One-Hour Barefoot Recovery Run

Jan. 31, 2020
5.1 K: 31:23.32
5.1 K: 32:39.45
Total 10.2 K: 1:04:02

Interval Training: 2 Reps by 2.2 K + 1 K @ 4:15/K Pace with 1-Minute Rest Between Reps

Jan. 30, 2019
Warm Up 4.1 K: 26:23.38
Rest: 1:00.25
<Intervals: 2 Reps by 2.2 K (Target=9:21.00) + 1 K @ 4:15/K Pace with 1-Minute Rest Between Reps>
2.2 K: 9:10.61 
Rest: 1:00.28
2.2 K: 9:15.35
Rest: 1:00.37
1 K: 4:09.38
***********
Rest: 1:00.15
Warm Down 5.5 K: 33:19.97 
Total 15 K: 1:26:19

This marks the first interval training after the Tateyama Wakashio Marathon this past Sunday. The main purpose of the training is to boost my cardio-vascular capacity for the Ohme 30 K Road Race on Feb. 16. I'm aiming to run my first sub-2:24:00 race. To achieve the goal I must run each kilometer @ 4:45. It's 10 seconds faster per K than the pace I hammered out in Tateyama. The distance is shorter. But nevertheless I must repeat that pace 30 times to achieve the goal. It's not gonna be easy. But I want to give it a shot.

I jogged slowly to the Kashiwai Water Treatment Plant where I was going to do fast runs. The smell of chlorine reached my nostrils as I approached the facility. When it happens, I get an adrenaline rush as a Pavlovian reaction. Once I reached the water tap near one of the entrances to the park, I rested for a minute to muster up all of my motivation to face the challenge ahead. One minute quickly evaporated, and I found myself rolling down the street for the first 2.2 K journey. 

I followed a piece of advice I found on Facebook by a former Hakone Ekiden runner, who advises you to go with the flow for the first half of a session, and since it's always the second half that's tough, you pay particular attention there to your form and breathing to hang in there. I stuck to the advice to finish the first 2.2 K run under the target.  

I was out of breath. I didn't remember running the distance at such a fast pace. A mere prospect of repeating it made me sick to my stomach. I thought of giving it up. But then as I reached the end of a minute rest, I felt strong enough to hit the road again. I set off for another rep. 

This time the legs immediately felt heavy due to lactic acid that built during the first fast run. A prospect of a deteriorated time was demotivating. There was only one choice: give up, or face the reality and go on. I went on, asking myself how I would do if the same happened in a race. Should the same happen in a race, the only thing I can do is slow down to recover, and then strike back when recovered. That I did. I made sure I was able to run by 6-beat breathing where you breathe in taking three steps, and breathe out while taking another three steps. It eased the discomfort in the legs as well as breathing. So when I reached the top of a downhill, I surged to make up for the possible time loss in the first half. 

To my surprise I finished under the target in the second session also. The next fast run is only 1 K. Compared with the last two runs, it was less of a challenge. But with even a greater amount of lactic acid that had built in the legs, I wasn't able to kick as hard as I wanted to, so I had no choice but take shorter strides and increase cadence. That worked. I finished 6 seconds under the target. I nailed the target in all three fast runs. I was happy. 

 

The warm down run back home was the most pleasant jog. Breathing felt super easy once freed from the burden of oxygen debt. I felt like I had become a bird. Everything felt light and easy. 

My next speed training is this coming Sunday. I'm scheduled to do 20 K tempo run. I was originally thinking of 4:50/K pace, but it turned out that it's not fast enough to run a sub-2:34:00 race. I must run at 4:45/K. It sounds tough, but I want to give it a try. I'm going to run a hilly 1-K shuttle course. Ten round trips makes 20 K. If I keep the pace, I finish in 2:22:30. That sounds morbidly challenging, especially when there is no cheerer along the road like in a race...But dealing with solitude is part of training, and I kind of enjoy it, so no problem. 

Recovery Run in Bare Feet

Jan. 29, 2020
10.6 K: 1:05:02

This is the first training session after the Tateyama Wakashio Marathon 2020. I jogged for about an hour without wearing shoes, feeling the cold asphalt on my bare soles. It felt great.

