15 K Barefoot Build Up in the Rain

June 30, 2019

6.3 K: 31:34.52 (5:00/K)

5 K: 26:30.61 (4:42/K)

4.3 K: 19:55.34 (4:38/K)

15.6 K: 1:15:00 (4:48/K)

When I woke up this morning, it was drizzling.

Perfect a barefoot run!

I left home at a comfortable pace of around 5:00/K, and reached the 5 K loop in Yuhkarigaoka in about 31 minutes.

From there I picked up the pace, aiming to make it around the loop under 24:50. It's sub 3.5 marathon pace. I ran the loop well under the target. But it has its own price. 

While I was originally aiming to increase my pace even more in the remaining 4.3 K, that faster-than-planned pace took a toll on me. My legs were heavy, and otherwise easy upward inclines seemed like heartbreak hills!

I did my best hold the pace, but when I finally reached home, I was afraid the pace in the last section was perhaps worse than the pace while running the loop.

Later I discovered that it wasn't so. It was a relief. I'm definitely becoming faster mainly thanks to interval training, but holding that pace for two~three hours is another story. My goal in June is to build long distance endurance. I will be doing a lot of easy running late at night where the minimum running time is an hour and a half, and ideally for two hours.

Interval Training: 3 Sets by 1 K @ 4:00 + 3 Sets by 1 K @ 4:30 with a 1-Minute Active Rest Between Sets

June 26, 2019

Warm Up 4.1 K: 26:32.28
Rest: 30.66

<Intervals>
1st K: 4:04.89
Active rest: 1:00.32
2nd K: 3:55.97
Active rest: 1:00.67
3rd K: 4:03.79
Active rest: 1:00.08
4th K: 4:17.26
Active rest: 1:00.14
5th K: 4:23.00
Active rest: 1:00.08
6th K: 4:04.38

Warm Down 4.5 K: 26:14.14 (barefoot)
Final 1 K: 4:12.30 (barefoot)
Total 15.6 K: 1:27:19

Made Huarache Debut! （ワラーチデビュー）

June 25, 2019

8.6 K: 43.08.29

1 K: 4:18.59

1 K: 3:49.12

Total 10.6 K: 51:16.00

I made a huarache debut tonight. I made a pair from flip-flops from a dollar shop by replacing the thongs with paracord I bought from Amazon. 

I ran 10.6 K mostly at an easy pace but surged in the last couple of kilometers. In the first few kilometers, I had to readjusted the cord to find the most comfortable fitting, but after a couple of trials and errors I found the right one, and from that point on I cruised along like a man of a running tribe.

The paracord didn't cause any pain. That was a relief. But running in huaraches was just worryingly too comfortable. I can easily imagine completing a full marathon in them. Cushioning is just too comfortable with the hundred-yen flip-flops. There is no challenge. I must find a less comfortable material that gives me a close-to-bare-feet feeling. It may be a piece of leather. It may be a piece of old tire. Whatever that may be, I don't have the slightest intention of paying that much money for it. To me, barefoot is, and will always be, the best option. 

10.5 K Barefoot Run

June 17, 2019

10.5 K

Twelve hours after the park workout earlier this morning, I was in a mood to run a decent distance at a steady pace, so I hit the road in bare feet, and ran the course below.

The road was still a bit warm from the daytime heat, and it felt pleasant on the bare feet. 

The legs felt heavy from lactic acid produced in some fast runs in the morning. But I'm hoping that the session tonight, which is conducted at a relatively comfortable pace, will help quicken the recovery process by promoting blood circulation and consequently elimination of metabolic wastes. 

Summer Stamina Training

June 14, 2019

Jog 3.5 K: 20:42.67
60 tire throws: 11:22.64
Rest: 30.08
<180 M Sprints>
1st: 30.50
Rest: 1:00.04
2nd: 31.40
Rest: 1:00.39
3rd: 32.17
Rest: 1:00.17
4th: 31.87
Rest: 1:00.12
<Tire Runs: 3:21.29>
4 sets by [30-seconds + 15-second rest]
Total 42:03.34

June 17, 2019

Jog 3.5 K: 20.59,21
Rest :2:50.47
60 tire throws: 13:21.13
Rest: 1:00.38
<500 M Intervals>
1st fast run: 1:55.31
Jog :2:49.97
2nd fast run: 2:01.46
Jog: 2:45.60
3rd fast run: 1:58.59
Jog: 3:09.98
4th fast run: 2:01.74
Rest: 1:20.26
<Tire Runs>
2 sets by [30-second run + 15-second rest]
Total 57:29

Rewarded Myself With a 10 K Barefoot Run for a Good Job Done

June 13, 2019.

