Bandwagon: Check

Ok, so I'm on the bandwagon. Felt like I had something to contribute to society and just needed a forum for my views. Yeeeah ok so more like I need to start a training log but want to do something different, if even to prove that yes, I am still trying to run.

So, since those of you who are likely to read this (I know the number is small) haven't seen me since I last left the US of A, I'll fill in the blanks...I left the US in June'06, my last race having been the New Bedford half, after which I got injured and spent the rest of the time boozing it up in 308 Hope. I then went a little further east than Ireland, landing in Abu Dhabi on a teaching gig (yes its true, look at the pic), thinking going to a muslim country would help ease my transition of the booze. Turns out not so much, and I got wicked out of shape, to the point where a 4 mile trot with Coste or Tarpy on a brief hiatus back to Brown in June '07 proved to be the near death of me.

Last year saw me get back to my true roots, back in the college environs, surrounded by other fellow academics (avoiders of the real world). Run wise I also made a run to 'competitive' racing on Tarpy's visit to the motherland. I can (un)proudly state a most recent 5k time of 18:57, stunning I know.

After another injury, fitness at an all time low, I got my ass back in gear. And here we are. And it wouldn't truly be daweeman if I didn't have some ridiculous plan in training for my next injury. So here it is:

To maintain my present mileage for a period of ~4 months until I feel confident enough that I can increase the mileage safely (who has already started laughing?)

To run a autumn (thats the fall to my American friends) marathon in '09, most likely Berlin (Vorsprung Durst Technik and all that good stuff)

To be fit to race, yes race, the possible alumni mile in May, with a goal of sub 5:20 (way too ambitious), otherwise put in a respectable beer mile

To drop from my present behemoth size of 11st 9lbs (163lbs for those who prefer the bigger numbers) down to a more respectable size. To do this I am going to begin employing Ed's Secret weapon

So thats the plan. Am I fucked? Most likely. Will it work? Almost most definitely not. So I'll try and keep you entertained with anecdotal moments from daweeman's daily life to make it interesting. And I'll occasionally mention running

Enough to start with

Wed: 6 miles easy (42:48)

Avg HR (beat that DeCoste, I don't see you with HR readings) = 152, max = 165

Felt pretty good, given that my running shoes are in Dundalk and I am in Dublin, the pieces of shit I'm running in at the minute are treating me ok. My left achilles is pretty sore, but not when I run, my favourite type of niggle.

Will keep the posts shorter and sweeter from here on out, unless I have news/stories worthy of mentioning, like the time I visited Ed 2 weeks ago and got so drunk I canceled my credit card because I lost it, and I mean by lost it I put it in my wallet and was too drunk to see it, so was convinced I'd lost it. It was a good night, look, even Ed enjoyed it