Whoever follows @RudeRetro on Twitter must know already that I have been running since the summer and you may also know that today I created a challenge on the Nike+ website. That challenge is to run 1200km in one year which 100km a month and just less than 25km a week.

I am not a fast runner. Nor do I have a lot of stamina but I hope to change the stamina situation. To be honest, I was never much of an athlete. It’s not that I didn’t like sports but I was a bit lazy in my school days and a lot lazy after I left. For years I used to tell the joke: I went for a run once, I didn’t like it. The fact it though, it wasn’t a joke. In my college days I got up early one morning and without stretching or preparing in any way I headed out for a jog. It was refreshing. Later that morning I went to class and half way through the day my body started to ache. The next day was much worse and I didn’t go for a run for about 15 years. That was last year.

I lived in Australia for two years and worked mostly in construction so I was able to turn my skinny frame into something more muscular. I had never been so healthy in my life despite having a hectic nightlife. And I am talking hectic. One time after work on a Friday (I got up at 6am) I headed off to a weekend rave with my friends and didn’t sleep until Sunday afternoon. Anyway, I diverge.

After Australia I moved to Japan where I now reside and didn’t exercise much after the first year and even then it was just a few sit-ups, push-ups and dumbbells while watching TV.  Well, gradually I started putting on weight and gradually can be a lot of weight over 8 years. When I left Ireland I was about 62kg and now am closer to 75. Still I am not terribly fat. I had a checkup recently in Japan and the doctor didn’t mention my weight and they are quite strict here. That said I have soft stomach and a double chin, both of which I want to change and that is why I am running. I loved when I was fit and healthy and I want to return to that form. I also want to look good for my wife. She looks amazing even after having a baby.

I use the Nike+ system as it is a great motivator. I have always been interested in improving my ability and checking my progress and the Nike+ system makes it very easy. I had already been considering it when I read this article in Wired and that just decided it for me. Check it out: The Nike Experiment.

I started running last year but I ran only on the running machine in the gym and then as some of you might remember I took part in the 10km race of the Yokohama City Marathon.　Going to the gym was a bit of a pain in the ass. I cycled there and then spent a few minutes changing and then cycled home. I liked the fact that I could measure the distance on the running machines though and as I mentioned that itself is a motivator for me.  It just consumed a lot of my day. Running is different though. I start running outside my house and turn around when I get half way so when I am finished I am home. Nike+ records my time, speed and distance on my wife’s pink iPod Nano. Then I transfer it to the Nike+ website via iTunes. It’s a great way to keep track of your runs. You can check my Nike+ profile here: http://my.nike.com/Rude-Retro

This is surely my most personal post on Tee Reviewer and I didn’t even mention a t-shirt but anyway if anybody wants to join my challenge or friend me on Nike+ that’d be great.