Thursday, June 28, 2018

Thursday Night Intervals: 6 Sets by I K

Jog: 20:00.00 (MUTEKI)
<Intervals>(MUTEKI)
1st lap: 4:31.83
Jog: 1:00.20
2nd lap: 4:15.70
Jog: 1:00.24
3rd lap: 4:26.49
Jog: 1:00.37
4th lap: 4:22.53
Jog: 1:00.25
5th lap: 4:24.14
Jog: 1:00.04
6th lap: 4:13.00
Jog: 20:00.00 (barefoot)

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

High Intensity Cardio Followed by 2.5 K Jog

Today is a cardio day! Instead of burning calories slowly by jogging I chose to do high intensity cardio to burn many calories quickly. Today's routine consists of a hand-clap push up, a squat, a tire-curl, a tire-raise, mountain climbers, and jumping leg lunges with a tire raised overhead. One set is one minute. You can usually do this routine three times in one set. After taking a short break for 15 seconds, I repeated this set nine more times to make it altogether 10 sets. It was extremely challenging as an old tire with with a steel wheel inside increases the resistance when doing the lunges. When the last set was over, I felt like I just got out of a sauna bath, steam rising from the top of my head. I thought I could fry an egg on my head top because my body temperature rose to an insane level.

After the cardio I took off my shoes and jog barefooted for about 15 minutes.  


When I took a shower after coming home from jogging, I felt like a new man.

Sunday, June 24, 2018

25.5 K Barefoot Run


Today is one of the most fulfilling Sundays in recent times. I did four of my most favorite activities to my heart's content: gardening, cooking, riding my motorcycle, and barefoot run.

Today I ran a 8.5 course 3 laps. The course consists of a 6 K shuttle section and a 2.5 K loop. The former is rich in undulation and the latter almost flat.

I had two goals in mind today. One is to run without damaging my soles. The second is to run the last lap the fastest of three. After coming home from the run and taking a shower, both of my soles look OK. So I guess the first goal was achieved. As far as the second goal, the last lap was the fastest though the improvement was small.

I have an early start tomorrow morning, and come home from work fairly late at night, so I will probably take a full rest, and restart my practice run on Tuesday.

The laps tonight are shown below:
1st 8.5 K: 44:26.31
2nd 8.5 K: 44:52.16
3rd 8.5 K: 44:15.23
Total 25.5 K: 2:13:33

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Thursday Night Intervals: 8 Sets by 1 K @ 4:30/K Pace

I did intervals after coming home from work. I did the first jog and intervals in Baretrek. And I did the last jog in bare feet. I'm too exhausted to write anything else but the lap for each K.



20-Minute Jog: 3.2 K
Intervals:
1st Lap: 4:28.84
Jog (120 M): 1:00.22
2nd Lap: 4:14.02
Jog (120 M): 1:00.50
3rd Lap: 4:19.34
Jog (120 M): 1:00.32
4th Lap: 4:27.70
Jog (120 M): 1:00.15
5th Lap: 4:18.39
Jog (120 M): 1:00.27
6th Lap: 4:23.62
Jog (120 M): 1:00.28
7th Lap: 4:22.45
Jog (120 M): 1:00.33
8th Lap: 4:10.87
Jog (380 M): 4:00.91
20-Minute Jog: 3.6 K
Total 16.02 K: 1:26:03

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

10 K Jog in MUTEKI

After resting for an entire day on Monday, I felt recovered, so I restarted my running training with an hour jog. I ran in minimalist split-toe shoes MUTEKI by Kineya.
I ran around a 2.5 K loop near my house four times at a very comfortable pace except for the last lap, and covered 10 K in a little less than an hour.

I carefully checked my running form as I usually do when I slowly jog. I listened to "Hairspray" while running because I wanted to make use of the training time for my English training also. 

The laps are shown below:
1st 2.5 K + 160 M: 16:22.25
2nd 2.5 K: 15:42.69
3rd 2.5 K: 15:27.62
4th 2.5 K: 11:16.64
Warm Down: 160 M: 1:10.51
Total 10.32 K: 59:59.15

In the 4th lap I surged, keeping a 4:30/K pace throughout the lap. I like finishing my daily training this way: finishing strongly.  

Sunday, June 17, 2018

25 K Barefoot Run


Today is Sunday. After days of hard work I finally have all day to myself. I slept late this morning, giving myself a good rest. I enjoyed cooking spicy noodles with minced pork and beaten egg. After that I relaxed as I watched my favorite programs on TV. It was almost 1 p.m. that I was finally in a mood to do something. I changed into my running gear and hit the road.

Today's goal is running over 25 K. I added four laps of a 650 M loop to my favorite 6 K shuttle course to make a 8.6 K course. I aimed at running it three times.

