26.2 K Run in New Hand-Made Huaraches

Sept. 30, 2019
13.1 K: 1:08:46
13.1 K: 1:05:18
Total 26.2 K: 2:14:05

I was walking toward JR Chigasaki station after working out on the Southern Beach late Sunday afternoon when I saw a pair of flip-flops sold at a surfing shop for a nominal 540 yen. I bought them and made huaraches with them. I put them on for a test-ran tonight, and ran 26.2 K without much discomfort.

I need some more getting used to, but I get the feeling that I can run races wearing them. 

1-Hour Barefoot Jog

Sept. 26, 2019
11.68 K: 1:01:46

I ran more than 10 K in bare feet after a long time. I didn't run barefoot much before the race on 15th to avoid injury just before the race. After the race my right foot hurt a little. I gave it a rest awhile. When I ran, I put shoes on. Tonight I finally felt reasonably recovered for the first time after the race, so I test-ran without shoe.

The soles were mostly pain-free, and the legs felt a lot lighter than before the race. Overall I feel the stability in my running form, both sagittal and frontal, has increased. I feel more confident about increasing running distance gradually without compromising on the pace. 

Tomorrow I would like to jog in a new pair of aqua shoes, which I'm planning to wear next January when I run the Tateyama Wakashio Marathon 2020 to aim for my PR for the course.

"Arthur, Clean Your Room!"

Before I write about my favorite book, I have a question. Do you think small children are cute? Yes? Why? Probably for many reasons. Today I would like to tell one reason why they are so cute: small children do not think and act like grown-up people like us. That’s why they are cute. The book I write about today, entitled “Arthur, Clean Your Room”, is an example. I’m sure you think Arthur is such a cute child.

To make a long story short, the book is about a young boy named Arthur. One day his mother is cross (=angry), because his room is such a mess. There is so much junk. She wants Arthur to get rid of the junk. His little sitter has a good idea. She suggests selling all the junk and making money.  Arthur likes the idea. So he has a garage sale. Will he successfully sell all his junk? Well he does. But he doesn’t make any money? Why? Well, you must read the book and find that out.

The story is so cute, because Arthur tries so hard to get rid of his junk, because his mother told him to do so. But he forgets one important thing. His customers are his friends, and they are small children too, and small children do not have a lot of money! So they buy Arthur’s junk not with money, but with something else. What will it be? Well, again, what it will be is my little secret. Only you can discover it by reading this book. 

10 K Jog with Park Workout

Sept. 25, 2019

Since I did leg lunges on Monday my hamstrings and adductors had been so sore that it felt like I was wearing underwear made of tin. I almost skipped training, but then I remembered advice that Mr. Tetsuhiko Kin gave to senior citizen runner in NHK's running program. He said when your legs are sore from strenuous training, it helps to run slowly instead of skipping training totally. I applied his advice and ht the road. The result is...he was right. The soreness is almost gone. I no longer feel like wearing tin underwear!!

Jog: 8:09.80

<Park Workout 1: 3:51.00>

Hand-stand: 30 seconds

Rest: 15 seconds

Dips: 30 seconds

Rest: 15 seconds

Hammer Arm Hang: 30 seconds

Rest: 15 seconds

Pike Push-Ups: 30 seconds

Jog: 15:55.51

<Park Workout 1: 4:02.64>

Hand-stand: 30 seconds

Rest: 15 seconds

Dips: 30 seconds

Rest: 15 seconds

Hammer Arm Hang: 30 seconds

Rest: 15 seconds

Pike Push-Ups: 30 seconds

Jog: 15:40.43

<Park Workout 1: 3:48.39>

Hand-stand: 30 seconds

Rest: 15 seconds

Dips: 30 seconds

Rest: 15 seconds

Hammer Arm Hang: 30 seconds

Rest: 15 seconds

Pike Push-Ups: 30 seconds

Jog: 15:15.48

<Park Workout 1: 3:40.01>

Hand-stand: 30 seconds

Rest: 15 seconds

Dips: 30 seconds

Rest: 15 seconds

Hammer Arm Hang: 30 seconds

Rest: 15 seconds

Pike Push-Ups: 30 seconds

Jog: 8:44.94

Total 10 K + 4 sets of park workout: 1:19:08

Why I Like Hakata

I like Hakata. It's such a comfortable city. People are nice too. I was reminded of these feelings when I set foot on the soil of this largest city of the southern island of Kyushu.

