Weekend Double Training: 30 K & 12.5 K Run

Today is a special day, because I am scheduled to do something
that I have never done before: double training consisting of
a 30 K run and a 12.5 K run. Together they make a distance
a little beyond that of a full marathon.

I woke up around 8:00 this morning but could not get out of bed until after 10:00.
My body was heavy and I didn't feel motivated to run.
So I had an orange to wake myself up.
Sour juice spread in my mouth, and I was slowly able to think clearly.

I turned on my PC and started watching a marathon race on You Tube.
I watched the women's marathon at the Summer Olympics in Barcelona.
The battle in the last few kilometers between Valentino Egorova and Yuko Arimori
was so dramatic. I imagined all the hard training they had gone through,
and tears welled up in my eyes. I felt motivated enough. I got changed into my athletic gear and hit the road.

<Part 1: 30 K Run>
I went down my regular circular course that's 2.5 K long.
The first session was a 30 K run.
I needed to run it 12 times.

Here's today's result:
1st 2.5 K: 13:03.85
2nd 2.5 K: 13:14.83/26:18.68
3rd 2.5 K: 13:33.83/39:52.51
4th 2.5 K: 13:32.32/53:24.83
Hydration break: 10.69
5th 2.5 K: 13:38.84/1:07:14
Hydration break: 10.64
6th 2.5 K: 13:06.49/1:20:31
Hydration break: 8.55
7th 2.5 K: 13:01.63/1:31:41
Hydration break: 9.06
8th 2.5 K: 13:03.61/1:46:54
P & food break: 2:30.68
9th 2.5 K: 13:08.04/2:02:33
Hydration break: 9.52
10th 2.5 K: 13:20.97/2:16:03
Hydration break: 6.67
11th 2.5 K: 13:20.42/2:29:18
Hydration break: 6.31
12th 2.5 K: 12:26.06/2:42:03
Total 30 K: 2:42:03

I was about to keep a steady pace, and was able to finish strongly.
I had an orange to quench my thirst as soon as I got home even before taking a bath. It tasted great. A long warm shower after that was even greater.
I went to a tempura restaurant to re-fuel myself and rested for an evening session.

<Part 2: 12.5 K Run>
Before the evening session I had a feast for consisting of pork shabushabu, soramame beans, strawberries, a dekopon orange. After taking a rest for an hour I felt ready to go. It was dark outside and the air was colder than in the morning. The road was deserted and better for running. They legs didn't feel as heavy as I thought they might be. In fact, the whole mechanics of my body seemed fluid like liquid. My body felt lighted as I went on. There was practically no pain in any part of my legs. I put on a spurt in the last lap to finish it under 11:30.

Here is the result of the evening session:]
1st 2.5 K: 13:00.05
2nd 2.5 K: 13:16.39/26:16.44
3rd 2.5 K: 12:56.29/39:12.73
4th 2.5 K: 13:03.98/52:16.71
Hydration break: 6.29
5th 2.5 K: 11:22.26/1:03:45
Total 12.5 K: 1:03:45

I ran total 42.5 K today. It's slightly longer than the distance of a full marathon.
I don't feel as tired. It's only natural. The pace was a lot slower than in a real race. Plus there was a long rest between the two sessions. Nonetheless I like my double training. This is because it allows me to run many miles in one day without damaging my legs too much.

My next training is this coming Thursday. 1 K by 10 sets interval training is scheduled. It's speed-oriented training, where you aim at running 1 K at a 4:00/K pace and do it 10 reps with a two-minute rest between sets.