Two Days Till Tateyama Wakashio Marathon: 60-Minute Jog

Jan. 24, 2019

11.45 K: 1:07:50

Two days till Tateyama Wakashio Marathon 2019. Today is the last day of tapering. I ran around a 2.5 K loop near my house four times to cover a little more than 10 kilometers. I kept a comfortable pace so as not to tire my legs too much. It was a pleasant run though I was so sleepy from time to time that I wasn't sure if I was awake or asleep. I took a long warm bath, and am now relaxing as I am watching "View to a Kill". But my eyes are getting heavy because I woke up at 6 this morning for the seminar, and definitely didn't have enough sleep. I'll hit the bed. I have an early start. When I finish work tomorrow, all I need to do is rest, rest, and rest for the race on Sunday!

Three Days Till Tateyama Wakashio Marathon: Quick Intervals: 2 Sets by 1 K @ 4:30/K

Jan. 23, 2020
Warm Up 3.5 K: 20:00.63
 ＜Intervals＞
1 K: 4:24.82
Active Rest: 2:00.65
1 K: 4:15.89
Warm Down 4.5 K: 26:49.10
Total 9 K: 57:31.09

Did two sets of 1 K fast run. Feels awesome. Feel so light it feels like I could go on forever if I tried...Three more days till the race. Tomorrow I am jogging for an hour. It's the last run before the race.

76-Minute Jog in Yokohama

Jan. 21, 2020
Jog: 1:16:36

Five more days until the Tateyama Wakashio Marathon 2020.

I'm in Yokohama tonight. I'm staying at a hotel in Kannai two stops to the west from Yokohama Station, ready for an early start tomorrow.

As soon as I checked in, I took a quick bath, got changed, and hit the road. It was cold, but I forgot to bring my running gloves, so I put on my regular leather ones. It helped.

I ran the Yamashita Park. Ordinarily some couples would be eating, but not a soul was seen.

After running once around the park, I ran the Oh Sanbashi Pier, the So no Hana Park, and the Red Brick Warehouse. You never get bored running in the bay city.

I was originally planning to run just for an hour, but it felt so good that I ended up running longer.

90-Minute Jog

Jan. 20, 2019
16.8 K: 1:36:35

After completing my training for tonight, I hopped on my motorcycle, and hit the road for about half an hour to get to the Misatodai location of McDonald's in Narita City near the Narita Airport. It's my favorite place to blog. There are outlets all over the place. Wi-fi connection is good. It's clean, spacious, and windows are large so you can look outside, and there is a feeling of freedom.

Anyway, it's six days until the Tatekayam Wakashio Marathon 2020. It's Day 2 of the last week before the race today. Yesterday I did 10 K tempo run. It's a pretty stressful activity for me, because you need to sustain the race pace for almost 25% of the actual race distance. My legs were slightly fatigued from the effort. The purpose my training tonight is to relax them by running at a comfortable pace for 90 minutes. Running at a slow pace promote blood circulation, allowing metabolic wastes to break down quickly.

Since 90 minutes is a long time, I made use of the time to study something while running. I listened to the lecture on time management by Brian Tracy based on his best-selling book "Eat That Frog". It sold 1.5 million copies world-wide, and has been translated into 42 languages. It consists of 21 keys to successful time management. I personally applied a couple in my own life, and I'm already seeing some notable changes in my productivity. This Wednesday and Friday I have 7-hour seminars with a leading electronics company. I hoped to find some useful information to share with my participants. I took mental notes of a few things, but it's hard to remember them all. I will review it again tomorrow night. Hopefully, I'll come up with some good ideas to make use of what I've learned from Brian. 

Tomorrow night I'm staying at a hotel in Kannai, Kanagawa Prefecture. I have a very early start on Wednesday morning. Kannai has easy access to the venue of the seminar. Kannai is hop skip and jump from the Yamashita Park. It's good for running. I'm going to bring along my running gear and run at night once mental rehearsal is done for the seminar. 

