Barefoot Hill Intervals

May 8, 2019
3 K: 18:42.67
<Hill Intervals>
1st K: 4:52.77
Rest: 30.15
2nd K: 4:32.96
Rest: 30.25
3rd K: 4:29.98
Rest: 30.27
4th K: 4:23.86
Rest: 30.44
5th K: 4:19.62
2.1 K: 6:48.30
0.9 K: 3:37.64
Total 10 K: 53:48.91

I was in a mixed feeling. I felt too lazy to just jog. But I wasn't motivated enough to do solid speed-focused training. Every time I feel this way, my recent solution is just to start running without deciding exactly what to do. Sort of like a go-with-the-flow kind of approach.

 I left home at a snail pace, jogging along the first half of the 6 K shuttle course.

Much of the first 2 K of the course has good road surface. It's well-paved, and it feels good on the sole. Then the last 1 K is hilly and the first downhill has a rough road condition. I carefully minimized landing shock to protect the sole.

By the time I reached the halfway point of the 6 K shuttle course, I felt warmed  up enough to do some fast runs. I turned around and picked up pace to go back where I came from for a 1 K fast run. There is a long downhill in the first half, and there is a steep uphill in the latter half. Friction suddenly increased between the sole and the road surface. It took a while to figure out how to run fast without much discomfort. 

The first time was well over the target of 4:30. But from the second rep on, I slowly got accustomed to running fast in bare feet. I did 5 fast runs, but finished the last one at the best time. 

I headed back home, jogging, but then with about one kilometer remaining, I felt like running faster again, so I injected pace and continued on that way till I reached home.

It was a solid 10 K run with a lot of change of pace, and rich in undulation. It was a very satisfying one too. It's quite unexpected. I wasn't so motivated at first. But as I went along, I felt better and better. A fast run feels tough at first. But there is always a tremendous feeling of accomplishment when it's done. It fuels my motivation further. And before you know, you have become a fire ball that keeps on rolling, unstoppable!