The end of the year... And a final run before the bell tolls...

The last couple of weeks have seen little activity due to a couple of things. After my session in mid-month with a form of interval training, I suffered a reaction which I feared might have been a re-occurence of the problem I had earlier in the year - the dreaded Gout! Thankfully, I think this was more a simple stress injury in the tendon in my left foot, but I felt it best to lay off the running for a week, so as not to cause any more damage, and to ensure that it wasn't gout again.

So, this week I ventured to the gym on Tuesday, and managed an easy 3km, and followed this up tonight with the final run of the year, an easy 3.25Km run in 16:56, on a familiar route, which felt easy, and with no niggles as I ran. I conclude a roller-coaster year with very little to shout about, but a determination to put the problems behind me in 2012, and have a great running year.

Looking back on 2011, there were very few running highs to write about, with the exception of actually filling in the entry form, and paying for, the Santiago Marathon next year. But the obvious highlight of the year was the arrival of little Maisie, my first grand-child, and being there when she was just a few hours old - a new life entering the world - Let's hope she grows up to see a better place than the present state.

It's usual for people to make resolutions today, that last a week, if they are lucky, and every year we sit down as runners, and plan that the next year will be better, our training more structured, our goals set out, and by March we have forgotten everything. By way of getting myself motivated I have a plan in my my head, which will involve a number of Marathons, which mean a lot of training, hard work, and an ability to overcome the Hot Summer weather here, at least twice a week, for a long run, which I cannot complete in the gym.

I'm starting the year by signing up for Jantastic, a wonderful motivational bit of fun from the guys at Marathon Talk, a wonderful, weekly, Podcast which I thoroughly recommend you listen to if you haven't already tuned in - Their interviews each week are brilliant, none more so than the recent one with Steve Jones, who was my motivation back in the 80's when I started running seriously. Make yourself a resolution to listen in each week - well worth it....

The final note from me to the two people left who read this - Have a Very Happy New Year, don't celebrate too much, get a run in on New Years Day to Kickstart the year, and may you reach your goals for 2012, as I aim to reach my own.

Those darn legs

As I said in earlier posts this week, my legs have been feeling tired, and added to that where some events that I couldn't avoid (not that I wanted to!), and so, I decided to let the legs rest for a couple of days, hoping that all would be well.

Today, I went to the gym after classes, and decided to try a tempo based progression interval session, just to see what I may be capable off. I warmed up with 2 Km at an easy pace, then ran 5 x 400m, with 1 minute intervals, progressing from 12 Kph, 12.2. 12.6, 12.8 and finally 13 Kph, before finishing with an easy Km warm down. Have to say that while I didn't find these easy, nor where they too hard. At no point did I feel incapable of achieving the goal, and I was actually quite pleased with the workout. I appreciate these are not super fast, but another stepping stone to building up the legs and the cardio fitness.

We will have to see how the legs feel in the morning.......

Tired Legs

An interesting weekend in my latest quest to regain fitness, and listened to some good advice.

After the race on Thursday, I felt good, encouraged by it, despite the relative slow time, and on Friday evening I attended the Despedida Hash here in BA for the imminent departure of our long serving GM. The run was around 6Km, in three stages, and I actually enjoyed the full run, no great pace, but consistently running along.

I had planned to race on Sunday morning, again over 10Km, but listening to experienced heads over at Kickrunners, and listening to my own body, I felt that it was a bit much to be asking the body at this stage, to run another 10Km at race pace so soon after Thursday. so, discretion took place and I didn't go to the race.

Am I glad I passed. I went for a morning run, intending to run an easy 7Km, but within 100 meters of the house, my legs felt like lead. Obviously the 10Km, followed by the 6Km had left their mark, and I was struggling. I hoped that they would loosen up after a few more minutes of running, but they didn't, so I decided to cut short the run, and completed a 4.2 km run in just over 22 minutes. Not a bad pace, given how I felt, but a wake up call to say how much work is still needed before I can expect to have great runs every day.

16 Weeks to Santiago and a heck of a journey of Hard Work over this period....

Finally - The race post - Hispano argentina maraton 10K - Dec 8th

Don't get alarmed, they call every race here a "Maraton" you get used to it after a couple of years. Well, today was the day, my venture into 10Km races in this latest attempt to rekindle my running life. The lead up had not gone well, as we had a power cut from 11pm last night until 2:15 this morning, which with temps in the high 20's overnight, and no air con, was not the best way to get a good nights sleep.

Waking up at 6.30, with temps already around the 20C mark, and the sun cracking the flags at least meant that it would be a dry race.... I took the bus and the subte to Plaza Italia, and down to Plaza Espana, (We have a lot of Plaza's named for countries here - we were to run around Plaza Croatia in the race as well!), and met up with my pal John, wearing his County Mayo GAA shirt, rather than the Race Shirt. We had said we would wear Irish Shirts, but as mine are Rugby Shirts and heavy duty, there was no way I was tempting that today.

The build up was well organised, no queues for Chip Collection, or Baggage drop, and with quite a lot of runners milling around, I have no idea of the overall number, we waited in teh shade until the last minute before heading over to the start line. John was aiming for sub 50, while I was being more patient and seeking around 55 minutes, so we wished wach other luck, and right on time, (very unusual for Argentina.....OUCH!!!) the race was off, with temps probably around 28C by now.

STOP PRESS>>>>> Just as I was typing this, we had yet another power cut - This one lasted six hours, in which I drank a few glasses of wine over lunch with an old friend, and talked running.

So - view of the race. Here are my splits - 26:59 for first 5K (5:37 - 5:15 - 5:24 - 5:16 - 5:27). It was hot, heading towards 28C by the end, but I only needed to take a break after 7K, so my splits followed at 5:25, to 5:34, before the walk break resulted in a 5:59 eigth Km, but I persevered and managed am incredible 5:08 (fastest Km) at the ninth, maybe it was short, as my final Km was 5:42, and I know I was running hard over the last Km, as I passed quite a few people in the last 250 metres.

Completed the task, with a finishing time of 54:47, which works out at an age graded performance of 57.77% - Not great, but within my target and a good sign of keeping the progress going....

The shirt (and medal) from today....

I know I promised more....

But we have exams this week, and things have been a little hectic. Plus at the weekend we had some power outages, and I was organising the Hash run for Sunday. Now, I have mentioned before in this blog, that not every runner appreciates that Hashers actually run - they see us as a bunch of drinkers, who walk or jog a little. well, some Hashes may be little more than a pub crawl, but I can assure you that the Hashes I have been running in the last two years, here in Buenos Aires, in Santiago, and in Sheffield, England, have been quite serious in the running part. So, this Sunday, I was laying trail, and laid a course of 10Km, starting at 8 in the morning. By the time the gang arrived to run, I then ran part of the course again - Probably, all in all getting an 8Km run under my belt - Not too bad....

Yesterday, I was tied up with things, and the planned rest day was just that. But this morning I decided to lace up the shoes at 9am, to try and replicate the conditions for my race on Thursday, the Hispano Argentina 10K. I decided on a flat course (round here, that is pretty much every run!), out and back to the Parque Dominico - with a lap of the park thrown in, and a run of around 7.3 Km. Clocked an easy 40:30 run, with a couple of delays for crossing busy junctions. I had no problems with the heat, which was around 23 celsius, but know that as summer bites, it will be tougher to run at this time.

The running season here comes to an end at the end of the year - ironically, given where I come from, the summers are too hot for regular races. But with Santiago on April 1st, these few races now will stand me in good stead for the build up to, what will be, my first Marathon (despite the fact that every race from 3Km upwards is called a Maraton here) in 4 years, with my last being Surf City back in 2008.

Here's a picture from after the Hash on Sunday, so you can see the need I have to reduce the weight.... :)

After a few butt kicks - I stopped reading and went for a run

Despite the relatively reasonable, given the heat and the level of fitness I know I have at the moment, race on Sunday, I was feeling a little down yesterday, reviewing my time, and comparing it to what I was capable of running only a few short years ago. So, I went back to my old haunt at Kickrunners and posted a question regarding motivation, and how you got it back after such a long lay off, Well, I got a couple of butt kicks from old "friends" - well deserved I might add, and it has helped me assess the situation, and I know what I have to do - So I will.......

KSRUNR over there, came up with a great line for all of us who read far more about running than we actually run! His quote - "Quit Reading This and Go Run!" - So I did........

Well, to be fair, he posted that yesterday, and whilst not trying to find excuses, I didn't get a planned run in yesterday. It was well into the 90's all day, so i went to the gym for a treadmill run, only to find all the power out in that part of town, sadly a common occurrence in the summer down here - As soon as it gets hot, the AC Units are powered up at full blast, and the systems can't cope, so frequent power outages (we had three on Saturday at the house!)...

But I did today. At the weekend, I received personal delivery of a new pair of Asics Nimbus 13's from my good friend Vincent, who had brought them down from New York, on one of his many trips down to South America - the joys of being retired. It may seem a long way to bring shoes, but they cost twice the price here for last years model, as government import restrictions make it difficult for non-Argentine companies to compete in the local market, despite Buenos Aires having the largest growth for running related products in South America, but if savings are to be made, and I get the right shoe, I'm a happy chap...

