam-packed Öresund train to pick up a bag. Sadly, I did not win anything Michelin-starred, but I did get a baked treat by Roy Fares (yes, the cousin of Josef Fares), which made for a perfect “calorie offset” after my half marathon around Tylösand.

Canvas print

Eighteen years ago in December, I was out exploring the North Island in a silvery Toyota Corolla. After landing in Auckland, I headed east to the Coromandel Peninsula, where I found peace by the Pacific. As a seasoned escapist, I could hardly think of a better motif to have on my wall here in Halmstad, now that the Northern Hemisphere is once again slowly turning dark.

For the moment, however, the sun is still very much here, so after spending all day in front of my laptop, I went for a coastal jog followed by another swim at my new favourite pool. Tomorrow, I am taking the train up to Gothenburg to be with William, and later this week, Eddie will be back here in Halmstad.

Six issues

Despite frequently stopping my watch to drink, eat ice cream, or simply catch my breath under the pine trees, today’s half marathon out to Tylösand turned into a true nightmare. At least I got some lovely photos of the coast and plenty of sunshine to cherish tomorrow, when it is expected to rain all day.

A month ago, I subscribed to the travel magazine Vagabond, as they offered six issues and four Orrefors wine glasses for only 299 SEK. Just as I feared, however, travel magazines can quickly become expensive, and Linnéa and I now have an epic Francophone adventure ticketed for Christmas. More to follow in due time.

Calleth you

With four days together, Linnéa and I managed to swim a thousand metres at Brottet, make the complete version of my recreated SFO/Polaris salmon dish with a bottle of Dog Point from New Zealand, and drive down to Malmöfestivalen the following day for a midnight concert with The Ark.

Skolstartsluft and anticipation, with blank pages and new adventures awaiting. Right now, I am doing the laundry and planning an afternoon run out to Tylösand. Tomorrow at 8 a.m., I will be back at work, with one of the busiest Septembers on record coming up, so it feels good that Hallandsgatan now boasts a fox poster, a new bookshelf, and some ridiculously unnecessary Molton Brown hand wash in the bathroom – reinforcing that sense of home in these post-diluvian times.

Reason prevailed

While still technically on vacation for another week, I have spent this Monday eating bagels and reading Elgar's Advanced Introduction to Governance for one of the courses I am teaching in September. In between, I have done the laundry, run ten kilometres in the sunshine, and ended the day with a swim at Simstadion Brottet. Open from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on weekdays, it is simply incredible to have free access to a 50-metre lap pool in the neighbourhood.

In a weak moment, I briefly considered registering for the 100-kilometre edition of Halland Ultra Beach on Sunday but, fortunately, reason (and a closed registration window) prevailed. After failing to complete the Essex Way Ultra just over a month ago, I feel a bit like I did in 2022, when I simply had to run Ultravasan 90 to set the record straight.

Run to Båstad

Heading out into the midday heat, I began my birthday adventure by exploring the non-fording option of Halland Ultra-Beach (HUB) across Fylleån in southern Halmstad, a body of water that I have crossed many times further upstream in the woodlands of Halland but now got to share with all the cyclists following Kattegattleden.

Keeping a steady pace around 5:45 min/km, I then crossed the birdwatchers' paradise of Tönninge Meadows and the golden fields beyond. After cutting the HUB ultra race short twice, I was eager to finally see the coast between Halmstad and Båstad in earnest. Not racing, I allowed myself plenty of stops, including at the most lovely garden cafè in Påarp, overlooking the glittering sea and wind-sculpted pines. After a smørrebrød, I felt energized to continue into Gullbranna Nature Reserve on highly runnable trails.

Nineteen kilometres into my run, the trail headed out onto sand dunes that quickly proved difficult to navigate and slowed me down considerably. The preceding two nights with only a few hours of sleep made the whole thing feel like some kind of SEAL training exercise as my mind drifted to Coronado, sand filled my trail shoes, and the sun kept blazing. At Hökafältet, I finally plunged into the cool water before continuing on towards Mellbystrand.

Talking to Eddie on the phone, he said he wanted to come down to Halmstad tonight, so instead of running along the beach, I followed the bike path all the way to the railway station in Båstad. Finishing the full 38 kilometres in just under four hours of moving time, I was reasonably happy with my performance and already planning another run on the Bjäre Peninsula.

Caractère

Drinking a black coffee from Pressbyrån, I am now on an Öresund train to Gothenburg, ready to help Anna move into her new apartment in Gamlestaden. Behind me lie a couple of incredible days in Bakareboda, just on the border between Småland and Blekinge, waffles with my parents in their garden in Kalmar, and an early birthday dinner at Hallandsgatan over a glass of Weszeli Caractère Grüner Veltliner.

Driving all 242 kilometres of Road 25 in a white Škoda, yesterday was a true coast-to-coast adventure, with plenty of amusements along the way, including listening to the absurd story of the 31-year-old Swede who attempted to build a nuclear reactor at home. Sticking to safer hobbies, I am planning my own guerrilla version of Halland Ultra Beach this weekend by running from Halmstad to Båstad – the section I never completed in 2024. If I succeed, I will finally have one continuous red line on my Strava heat map from Åskloster to Båstad.