10 K Jog in Vibram 5 Fingers

Apr.26, 2021

5.1 K: 30:12.66

5.1 K: 28:43.62

Total 10.2 K: 58:57.28

With legs sore from a tempo run on the previous night, I had a choice between giving myself a complete rest and taking some kind of active rest. I went for the latter. The result? I feel awesome! 

As always, there was a slight discomfort in the right knee. But then once I ignored it as my sub-conscious' vain attempt to avoid training, it soon disappeared like water evaporates in mist... How mysterious! 

Once I settled into a steady pace, I just kept on rolling like a bird gliding in the sky. I love jogging a day after intensive training. 

Midnight 10 K Hill Tempo Run in Aqua Shoes (Target 45:50.00)

Apr. 26, 2021

Warm Up 0.5 K: 3:00.00

10 K Hill Tempo Run: 45:06.82 (Target=45:50.00)

Rest: 1:19.36

Warm Down 0.9 K: 6:22.87

Total 11.4 K: 55:49.05

Running 10 K under 45:50 is a minimum requirement if you want to run a sub-3.25 marathon. When I first gave it a try. I wasn't able to make it. Then at my second attempt, somehow I managed to make it. After that I simply thought I would make it constantly until it became a habit. The truth was far from it! No matter how hard I tried, I was half a minute or so slower than the target. I was afraid I was simply not young enough to go for it. Then I got busier with a new project, and haven't been able to make time for training for a while. I didn't completely stop running though total running distance dropped quite a bit, and intensive training became less often. 

But then as it became warmer, my motivation slowly returned. Over the last couple of weeks I was able to do some good high intensity cardio with a big focus on leg strength, combined with jogging. Last week for the first time in a long time was I able to complete 7 sets of interval training, running all 7 sets under the target of 4:25/K. I really wanted to see how I would run the hilly 10 K course I always hit for tempo run. I wanted to see my ability to climb upward inclines strongly without getting out of breath. I also wanted to see my ability to quickly recover after climbing hills. 

As I look back on my maneuvering tonight, I think I was pretty good. Breathing was tough on flats when I tried not to slack off as I increased cadence to maintain my speed while saving energy at the same time. 

But all in all, I'm satisfied with the results tonight. I am happy to know that I still keep the stamina and strength to run it under the target. 

My next goal is to have a good interval session this week. I just discovered today that my 1 K loop was a good 45 meters shorter than 1 K.  Google Map sucks! Anyhow, I want to do 7 sets with additional 45 meters and still make it under the target. Once I achieve this goal, my second goal is nailing another hill tempo run, this time more with ease.   

  

Barefoot Park Run & High Intensity Cardio

Apr. 23, 2021

It's a beautiful day today, perfect for getting out for something nice and active. I hit a nearby park to run and do some high intensity cardio to refresh myself. It was demotivating to discover that it took me three times longer to do M-100s than when I was in my early 40s. But that's life. No one can keep the same level of cardio-vascular capacity of a younger self.  You just have to accept the reality. So I patted myself on the shoulder, saying it's still better than nothing. 

1st K: 5:36.07

2nd K: 5:32.56

3rd K: 5:26.27

4th K: 5:26.51

Rest: 1:49.97

High Intensity Cardio (M-100s): 8:07.89

Rest: 3:10.16

5th K: 6:15.83

6&7th K: 11:48.88

8th K: 5:41.53

9th K: 5:40.64

10th K: 5:06.49

Total 10 K: 1:09:42

Midnight Intervals: 6 Sets by 1 K @ 4:25 + Bonus K

Apr. 15, 2021

3.5 K :20:13.36

Rest: 1:00.38

<Intervals: 6 Sets by 1 K @ 4:25 with 1-Minute Rest> 

1st K: 4:12.32

Rest: 1:00.33

2nd K: 4:16.37

Rest: 1:00.24

3rd K: 4:15.93

Rest: 1:00.35

4th K: 4:19.29

Rest: 1:00.37

5th K: 4:15.19

Rest: 1:00.43

6th K: 4:19.19

***************

3.2 K: 22:16.72

0.16 K Walk: 2 :00.96

Bonus K: 4:32.49

0.28 K: Walk: 2:20.48

Total 14.14 K: 1:23:03

I was reluctant to run tonight. I felt sleepy. My legs were heavy. There was a slight discomfort in my right knee too. But then the thought that it's my subconscious trying to trick me into goofing off, I felt a surge of willpower well up inside of me. Suddenly I wanted to upset that lazy Id of my subconscious. 

While warming up, the lazy Id tried to drag me down by causing a slight pain in the right knee again. I dismissed it nonchalantly, and kept on jogging. 

During intervals the lazy Id tried something different to stop me from going on. This time it caused a small tension in the back of my left lung or diaphragm. I coped with it by easing the pace only slightly. The tension subsided, allowing me to carry out all six sets under the target of 4:25 per K. 

180M Barefoot Sprint

Apr. 13, 2021

Hit the nearby park to do sprints before dinner. Feels good. I bet dinner tastes awesome with an empty stomach. 