So today, with power on, I went the gym, and ran an easy, even-paced, 5Km run in 27:12, feeling comfortable, with no after effects from Sunday, and no difficulties with the pace at all, which augurs well. I also weighed myself at the gym, and found I had dropped to 91Kgs, which leaves me with 11 to go to my target by April of 80Kgs - I started at 93kgs, and have a 14% weight loss target - at 1% per week - seems reasonable -

And as for KSRUNR's quote I stopped reading, and I ran :) - And it felt great..........

My new Shoes :)

UNDAV 8K (Actually 8.5K) Race - Avellaneda

My first race in my attempt to get back to a good level of fitness for next April and the Marathon in Santiago. This race was being run locally in Avellaneda, and is free to enter, with a Tech T-shirt thrown in for good measure. Managed to talk a few friends to run the race as well, and so Team Frinking had a decent turnout with 5 of us running. The race was advertised as an 8K run, but after the race it transpired that it was actually 8.5K, which explained the last kilometre (or not!), but I jump ahead of myself.

The race was due off at 9am, and with around 2,500 people lining up for the run, we were faced with the prospect of a great, flat course, with the clouds being burnt away by the sun, and temperatures rising steadily, reaching around the 30C mark by the end. I was hoping to run under 45 minutes, and started at a modest pace, and lo and behold, the first Km was run in 5:08, although it felt easy. I didn't try and slow down, or ease up, just kept the legs turning over steadily, and the first few kilometers felt good. I reached the 4Km mark in 21 minutes, but by now the sun was heating things up, and a welcome hose down from the local fire brigade cooled me down for a few minutes. I missed the 5Km mark, but estimate that I had run the 5km in around 26:20, and around that time I had to take a walk break as I was overheating. A sixty second walk break to cool down, shouldn't lose me too much time, and I started off again, running slower now, but determined to hit my time marks.

I had plenty of time in hand at the 7Km mark, spot on 38 minutes, and knew I would be within my time goal. By now it had got exceptionally hot, and I was struggling with this, but I could see my friend Scott about 20 meters ahead of me, so I focused on keeping him in my aim, as I tried to increase the pace a little to catch him. I wasn't looking at my watch at all at this point, trying to concentrate on closing the gap. As we turned onto Av.Belgrano and the home straight to the finish line, I narrowed the distance to 10m, but with some 200m to go, Scott found his own second gear, and I knew I had nothing left in the tank, so I backed off and glanced at my watch to see that somehow the last Km was taking me over 8 minutes!!!!! Somewhat surprised with this, I gave one last sprint, overtaking a couple of people, and crossed the line with my watch at 46:40....

I subsequently found out that the race was actually 8.5Km, which explained the anomaly over the last stretch form Km 7.

Much needed water was plentiful, with fruit available too, and I met up with the rest of the gang, and the Race Director who was delighted with everything. The Team then headed back for a shower before meeting up with more Frinkers and we headed off to El Tano Parilla for a great lunch, followed by beer and wine for a very enjoyable day in the sun, after a decent race, which, thankfully, was longer than expected, making my time very acceptable for 8.5, with the 8 being around 44 minutes, well inside targetted hopes.

Next up is the 10K Hispano race in ten days time, and I will aim for 55 there.

9 am Running at 28 degrees

As the race on Sunday starts at 9am, and with the summer having arrived this week, I decided to go out for an easy run at 9am today to acclimatise. It was already 28 degrees at 9am, and I decided to run for time, rather than distance, and a shortish 20 minute run in the sun was called for.

I'm laying the trail for the hash in a couple of weeks, so I ran the first 4 km of that route today, more or less. It was hot, and sweaty, but enjoyable, and despite having some chaffing on my inner thigh, I felt comfortable at this distance, and didn't have too much problem with the heat.

Sundays run over 8Km will be a little tougher if it is as hot, but I aim to be quicker than last years attempt at this race, and while not wanting to set myself too hard a target, given the level I know I am at, I shall simply look for around 45 minutes, nice and easy in this weather.

Entered the Hispano Race on Dec 8th yesterday, and got another great tech T-Shirt,all for 70 pesos entry fee, which works out around 12 euros - You couldn't buy a Tech Shirt for that, never mind get a race included as well.

An easy 5Km run in the gym

With the temperatures starting to climb, in a reversal of what would be happening if I was back in Ireland, I am heading to the gym, where a fair amount of my training will take place. I have always had an affinity with treadmill running, having trained a lot on the machines in the past, mainly for the opposite reason, dark and cold winters in the High Peak. But with the day time temps hitting the high 20's at the moment, and already a nice shade of lobster, a steady run of 5K was called for, and I delivered.

A nice easy, even, pace of 10.8 kph, saw me clocking off around 5:30 per kilometre, and while it was tempting to click up a notch as I ran, I stuck at the even pace, and completed the 5K in 27:27, which according to my running diary, is the fastest I have run a 5K on the mills since July last year, although nothing to write home about. I was simply pleased to get the extra distance completed on the treadmill.

Just because we enjoy a beer after - It's still a Hard Run!

I appreciate that to the dedicated runner, my enjoyment of the Hash House Harriers, and my participation in hashes every two weeks here in Buenos Aires, may seem like a diversion away from any attempt I may have to get back into serious shape to achieve my goal of the Santiago Marathon next April. Well, I can say that in BsAs we have many serious runners who partake in the Hash, none more so than this weekends hare, Gonzalo, who is a very experienced runner, tri-athlete, and medal winner at adventure races around Latin America. This past weekend, the hash had their annual weekend event, this year celebrating the 555th Run by the pack here, and we all went to Carilo, some 400km south of the capital, on the Atlantic Coast, set in a forest, with a wonderful hotel, and beautiful weather for running, and relaxing.

As it was a weekend event, we had two runs planned, late Saturday afternoon. and then again on Sunday lunchtime. We arrived on Friday evening, had a nice Mexican meal, and an early night, waking to glorious sunshine on Saturday. A stroll down to the beach, and dipping toes into the cold Atlantic - The air temperature may have been 28, but the Antarctic Drift ensured the water was freezing - I certainly caught the sun, and am presently a nice shade of lobster! After a light lunch, the Hashers got together and the first run of the weekend set off. With two runs planned over the weekend, and knowing that Gonzalo would not have set easy runs, I took it easy on Saturday, only running the shorter, and easier run of around 6Km, through woods, beach and sandy roads, but still felt like I had a decent run, and the disappointment of Thursdays gym session was forgotten.

After a party on Saturday night, with a lot of energy spent dancing, Sunday morning arrived with, once again, the sun shining, and conditions set for a serious run. Gonzo didn't disappoint, and as he knows that I am gearing up for Santiago, he pushed me all the way, with a tough run, along the trails, and up and down sand dunes, before insisting I ran the full distance, which amounted to around 12Km. Obviously, as this is a hash, this distance is a touch stop and start, but the last 4 Km was a full run with the better runners, and with one or two others potentially looking at marathons in the fall (southern hemisphere one!), I was happy that whilst not quite keeping up their pace (most of them 20 years younger than me as well!), I managed to get a great run in and I can confirm this morning that I felt it - My legs are aching, but in a good way - from hard exercise, and a new found belief that I can once again run a decent distance.

As my good friend Theia says, baby steps, and the hash has at least kept me going when other running may have been falling my the wayside. Onwards and upwards........

No run today - but......

After yesterdays weak performance, no running today, as I will be travelling later to Carilo for a weekend of Hashing, which will involve two decent runs, albeit non-competitive, and a party on Saturday night :). Next week, the training starts in earnest.

After posting yesterday's picture of my daughter graduating, it's only fair to post a picture from today's Graduation Ceremony from DIT for my son, his diploma in programming, and he is progressing on the full degree course. Nice to see them both graduate in the same week.

Well, I never said it would be easy.

After writing yesterday, and feeling like I had taken a decent step in the right direction, I decided to head to the gym today and try a 4Km run at even pace. I started at 11.1KPH on the speed gauge, and within a few hundred meters I felt lethargic, and finding it tough to breathe properly. By the 1k mark, I knew that 4Km was not going to be possible, I was overstretching, even at this ridiculously short distance. I persevered, and increased the speed a notch at each 200m clocked, having taken the decision to bail out at 2Km.

A short run, only 2km, some 40 Km less than I have to run in 4 months, and in 10:47 pedestrian pace. I guess I should believe the title of this post, it isn't going to be easy, I have let my fitness level drop to an alarming position. 2Km should be a warm up for any runner, today it was a struggle - Oh well....

On a brighter note - I posted yesterday about my son being an influence in me getting back running. I should also mention my daughter, who turned 24 last Monday, and the same week received her degree from Sheffield University. A degree she completed a little more than days before the arrival of Little Maisie her beautiful daughter, and my first grandchild. She achieved, what to many would be impossible. her final semester at University with the imminent arrival of her first child. But she stuck with it, and I am proud of her achievements this year (and every other one too!). I attach a picture of her graduation to show how proud we all are.

