1 K Fast Run

April 26, 2019
Jog: 1:48.10
1 K Fast Run: 4:01.88
Jog: 1:56.58

I hit the road, hoping to refresh myself from hours of focused creative work, but I wasn't only mentally exhausted but also physically fairly beat from high intensity body weight workout on the previous morning, and couldn't push myself beyond 1 K. But I think it's still better than nothing.

Ever since the sad news of Mr. Yoshio Koide's death traveled across the country, I've been watching videos on You Tube of races of his former trainees such as Yuko Arimori and Naoko Takahashi, and I renewed my interest in his training method. In fact, I ordered a book written by the late marathon trainer, and the book arrived yesterday. I already read the first half, and genuinely feel motivated to someday run a sub 3.5 marathon, and at least have a go at a sub 3 marathon also. He writes as if nothing was impossible.  

Mr. Koide, by the way, was my PE teacher when I was in my first year at Sakura Senior High School in Chiba Prefecture. No one would have imagine then that someday he would make the coach of an Olympic gold medalist.

Double Training: 4.1 K Barefoot Run + 10.5 K Barefoot Run

April 25, 2019

<Morning>

Body Weight Home Cardio: 9:45

4.1 K: 22:57.25

<Midnight>

10.5 K: 1:04:05

Total 14.6 K: 1:27:02.25

I woke up at 8. But I couldn't climb out of futon until 9. I felt a bit sore and not completely recovered from the fast 3 K run on the previous night. I almost skipped my morning exercise. But I didn't want to break the habit. So I settled for workout that's less challenging than tire throws. 

When it was over, I was reasonably warmed up, and was in a mood to run. But my legs were heavier than usual. So I only ran a little more than 20 minutes to cover around 4 K and got back home.\

At night I ran the 10.5 K course below and complete the double training for the day to cover a total of 14.6 K for the day.

Tomorrow I'm not running in the morning, mainly because I want to go to work early to get some work done that's both important and urgent. But I hope to run at night. I may run a new course just to keep me motivated. 

Double Training: 6 K Barefoot Jog + 3 K Fast Run

April 25, 2019

<Morning>

Tire throw: 15:00

6 K: 36:00

<Midnight> 

3 K: 20:14.80

Rest: 1:00.32

3 K: 12:24.16

Total 12 K

In the morning I ran 6 K (see below) in bare feet after throwing an old tire twenty times both forward and backward in the nearby park.

Later at night, after coming home from work, I hit the road again in rain to do intervals. I jogged 20 minutes for warm up, and ran around the 880 m loop around the park to do intervals of 3K + 2K + 1K. But I got burned out after the first 3 K. I ran it in 12:24. The average pace is 4:08/K. If I run it @ 4:06/K, and can repeat it ten times without a break, then I can run 10 K in forty-one minutes. My PR for the distance is 41:02. I think it's doable. I want to make it this year. 

There hasn't been much speed training for the last couple of months because my main focus was mainly on full marathon, but as the hot season approaches, I would like to a little more speed training than before along side my regular distance-focused training.

  

13.8 K Build Up

April 21, 2019

13.8 K: 1:12:49 (5:17/K)

Today is Sunday. I had plenty of time all to myself, so I began it with high intensity cardio after having late breakfast. 

Later at night I was finally in long-distance running mode, so I threw myself into running gear and hit the road. It was warm enough to run in shorts. I put on the pair of aqua shoes below for minimum protection of the sole.  

I ran the new 13.8 K course below. It's a slight modification from the 15.8 K course which is a combination of a 10.5 K course and a 5.3 K one. One advantage of this course is I have earlier access to tap water and a public toilet. They are important for a 10 K + run.

The course is rich in undulation.  I picked up pace in both downward and upward inclines, and slowed down to let heart rates come down when it leveled off. It kept me motivated.  

With 3 K remaining, I increased pace and kept it until the end, imagining that I was running the last 3 K of a full marathon. I always feel it's ideal to finish a marathon strongly by running the fastest split in the last quarter.

Tomorrow I take a business trip to Nagoya and give a seminar in Toyota City. I stay over night in central Nagoya and give another seminar on Tuesday. I'm not going to run on Monday night. But I'm going to run the same course on Tuesday night.

My training still roughly follows the program by former ultra marathon world best record holder Mr. Sunada, but I'm beginning to slowly push myself beyond my previous norm. I'm thrilled to see how far beyond it I can get.