＜Jogging 1＞

1st K: 5:32.08

2nd K: 5:20.56

3rd K: 5:21.28

4th K: 5:24.38

Rest: 29.85

<180 M Sprint>

1st: 30.52

Jog: 1:50.55

2nd: 31.91

Jog: 1:50.82

3rd: 313.24

Jog: 1:50.32

4th: 32.28

Jog: 1:50.35

5th: 32.95

Jog: 1:39.80

***********

＜Jogging 2＞

5th K: 6:07.32

6th K: 5:45.92

7th K: 5:40.26

8th K: 5:45.57

9th K: 5:05.92

Total 10.8 K: 1:02:15 

Midnight 10.6 K Barefoot Jog

Apr. 11, 2021

10.6 K: 57:30.30

It was a very fulfilling Sunday. It started with a very healthy home-made breakfast of grilled veggies. After learning Spanish for about an hour after breakfast, I went for a motorbike ride to a farm stand in Yatomi, Sakura City. I bought a decent length of 'jinenjo' yam, several small round pieces of rice cake with wild chrysanthemum mixed in, a boundle of 'fuki' plant, and sweet potatoes. 

I drove on to a McDonald's in Togane City, and relaxed for a couple of hours. 

On my way home I saw a bamboo forest and found two small bamboo shoots. I cooked both as soon as I got home, because I wanted to eat them while they were fresh. They were exquisite. 

After dinner I had a mental rehearsal for a corporate seminar tomorrow. Once it was done, I finally felt completely relaxed, and found myself in a mood for a run. 

It was a bit chilly for early April, but I got out in bare feet and ran for about an hour.  My body felt a bit heavy at first as I had only run a short distance on and off over the last couple of weeks. But about half an hour in I found my rhythm and settled into pace

I could have gone for another few kilometers, but I didn't, because calling it a day before it becomes painful is a good way to stay motivated. 

SP7: Seminar #2

Apr. 3, 2021

On April 3, 2021 a 2.5-hour seminar was held at the BizCom Tokyo Center in Akasakamitsuke, Tokyo. Forty seven people joined the event. I hosted the event.

The participants are mostly business people. They either currently use English at work, and need English in the near future for work or pleasure. 

Today's event was the second of a series of 7 seminars. The main purpose of the series is to help participants improve their ability to get work done through English oral communication. 

Each seminar is typically made up of two group activities. Participants are given one task after the other, and they work together to accomplish them. 

Activities are authentic in the sense that they are based on realistic business situations. Participants are able to prepare. There is a downloadable material available prior to each seminar. There is a list of useful expressions. There is an opportunity to re-try the same activity in the first half of the following seminar. A thirty-minute video is available to help them review what's gone before, and to better prepare them for what's coming next. 

When doing activities, participants work in groups of three to five members. After a brief self-introduction, they nominate the leader and the time-keeper. From that point on, members are navigated through each activity under the leader's guidance as well as with the support of the time keeper. 

It's an ideal opportunity for advanced learners to put their facilitation skills to the test. It's also a great learning opportunity for beginners to learn to make contribution in achieving a group goal. 

The seminar went very smoothly. And participants left the session with a smile on their faces. As the facilitator, I felt tremendously rewarded for a couple of reasons:

1) I saw clear signs of improvement in many of the participants. 

2) I was able to emphasize some keys to success. They listened, and their communication and presentation were a lot smoother thanks to that. 

There are five more seminars to conduct. I'll be busy preparing slides, materials, and videos for them. It's going to be exciting!

11.4 K Jog

Apr. 1, 2021

11.4 K: 1:03:05

It was such a relaxing day today. The last of four 5-hour teacher seminars was finally over yesterday. Today I had a day off. I slept late, and started my day with a light breakfast of oatmeal with nuts, raisins and chopped kumquat. 

Shortly before noon, I hopped on my Kawasaki and headed for Togane City. The sky wasn't cloudless, but it was sunny enough for a pleasant motorbike ride.

I stopped by a farm stand in Yatomi Town, Sakura City. I bought a bundle of warabi and a Japanese yam 40 cm long. 

I got some work done at McDonald's on Route 126 in Togane. It's one of the best McDonald's restaurants that I've ever been to. It's spacious. There are many outlets. Windows are large and it's bright inside. The parking lot is huge. There is a space exclusively for motorcycles, with each lot large enough for a massive Harley-Davidson. 

The route between home and Togane is perfect for a bike ride. Some of the roads are rather narrow. But you have only a limited number of traffic lights in much of the way. So although they are 35 kilometers apart, it takes less than an hour to travel unless you are caught in a bad traffic jam. Today I wasn't caught in any. 

I had both the warabi and the Japanese yam that I had bought from the farm stand for dinner. They were exquisite. 

Having fully recharged my mindbody's batteries, I felt like hitting the road this time on my feet, not on my Kawasaki. I jogged my tempo run route at an easy pace for about an hour. It's been a while since I ran last. I felt clumsy at first. But about 45 minutes into it, I found my legs rolling on like an automaton.