10 K Tempo Run @ 4:55/K Pace

Jan. 19, 2019
750 M: 4:38.43
<10 K Tempo Run @ 4:55/K Pace: Target Time=49:10.00>
2.5 K: 11:44.25
2.5 K: 11:35.99
2.5 K: 11:48.68
2.5 K: 11:01.58
Sub-Total 10 K: 46:10.50
750 M: 4:42.78
Total 11.3 K: 55:31.71

Hooray! The last speed training has been successfully completed! And well under the target. I feel relieved.

I was originally planning to do it last night. However, I felt too exhausted to run right after I came home. I took a nap after dinner, hoping to get up around midnight to hit the road. Next time I opened my eyes, it was the following morning. 

I still didn't feel completely recovered from lingering fatigue, so I went to bed again and gave myself another few hours of sleep.

When I woke up again around 11:00 a.m., I felt refreshed. I changed into my athletic gear, and jogged to the start point of the tempo run.

I started off for the first 2.5 K run, aiming at 12:17.50. I came under the target. I eased the pace little in the second lap, but the time was faster. I was running faster than I thought I was. I dropped the pace significantly in the 3rd. But the lap was still well under the target. In the last 2.5 K, I no longer tried to slow down. Instead I maintained the steady pace, and surged in the last 500 M. 

Tomorrow night I am planning to do LSD for 90 minutes.

Running in Jika Tabi in the Rain

Jan. 17, 2019
10.6 K: 1:08:08

I jogged in a pair of jika tabis. Jika tabis are traditional Japanese shoes. In modern Japan they are typically worn by scaffolding builders. White ones are formal dress shoes at traditional Japanese festivals. They come with adjusters called 'kohazes' at the back a little inside. Mine have seven kohazes on each. A kohaze is a flat metal piece as large as your finger nail. You hook it into a cotton loop to hold your foot. There is a rubber sole. It's about 5 mm thick. There is little cushioning. So it's good for minimalist runners. I jogged for a little longer than an hour to cover 10.6 K. It was drizzling, but didn't bother me at all.

Tomorrow is a big day for me. I'm scheduled to do a 10 K tempo run. The target pace is 4:55/K. I'm going to run a 2.5 K loop four times. The target lap for each 2. 5 K is 12:15. If I can keep the exact pace, I finish at 49 minutes sharp. Hopefully, I will achieve the goal comfortably. I worked so hard up to this point. I am looking forward to enjoying the fruit of the effort.

Midnight Barefoot Jog: 11 K

Jan. 17, 2019
5.1 K: 30:26.91
5.98 K: 33:00.32
Total 11.08 K: 1:03:27

Earlier today news spread across the country that IAAF may change their regulations to ban NIKE's Vaporfly Next%. It's been debated since many former records were smashed by athletes who ran in the NIKE's magic shoes. Some athletes openly attribute their new CRs to the shoes. An official announcement is yet to be made. But other shoe makers that produce carbon-fiber-plated shoes must be worried.

Whatever decisions may be made, fairness of the sport is maintained as long as all runners run under the same regulations. Let's see what decisions will be officially announced.

As for me, IAAF's forthcoming regulation change doesn't make much of a difference, because I'm no professional runner belonging to the association, nor do I run solely for the sake of improving my time. My main athletic goal is to become a stronger version of myself. I do long-distance running, because to me "endurance" is one of the several important components that define "strength". If I improve my time with the aid of high-tech shoes, but if my cardio-vascular capacity and endurance haven't improved, my goal isn't achieved. Because improving my fitness and strength is the priority, not the time.

Anyway, I ran in bare feet tonight, and had a great feeling of satisfaction. The temperature was low, so it was fairly cold. But my soles are pretty much adapted to running on the pavement, so it was almost completely pain-free. Plus, when running barefoot, any imbalance in running form is immediately fed back to you in the form of slight discomfort or pain. So your running form is constantly fine-tuned as you run.                

Midnight Intervals: 3 K + 1 K @ 4:30/K Pace

Jan. 15, 2019
Warm Up 3.3 K: 20:43.66
Active Rest 4:40.03
<Intervals>
3 K: 12:34.62
Rest: 2:04.29
1 K: 4:07.26
Warm Down 5.1 K: 30:55.26
Total 12.4 K: 1:15:05

This is the last interval training scheduled before the Tateyama Wakashio Marathon 2020. I listened to "As" by French electric violinist Jean-Luc Ponty. When I listen to his music while running, I feel like I'm flowing like a river, and it feels easy to keep on running at a brisk pace.