My grandchild has probably started school since I last wrote!

I must go back over my blog and see how many times I have said, I am starting training again, and I have a new goal, and blah, blah, blah..... nothing happens! Well, guess what, I am training again and I have a new goal, so, here goes again.

For new readers, don't bother going over the old stuff - I used to be a semi decent club runner, back when I was young, but if I am honest with myself, I haven't really put a huge amount of effort in for the last 7 or 8 years, with a couple of exceptions when I trained for Connemara and Prague Marathons back in 2006. Since then I have only added one more Marathon finish to my name, in 2008 when I ran Surf City over in California, and my age graded best result since then was a 23:10 5Km race in Dublin in March a few weeks later. Don't get me wrong, I have continued to run in all that time, just never with any effort over a period of time. Some excuses were valid, the odd injury in my ageing body, but mostly, the reason for the lack of continuity in my training has been idleness.

Since moving down to Argentina back in November 2009, I have completed in a few local races, and in fact managed three races in Ireland while on holiday back home, none of which have been great feats of running to even challenge my own M50 records, let alone anything else.

Well, now I will be 54 early in the New Year, my weight is stagnant at around 93 Kg (205lbs), and whilst a good 5 Kg than I was at the beginning of the year, its still 10 to 15 Kg more than I would like to be. But the biggest motivation to get back into running has been the success of my son, Liam Og, who took up running this year, and completed the Dublin Marathon in 4:24:11 in his first attempt at the distance. He also bettered my M50 times for other distances, so I have a year to get those back!.... I should point out that, obviously, my son is not in the M50 category, having just turned 26 last week, but he set my times as targets, so one way of making sure he continues to run, may be for me to improve my times - And look at setting new ones at M55 in 15 months time.

So, I looked for a goal that was not only achievable, but not too far distant that I would lose interest. Living in South America, there are less options, but the Santiago Marathon on April 1st, some 4.5 months away, seems like a reasonable, if challenging, target. My aim, to finish faster than 4:24 - In the short term, I have an 8Km race on Sunday 27th, locally in Avellaneda where I live. Last year, an unfit me, completed this race in the awful time of 47:23, age graded to 52.29%, and I will be hoping to be a fair bit quicker than that whilst not challenging my M50 best time of 39:10 set back in Galway two years ago. We shall see.....

In the meantime, this morning, with the temperatures hitting 28 degrees, I went for a modest run of around 3.25Km, which I was pleased with, especially with the heat, and I can gradually build the distance, and hopefully some speed, over the months ahead.

Thumbs stopped, Maisie arrived, and I'm back running!

Well, for once in my life I have a good excuse for not running much, and not posting either. As you know, I was hanging around between Ireland and England awaiting the arrival of my little grand-daughter. Well, needless to say she was a typical woman, - LATE! But what that meant was that I got to have a few nice runs around old haunts (see last post), and also managed to get a Hash in with the Sheffield Hash House Harriers, althoughg it was more like a Mountain Climb, as it involved an ascent and descent of Kinder Scout, and we didn't use paths.

I shot back to Ireland for a few days, spending time back in Banbridge and down in Dublin at my sons, before heading back to England on Tuesday June 21st, arriving in Sheffield as Maisie entered the world at 8lb 5oz, with mum and baby doing so well, they let them home within 6 hours of the birth.

I'm not sure which emotion was running highest on meeting my grand-daughter, but I sure felt proud of my little girl, as well as feeling a pang of ageing, especially when Melanie's partner, Gareth, kept saying, "Let Grand-dad hold Maisie"! Still, I still feel young, most of the time, and I am always have to remember that my own father still had five years to age from my youthful 53 years, before I was even born, so believe me, there is life in this old dog yet!

Sadly in many ways, I had to fly back to Argentina, leaving the young ones behind, and thanks to the Chilean Volcano allowing me to change my flights, I arrived back in Buenos Aires on Friday last, just as the Polar Ice Caps decided to freeze BsAs! I was suffering a bit of jet lag, and tummy trouble, so I rested over the weekend, after taking time to Wet The Babies Head in the time honoured tradition on Friday, Frinks Night!

But today, Monday, a new week, back to work, and back to the gym for a run. I managed a good 4Km on the treadmill, in a time of 20:51, my first run in my new Asics Nimbus 13's, with a progressive increase in pace, building up nicely. having had a week off, I was pleased with this run, but not half as pleased as I was with Maisie, so allow me the indulgence of a picture of the three generations of the family.... Now on with the running.....

Whilst Thumbs Twiddle, I get to run

Whilst the nervous wait continues, I have the delight of being able to get out and run along routes that I remember vividly from my serious running days back in the 90's. This morning I was out at 7.30 and a run along the Peak Forest Canal in the opposite direction to yesterdays run. The canal finishes at, the delightfully named, Bugsworth Basin, which 15 years ago was filled with reeds and un-navigable. I am pleased to see that the canal is now completely cleared up, and boats are moored up around the basin, adding to the plesant atmosphere that canal running has always had around here.

The run this morning was around 3Km in each direction, which I completed under 40 minutes. A gentle run with my hostess Tracy, and the boys, Ruskin & Huxley, with no mis-adventures from the dogs today. We just about managed to miss out on a shower, which wet the place after we had got back, although I am pleased to say the sun is now out and I will probably take a walk to Hayfield, where I lived for my last 18 months in this area, and finally left in 2002 - Nice memories from around here, and great locations for running - Maybe Maisie Moo can hang on for a few more days while I catch up here..........

I've added some links to the area, just in case you want a Peak :)..... Just click on the names above...

Awaiting Maisie

Since the race last week, I have moved onto England, and the main purpose of my trip north, to await the arrival of little Maisie, my first grandchild. In between, on Friday, I got out for a nice run with Liam Og around Ongar, on a pleasant evening, nice and steady pace, with a kick at the end as we ran around 5.3km, on the flat lands of west county Dublin.

Then on Saturday I made the journey by boat and a few trains, to the area where I used to live back in the 90's, Furness Vale, just outside New Mills, and my friends Peter & Tracy, who were kindly putting me up for a few days, and catching up over a few bottles of wine and great food. Went over to see Mels on Monday, and no sign of the baby coming just yet - Expected date was June 7th, but we still wait.

Tuesday saw me heading into Manchester, and my old workplace of the CIS, now CFS, and a great time catching up with Mark, Mike and Denise - Even though it is 12 years since I left there, it felt like only yesterday when I was there. Manchester itself has changed tremendously in the interveening years, with a lot of new build, and the old Arndale Centre has been completely revamped, to the point that it looked completely different - I couldn't find my way out! Thanks to a bit of Tu-inking, I didn't get a run in until this morning - and what a pleasure that was.

When I lived in the area, it was around the time that I was running seriously, and quickly, and the canal towpath along the Peak Forest Canal was always a favourite run of mine. While I might be slower these days, I could still recall the great runs along here, and it was great to get out for an ealy morning run along the canal, with Tracy, my hostess, and the dogs running alongside us, Ruskin & Huxley. We ran an out and back route, of approximately 9Km, taking a shade over the hour, a nice leisurely pace, great conversation. and perfect running weather - for June!

After a shower etc., I took a walk up to Whaley Bridge, and the local Tesco, where I was surprised to see, amongst their range of "World Beers", a NOT favourite of mine from Home - Quilmes, and hopefully, as can be seen from the picture I snapped from my phone, not quite at the price we would pay at the local store in Avellaneda..... Needless to say, I didn't buy any......

Now, I am sat here twiddling my thumbs as I await news from Mels. I have my flight booked for next Wednesday, so a bit more running, no finger nails, and soon, the newest addition to the Mycroft Clan should be here........

The results are in..

After a weekend away in Limerick to watch the Magners League Final (Rugby for the uninitiated), it was back to Dublin today, and the eagerly awaited challenge between the "Auld fella"(Me), and the "Young Un"(my son). The event, a BHAA Race over 5 Miles in Dunboyne, a race I ran a few years ago, and recalled it being flat and fast. Liam Og has recently taken up running, and despite giving him 28 years (as any father would), it was looking like a close race from his training times, and my own return to running - would it be the case on the day.

The race was to start at 8pm, on a very pleasant evening in County Meath, with the sun still bright in the sky at start time, albeit the breeze did bring a little chill, which would be swept away once the running started. There was an excellent turn out for the race, and we set off right on time, with Og and myself lining up together.

I wasn't sure what tactics to employ, should I set off hard and see if I could burn him off early on, or should I hang back at a steady pace, knowing he was likely to run alongside, and simply try and out kick him over the last mile. I had thought that 8:20 pace would be good enough, and once started, I was surprised to find Og running alongside, as I set off at sub 8 minute pace, and the first mile was hit in 7:56, fast for me, but Og was still alongside - he looked confident....