First Post-Race Run After Kasumigaura

April 18, 2019

15.8 K: 1:30:12

I had my first practice run after the Kasumigaura Marathon. The soles have completely healed. And I feel completely recovered.  As an experiment I put on a pair of socks for minimum protection with Shoe Goo glued onto the sole. 

This is something I almost always feel in the first running session after a full marathon, I felt light as feather, and felt like I could go on forever. It's a good feeling. It's enough to make me feel that each time you complete a full marathon, regardless of how good or bad the result is, you become stronger. 

I was originally planning to run only 10 K, but I felt so good that I added extra 5.3 K shown on the map above, and made it a good 15 K session. I made a few water stops, and one fairly long break to use the men's room, but increased the pace with east in the last four kilometers, and covered total 15.8 K in about an hour and a half. I sustained the fast pace until the last moment but breathing was easy, and I felt like I could go on another couple of miles at the same pace. I was planning to reduce the amount of training during the off season, but if running has become this much easier than before after the race, I want to keep this capacity, build on it, and carry it through to September to become a much, much stronger and faster version of myself.

Kasumigaura Marathon 2019

On April 14, 2019 I joined Kasumigaura Marathon 2019. I completed it in 3:56:06 gross, and 3:53:13 net. It is the fourth full marathon I completed without wearing shoes. Also, it's my second sub-4 barefoot marathon. I fell 30 seconds short of my barefoot PR of 3:52:43 from Tateyama Wakashio Marathon 2019. But I renewed my shoe-clad personal course record of 4:12:17 from 2016 by almost 19 minutes.

I had 5 goals today:

1) To complete the race in bare feet

2) To run a negative split

3) To run a sub-4 marathon

4) To renew my barefoot PR of 3:52:43

5) To renew my full marathon PR of 3:43:08

I achieved the first three goals, and failed on the last two. But there was an unexpected bonus of the renewal of my personal course record. So I'm glad. 

My race season 2018-2019 is over with this event. There is no major running event scheduled for now until September. I am going to relax for a while. I will probably continue to have a practice run on a regular basis. But it's not going to be as intense as it has been over the last several months. I want to go out for a fun bike ride with local friends before it gets too hot. Also, I want to ride my motorcycle more to explore beautiful places.

I haven't given much thought to how to develop my barefoot adventure. Two sub-4 barefoot full marathons seem enough to make me want to take a break on it, and try something else. But at the same time, one part of me says, "Hey, man, you've come this far. Why not take it a step farther?" Honestly, I don't know where to go next season. I'd like to think about it when I can relax with lots of time to think.

I will write a full report of how I ran the race soon. Please look forward!

10 K Jog

April 12, 2019

10.2 K: 1:08:35

Two days to go before the race. The training tonight is the last session before the race. The main purpose of jogging for about an hour is just to keep the cardio-vascular system nice and alert. The pace is strictly kept slow so that I won't get irrecoverably tired. 

I ran the 10.2 K shuttle course below, taking much longer than usual.

I felt hungry and weak while running. Then I realized that my carb intake was low today, so it's only natural. 

I kept a steady pace, and never increased it until I got home. Once I was home, I felt refreshed, and I was glad that I didn't take a shortcut to finish earlier than scheduled.

After taking a shower, I had vegetable soup, half an apple, a kiwi fruit, and a small baked sweet potato. 

Tomorrow I am going to take a full rest. I'm just going to come home early, eat good dinner, and hit the bed early to get ready for an early start on Sunday morning.

20-Minute Jog + 1 K Fast Run + 20-Minute Jog

March 11, 2019

Jog: 20:03.39 

Rest: 1:00.58

1 K fast run: 4:34.60

Jog: 21:08.16

Total 7 K: 46:46.73

It's 3 days until Kasumigaura Marathon 2019.　Up to this point I've been roughly following the program recommended by former ultra marathon world best record holder Mr. Takahiro Sunada. But I slightly modified his program to make it meet my personal need. Compare his program and my actual schedule below:

<Mr. Sunada's program>

3 days to go: 60-minute jog

2 days to go: 20-minute jog + 1 K fast run + 20-minute jog

the day before the race: 60-minute jog

<My schedule>

3 days to go: 20-minute jog + 1 K fast run + 20-minute jog

2 days to go: 60-minute jog 

the day before the race: full rest

As you can see, everything is shifted one day earlier in my schedule than was originally recommended in Mr. Sunada's program. The biggest reason is I need a full rest on the previous night. On Saturday, I have work. I have a very early start, and also have a very busy schedule at work. So by the time I come home, I have no energy left. I want to hit the bed immediately to have a good night's sleep. 