In both of the fast runs I did tonight I came under the target. It's becoming easier for me to keep a fast pace long. 

Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow I am going to jog for an hour. Either Saturday night or Sunday morning I am going to do a 10 K tempo run. It is going to be my last speed-focused training session before the race.

Midnight 12.8 K Jog in Aqua Shoes

Jan. 14, 2019
6.4 K: 38:44.27
6.4 K: 34:04.26
Total 12.8 K: 1:12:48

It was a productive day. I got a lot done. I went to the office a little earlier than originally scheduled. Once at my desk, I immediately got on with my top priority task. It's preparation of a 7-hour seminar next week. I re-wrote scripts for demo videos, and suggested re-video-shooting. Boss agreed. I requested cooperation from a few co-workers, and set a date for the job.

I got on with prep for another seminar as well. It's in the last week of this month. I still have time. The prep requires analysis of data, whose arrival I'm still waiting for. 

I practiced English listening by reading out loud a short passage on my way to work. And I did the same with a short conversation on my way home. Each practice is 30 minutes, so together it's one hour. I also listened to a lecture on time management by Brian Tracy while jogging tonight. He speaks on 21 keys to successful time-management. I haven't learned all 21 by heart yet, but I've already been practicing some of them. One of them is start working on the most important task no matter how difficult it is. Ever since I applied this method to my daily operation, I've been a lot more efficient than before. Time-management, according to Brian Tracy, all boils down to one thing: self-discipline. I like it. I truly believe the more disciplined you are, the more freedom in life you can enjoy. In fact, men's marathon world best record holder Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya says the same thing about self-discipline and freedom, and he's the best runner in the history of marathon running. I'm convinced it's true.

Tomorrow I'll do the last interval training before the race. I already feel so excited to do it, because I know I'll keep the promise I've made with myself. 

Midnight LSD: 15.4 K

Jan. 11. 2019
7.7 K: 48:21:00
7.7 K: 8:32.41
(Food Break: 17:18.03)
          40:11.24
15.4 K: 1:54:22

I had a New Year's party in Akasaka tonight. I wined and dined with my boss and
co-workers, and had a great time. I enjoyed the first couple glasses of bear, but after that I went easy on alcoholic beverages because I have two short seminars scheduled on Sunday afternoon.

Thanks to not drinking much, when I got home, I was almost sober. So I went for a long slow run.

It was freezing cold, but there was almost no wind, and the moon was beautiful, and it was dead quiet, perfect for a lonesome night run.

I ran a very hilly 7.7 K shuttle course. Two hilly races are up ahead, Tateyama Wakashio at the end of this month, and Ohme next month. I will gradually increase the amount of hill training to strengthen my legs and improve my cardio-vascular capacity.

Midnight Barefoot 2.5 K Tempo Run

Jan. 10, 2019
3.2 K: 19:15.84
2.5 K: 11:22.76
3.2 K: 17:37.37
Total 8.9 K: 48:15.97

When I got home from work tonight, I wasn't planning to run. I was just going to do some stretching and hit the bed after that. But then when I did come home, I saw on the table in the living room an envelop from the organizer of the Tateytama Wakashio Marathon 2020. I ripped it open. There inside I found my runner's bib and chip, and a brochure. As I skimmed through it, I could feel my motivation well up inside. I changed into my running gear and hit the road without wearing shoes!

Midnight LSD: 16.1 K

Jan. 9, 2019
11 K: 1:06:00
5.1 K: 28:45.98
Total 16.1 K: 1:34:46

After coming home from work late at night, I went our for an LSD to refresh myself. It was a hectic day with an annual business meeting in the after noon and a corporate seminar in the evening.  I was in a mixed state of slight mental exhaustion and physical excitement. I just want to reset my mind by going blank, and running was my answer. I listened to "I Believe in You" by Rumer. The slow rhythm of the song perfectly matched the rhythm of LSD. It was a good choice of music, and the whole run was a pleasant journey under a little cloudy night sky with occasional drizzling rain.