Mile 2 was reached in 16:01, still around the 8 minute pace, and a little too fast for me, so I eased back, clocking 8:32 for the next mile, and Og pulled ahead... I was struggling a little, maybe the weekend had caught up with me, maybe the niggle in the back, but to be fair, i had felt fine at the start, and make no excuses for the next mile, which saw a terrible 9:04 time, and I knew I was in trouble, despite having caught himself before the mile marker - he had overheated, and taken a walk break to recover his composure.

The last mile. He was only a few yards ahead, but I knew that I couldn't increase my pace dramatically to close the gap. His youthful legs were turning over well, he had got his second wind and with less than half a mile to go I knew that tonight was going to be his night, as there was no way the gap could be closed, far from it, it was widening, despite my own increase in pace. I dug in, but with little effect, although I did overtake a few runners once we made the last 200m on the track at Dunboyne Athletics Club, but I only clocked 8:02 for that last mile, and a final time of 41:39, with Og having crossed the line some forty seconds ahead of me.

The challange had been accepted, and he deserved his victory. Obviously I hope that it will not be the last time we race against each other, and I am sure Og will get a lot faster as he builds his training, but I am determined to resume competition with him, although it might be in virtual races in the next year of so, until we can line up together at a race. I am proud of his achievement. Mildy disappointed with my own run, although my overall pace was exactly what I had in mind, I set off too fast and suffered for it mid-race....

That's my racing over for this trip home, as my next stop is Sheffield and the imminent arrival of Baby Maisie, the main reason for my journey - I'll get a few more runs in to keep my fitness together, and then it will be Grandad (Abuelo) duties before I return to Argentina and the next race......

The reason why I am in Banbridge

This is why I have come home at this time - On June 7th or thereabouts, my little girl will become blessed with the arrival of her own little girl. Maisie is due to enter the world around then, and what self-respecting abuelo couldn't be home for this.

As for my legs, they are feeling the run from last night, and the back is still sore. I slept through until 10 this morning, but since then I have done a few jobs around the place, depsite the rain, and even managed to get myself a new pair of runner - my Asics Gel Nimbus 13's, with blue laces as well, but with a 20% reduction in price - Thank you! My treat to my running self.

A week passes, I switch countries, and take in a race when knackered!

Yep - That headline about sums up things. As you know, I was heading home to welcome the new arrival to the Mycroft family, due very soon (don't worry, she will be posted!). Since the last post and chorus (prize for the first person to comment as to the meaning!), I ran an interval session (painful), laid a trail for the Hash, had a few dinners, did a bit of Frinking, and on Tuesday morning I set off for home for the imminent arrival.

The journey from BsAs to Madrid was relatively uneventful - chatted with an English/Indian doctor, who has been touring Argentina for three months, had a spare seat next to me (Thankfully, as the leg room was a little tight), watched a couple fo films, The dilema (comedy - 5/10- Ok on an airplane, and The Way back (much better))... Only managed an hour or so sleep, which was a pain, but we arrived in Madrid an hour ahead of schedule - so no hiccups. Onward flight to Gatwick on time and comfy - wish I'd had those seats on the long haul. Then the problems hit, with a three hour delay, but eventually we got back to Dublin, and BOY WAS IT CHILLY! I mean, it's meant to be heading to summer here, it was grey, damp, & I was so glad I decided to take my warmer jacket with me.

Finally reached the house at 5.30 p.m., and after dropping the bags off, I quickly got changed into my running gear (Yes, I am mad......), and despite my eyelids closing, I went and lined up for the start of the Bann 10K - the race I screwed up last year, taking 61:40, albeit on a hilly course - I had some revenge to extract.

I was tired, and I have to confess to a niggling pain in my lower right back - hopefully this was due to the poor seating on the long haul flight, and despite the light drizzle, I was determined to run the course and get my own back.

I have already written a lot here, and you can tell by my split times, where the uphill parts were, so here they are, they speak for themselves - 5:13, 5:08, 5:26, 5:55, 5:19 (Halfway in 27:01) - 5:20, 5:46, 5:41 (8km in 41:48 - see last race), 5:05 and 5:30, for a final time of 54:23.... Very satisfied with the time, if not the overall race. I struggled on the hills, mainly because training in BsAs, it is difficult to find hills to work on, but clearly an area that requires extra work. But clearly significantly better than last year (same course), and probably worth 90 seconds on a flat course.

I'll reflect tomorrow as to how I feel, and what I am really doing home at this time of the year - So, pop by (both of you) and see what I have to say -

The gauntlet is thrown down....

You will recall I wrote, a couple of weeks ago, about my son, Liam Og, and his first exploit into the world of running races, having trained. As I wrote, I told him some time ago that when he was calling me an "auld fella", that when he could beat me in a race, he could crow. Well, I am heading home for a couple of weeks next Tuesday, and I've checked the diary, and the BHAA in Dublin have a 5m Race up in Dunboyne on May 31st, and it looks like we will both be lining up in the race - This should be fun.

Yesterday Liam Og posted a Tweet saying he was off to the park to do a Fartlek session, and had managed to set up an Athletics Club at his work. My daughter, more about her in my next post, responded on Facebook to her brother by saying "You are turning into dad!" - I think it was meant in a good way.

So, will age win out over experience? How fit is the younger Liam at this moment, and how fit is the "Auld one"? May 31st will be the first, of hopefully many, chances to judge.

I'm slipping up on my posts

This past week has flown by. A combination of lessons to be taught, and classes to be taken in Spanish, along with a birthday, a business meeting, and another night out Frinking, all left me away from my computer. But I am glad to say, it didn't leave me away from running, and I have continued to run over the last week, recovering easily from the race, and hopefully building on the improvements.

I won't record each run in the past week, but yesterdays was a good example of the progress being made. I decided on a lunchtime run, which is not the best time of day to be running locally, as the schools all turf out around this time, and the planned route seems to go past every school in the area, but I trundled out anyway. The run was along the main road out to the parque at Villa Dominico, a lap around the parque and then back home. The run is 7.3Km, pretty flat all the way, and one I have done before at various times of the day.

Despite the kids on the street, and the traffic around, I had an easy run, didn't feel I was pushing anything, just getting my run in. I wasn't clock watching, nor did I put in a spurt at the end, just took it steady, and when I hit the button on the stop-watch, I was surprised to see that I had run 50 seconds faster than ever on this route, which equates to a 6/7 seconds per Km improvement. Obviously this isn't going to get my an Olympic Qualifying time, but it continues to show that things are getting better.

Amazed myself

The alarm, woke me at 6:30 on a Sunday morning, and my memories switched back to the days when I raced 20 or 30 times a year, but this is 2011, and I'm 53, and to be fair, in recent years, I haven't raced that often, or anywhere near it. But today was the day that I had set as my first race of the year, and I was up and alert and jumping in the shower, with the expectations that a little child has at Christmas - yep, I have the BUG back - At long last....

The weather was divine, a perfect autumn morning, blue sky, crisp, and perfect for running. Races here are not much different to anywhere else, people mill around, we get our chips sorted, we stretch, we warm up - we wait....

The race set off at 9.30, temperature around 15 degrees, me and some 1600 others. The one difference here is that they give out the tech shirts when you sign up, and everyone wears the shirt for the race - Now I remember the advice that you never wear a new shirt for a race, always wear something you are used to running in, but here, that goes out the window, and I followed suit, so it was with my Puma Tech tee, along with the rest that we set off.

I wanted to break 45 minutes, which meant an even pace of around 5:35 per kilometre, as I felt I was in, or around that shape. At best maybe a 44 minute run with a 5:30 average was on the cards. The first Km was the same as so many, dodging the masses as we settled down, and I hit the first split at 5:32 - hey!, even at slow paces I am still good at this! I felt great, and well within the range, and then I hit a problem - I reached the 2 Km mark at 10:01 - clearly something wrong here as I had not picked up the pace at all - and this was soon confirmed at the 3 Km mark, as this one took 6 minutes, but I was running evenly and feeling great, obviously the markers were mis-aligned - thankfully in this case.

The course was flat, although a little head wind along this part of the course was troublesome, I was feeling great, running smoothly and evenly, and I just kept it going. I was easily under target times, without trying hard, no pushing, no strain, and I hit the half way point at 21:15, crap! I actually thought this was way too fast, but I wasn't struggling at all - why was everything going right?

I just kept going, running along, maintaining the pace, easing into each Kilometre mark, 5K at 26:25, over half way and well inside my target time. These few Kms were around a boring part of the Puerto Madero area, but I just kept going, still not feeling any problems, and before I knew it I was at the 7Km mark. A quick look at the watch, and I was under 37 minutes, and I knew that I could stroll home from here and be under 43 - NO WAY!!!!!

I kept the pace level, and then we turned onto the home straight, with around 600m to go, well - I never can resist a race wherever I am in the field, and no way is anyone going to get past me at the end of a race, so I picked up the pace - yep, it hurt! - and I picked off one after another, and kept going, each stride took me further up - I really don't know, but I think I must have passed around 40 runners in that last 400m, and I kicked again as we headed to the line, and crossed it, clicking my watch at 41:22 (confirmed by my chip time), WAY better than I thought I was capable of at present.