The only training I still have left to do is a 60-minute jog. I may do it tomorrow morning if I'm in a mood when I get up tomorrow morning. If I'm not, I'll just wait until I come home from work, and do it at night. 

10 K Jog in the Rain

April 10, 2019

10 K: 57:28.47

It's four days until Kasumigaura Marathon 2019. It had been raining since morning, and the temperature remained low throughout the day. Most would cancel training, but I didn't. Mainly because rain wouldn't stop me from running in the race. Also, in Tokyo Marathon 2019 Japan's best record holder Suguru Osako dropped out due to cold weather because he wasn't trained under that kind of weather condition while college runner Horio ran strongly through the bad weather to be the first Japanese runner to cross the finish line. Later he said in an interview that he trained regardless of the weather, so the cold rain didn't bother him at all. I think it's important to be ready for all kinds of weather conditions even as a citizen runner.

I ran in aqua shoes above because they are the best choice for a rainy day run. The sole is meshed, so it drains water even if it gets wet. The upper is polyurethane. It blocks rain and keeps the foot warm.

I ran the 2.5 K loop near my house four times to cover 10 K. I aimed at a 6:30/K pace, but finished much earlier. I was afraid that running at too fast a pace could lead to unrecoverable fatigue, but the faster pace was produced spontaneously, not by some conscious effort, so I'd say it's OK.

I listened to an audio lecture by Robert Kiyosaki about financial intelligence. According to the lecture, there are five financial intelligences that you need to have to live in modern age. According to Robert, it's because money is no longer money because of some important event that occurred in 1971. Later I went online to find out he meant Nixon Shock, the most significant implication of which being that the US dollar stopped being convertible to gold. Further implications of this are beyond my scope of explanation, so let's leave it at that for now. But Robert says money became "currencies" at this point, and the act of "saving" became less important as a result. He goes on to say you need five different intelligences in order to increase your financial wealth. But my understanding is still too limited to give you a further lecture that is informative to you. I will continue my homework and hopefully some time down the road I will share with you something that you may find useful. 

My next training is tomorrow. I will do short interval training. It's going to be my second last training session before the race. 

13.1 K Jog

April 9, 2019

13.1 K: 1:16:52

Five more days to go before Kasumigaura Marathon 2019. I was originally scheduled to jog for an hour, but added an extra couple of miles because I felt good, and also because I didn't train on the previous night due to a thunder storm. I made up for it. 

I ran in minimalist split-toe shoes MUTEKI for minimum protection. Any damage at this stage could cause an unrecoverable damage to the sole. It should be strictly avoided. Therefore the shoes. 

I chose the usual 10.5 K course to run. It's rich in undulation and traffic is minimum. Good for a focused night run. The only downside is that there is only one public toilet along the course, and it's only in the last 500 M. I found one outside a drugstore, but even that is in the last 2 K. So if I want to pee before reaching there, I have no choice but wait.

There are quite a few cherry trees along the course, and many of them are next to lamp posts, so they glowed beautifully in the lights. 

I listened to Brian Tracy and Wendy Suzuki while running. Brian talked about achieving success, and Wendy about exercise and its health benefits. 

I weighed 61 kg after the run. Still a bit heavier than I want to be at the race this week. I'll eat lots of veggies and fruits, and avoid starchy food such as rice and noodles. I may go grocery shopping tomorrow morning to get some fresh veggies from a local grocery store.

90-Minute Jog in Aqua Shoes

April 7, 2019

15.5 K: 1:32:53

One week to go before Kasumigaura Marathon 2019. Still roughly following former ultra marathon world best record holder Mr. Sunada's program, I jogged 15.5 K taking an hour and 32 minutes. I ran in aqua shoes below.

This pair is highly recommended for minimalist runners. It gets you results. I ran Tateyama Wakashio Marathon 2018 in them, and ran my PR of 3:43:08 (net). The sole is meshed runner, so it protects your sole from edgy pebbles, but lets moist out, and doesn't get heavy even when running in rain. The upper is spongy, so it's elastic and never hurts your foot. A pair costs 1,000 yen or so. One usually lasts for half a year. They are quite durable. 

Tonight I combined my favorite 10.5 K course and a new 5 K loop in Yukarigaoka to make it a solid 15.5 K course, perfect for a 90-minute jog.