Midnight Intervals: 5 Sets by 400 M @ 3:30/K

Jan. 8, 2019
Warm Up 460 M: 2:32:57
<Intervals: 5 sets by 400 M @ 3:30/K=1:24>
1st 400 M: 1:19.26
Jog 400 M: 3:01.62
2nd 400 M: 1:23.34
Jog 400 M: 2:49.42
3rd 400 M: 1:22.02
Jog 400 M: 2:50.35
4th 400 M: 1:20.87
Jog 400 M: 2:50.04
5th 400 M: 1:21.60
****************
Warm Down 860 M: 5:33.57
Total 2.92 K: 26:25.06

Sprinters always fascinated me in childhood. How I wished I was able run as fast as those classmates of mine who represented my class and ran a relay. Years have passed since then. Now I'm a long-distance runner who can easily run a kilometer in 4:30. I can also run it under 4:00 if I try. I can probably repeat it a few times if I am allowed to rest for a minute between sets. But running it under 3:30 seems very very hard. But I always want to run faster, and develop my ability to sustain the speed longer. So tonight I gave a go at running @ 3:30/K pace only for 400 meters just to get a feel for what it's like to run at that pace. I did it 5 sets with a 400 meter jog between sets. I ran all five sets under my original target of 1:24. I'm glad. In the near future I may want to increase the number of sets by a couple of more.

Anyway, 400 M fast run was a good option when I don't have enough time to go for a long run after coming home.

Midnight Barefoot Jog in the Rain

Jan. 7, 2019
10.5 K: 58:41.87

Two days after I did high intensity cardio workout, I ached all over. I could have just relaxed and waited until pain went away, but I chose to go for a barefoot jog instead. It was raining, and roads were miserably cold, but I hit the road anyway.

As soon as I started running, I regretted that I ran, because my soles felt miserably painful on the icy road. But I decided to go on as far as I could withstand the pain.

Several minutes into the ran, the pain subsided slightly. The truth of the matter was that the soles got almost numb.

I kept on running, slowing down where the road condition deteriorated, and picked up the pace slightly where it improved. 

With only a couple of kilometers remaining, the prospect of the approaching goal suddenly lifted my spirit, and I cranked up the pace, resulting in a small bloody blister on the left sole, but it's nothing to bother about.

A long warm shower felt like heaven. A barefoot run is never easy especially on a cold rainy night like today, but when it's completed, nothing matched the tremendous feeling of accomplishment brought about by it.

Midnight Intervals: 2 Sets by 2.2 K + 1 Set by 1 K

Jan. 6, 2019

Warm Up 4.1 K: 25:03.55
Rest: 1:00.38
<Intervals: Target Pace=4:30/K>
2.2 K: 9:48.13
Rest: 1:00.28
2.2 K: 9:18.26
Rest: 1:00.40
1 K: 4:07.38
******************
Rest: 1:00.39
Warm Down 6.3 K: 40:26.91
Total 15.4 K: 1:32:45

12 K Build-Up in the Rain

Jan. 4, 2019
Warm Up 880 M: 6:16.65
6 K: 33:35.19
6 K: 28:56.25
Warm Down 880 M: 6:13.16
Total 13.76 K: 1:15:01

With New Year's all three big long-distance events over, I can now focus on my own training leading to my next big race on the last Sunday of this month: "Tateyama Wakashio Marathon 2020." 

I ran a 6 K loop tonight, first slowly and then in the second round faster. 

It started raining during the first lap, and then the rain slowly grew heavier as time went by. The shoes got wet, and the feet felt cold, but I pressed on, saying to myself that bad weather won't be an excuse for poor performance in a real race. 

I aimed to run under 29:30 in the second lap, but finished under the target. 

Tomorrow I'd like to run longer, hopefully beyond 15 K, but at a pace much slower than tonight. I will choose a course that I haven't run for a while just for a change. I'd like run many steep uphills as the next race has a giant uphill near the 30 K mark. I want to be prepared for the challenge both physically and mentally.