I started off slowly to warm up, and finished the first lap between 45 and 46 minutes. After getting some water from a bottle I left for the second lap. I kept the steady pace to finish it at almost the same time as the first lap. In the last lap I picked up the pace. While running the second lap I felt a blister developed in the ball of my right foot. Compared with the shuttle course the 650 M loop has a much worse road condition. I ran carefully to minimize damage to the sole, but couldn't completely avoid the development of a blister. Although the blister caused a little discomfort, that didn't stop me from accelerating where the road condition was good. I steadily increased the pace until I hit the turning point of the shuttle course. But then when I came to the last steep uphill after leaving behind the turning point, I felt I was running out of gas, and had no choice but to slow down. I took smaller steps to minimize energy loss to climb it. When I finally reached the top, I felt renewed motivation well up in me. I accelerated. Ten minutes later I was back to the 650 M loop. Four more laps around it and it's over. But this is the hardest part. The discomfort in the right sole had turned into pain. I had to use the knee to buffer the landing shock, and ran even more carefully to be protective the damaged area. One lap is done. And then another. When the last lap finally came, I mustered up what little energy left in me and kicked while ignoring the building pain in the sole. When I finally reached home and stopped my watch, the time was way better than the first two. Almost unthinkably better. So I thought that probably I lost count somewhere. Probably while running the third lap, I thought it was the fourth and came home after it. Anyhow, even without including it, I covered 25 K, so I think that's OK.

The times of the training today are shown below:
1st lap (8.6 K): 45:43.02
2nd lap (8.6 K): 45:50.47
3rd lap (7.95 K): 40:39.92
Total 25.15 K: 2:12:13
 

Thursday, June 14, 2018

Thursday Night Intervals: 1 K by 7 Sets

Thursday night is interval night. I got straight home after work without stopping by the Ohedo sushi restaurant. As soon as I got home I changed into my running gear. Tonight I put on a pair of Baretrek. They are minimalist running shoes made by Tesla with little cushioning. They are designed for Westerners' feet, and very narrow. They are a bit tight for me, but not to the point of being uncomfortable.

I began my training tonight with a 20-minute jog to warm up. I ran very slowly mainly to check my running form. When it's done, I took a brief water break and walked to a 880 M loop around the park near my house. I run around it once and run extra 120 M to cover 1 K. The target time for each lap is 4:30. I then jog back to the starting point. The interval between laps is one minute. I did it seven sets. That is one set more than usual. I finished under 4:30 in all seven sets. In the last one I finished under 4:00. The details is shown below:

Warm Up: 20:00.00
Interval: 4:00.00
1st lap: 4:17.35
Interval: 1:00.10
2nd lap: 4:22.41
Interval: 1:00.16
3rd lap: 4:23.60
Interval: 1:00.13
4th lap: 4:21.48
Interval: 1:00.21
5th lap: 4:25.17
Interval: 1:00.11
6th lap: 4:22.35
Interval: 1:00.33
7th lap: 3:51.51
Interval: 4:00.70
Warm Down: 20:09.49
Total: 14.7 K: 1:20:00

Tomorrow night I will jog for one hour in bare feet. On Saturday I will give myself a rest. And on Sunday I'll have a go at a 25 K pace run at 4:55/K pace in bare feet.





Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Barefoot One-Hour Jog


After taking a full rest yesterday I felt fully recovered from an altogether 45.9 K run over the weekend, so I went for an hour-long jog at a very comfortable pace. I aimed at 6:30/K pace to cover somewhere around 9.2~9.3 K, but ended up running at 6:00/K pace to cover a little more than 10 K in one hour.

Instead of running the usual 6 K shuttle course, I ran a 2.5 K loop starting from home. The road surface is a bit rough here and there, and therefore it's not very friendly to the sole, but when running at such a comfortable pace, it didn't bother me at all. In fact, it was perfect for toughening it without damaging it.

1st 2.5 K: 14:35.66
2nd 2.5 K: 14:49.36
3rd 2.5 K: 14:44.85
4th 2.5 K: 14:47.57
Warm Down: 1:03.45
Total 10 K: 1:00:00

Tomorrow is interval day. I'm scheduled to do 1 K by six sets with an interval of one minute.



Monday, June 11, 2018

Post-Typhoon Half Marathon in Aqua Shoes


By 10:00 p.m. the typhoon had gone, and it had stopped raining. The air was cool and the streets were deserted. It was perfect for a night run. My soles were just a little bit sore from a 24 K run yesterday, so I hit the road in a pair of aqua shoes for minimum protection. 

I added two laps of a 650 M quarter-pie-shaped loop to my regular hilly 6 K shuttle course to make a new course that is 7.3 K in total. I ran it three laps tonight to cover half marathon distance. The result is shown below:

1st 7.3 K: 36:38.56
2nd 7.3 K: 36:56.68
3rd 7.3 K: 34:47.53
Total 21.9 K: 1:48:22 

I am glad that I ran the last lap the fastest of all three. 

Sunday, June 10, 2018

24 K Barefoot Run in the Rain

I ran 24 K in the rain. I ran in bare feet. I ran my favorite 6 K shuttle course four times with a brief hydration and food break after every 6 K.