I ended up 568th out of 1615 finishers, 32nd out of 85 in my age group, and a very happy runner indeed. The training, and the weight loss, must have been working, and I can look forward to a few more races with greater confidence and belief in myself. To top it all off, after the race, I went and ran another 9k with the Hash to give me a fantastic workout for the day, which was supplemented with a few pints to celebrate - I think I deserved them today!

Picture - pre race.....

Runing Time Contrasts between Countries

I've done it, I went and paid my entry fee, have the Puma Tech Tee, my number, and on Sunday morning I will be lining up for my first race of the year, the 8Km UCEMA Maraton (as they insist on calling virtually every race here). Today I ran a leisurely 4 Km on the dreadmill, at an even pace, and as I reported before I would love to run around 45 mins on Sunday - we'll see.

As I was leaving the gym, I picked up the May edition of Argentinas only running magazine, Atletismo Argentino. It's a monthly mag, obviously created by someone with a passion for running, and reminds me of something similar that was around in the North West of England back in the 80's, with race results and reports, a long way from the glossy Fashion Mag that Runners World (in all it's guises) has become.

This month's magazine has the Rankings for the country for last year, and I was surprised to see how shallow the depth of running is here. Now, I have never professed to be an elite athlete, but when I was younger and running seriously, I churned out a few decent times (see table to your right), and was a reasonable Club Runner, winning a few prizes over the years with my club.

Take for example the Marathon. The Number one ranked athlete, Miguel Barzola, has a very respectable time of 2:15:00 to his name last year. But, the 10th ranked Marathoner in the Country, Federico Braum, was there with a time of 2:42:42. Again, I never got near this, but I know a fair few members of my present club back in Athenry would find this time comfortable. Before anyone says that running is a low-participation sport, or that Argentina is a impoverished country, the local races regularly have 6 or 7 thousand taking part, and the country has a population ten times that of Ireland. One of my students is the Sales Manager for Argentina for Nike, and Argentina, and Buenos Aires in particular, is the fastest growing country in South America for running, and has overtaken Brazil (a much bigger population) as the Country deemed Number One for Athletic marketing - So why the lack of depth.

And it's not just in the Marathon. A look at the fastest on the track last year, sees a 100m best of 10.48, 200m of 21.43, and no athlete broke 48 seconds for the 400m at all. I am not 100% certain, and I will do some research now, but I don't believe that a single Argentine Athlete has broke the 4 minute mile barrier - ever!

What are the reasons? Maybe because Football is Religion here, there is no room for athletics to develop - but then again Rugby, Basketball, Volleyball etc., are all sports in which the Argentine national Team win medals, and Tennis has produced some wonderful players from my adopted country. Maybe it's a lack of government money being pumped into the sport, with resources going elsewhere, and kids not getting the opportunity.

Just to confirm the lack of depth, I looked at the results from a recent 10K Race here, one that had 7,000 participants. Taking my PR for the 10K, ran when I was 30, of 36:22, I would have finished 23rd overall, out of 7,000 - I know that is somewhat like comparing apples with oranges, but at that time I regularly ran under 38 minutes
so I don't think it's an unfair comparison - and I can assure everyone, that I have never finished that high up in a race with 6,977 behind me... And out of the 22 who would have been ahead of me, two of those were Kenyans, and three others part of the Fila Sponsored Brazilian team - Makes me wish I had come here 20 years to race :)

And now the running bit.....

My running report is short, I missed a few runs due to the contents of the last ramble, but I managed 4K this morning on 21:59 on the treadmill, and have entered an 8Km race this Sunday in Constanera Sur, The UCEMA 8K, and hope to run under 45 minutes. My last 8Km race here, back in November, when I was very unfit and a fair bit heavier than today, took me 47:23, and I hope, damn, I SHOULD, be a lot quicker this time.

But the great news this week isn't about my running, but about my son's running. Now, I have to confess, Liam Og ran cross country at school, but didn't like it much, and as an adult he has only tun a couple of charity type races in the past, never really showing an inkling for the sport. As a computer geek, he has a sedentary job, and he certainly has put on weight over the last couple of years since he left University. Well, unbeknown to me, he had started running, and last weekend he took part in the ARC Mini-Marathon 10K race in Dublin's Phoenix Park, his first really serious race, where he had trained. And I am pleased, and proud, to report that he ran 56:14, finishing 264th out of 361 who finished the run.

I remember some years ago when we both ran the Dublin Port Tunnel 10K, where he finished ahead of me in a fun run, I said, wait till you beat me in a competitive race, then you can gloat - Well, I am guessing that the time for that is fast approaching, and I look forward to seeing him develop as a runner, and enjoying the sport that has given me a lot of fun over the years, I hope it gives him as much. Here's a picture of him competing, the first of many....

What a busy week !

When i missed a few days in posting last week, I apologised. Little did I know how busy I would be this past week, and how I hardly had 5 minutes to spare to think about posting, and even on some days, to think about running. So, I have to confess that not a huge amount of running has been completed in the past week, but there were reasons, not simply me being idle, and as I am only running for myself, and for the enjoyment of the sport at the moment, I will not lose sleep over it.

What kept me busy? I hear you ask - Yes, you !! The three of you who read my ramblings (thank you by the way). Well, my teaching career is really keeping my busy as I mentioned before, two new students this week, which not only means more class time, but more preparation time too. Friday night saw the last night of Frinking at one of our favourite bars here in San Telmo, as the small, intimate Irish Bar, Breoghan's, was closing it's doors for the last time, before opening a larger venue a couple of blocks away (launches tonight as I write), and a good night was had by all as we raised glasses to the old, and the new venture.

Saturday saw Leinster winning their Heineken Cup semi, followed by a birthday party to attend, and here in Argentina, that means a Parilla, and a late night, playing Trucco (I have no idea, some card game with strange cards that I had no clue about), and as a special treat for me, (not that it was my birthday), a nice bottle of Irish Whiskey was uncovered, opened, and consummed. We got home at 5 am on Sunday morning, so any thoughts of running the 10K race taking place that morning had well faded, and instead I watched Liverpool win against Newcastle, before completing my day by heading to the wonderful Feria del Libro, the largest, by a mile, International book fair in the Spanish Language, and after talking to a writer friend, probably the largest in any language worldwide.

My invitation to the Feria came from my writer friend, Donigan Merritt, who was reading from his latest book, The Last Island, which is only available in the new format of e-books to download, available from Amazon, and a delightful read it is too (pluggng here for my friend), and only €2.99 as well - The whole place is amazing, a vast range of book stands, authors, entertainment, and naturally, books!

Mondays are exceptionally busy days for me, with classes from 7.30 am until 9 at night, with no time to train, so this will have to be a rest day. And so the days went on.... It's Wednesday afternoon as I type, and hardly a mention of running. I have done a little, but I'll make another post about that as there is something great to write about, but I'll save that for the next post...

Longest to date

Tuesday and I missed a few days postings, although not a huge amount to report until today. On Saturday I managed a short time trial on the treadmill, working on the tempo build up of pace that I have been doing over the slightly longer runs (I find it hard to call 4 or 5 Km a "Long Run"), ending up running at a pace of 5 minutes per Kilometre for the second of a 2 Km run, having started at 5:45.

Sunday saw my regular fortnightly Hash, and although I covered the distance, as we had a visitor from Australia in town, who wanted to walk the trail, and no walkers out as it was Easter Sunday, I walked most of the trail with her, so she wouldn't get lost in a strange city. So, to be fair, I can't really claim much of a run on Sunday, which was a shame as I was feeling good, and the weather was excellent for running.

Mondays are awkward for me, as I have classes all day at odd times, not really leaving much of a window for runnning. Under normal circumstances, with a decent run on a Sunday, Monday can fit nicely as a rest day, but aside from being a weigh-in day, it didn't see any running.

BUT - I made up for it today, as I went for a walk this morning, on a beautiful autumnal day, with the temperatures climbing into the low 20's, and not a cloud in the sky. I finally walked to the parque at Villa Dominico, 3 Km from the house, then walked around the parque to get a feel for how far it is (approx 1.25Km around), and walked home. After a class in the afternoon, once the temperatures had dropped a little, I decided to run the same route, and it was great to get around this route, which finally gives me some off-road running, albeit after a 3Km warm up to get there. I ran the whole route, out and back, with a loop of the parque, for a run of around 7.25 Km, and inside 40 minutes as well. I felt strong at the end, and actually felt I was kicking a little over the last couple of blocks to home - Maybe the tempo runs are starting to have some affect.

One thing I forgot to mention - Weigh-In yesterday, and Yes, another Kilo disappeared - down to 88 Kilos now - Well on target, and feeling better and better...

I attach a picture from November last year, and you can spot the belly!!! - Pleased to report that this is one area that the weight loss has been especially focusing on.

Two days in a row!

Today here it is a Holiday for Holy Week (as is tomorrow), so no work, although the gym was open, and as they have opened a new sauna up this week, I thought that it would be good to try a consecutive day run, especially as I wasn't too happy about yesterdays effort, and conclude the session with a sauna.

