25 K Run in MUTEKI

Dec. 9, 2018

25 K: 2:22:16

I ran 25 K in 2:22:26. I ran in split-toe minimalist shoes MUTEKI. I'm too burned out to write any more, except that after I took a shower I weighed a little under 60 kg. It's the first time in 32 years that my weight is below 60 kg.  

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It's Dec. 10, 2018. I woke up feeling recovered. Thanks to quick stretching right after the training last night, there is little stiffness left in the legs. I took off my clothes and stepped on the scale. I weigh exactly 60 kg. A slightly increase in weight is probably due to a small meat I had after the training: boiled broccoli, fresh arugula ([ﾙｯｺﾗ]), and a small bowl of miso soup with beaten egg, sliced shiitake mushroom, and chopped spinach. Not much, but just enough to supplement my body with all the minerals and vitamins that I lost through perspiration.

When I woke up this morning, though, I thought I would be hungry. But to my surprise, I didn't feel like a big breakfast. So I had left-over miso soup with dried sardines in it. They had gotten soggy from soaking up all the soup. They are a good source of protein. I had some fresh arugula left over from last night, so I had it too. But other than that I didn't eat anything. Not that I wanted to keep the weight I had. I simply felt mysteriously satisfied with that soup alone.

At noon I was in Ueno, buying sushi at Ohedo's to eat it with my bilingual companion later on. While I was waiting for my order to be ready, I grabbed a few dishes of nigiri. By then I was reasonably hungry. I had cod's white roe to take in cholesterol. I had two dishes of yellow-tail. Most yellow-tails are grown in sea farms nowadays. But the one I had was wild one. How can you tell? The chef said so. But how can you tell he tells the truth? Well, I know it's true, because I've seen meat from a wild yellow-tail countless times because my parents were running a sushi restaurant, and I had seen the real McCoy for years until they retired. The meat from a fish grown in a sea farm is very fatty, usually unnaturally marbled while that from a wild one is less so, and looks kind of evenly pinkish. I had four pieces today. They were quite satisfying. 

Now let me get back to talking about my training last night. I started off without deciding how far to go. My first destination was the Kashiwai Water Treatment Plant. On the map it says it's 3.6 K away from home. Last time I Google-mapped the route it said 3.7 K. Funny. Anyhow, whichever is right, it's a good distance for warm up. 

It was the coldest night this winter, so I bundled up. I had my headset on and listened to a lecture by Brian Tracy of "The New Psychology of Selling". Brian is an excellent speaker, witty, informative, and enthusiastic. His speech would keep me motivated during the run.  

Once I reached the water plant, I started lapping it. The course is very easy to run. There isn't much traffic, especially late at night. The road surface is fairly well-maintained with few pot holes or rough spots. Also, it's rich in undulation. All four races scheduled for next year are hilly. It provides me with a perfect condition for preparing for the races.  

How many laps I would do was a big question. I said to myself minimum six. 2.2 K by six makes 13.2 K. Suppose it's 3.7 K between home and the plant, a round trip makes 7.4 K. 13.2 plus 7.4 K makes 20.6 K. It'd be a solid run.

As I was about to finish my 5th lap, though, I felt like going farther. It's not easy to gather up motivation to go for a long run. It's only once or twice a week at best. I'm too busy to do it on weekdays. So I wanted to take the opportunity when I felt strong enough to go farther.

Inner talk set in. I said to myself, "All right. One more lap, and it's six. Your original target. Then you can go home, take a warm shower, and crash." This has a tremendously powerful influence on my sub-conscious. It stops resisting. My mind-body is not relaxed. I feel less fatigued. A mere prospect of approaching end of hard training is sufficient to reset your motivation.

When you are relaxed, you feel less tired. When you are done with the 6th lap, naturally you are ready to go farther. I continued to move on.

While running the 7th lap, I found myself continuing to talk with myself. Doing a little math also. 2.2 K by 7 makes 15.4 K. 15.4 K plus 7.4 K makes 22.8 K. That's a good distance, because it's already beyond half marathon distance. I'm feeling good. But then suddenly I start feeling hungry! Oh, God, what should I do? Go home soon and eat something? That thought was so tempting. But then another side of me says something else: "Hey, Gak, good for you! You've finally reached the point where your body fat is mostly gone, and you're tapping the love handles for energy!" I have this personal goal of running a full marathon next January weighing between 58 kg and 59 kg. And shedding a few pounds off my waist is a big contributor in further weight loss. I could feel renewed motivation rising up inside me. But since I hadn't run beyond half marathon distance for so long, it started taking a toll on my legs. I felt slight tightness building up in my left hamstring. I made conscious effort to loosen up my body. I even slowed down a bit. I checked my running form and tried to eliminate any element of inefficiency.

When I finally completed 8 laps, I felt tremendously rewarded. I went back the second half of the shuttle course between the water plant and home to cover 25 K in 2:22:16.