I flew into the city yesterday evening, and dined at an izakaya restaurant that has a nationwide network of operation. Because it's one of those chain restaurants, I wasn't expecting anything particularly specially locally, but one thing lived up to my expectations, and another exceeded them.

What lived up to my expectations was food. I ordered grilled leather-jacket, or 'umazura', and grilled chicken. Both were fresh and appetizing.

What exceeded my expectation was hospitality of waitresses. They were friendly and cheerful, but not overly so. They simply appeared to enjoy the job, sharing their spirits of hospitality because they enjoy doing so.

My boss and I ordered beer and the drinks arrived, and we were about to make a toast when the waitress stopped us and said, "Gentlemen, if I may, I'd like to take the liberty to make a toast for you. I'll say a short chant and say Cheers, and then, gentlemen, can you follow me and say Cheers?  We were intrigued. I'd never done that before. But with her smile and enthusiasm and all, there was no room for saying no. We complied, saying Why not! 

She raised the pitch of her voice, and in a louder and vivacious voice said something like, "Wishing our beloved guest eve-growing prosperity and good health, let us make a toast, Cheer!!"  Boss and I touched each other's glass. The dinner had begun.

The following morning when I had breakfast at the restaurant on the ground floor of the hotel I stayed at, half of the employees there looked non-Japanese. I heard two of them talking to each other in their mother tongue, and it sounded like some Latin language, but I wasn't able to tell which. They spoke near-perfect restaurant Japanese.

I observed them while eating, and one thing struck me as outstanding. They all look proud and enjoying their job. I was particularly impressed when one of them adjusted the legs of some tables. He touched the furniture with such love and care that he made me think that he is a son of a carpenter who would see his dad handle wooden handcraft with such love and care. I almost told him that but I didn't. He was so into his work.

The restaurant was very comfortable. It uses a lot of wood for the interior. Some signs hung on the wall, which had Italian dishes written on them. The windows are large, and directly face the street without hedges or anything blocking the view. I could see people busily heading to work in the morning sun. I loved that proximity with ordinary working people. It's like saying, "You are one of us. I'm one of you." And it was true. I am one of them, working people. It's very different from the kind of ostentation typical of restaurants inside business hotels in Tokyo. Those in Tokyo prefer to separate between the guests and those who aren't. They like to create a sense of exclusiveness. It's like saying, "Sir, only YOU can enjoy this luxury and serenity." I don't like it very much. It's snobbish.

Anyhow, in about an hour I must leave for work, so I need to get dressed and start packing, but all in all Hakata is such a nice place to visit. People are nice, and the city has such a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. If you have a chance to visit it, I'm sure enjoy it too.

Barefoot 100-Meter Sprints

Sept. 22, 2019
5 K: 30:28.91
Rest: 1:30.62
＜100-M Sprints＞
1st: 16.05
Rest: 59.93
2nd: 16:44
Rest: 59.86
3rd: 16:11
Rest: 59.62
4th: 16:28
Rest: 1:00.08
5th: 16.37
Rest: 1:00.04
6th: 17:20
Rest: 1:00.15
7th: 16.12
Rest: 2:00.12
2.5 K: 20:30.07
Total 8.2 K: 52:23.97

Barefoot Hill Interval Training

Sept. 19, 2019
3 K: 17:13.34
Rest: 1:01.22
3 K: 13:44.39
Rest: 1:00.65
2 K: 11:26.64
Total 8 K: 44:26.24 

I had interval training scheduled last night. But I was so sleepy when I got home from work that I postponed it till tonight.

Thanks to a good rest on the previous night, I felt recuperated, up for a challenge. I hit the road in bare feet, heading for the hilly 1 K shuttle course  2 K from home.

After jogging 3 K, I rested for a minute. When the short break was over, I set off for a 3 K fast run, which consists of 3 laps of a 1 K hilly stretch. (See below.) The target was 13:30.  

I finished at 13:44, falling short of the target. 