I had no preconceived session in mind, but started out at 10.6kph and ran a tempo run of 5Km notching up a click each Km. Felt really good today, unlike yesterday, and eased through the run to complete 5Km in 27:28, at an average pace of under 5:30. OK, it isn't fast, in fact it's the slowest I have run a 5K on the treadmill, but as I am not worried about things like that, I was happy to see, and feel, the progress over the last few weeks. This was my first attempt at two in a row for a while, and whilst they were not hard runs, they show great signs of better things to come.

I have a goal in mind of the 10Km in Banbridge on May 25th, although I will not make a prediction yet, except to be under the hour that I crawled around last year. Five weeks to go to the race, time will tell.....

Hump Day and The Treadmill

The weather has sure changed here this week, with Autumnal Storms having kicked in. I was awoken at 4 this morning with Thunderclaps that shook the house (at least that is how they felt), and rain bouncing around outside. Thankfully it had stopped by the time I got up, but the skies were as dark at 9 than they would be at 7 other days. Heavily leadend with rain, and so, I decided to head to the gym and the Treadmill.

Many years ago, back in the 1990's, when I was almost a decent runner, I used to do a lot of training on the Treadmill, due to long working hours, and living in the countryside where there were few street lights for winter running Monday to Friday. I actually used to enjoy the regular runs, switching from Interval Training, to Tempo Runs, even enjoying (if that is the right word) the long runs of 10 miles plus on the machines. Mind you, I was running at under 7 minute mile pace in those days, even kicking out sub 6 minute Mile Intervals at times.

These days, it's a different story. Obviously age has caught up with me a little, :) but I still feel frustrated I can't bang out a 5 Mile treadmill run in under 35 minutes (I haven't done that since 2001!). To be honest I haven't run under 39 minutes since 2006, not that I run on Treadmills quite as much now, but my On-Line Running Diary shows my runs over the years, and I can see at a glance how slow I have become.

But today, I was looking at only 4 km, and a Tempo run, starting at the sedate pace of 10.5kph, roughly a tad over 9 minute pace per mile, and notching things up a click every 500m. The first couple of kilometres were easy enough, but the last 500m was actually a stuggle, and relistically it wasn't that fast that it should have been, so I was disappointed to clock 22:12 for the 4km, feeling deflated at the slow time, given how I was feeling.

Maybe it's simply because it's Hump day, and I was feeling the hump!, let's hope, as I have been feeling good for the last few weeks, genuinely feeling that progress was being made. I'll just have to keep working at it, and work a little harder to get the times down, and the distance longer, and maybe not feel quite as crap at the end. We'll see....

Slipping Up on Posting

Naughty me, or was it busy me, but I missed a few days of postings, but glad to report that I have been running, amongst the busy times.

Teaching is taking up a lot of time for me, and I will never again state that Teachers have an easy life with all those holidays (although I do like them!), and finishing work at 3 pm etc... In my relatively short "career" as a teacher, I am finding out how much time goes into preparation of classes. One on one students are hard enough to prepare for, but when it comes to setting up a 2 hour class for my teenage First Certificate in English Class, it can take 5 hours a week to prepare for the one class! getting the materials together, preparing handouts, designing the class to keep their attention, and then assessing how it went afterwards - Much as I love the teaching, I think I would have burnt out long ago if I had decided on this path from school - And these are all students who want to learn - So hats off to all those who are teachers in the "Real world".

Anyway, back to running, and I am still operating on my alternate days strategy as I rebuild, and it seems to be working. On Friday, I decided to head to the gym, and did a range of exercises, including some good stretching. I am still feeling a soreness (can't really explain it much better) in my right hip, upper thigh, and whilst not stopping me run at all, or impede my movements, I am still keeping an eye on it, and will head to the physio when I am home next month. After my warm ups, i went for a treadmill run. It was only a short one of 2Km, but at under 11 minutes, it was quite sharp, and, I have to confess, not as easy as I expected at that pace, but I was reasonably happy at the progress, and went out of Friday night, Frinking with a spring in my step.

Saturday was one of those alternate days with no runs, and on Sunday morning I was out on a cool damp morning, after a heavy rainstorm overnight had lowered the temperatures to something more akin to a Dublin day in October. I ran my 5.8 Km run that I have started to use as a measuring stick, and again, iI didn't feel I was trying hard, simply running smoothly, and with light traffic resulting in no junction delays, I completed the course almost a minute faster than previously. For those concerned about running to the clock, I am not clock watching, just using the results to gauge the improvements. Realistically, I should be running this course in around 27 minutes, and when I do, I know I will be capable of running under 50 minutes for 10 km - Still a long way to go.... Sundays was 30:31...

Monday was an alternate day, spent preparing classes for the week, and teaching, but it also involved my weekly weight in - And I can report more success, as I dropped another kilo, down to 89 Kgs, 196 lbs, which is a little milestone in iself, as under Imperial Weight that is the 14 stone mark. I am well on target for my goal of 176 lbs by the end of June, and exactly half way from the starting point of 216 lbs back in February - So, whilst my speed may seem slow when I'm running, the weight loss is continuing at a great pace.

Next run will be later today after my classes, so hopefully I can get another good run in amd start to maybe add an extra run a week in as the build up continues.

Over the Hump

Monday was a planned rest day, but Tuesday wasn't, and I have to confess to be a little lazy yesterday. I had intended a run in teh early evening, after teaching a couple of classes in the afternoon, but when I got home, I sat down, started to watch football (the mid-week European evening games are on around 4 pm here), and by the time they had finished it had started to go dark, so I chickened out of a run.

So, today I wasn't going to be a wimp. The temperatures were hanging around the high 20's all day (80's to US readers), and getting home in the early afternoon, I wasn't going to head out in that heat. Those temps are high for mid-April here, as we should be cooling down as autumn is 1/3 rd in already here. So, i waited until the sun was at least heading down, and at 6 I laced up, and out I went for a steady run along a familiar route just short of 6 Km. The traffic was heavier than usual, given the time of day, and I got held up at a few junctions as this is very much an urban run, but I still managed to run around the same time as the last Sunday morning run over this route, and I felt I was only jogging, so all going well.

Looking at the race calendar for the next few months, and not sure when I will run my first race of this new birth, but it should be in teh next month or so, just to test out the legs over a race condition, not that I will be truly racing. One race I do hope to do is the Bann 10K, back home in Banbridge, which takes place the day I arrive home for the imminent arrival of my first granchild. There aren't many races around Banbridge, and I ran this one last year, and made a pigs ear of it, so I have some revenge to get on the course. Last year, I ran or more like ran a bit, walked a bit, in over the hour - OUCH!!! I will get my own back.....

Over the Cold

As Theia mentioned, an update is required on my cold and what's happening. Well, I'm glad to report that I have just about got rid of the cold and chest infection which laid me low last week. Suffice to say I didn't get any running done while I was ill. If it had just been a head cold I would have run through it, but the coughing and chest problems made me stay off the road, and I'm glad i did.

However, I did manage to run yesterday, Sunday. And it was one heck of a run. As you know, I hash with the Buenos Aires Hash House Harriers, and yesterday, we joined forces with our colleagues in the Uruguay Hash, and held the First Hash del Rio Plata, in Colonia de Sacremento, Uruguay. It was an early morning call, and the boat across the River Plate to Colonia, meeting up with friendly hashers from BA on the boat, and arriving nice and early for the hash, with the sun sitting high in the sky, and a beautiful warm autumn day was at hand fo rthis inaugral run.

All in all there were around 50 people out for the run, and the hares did us proud as they took the run across beaches, through the river, up a hillside (and back down again), through the old town of Colonia itself, with cries of On On getting strange looks from the tourists wondering what was happening. We clambered over rocks, slid down grassy banks, got wet, ran on the beach and finally got back to the starting point, with a run of around 12 kilometres under our belts. My legs certainly feel the run today, and yesterday I confess to feeling tight on the chest as the last remnants of the infection hung around. BUT, I am back running after the little illness break, and promise more details as I progress.

I did get on the scales this morning, and unsurprisingly as I took no exercise, my weight has remained at the 90 Kilo mark this week, but I am happy enough with that, knowing that I will be back upping the miles (or should I say Kilometres), as this week progresses.

Stinky Cold !!!

Just as I started to get going again, I come down with a damn cold. The only thing running at the moment is my nose! Nasty little cough to go with it too - And being a guy, naturally I feel like crap - lousy patient!

On the plus side - At my Monday weigh in, I clocked 90 Kg, which takes me under the magic 200 lbs figure :). Hopefully I can get back running before the weekend, and keep up the good work.

April arrives, and no fooling!

Where is the year going, that's a quarter gone already, summer has turned to autumn, and next month I will be heading home to welcome the arrival of my first grand-child. In the meantime, April fools day came and went, along with an excellent evening on Friday at a new Frinking venue, Treffen, which is not only a bar, but also a beer museum, and serves some excellent artesnal beers, although I was good and limited my consumption to a few pints. Whilst the doctor did tell me that beer isn't the worst thing I can take with the gout, he did suggest limiting to only once a week, and so far I have been a good boy! (Well, OK, three times a fortnight isn't too bad, is it?).