1st 6 K: 33:39.13
Food and Hydration Break :34.44
2nd 6 K: 33:32.34
Food and Hydration Break :27.73
3rd 6 K: 35:06.79
Food and Hydration Break :42.57
4th K: 36:12.80
Total 24 K: 2:20:15

I don't mind running in the rain. As long as it's not too cold, of course. Low temperature is demotivating. Today's daytime highs were 20 degrees Celsius. Cool, but not cold. I don't mind running on wet roads in bare feet either. Actually I kind of enjoy it. Every time I splash into a puddle, dirt on my feel gets rinsed off.

I ran very slowly today. I took distance over speed. I hadn't run longer than 20 K for quite a while. I wanted get used longer distances slowly. Otherwise, you could get burned out and wouldn't want to run again for days. That'd hurt consistency.

Over all it was a pleasant run. But around 13 K I felt pain in my right knee.  It often happens around that distance, so I wasn't surprised. It disappeared within one kilometer. It happens a lot during races also. In races, I do not stop. I grit my teeth and bear, and keep on running. But training is not a race. You don't want to get injured by pushing too much. I sometimes walked for half a minute, and then ran again. When I did so, the pain had gone away. But it would come back again after a while. Again I slowed down to walk for a while.

When I was about to finish my fourth lap, I had a choice between calling it a day, or going for another. By then, I felt a bit cold, and hungry also. I decided to finish for the day.

After taking a warm shower, I gave my legs a massage. There was a lump of a decent size behind my right knee at the top end of the calf. I rubbed massage cream on it, and the lump seemed to become less tense.

Another 6 K would have made it a grand 30 K, but I didn't regret that I fell short of the distance. I want to become stronger slowly until the Aqua Line Marathon in October.

I finished the last small piece of sponge cake after the shower. But I was, of course, still very hungry. I took a brief nap on futon till my bilingual companion arrived for a stay. I borrowed her car from Madam Fumiko, and she and I went to the Ikinari Steak restaurant near JR Sakura Station. She had a 300g steak, and I had 450g. We ate till we dropped. We both felt so full that we went to the AEON Shopping Mall to do some window shopping. As I strolling around the mall, I was thinking about how to increase the challenging-ness of my running training.

Saturday, June 9, 2018

Weekend Night Ride Between Home and Narita


I went for a bike ride after coming home from work. I bought a new helmet in Ueno on my way home, and also I had protectors that I had ordered from Amazon that arrived two days ago. I wanted to try them all on and hit the road. 

I bought a full face helmet instead of a jet type. Many riders who ride cruisers tend to wear a jet helmet because they usually look good in it, and I agree. But this time I took safety over fashion.

I bought a black with some green here and there, hoping it would match the lime green of the cask wheels.  I can't see how I look in the dark, and while I'm riding it. So next time I see my bilingual companion, I'll ask for her feedback. Hope she thinks they match. 

The ride between home and Narita was refreshing. I love riding a bike late at night.  There are far fewer cars on the road. There are few pedestrians on the sidewalks that I need to watch out for. 

A 20 K ride brought me to Central Narita. JR Narita Station looked renovated and clean. I cruised very slowly down the main street that connects the train station and the temple. It was unexpectedly lively with quite a few bars and restaurants still open. There were a good mix of Japanese and foreigners there. The area seemed to have become fairly international since I was there last.

As I came nearer to the temple, there were fewer and fewer shops, and the street became less lively and darker. I kept on until I hit Route 51, took a right, and went back the same route. 

On my way home I dropped by a Starbucks cafe near JR Sakura Station. It's one of my favorite Starbucks cafes in the area. It's on the corner of wide streets next to a large parking lot. It's surrounded by large open space. It's open until midnight, and is usually reasonably crowded until then. In eight minutes it's closed, so I must leave soon. But I want to come here again to take a rest while touring.   

Thursday, June 7, 2018

Intervals: 1 K by 6 Sets

Thursday is interval day. So I was planning to go home early to hit the road. But then I got new reading assignment from Boss, so I worked extra one hour. By the time I got home, I felt stressed out, and wasn't in a mood for running. But knowing motivation only rises from action, I threw my feet into MUTEKI, my minimalist split-toe sock-like shoes, and slowly started jogging. After jogging for twenty minutes, I felt warmed up. So I decided to do what I was originally scheduled to do: 1 K by 6 sets intervals with one-minute jogging between sets. The result of the training tonight is shown below:

Jog: 20:00.56
Rest: 5:28.58
1st K: 4:33.19
Jog: 1:00.14
2nd K: 4:17.87
Jog: 1:00.07
3rd K: 4:18.92
Jog: 1:00.17
4th K: 4:26.27
Jog: 1:00.31
5th K: 4:24.80
Jog: 1:00.24
6th K: 4:28.07
Rest: 2:00.11
Jog: 20:00.61
Total 13.6 K: 1:18.59

I was still sore from muscle training I did yesterday and this morning. Much of the nutrition seems taken away to fix micro tears in the muscles targeted in the training. I didn't feel that my legs were sufficiently fueled as I went through the sets. Hopefully, I'll have fully recovered by the weekend so that I can do a long run either on Sunday or Monday.