My weight is kept around 60 kg, so I felt very light. There is no pain in any of my leg joints. There is no back pain or anything. I've never had backache in my life, and I don't think I will for the rest of my life. Backache is largely psychosomatic. I've learned some major emotional causes of back pain, and I don't think I need to deal with those emotions by relying on physical pain. 

According to Mr. Sunada's program, you give yourself a full rest following a 90-minute jog, but I already gave myself a full rest on Saturday night, so I will jog for an hour, which is recommended for the day following the rest day. 

10 K Pace Run

April 5, 2019

A 10 K pace run successfully accomplished. Feels so good. I can relax and enjoy dining with my boss after work tomorrow night. 

1st 880 M: 3:53.95 (Target: 4:19.00)

2nd 880 M: 4:09.81 (Target: 4:19.00)

3rd 880 M: 4:04.86  (Target: 4:19.00)

4th 880 M: 4:01.95  (Target: 4:19.00)

5th 880 M: 4:12.66 (Target: 4:19.00)

6th 880 M: 4:09.37 (Target: 4:19.00)

7th 880 M: 4:04.40 (Target: 4:19.00)

8th 880 M: 4:03.13 (Target: 4:19.00)

9th 880 M: 3:57.87 (Target: 4:19.00)

10th 880 M: 4:04.48 (Target: 4:19.00)

11th 880 M: 3:47.45 (Target: 4:19.00)

320 M: 1:18.35 (Target: 1:34.00)

Total 10 K: 45:48.28 (Target: 49:10.00)

HIIT & 10.5 K Jog

April 4, 2019
High intensity cardio
10.5 K Jog: 1:00:02

There are only ten days remaining before Kasumigaura Marathon 2019.  At this stage there isn't much you can do to dramatically improve your overall speed nor endurance. The only thing you can do is to best maintain your condition until the day of the race. One thing you want to avoid is training too much, and you end up feeling not totally recovered on the race day. So the longest distance I run is up to 10 K or so. And the longest time I run is max 90 minutes. Anything harder than that will be avoided to feel fresh and ready to go when the gun goes off.

Tonight I ran the course rich in undulation mainly to keep myself motivated. I increased pace when running slopes both going up and down to keep the training from being too monotonous. 

Tomorrow night I may jog the same route at the same pace, or may do a 10 K pace run. Or a 10 K build-up perhaps. I can benefit from all of them. I'll just do whichever I'll be in a mood for when the time comes.

Interval Training: 3 K + 1 K

April 3, 2019
Warm Up: 23:17.86
Rest: 1:00.77
<Intervals>
3 K: 12:48.86
Rest: 1:00.56
1 K: 4:03.73
Rest: 1:00.11
************
Warm Down: 21:56.44
(Including lying pull-ups: 10 slow reps + 15 fast reps + 10 fast reps)

On the previous night I had a 10 K jog scheduled, but half way into the training session I ran out of gas, and called it quits after running 5 K in about 35 minutes. So tonight I wanted to do some solid training to make up for it. When I got home, I was sleepy and exhausted, so instead of getting out right away, I took a short nap in bed, feeling warm and recuperating. It worked. After lying down for a little less than an hour, my motivation was back, and I was ready to hit the road.

It was cold outside, but there was no wind. Perfect for a focused late night run. I carefully checked my running form as I jogged. Something has been definitely off ever since I ran the Sakura Marathon. But I couldn't nail it right away.

I set the countdown timer on my Iron Man watch at 1:00, and checked my cadence, which I hadn't done in a while. It was way lower than before. I figured that was it. I increased my cadence up to 180 steps a minute. I felt lighter.

There is only eleven days left before the race, but I don't think it's too late to calibrate my cadence at this stage of prep. Hopefully, I will have improved my running efficiency by the race.

25.2 K Run in Bare Feet

March 31, 2019

25.2 K: 2:32:48

A week from Sakura Asahi Kenko Marathon 2019, my motivation is finally back. With only two weeks to go before the Kasumigaura Marathon I went for a long run. The pace was a lot slower than the target recommended in former ultra marathon world's best record holder Mr. Sunada's program, I ran 5 K longer, plus I ran in bare feet, so I feel it's even. 

I ran 9.9 K to reach the Kashiwai Water Treatment Plant, and circled around it twice, and added a lap of a 1 K loop next to the plant. 

I ran carefully not to damage my soles. 

When I got home and took a shower, I felt a slight pain in my left sole, and took a look. There was a cut in there. I didn't know how I got it there. It's a bit frustrating that my sole wasn't strong enough to stay intact even after completing such a tough race as the Sakura Marathon. When will it be invincible?