I was just going to do one 2 K run, and one 1 K run, but then when the first 3 K run was over, I felt my right toe had swollen. There was a dull pain there too. To be on the safe side, I cancelled the remaining two fast runs, and jogged back home. The swelling seemed subsiding as time went by. When I got home, the pain was almost gone. It had been slightly damaged in the race this past Sunday. And I'm afraid I made it worse by overusing it before it fully recovered. I should either wear shoes when I do fast runs, or avoid fast runs and spend my time doing LSD until it's fully healed. 

Post-Race Recovery 10 K Run + Body Weight Park Workout

Sept. 17, 2019

Two days after Kyoho no Oka Marathon 2019 I went out for a short recovery run, mixing it with some body weight park workout to hit upper body. Body weight  training became increasingly tough as probably because I was running short of glycogen as I ran longer.  

2.5 K 

Park workout 1:

Arm hang: 30 seconds

Rest: 15 seconds

Dips: 30 seconds

Rest: 15 seconds

Pike push-ups: 30 seconds

Rest: 15 seconds

Arm hang: 30 seconds

Rest: 15 seconds

Hand-stand: 30 seconds

Rest: 15 seconds

Dips: 30 seconds

Rest: 15 seconds

Pike push-ups: 30 seconds

2.5 K

Park workout 2:

Arm hang: 30 seconds

Rest: 15 seconds

Hand-stand: 30 seconds

Rest: 15 seconds

Dips: 30 seconds

Rest: 15 seconds

Pike push-ups: 30 seconds

Rest: 15 seconds

Arm hang: 30 seconds

Rest: 15 seconds

Hand-stand: 30 seconds

Rest: 15 seconds

Dips: 30 seconds

Rest: 15 seconds

Pike push-ups: 30 seconds

2.5 K

Park workout 3:

Arm hang: 30 seconds

Rest: 15 seconds

Hand-stand: 30 seconds

Rest: 15 seconds

Dips: 30 seconds

Rest: 15 seconds

Pike push-ups: 30 seconds

2.5 K

Total 10 K 1:23:58

Kyoho no Oka Marathon 2019

On Sept. 15, 2019 I ran Kyoho no Oka 18.3 K Road Race 2019, and finished in 1:31:39, my second fastest time for the course.

I ran in a pair of huaraches for the first time in an official race. To make a long story short, it was a bad choice, but I learned a lot from the experience. Next year I will run either in running socks or aqua shoes. 

Final Phase Conditioning (Updated)

Sept. 14, 2019
<Midnight>
3.6 K: 20:00.00
I test-ran in a new pair of hand-made huaraches. They fit my feet perfectly. I might want to run the race on Sunday wearing them. They are made of used in-soles.

Sept. 13, 2019
<Morning>
3.5 K: 19.59.82
Active rest: 1:00.51
1 K fast run: 4:18.20
Active rest: 1:00.08
3.5 K: 20.26.01
Total 8 K: 38:44.62

Sept. 12, 2019
<Night>

10.5 K: 1:02:59

<Morning>
6 K: 32:06.17 (in bare feet)

Sept. 11, 2019
<Night>
Core workout: 7 sets by 1-minute (Rest=15 seconds)

<Morning>
6 K: 33:38.44

Sept. 10, 2019
<Night>
5 K: 31:10.07

<Morning>
3 K: 20:20.97

100-Minute Jog

Sept. 9, 2019

15.1 K: 1:41:07

Six days until Kyoho no Oka 20 K Road Race. I was scheduled to jog for 90 minutes yesterday, but I was invited to dinner by a friend of mine after a long time, and we enjoyed having some beer, so I canceled the training, and did it today.

A typhoon hit my area early this morning, but it's gone by noon. I was hoping that the storm would carry away summer heat with it, but unfortunately it didn't. It's still hot and humid.

I ran in aqua shoes above. It has little cushioning, but gives the sole minimum protection. Any cause of injury should be strictly avoided at this stage of preparation.

I chose to run a hilly 5.1 K course between home and AEON Town Yukarigaoka, and added the 5 K loop below.

I took many water breaks along the way. There are quite a few parks where tap water is available. I was drenched when I came home. But it was a good simulation of the race. It will be held in lingering late summer heat. And there are countless hills. Some are unbelievably long, and others ridiculously steep. The only difference is that the distance is longer, and I will be running a lot faster. And I am ready for both challenges.

