Weekend Long Run: 30 K Run

Dec. 16, 2018

30.05 K: 2:52:28 

I ran 30 K in 2:52:28. I ran in minimalist split-toe shoes MUTEKI. I wasn't sure if I could make it when I started  off, because I was a bit tired from a chronic lack of sleep. Plus, I took Mom to Ueno in the afternoon to help her buy swimsuits, so I couldn't relax the way I usually do by doing something like riding my Kawasaki Vulcan S 650 ABS to a nearby cafe to enjoy reading and blogging. But it was important training for my recent biggest goal of running my first sub-4 barefoot marathon at Tateyama Wakashio Marathon 2019. Also, a 34 K test run on part of the Tokyo Marathon course is scheduled on the 29th of this month with a number of runner friends of mine. I am the leader who leads the group, so I should be comfortable with the target distance. My initial plan was to lap the water plant several times to cover a certain distance, but I didn't want to lap it so many times, so I needed to find a good shuttle course to gain a substantial distance so that by combining the distance gained from the shuttle run and that gained by lapping the water plant, I would be able to cover a near 30 K distance. Above is the new 7 K shuttle course between home and the water plant that I discovered on Google Map. 

The plan worked like a charm. The combined distance gained from taking a one-way trip to the plant along the new course is 7 K, so when you come back on the same course, the total distance is already 14 K. If I ran 16 K more, I'd make 30 K. This number could be almost reached if I lapped the water plant 7 times, because one lap is 2.2 K, and 7 times 2.2. is 15.4. 14 plus 15.4 makes 29.4 K.3. An additional lap around a quarter-pie-shaped loop near my home, which is 650 M in distance, would make tonight's training a solid 30 K run.

I put on wind-breaking pants to keep my legs warm. But I put on a regular running T-shirt with long sleeves to allow for ventilation. But in case it should feel too cold, I had a wind breaker on as well. 

Halfway into the new shuttle course, I found myself enjoying it a lot. The biggest reason is that it's dark and quiet. I love running alone in the dark. I can focus on my mind-body. I can almost hear the tick-tuck of my physical mechanism, the inner working of my mind-body.

From years of training, I knew that the first several kilometers were rarely comfortable. The legs feel heavy and cardio is not warmed up yet. It is only after running 7 K, in my case at least, that I start feeling light. And that's exactly when I started feeling like I was on a wheel, and with feathers! 

From the 7 K mark on, I started lapping around the water plant. One lap is 2.2 K. My eventual total running distance would be determined by how many laps I would run. Five makes 11 K, six 13.2 K, seven 15.4 K. I went on without deciding how many, vaguely hoping that my motivation would last till I hit at least five.

Lapping the same route over and over has both good points and bad points. One bad point is that it can be boring. Think of doing the same thing over and over at work. It's not exciting unless you love it almost to the point of being addicted. I enjoy making small efforts to keep myself motivated. Tonight I ran one lap clockwise, and the following lap counter-clockwise. This forced me to use two different mindsets alternately. It helped me stay alert.

 What is a benefit then? Of course it's easy to judge your condition. You can easily compare your feeling in one lap with that in another. Also, it's easy to mentally calculate your total running distance. One thing I realized while running tonight was that while running the 7th lap, I suddenly felt my energy tank was empty. It almost came in an instant. I wasn't ready. I had no choice but to slow down. I quickly did mental math and figured that I had just run half marathon distance, the distance I'm so used to running.  Ordinarily, when I have run that distance, the game is over, and I get rewarded with food and sports. Tonight I had no emergency food with me. The only thing I had was tap water available along the loop at every 2.2 K. What did I do? Tonight I did two things. One, I accepted my limitation. There is no energy left. My glycogen is gone. So is my visceral fat, the fat around my internal organs. There is no way I could pick up the pace any more, not to mention sustain the same pace. Two, and this is important. I tapped the reserve tank to sustain my effort: subcutaneous fat, or so-called belly fat. 

Your body stores body fat in two different areas: around your internal organs on the one hand, and under the skin on the other. There is an order in which they are used as energy for activity. The fat around the internal organs, so-called visceral fat, is used first. The fat under the skin, so-called subcutaneous fat, is used next. Most daily activities do not require such a large consumption of calories. And therefore, visceral fat suffices. That is one reason, most people have so much difficulty getting rid of belly fat once they have gotten it. 

However, in a critical situation, such as the one I experienced tonight, you have no choice but to rely on subcutaneous fat in order to sustain your physical activity. It's the money you keep under the mattress. It's not a lot, but does in a pinch. 

I kept my motivation by thinking that now I was burning what little calories left in my subcutaneous fat reserve. Every step forward meant a sure weight loss. I was steadily getting closer to my ultimate weight target of 58 kg in which I want to run Tateyama Wakashio Marathon 2019.

My legs were sore, and my upper body was stiff. But the thought that I was doing what was important to achieve my goal kept me going. And when I finally reached home after successfully covering 30 K, a smile was back on my face, and I was so glad that I didn't give up.

To minimize physical soreness on the following day I did sufficient stretching before getting inside home. Once I took a shower and hit the bed, I kept on sleeping for 11 hours non-stop. When I woke up, I was engulfed with indescribable mental calmness. 

I had breakfast consisting of a grilled sardine, a pack of fermented soybeans, and boiled broccoli and spinach. There was little starch food on my plate, because that would kill my effort on the previous night. 

After having breakfast, I hopped on my Kawasaki Vulcan S 650 ABS, and went grocery shopping at a local organic veggie shop, and bought sweet potatoes, tomatoes, beat roots, edible chrysanthemum, dried shrimp, and locally grown kiwi fruits, and so on.  

Tomorrow I have a corporate seminar in Yokohama and a lecture in Akasakamitsuke. I must stay at a hotel that night to get ready for a 7-hour seminar starting at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning. I want to do all the jobs at my highest energy level. So I will skip running training on Tuesday night, and restart it on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, I might go out for a jog just to loosen up my whole body that's a bit sore from the big training yesterday.