I gave a seminar to over 80 elementary school teachers in Aomori today. It went well, and I got lots of positive feedback. To reward myself for the good done, I ran 10 K in bare feet. It had been a while since I ran last, so I felt heavy at first, but by the time it's done, that heaviness in the legs had been replaced with a tremendous feeling of accomplishment. The details of the session tonight are shown below:

3.7 K: 21.00.68

3.2 K: 16:47.70

3.7 K: 16:46.49

Total 10.6 K: 54:34.87

34.4 K LSD Between Central Aomori And Asamushi

June 4, 2019

LSD 34.4 K

<Stage 1: Daiwa Roynet Hotel Aomori~Road Station Asamushi>

15.4 K: 1:27:01 

(Weather condition: sunny, 28℃)

【Lunch Break @ Road Station Asamushi】

1:21:14

<Stage 2: Road Station Asamushi~The Research Center for Marine Biology, Tohoku University~Lawson's in Tairanitta>

12 K: 1:14:23

(Weather condition: cloudy with occasional rain, 24℃ in Asamushi; sunny, 27℃ in Trairanitta)

【Pee & Hydration Break @ Lawson's】

7:42.58

<Stage 3: Lawson's in Tairanitta~Daiwa Roynet Hotel Aomori>

7 K: 46:40.32

(Weather condition: sunny, 27℃)

Total 34.4 K: 4:57:02 (total running time is 3:35:48)

Aomori Bay Brdige Fartlek

June 3, 2019

Before teaching a 5-hour seminar I had the practice run below:

<Morning run>

5 K: 25:00.00

And after teaching the seminar I did the following fartlek training over the Aomori Bay Bridge before celebrating the success of the seminar with beer.

<Evening run>

Warm up 750 M: 2:55.08

1.4 K: 6:50.64

1.4 K: 6:08.04

1.5 K: 7:29.57

1.5 K: 6:29.32

1.5 K: 7:25.72

1.5 K: 6:28.73

1.5 K: 8:05.42

1.5 K: 6:24.64

Warm down 900 M: 7:14.21

Sub Total 11.65 K: 1:05:38

Daily Total 16.65: 1:30:38

A full report is coming soon! (Am too exhausted, and hungry also to write anything right now...)

Sunday Barefoot Park Workout

June 2, 2019

My Kawasaki is back from M's Factory. I had the rear brake pads, oil and oil filter changed. The pads were only half worn, but they had made a creaky sound from time to time. It had nothing to do with their ability to stop the bike, but they were changed based on the suggestion to do so by the mechanic from whom I had bought the bike. I have full confidence in him.

The exhaust was mysteriously "unclean", according to the other mechanic, who is the owner of the shop. He was puzzled, because the bike carries the same engine that is mounted on the famous Ninja 650, whose exhaust is usually so clean that you can take a deep breath right next to the duct of the muffler. He listed a series of potential causes to see if any of them might apply to me. I was like, "Bingo!" when he said, "On a rare occasion when the rider continuously cruises along at lower rpms than appropriate, carbon builds up in the engine and exhaust gets unclean. That's exactly what I was doing. With the mystery solved, both me and the mechanic were relieved. Fortunately, the condition of exhaust will improve eventually if I change my riding habit, so hopefully when I bring it to their garage a year from now, I won't have the same problem.   

The ride from the motorcycle shop back home was a blast. Traffic was light most of the way. Tsunashima Kaido and Nakahara Kaido were particularly pleasant to ride along. The roads are wide and not too crowded. Buildings along both roads are low, there is little to block your view. It was cloudy but the sky was bright. It wasn't hot, and winds felt just perfectly refreshing. 

I left Motosumiyoshi around 10:30 a.m. and got back home shortly past 1:00 p.m.

After coming back home, I changed into athletic gear, and went to the nearby park with my old car tire, and did some workout. The details of the workout today are as follows:

Jog 2 K: 11:57.64

Tire throw: 44 (22 backward & 22 forward)

175 M sprint: 28.18

Rest: 1:00.70

175 M sprint: 31.49

Rest: 1:00.00

175 M sprint: 29.51

Rest 1:00.09

175 M sprint: 30.54

Rest: 1:00.13

175 M sprint: 28.61

Rest: 1:00.25

175 M: sprint: 31:94

Rest: 1:00.14

Tire throw: 40 (20 backward & 20 forward)

Jog 2 K: 13:17.61

Total: 48.34.37

Tomorrow and two days after tomorrow I have a whole-day seminar in Aomori to two different audiences. Both seminars begin at 10:00 a.m., so I have chosen to travel to Central Aomori this afternoon. The venue is a 20-minute ride from there. So there is no hassle tomorrow morning.

 I hopped on the 5:50 train bound for Shinaomori a while ago, and heading north now. My whole body feels pleasantly tired from the workout three hours ago. My car is hardly crowded. The train just arrived at Omiya Station, and a bunch of passengers streamed in, but they all sat on seats that aren't the one right next to me. It means my next seat remains empty at least until Sendai. Yes! Oh, what a blissful Sunday!