COBBLERS

Been doing a little shoe repair work.
My "good" trail shoes have been getting a bit abused these past couple of weeks - I've been using them on the road!
They are really well cushioned and "bouncy" - just the thing while I've been getting over my sore leg/hamstring/arse combo.

Fecked

Problem is, the way I run I'm particularly heavy on my left heel. That's always the first bit to go on shoes with me. And it's gone on my trail shoes big time. To such an extent that I've gone right through the outer layer and down to the EVA midsole part. Which is bad news, because once you get down to that you wear through it in jig time and that's the shoes fecked.
SO.... I remembered, from the dim and distant past a product called "Shoe Goo". If you've not used it before it's a sort of super strong and super smelly rubber solution glue that can be used to repair worn soles, stick soles back to uppers, repair leaks in rubber boots and all sorts.
Problem is trying to get hold of it....
Running shops (at least the ones that I tried) don't sell it ...they, after all, prefer to sell you new shoes.
Shoe repair shops don't stock it ..they want to do the repairs for you.
And the few "Ironmongers" that I tried hadn't even heard of it.

Good for another month or so.

I Googled it and discovered that it's very popular in the skateboarding community. Well good for them, but I was buggered if I was going to go into a shop full of pimply "yoof" and twenty/thirty-somethings who haven't grown up yet who use terms such as "rad" and "gnarly". So I ended up getting it from my old favourite; Amazon.

All you need is about a 1mm layer over the affected area. Within 24 hours it's dried and is very, very tough and flexible.
There might be a temptation to build up the outer sole to sort of Noddy Holder platform proportions, but all you're looking for is enough to keep the midsole from getting worn.
Don't think it should be used to continually keep old and worn shoes "on the road", but if it prolongs the life a wee bit then it's value.

Oh.... and the supplier who sent it to me from Amazon even threw in a brilliant free, lime-green sticker for my skateboard - rad!!!

OLYMPICS - I was upset that Mark Cavendish failed to get gold (as was he, no doubt). AND I can fully understand why a national broadcaster might concentrate and dwell on the performance of our own athletes. But FFS can the BBC please give us a wee bit info and reflection on the folk who do win?? Yes, I was upset for Cav, but come on, would a wee bit of praise for Vinokourov frikin' kill them? I want team GB to do well, but a great performance transcends national boundaries.