I had planned to go to the gym on Saturday for a timed workout, but once again, it was a holiday here. Yet another feriado, this one being "el dia del veterano y caidos en malvinas", 29 years since the invasion of the islands commenced, back in 1982. It meant the gym was closed, and instead, I watched football - which I wish I hadn't, seeing as all three of the teams I follow lost! In the end I didn't get a run in, but I would on Sunday.

And I did!

The weather has changed a little in the last few days, and this morning the skies were leaden as I put on my shorts. I wanted to extend the distance a little more, as I had set myself a goal of 5 Km by this weekend, and I planned a run to the park at Villa Dominico, which I have run before, a year or so back!. Naturally, before I went 200m the heavens opened, and a cool rain began to fall. Clearly being from Ireland, running in the rain is something I am used to, so it was not a bother, and I eased along at a slow pace, enjoying the quiet Sunday roads.

Still feeling the discomfort in the right hip/top of leg,(I must look up the name of this muscle group!), and keeping a careful eye on it while I run. It isn't hindering my running at all, at least not at the pace I am presently running at, but something I am aware of, and need to be wary of as I extend the distances, and hopefully, begin to pick up the pace.

A long post today, but the run was uneventful on the way back from the park entrance. I didn't go into the park today, but that will be a feature soon, I hope. The rain had stopped, and I was feeling tired as I passed 25 minutes running, but I plodded on to the house, and completed the run of 5.75 Km (according to gmaps) in 31:27, a pace of around 5:30 per Km, still very slow, but speed is something to worry about in a couple of months. At the moment I'm hoping to build over this month, so I can be running 10 Km comfortably by the beginning of May - We shall see..

Thirsty Thursday and another route

Sticking to my "Every other Day" plan up to now, and having rested yesterday, it was time for another morning run before heading to work this afternoon and evening.

As I am trying to build slowly, I am having to find new routes to run, maybe adding a little distance at times, or simply trying to find a more runner friendly route. In order to get to the nice park where I can run traffic free, I need to be up to running around 10 Km runs, and I am still well short of that - It's 3 km to the park, so today I went the opposite direction than my otehr runs (and the park), and another urban route, but with a little excursion through a small linear park, which at least got me away from the traffic for 500m or so.

I started to feel tired after 20 minutes running, which I guess is understandable, but hung on to complete a run of around 4.25 Km (thank you gmaps pedoemeter), in 23:25 - a pace of around 5:30 per Km. The same distance as one of my other recent runs, but anything different is always useful, so won't complain.

This brings us to the end of March. I have totalled 35 Km this month, not huge, but with February being Zero, and January coming to an end before the 15th, it's not a bad way to re-start, and with the weight coming down, I can build on this throughout April. I may even set myself some goals next month......

A Bit More Drops Off

If you have been following (thanks to both of you), you will see that as part of my re-birth as a runner, I have a goal of a substantial weight loss, from the dizzy heights of 98 Kgs or 216 lbs, or for those still working in Imperial Stones, 15st 6lbs, or simply TOO HEAVY.

I decided that Monday would be the best day to weigh myself, allowing for any weekend extras, and yesterday I scaled in at 91.5 Kgs, or 201 lbs. 6.5 Kgs dropped off in 4 weeks, well inside my target, which is around 1.1Kgs per week, with the ultimate goal of being 80Kgs, (176 lbs), {12st 8lbs}, by the end of June, lets hope I can stay on course.

Having extended my runs to 10K with the Hash on Sunday, I rested on Monday, and have to admit my legs still felt heavy this morning, but I laced up my shoes, and off I went at around 10:30, with the sun shining, temps around 20 C, and, surprisingly a spring in my step (seeing as its autumn here!).

I wasn't deliberately trying harder, I only planned to run an easy 2 Km, but straight away I felt that my cadence was better, and leg speed seemed quicker. I didn't kick on, or make a sprint for the last 50m or anything, but when I stopped my watch, I was 38 seconds faster than when I first ran this loop a couple of weeks ago, and with no apparant extra effort - Something is going in the right direction.

Hashing in Buenos Aires

It's Monday morning and my legs are certainly feeling the aftermath of yesterdays Hash run with the Buenos Aires Hash House Harriers. Many who may see the words "Hash" will only think of the drinking side of the a Hash group. Let me say right now, that I enjoy that side of it too, but in my experience of hashing in different parts of the world, the running does not play second fiddle at all, and although most hashers may not be competitive runners, they equally enjoy the run.

Yesterday, it was the 536th time that the BA Hash has got together, going back to 1993, and for me, the last few times have seen me walking, jogging a little, and even taking a lift back when the gout was severe. With the running that I have been enjoying in the last week or two, I decided that I would want to run the macho trail - the longer run. All hashes set trails to suit all abilities, and here we have a macho and a wimp trail, which I guess are self explanatory. Yesterday, the macho trail was around 10 Km in length, and while broken up into segments, it still meant a lot more distance than I have been doing.

The trail took us down to the river, the Rio Plata, in a very nice part of the city in Nunez/Vicente Lopez. The riverside walks are well laid out, and the weather yesterday was ideal, with many locals out enjoying the autumn sun and warm weather. As we ran along, kites were flying, and at one point I was buzzed by a model aircraft, it was a pleasure to be running. Once the trail came off the water, it was into up and down climbs amongst the up-market real estate of the area, before a steady run back to house we were running from.

All in all, a run of around 10Km, and today my legs certainly know that they travelled the distance. Having said that, I don't have any other niggles, so really pleased with the run, and whilst I won't venture out today, I look forward to tomorrow, and maybe a nice easy 5 Km will be on offer.

Saturday Running & Football

The weekend came early this week, with the two Public Holidays on Thursday and Friday, and after a very enjoyable parilla and fiesta at friends on Thursday evening, followed by Frinks at Breoghan's in San Telmo on friday night, it was back to normal today, and after preparing my classes for next week, it was time to relax with the weekends sport.

The morning saw England wave goodbye to the cricket World Cup at the hands of Sri Lanka, and then I listened in to hear Stockport County actually win a game and come off the bottom of the League, at least for a few hours anyway. Then it was the turn of England and Wales at football, with England comfortably winning in Cardiff. Now I have to say I didn't watch the England games, but kept an eye on line with the scores, I did have work to do.

But as the afternoon wore on, and I did have two matches I really wanted to watch, I thought about a run. Should I go before the Ireland game, or wait till it was over and go out before the Argentina match starts? On the plus side, if I went before the game, I could sit back and relax with the two matches, on the minus, it was 4 pm locally and still in the mid 20's, a couple of hours and the temperature would be cooler. OK, I decided to go before the game, and enjoy the sun.

The build up has been steady, and today I was looking to extend the run a little. The same basic route along the main road, Belgrano, and pushed the turn around point further by 5 blocks, making a run of 4.2 Kms, a Kilometre more than previous runs. It was warm under the sun, but I took it easy, at around 8:40 pace, and although feeling the extra distance, I finished the run in control, and at 22:25, it was a steady run, and another step nearer the first goal on the re-birth, to complete 5K.

Now I am settled down and watching the football. Ireland are already 2-0 up against Macedonia, and I have a brilliant streaming feed today, the wonders of the Internet. At 8 local time, I will watch the Argentina v Estados Unidos match, which is a friendly, but should be interesting. Damn, as I type that Macedonia have pulled a goal back, right on the stroke of half time. Think I'll put the kettle on at the break.

Tomorrow, I will be out Hashing with the Buenos Aires Hash, which is always fun, and I'm hoping I can run the Macho Trail this week - we'll see.

Feriado Running

Having missed a planned run yesterday, I was itching to get out and shake my legs this morning (surely a sign that things are going in the right direction). Today is a feriado here, a public holiday, as is tomorrow, making it a four day weekend, and no classes, either way, until Monday for me.

So, at 9.30, on a clear sunny morning, with temps slowly climbing to turn the 20's, a much more conducive to running temperature, I was out on the quieter streets and turning the legs over again. I ran the 3 Km route from Saturday, an out and back urban run, and felt comfortable easing into it. I have a slight discomfort, stiffness, in my right upper leg, but it eases off once I get into the run, and while I will keep an eye on it, it isn't affecting me at the moment.

Enjoyed the run, and the pace was a little faster than Saturday, but that isn't important. What is may be that I am ready to add a little more tomorrow, as I aim at the goal of 5 Km in a week or so. I also have a Hash on Sunday, and hopefully I will be able to run the macho run - we'll see....

Another week, another Kilo....

It's Monday, and the start of a three day week here, as Thursday and Friday are Feriados here, basically it means Public Holidays, so we get a 4 day weekend next. Whilst ordinary holidays are not high here (except for teachers!), there are an awful lot of feriados in the year, and it's hard to keep track of them all. This weeks is el dia nacional de la memoria por la verdad y la justica, which started well on Sunday, when a football supporter was killed at a local game between Velez and San Lorenzo, apprantly by the police - no doubt "truth & justice" will get to the bottom of it all - So sad....

