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......