10 K Tempo Run in MUTEKI

Sept. 7, 2019
Target: 12:17.00/2.5 K
2.5 K: 12:00.78 
2.5 K: 12:12.70 
2.5 K: 12:02.09 
2.5 K: 11:50.03 
Total 10 K: 48:05.60 (Target: 49:08.00)

With just 8 days until Kyoho no Oka 20 K Road Race I did 10 K tempo run @ 4:55/K pace. I ran a 2.5 K loop near my house four times, aiming to run each lap under 12:17 to finish running 10 K in 49:08.

I ran all four laps within the target, covering the target distance well under the target time of 49:08.

The training tonight is the last major speed training before the race. Tomorrow I'm going to jog for an hour and half just to relax. On Monday I'm giving myself a full rest. From Tuesday through Saturday I'm just going to jog between 5 and 10 K depending on my mood, except on Friday where I will probably do a couple of 1 K fast runs to stimulate my cardio-vascular systems. The purpose of all training in the last week leading to the race is conditioning. The most important thing is not to get irrecoverably fatigued. 

60-Minute Barefoot Jog

Sept. 6, 2019
10.5 K: 1:01:25

With 9 days until my first road race in the second half of this year, I went for a slow run in bare feet. It's been quite a long while since I ran barefooted last. I treated a blister in the ball of my right foot, and it took weeks for it to heal enough to walk without discomfort. I'm planning to run barefoot in the race, so it was a test run.

Frankly, it was better than I had expected. It was largely pain-free. I stepped on a small edgy pebble a few times, and those were out right painful, but other than that I just cruised along the entire one hour very very pleasantly.

Tomorrow is a big day. I'm scheduled to do a 10 K pace run @ 4:55/K. I'm going to do it using a flat 2.5 K loop, and I'm running in MUTEKI just to be on the safe side. If I should get injured, it may not heal by the race. 

5 K Jog in MUTEKI

Sept. 5, 2019

2.5 K: 16:35.31

2.5 K: 16:29.82

Total 5 K: 33:05.13

Interval Training: 3 K + 1 K @ 4:30/K Pace with a 2-Minute Active Rest in Between

Sept. 4, 2019
10.2 K Jog: 1:03.39

*************
Sept. 5, 2019
Warm Up 4 K: 25:01.00
Rest: 1:30.56
<Intervals>
3 K: 13:05.24
Active Rest: 2:00.25
1 K: 3:56.84
***********
Rest: 2:35.67
Warm Down 4 K: 26:40.54
Total 12 K: 1:14:50

100-Minute Jog in MUTEKI

Sept. 1, 2019

16.8 K: 1:40:26

The nasty blister on my right sole seems steadily healing. All I need to do, I hope, is just wait. 

It's exactly two weeks until my first race in Race Season 2019-2022. It's the Kyoho no Oka 18.3 K Road Race held in Yamanashi. The race is known for its altitude difference between the start and finish point. It's more than 300 M. Once you start, an upward pitch continues for almost 10 K. Then once you reach the highest point, it's all downhill until the finish line, EXCEPT there are two menacingly steep hills in the last three kilometers which make many runners stop running to walk every year. I welcome those hill, and I bet some of the hardcore fans of this race do too.

I ran the course below at a comfortable pace, covering 16. 8 K in about 100 minutes. The main purpose is to get my body used to sustain cardio-vascular effort for as long as I run the race. The long slow run was also good to actively recover from the partially fast-paced run yesterday.  

Tomorrow I go to Kyoto on business. I am going to give myself a rest at night. On Tuesday I'm planning to jog for an hour. And on Wednesday night I'll be doing some short intensive interval training. 

P.S. While running, I listened to two audio lectures. One is entitled "How to Make People Fall in Love with You". The other is about leadership by John Maxwell. According to John Maxwell, it's impossible to become a successful leader if you are not healthy. And he sounded particularly adamant about the importance of mental health. To my mind and body are inseparably connected, so physical health and mental health are two sides of the same coin, and it's hard to make one strong without making the other strong also. My personal strategy is to focus on building physical strength. It seems mental strength follows along the way.