Anyway, on with my slow re-build, and this morning I was up early before it got too warm on this first day of autumn, where the temperatures still are hitting the high 20's (that's high 70's to low 80's in farenheit), and I ran the shorter 2 Km route I was running last week. Whilst making no attempt to run faster, just taking it easy as I ran, and with a couple of busy crossroads to naviagte with the morning traffic, I still managed to run some 10 seconds per kilometre faster than last week, and as I say, that's without trying. Augers well...

On the second front of my target to regain fitness and running respectability, I have been dieting and cutting out the worst offenders of weight gain, and gout. When I returned to Argentina from Ireland in February, I had reached a gigantic, by my standards, 98 Kgs (216 lbs), and without question that is the heaviest I have ever been in my life. I have set a target of getting down to 80 Kgs by the end of June, thats 176 lbs, some 18 Kgs, or 40 lbs to get rid off. A lot will depend on the running, as once I can get that up to a moderate level of consistancy I know the weight will be less of an issue, and the target will be attainable.

I weigh myself on a Monday morning, and on Feb 28th, I was at the starting weight of 216 lbs (98 Kgs) - Well, today, week three into the plan, and I am already down to 205 lbs (93 Kgs), a loss of 11 lbs, or 5 kilos in three weeks - an impressive start, but as I was carrying excessive "holiday weight", it was expected. The target is a kilo a week, that's 2.2 lbs, and from here on it will be interesting to see how I manage this.

All in, I am happy with the start, and all being well this week will see a little more mileage into the legs, and further positive news as I progress.

Well, it is a Running Blog, so.....

I went and had a run.

After the delight of the rugby, I decided that I needed to loosen the legs, and so, with the temperatures still around the 23 degrees mark, at 6 PM, local time, I laced up the shoes, and out I went. I had managed a couple of 2 Km runs this week, and with no side effects being felt, I went a little further today, extending the out and back route by 5 blocks, making a total run of 3.25 KM, which is more or less 2 miles.

Felt a little heavy on the run, and the legs are having to put up with all this extra weight, but, aside from it being a slow pace, I was pleased with the run and the way that I felt whilst running. While I have a long way to go, the journey has to begin with these first steps.

Annual Slaughter Maintained.......

OK, I know this is meant to be a running blog, but as I re-invent myself as a runner, and as a blogger, I feel the need to post about other things that have my interest. Today, it was the Rugby. I love the game, and over in Lansdowne today, the English arrived with the belief that they only had to turn up to complete the Grand Slam in the 6 Nations Championships.

Well, somebody forgot to tell the Irish, and once again, England leave Dublin with their tails between their legs - OK, they may be Champions, but they were humiliated in front of the Irish Crowd, by a tremendous performance by the Boys in Green, and the resulting scoreline of 24 points to 8, flattered Martin Johnson's men. From the very first play of the game, to the final whistle, Ireland ran them ragged, and my only regret is that I wasn't listening to the commentary from the BBC - I wonder what the excuses will be this time.

I can say "This Time", as this is the 7th time in the last 8 seasons that we have beaten the English since they won the World Cup back in 2003.... Whilst the overall performance of Ireland in the 6 Nations wasn't great, they saved the best performance to the last, and with Brian O'Driscoll scoring his 25th Try in the 6 Nations, he becomes the Highest Try Scorer in the history of the Championship.

Roll on the World Cup in New Zealand in September.... We can build on this performance, and the future looks bright, the future is Green!

And now, I think I will go for a run .....

This would be hilarious - If it wasn't true....

It does say in My Blog Title - Ramblings.... So, this post has nothing to do with running, but I felt the need to write it anyway. normal service will be resumed soon.

As most of you know, I relocated to Argentina as part of my sabatical from work, and have been living here for nearly 18 months now. The place is different to Ireland, obviously, but also there are differences that begger belief.

Many that have known me for, (too) many years, will be aware that I used to work for a Trade Union, back when I lived in England, and I have always been pro-union, and believe that Unions serve an essential roll in protecting their members from the worst employers. However, I have always been a progressive trade unionist, and I understand the need of the employer to create the jobs in the first place, and there is little place in a modern society for Unions to exert a political control on the economy. In general, that's how Unions work today in the UK, Ireland, and (Wisconsin aside), the US, with Partnership being the key phrase.

Well, here in Argentina, the unions live in another world - I like to think of it as Cloud Cuckoo Land... next Monday, there is to be a National Strike of the Transport Union here, bringing all modes of transportation to a halt - Trucks, Deliveries, Trains, Buses, even Taxi's, if it moves - it won't on Monday.

Why you might ask? Are the truck drivers under paid? Has their been a major employer conflict between Capitalism and The Workers? NO !!!!

No - The strile has been called because the Leader of the CGT (read TUC or AFLCIO), a guy called Hugo Moyano, is being investigated by the Swiss (yes, that's Swiss as in Switzerland!) Authorities for potential Money Laundering. He happens to be the leader of the Transportation Union as well, so naturally, in order to put pressure on the Swiss Authorities, the people of Argentina are to suffer on Monday, to protest about some judge in Sitzerland investigating a crime. The gnomes of Zurich will be quaking in their boots with this strike, there will be mass demonstrations in Geneva calling for the head of the Swiss Police, Basle will be brought to it's knees..... etc., you get the picture? - Yeh, right!, Like they will even notice, and certainly they won't give a damn......

Now, when I was young, you occassionally heard of strikes taking place, really as an excuse to have a day off, but next week, Thursday and Friday are National Holidays anyway, so effectively, next week will be a Two-day Week for many, thanks to the disruption that will be caused for NOTHING.... It beggers belief....

Here is a link to the, brief, story in the local english language newspaper
http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/61938/more-cgt-unions-join-call-for-national-strike
Naturally, there is far more to this than meets the eye. The Union Movement is a Law onto itself here, and this is a Political move of the worst kind - Sadly, the people follow, accept it is inevitable, put up with it all, shrug their shoulders and life goes on... As I say, sometimes, it beggers belief.....

OK - Think I will go for a run now.... Rant Over.....

St Patricks Day, and a run.

As I am sure I do not have to mention, today, March 17th is St Patricks Day. The patron saint of Ireland, my homeland, and a day when millions around the world become !Irish for the Day". It's a regular feature in American cities, but surprisingly, here in Buenos Aires, it is also celebrated with much gusto, and green beer.

Obviously, the Irish ex-pat community, which is relatively large, celebrate in their own way, and last night I was invited to a reception held by "El Embajador de Irlanda". Today there will be official celebrations at the Cathedral and at Recoleta cemetary, where Admiral William Brown, founder of the Argentine Navy, and son of Mayo, is buried.

Tonight, the streets will be lined with "Plastic Paddies", all decked in green, wearing Guinness hats, and getting completely hammered. Me, well, I will be working this evening, but may grab a pint at the end of the night, to raise one to all the friends back home, who will all be tucked up in bed by then.

But before all that, I managed to get out for a morning run. Again, not a long one, just another little step as I regain some fitness, before starting to think about training, as against turning the legs over slightly faster than when taking a brisk walk. I ran the same short 2km as on Tuesday, albeit some ten seconds faster than then, although I am not trying to run for time, and I am glad to report no ill effects.

So, on with St Patricks Day celebrations, and to one and all,

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh!

Now added back all my race results

Well, thanks to the SAVE button, I managed to retrieve my marathon results, and along with all my Race Results, over the 26 years (gulp!!!) I have been running, I have included them here for your delight (or in case you are suffering with insomnia).

The decline can easily be seen, but there are some fond memories in there.

While I have been away...

Well, having redesigned the front door, I thought I better explain a few things as to what I have been up to while I have been away from posting. The last couple of years have been a dry period, to say the least, in my running. Oh, I managed a couple of little races here and there, but in reality, I haven't even been going through the motions of serious training. With the latest upset (the gout!), and the arrival of another birthday, it's time to refocus, before it gets too late!

Whilst I haven't been doing any serious running, I have been keeping myself in some sort of athletic state, by becoming a regular participant with the Hash House Harriers. Firstly in Dublin, then when I moved to Argentina, I became a regular with the Buenos Aires Hash. Many purists, (Mick!) scoff at the idea of the Hash, and dismiss Hashers as a bunch of drunks, who maybe run a few miles, not helped by our own motto, that the Hash is "A Drinking Club, with a Running Problem".

Well, I can honestly say that I have met a lot of serious runners who enjoy taking part in a Hash event. They are sociable, enjoy the fun, and find it a relaxing way to run, away from the pressures of a HRM, Intervals, and trying to take a couple of seconds of their PB's. And lets be honest, how many serious runners don't enjoy a Pint after a hard race, or club training session? I like to think of the Hash as a form of Social Running, and I will continue to take part in the BA Hash while I stay living here.

So, I will report on my running, and, naturally, on my Hashing. They are inter-linked these days, and just so you can see that not all running has to be taken seriously - Here is a picture from last Sundays Pre-St Patricks Day Hash - No apologies for the apparel!