I suppose occassionally I should update this

Not really sure why I should even think about writing anything on here, as to be brutally honest, I am hardly running at all at the moment. I Hash with the Buenos Aires Hash House Harriers every two weeks, and in between, I pop to the gym and jog on the treadmill, if I'm honest, twice a week would be a good week!

Why has it come to this?

Well, unfamiliarity with the local area was the initial reason, coupled with the hot, humid weather when I first arrived in Argentina. At first I did manage to "train" a fair bit in the gym, and for the first few months here, I was keeping relatively fit. Then a couple of silly injuries were used as excuses, and the real truth started to hit me - I'm not 30, or even 40 any more!, and weight seems to creep up on me whenever I am inactive, and these days, its so hard to shed it when I re-start to run. I have to confess to having hit 94 kilograms, which works out at almost 15 stones, or for my American friends, 207 lbs..... That's the heaviest I have ever been.

Other Problems

Motivation is very hard right now. Given the excess weight, naturally my speed is so slow. When it becomes hard to maintain an 8 minute mile pace, for one mile, and feel really tired after a 3 Km (less than 2 miles) run on the treadmill in 16 minutes, it's tough to go back the next day. It's not that long ago, I could time trial a 5:15 mile, and run repeats over 400m in 75 seconds, seriously within the last 5 years, that was within my range. When I run 400m on the treadmill in 2 minutes, and struggle, it simply becomes impossible to raise a smile and be enthusiastic about coming back again tomorrow.

So, What can i do about it?

Well, I can moan and do nothing, but that isn't going to get me off my butt and do anything about it. Maybe by writing this down, it can help, expressing my thoughts to the world (well, OK, both of you who read this!) I am shaming myself into doing something. I'm not going to pretend that I will diet, cut out beer, train 7 days a week, and drop 30 lbs, run a 3:30 marathon etc..... It's not going to happen like that. What I can do, is watch my diet a little more astutely than I have been. Cut out the silly junk sweets and biscuits that I indulge in. Reduce my drinking to Friday Nights (Can't beat Frinks!), and after the hashes, and start to train with a little more method. If I can organise myself to go to the gym three times a week, the work should start to pay off after a month or so.

No targets, no goals. We'll see what happens over the next couple of months, and maybe then I can set my sights on realistic goals for 2011. I know what I would like to aim for, but that isn't going to happen unless I take these first steps, and reduce the weight and regain my mojo.... Hopefully it will come......

An even longer gap.....

I am so bad at keeping this thing up to date. The main reason is that I have been doing very little running. I have continued to Hash in the first six months of the year, and I am still in Buenos Aires. But, I have done very little serious running. I started the year well, with good intentions. Managed a steady 40 plus miles in January, followed by 30 plus in February, but since then its been down hill.

My first six months of the year have seen a total of 108 miles added to my career history, with most of them being from Hashing. I did manage a race of sorts in May when I was home in Ireland for a vacation, the Banbridge Spar 10K, but the least said about that the better, as I had forgotten two things - One, I wasn't fit, and Two, Banbridge is Hilly! I took over the hour for a run/walk, gasp for air, trip around the town, but at least I finished. Then, as soon as I got back to BsAs, I went and turned my ankle which saw me off running for four weeks.

Well, it's July now, and I have already amassed more miles in ten days than the last three months, mind you, that wasn't hard! So, I am trying again, and as an eternal optimist, I am planning on a half marathon (or possibly two) in September, with the Buenos Aires Marathon on 10 10 10 as a hopeful ambition, we shall see. At the moment, running 5 Km would be a challenge, so I will have to do a lot of hard work in the next two months to get even close - We shall see......