Rainy Midnight 10 K Build-Up in Bare Feet

Jun. 28, 2021

What a productive day! I slept late to catch up on sleep this morning, did some house chores like drying my futon in the sun and doing the vacuuming, took care of the backyard, pruning some citrus trees and moving some shiso plants from a shady area to a more sunny space, and so on. 

Later in the afternoon, I went out for a short motorbike ride out in the rural area of the city to look for some edible wild plants. Collected some Japanese ginger buds, but wasn't able to find 'tade' or a water pepper. In fact, found something that kind of resembled the description of the plant in a book, but wasn't sure if that was what it was. But I remember where I saw it, so maybe I will go there again to pick some up and bring it back home to test-taste it. 

After dinner, I wrote a syllabus for three lessons and made three handouts, which I shared with my co-workers for a double-check. 

After having done everything, or perhaps more than I had wanted to do, I finally did what I hadn't been able to do due to an extremely hectic schedule this past week: running.

By the time I changed into my running gear, it had started raining, but it didn't stop me, because I always have a fairly positive feeling about rains, because some of my best races took place on rainy days, with one even on a little stormy day!

I ran an out & return 10 K course with one hell of a giant downhill and upward incline. Cruised along the first half, and picked up pace in the second half, making it a solid 10 K build-up. I'm happy with my final surge, which was fairly strong. 

Warm Up 0.9 K: 5:07.48

5 K: 27:36.00

5 K: 23:23.82

Warm Down 0.9 K: 5:46.05

Total 11.8 K: 1:01:53

Double Training: 180 M Sprint & Barefoot Jog

Jun. 24, 2021

Ran in the morning. Ran real fast. My heart rates shot up. Got out of breath. But after a shower, felt like a new man. 

<Morning Training>

2 K: 11:15.19

Rest: 30.63

<180 M Sprint>

1st: 31:97

Rest: 1:00.61

2nd: 30.40

Rest: 1:00.43

3rd: 34.23

Rest: 1:00.57

4th: 32.75

Rest: 1:00.55

5th: 34.51

Rest: 1:00.32

2 K:  12:34.52

Total 4.9 K: 32:06.68

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

<Midnight Training>

11.8 K: 1:09.31

Ran again at night. Ran barefooted. Felt awesome. Too sleepy to push hard, so cruised at an easy pace. Listened to Dr. Jennifer A. Doudna's Nobel lecture. Want to listen to it again and again to have a better understanding of her award-winning discovery. Love biology.

Daily Total: 16.7 K

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

Midnight 10 K Hill Tempo Run

Jun. 16, 2021

Warm Up 0.9 K: 5:30.11

10 K Tempo Run: 45:39.97 (Target=45:50.00)

Rest: 1:00.58

Warm Down 0.9 K: 6:50.66

Total 11.8 K: 59:01.32 

I had a good day. I taught two lessons. In each of them I met a new student. It's always very exciting to welcome a new comer. Both seem to have had fun, largely thanks to support from regular students and their positive vibes. It's going to take a while for them to feel settled in. But I'll do my best to make them feel at home. 

I got home a quarter to 1:00 a.m. The temperature was around 20 degrees Celsius. There were slight northerly winds. But other than that, it seemed a perfect condition for a fast run. I changed into very light running gear, a NIKE singlet and very short adidas pants, sort of symbolizing my determination to run under the target. 

Last time, I started off at an easy pace and gradually picked up pace toward the end. Tonight I went with a different approach. I ran major downhills in the first half fairly aggressively to slash time. I didn't go too bullish on upward inclines. But it took a while for me to catch my breath after the hill section was over. I am afraid the fast pace in downhill sections took a toll on my cardio. 

Somehow easy breathing didn't come back until the end of tempo run, and I had to sort of cope with it throughout the second half. But I managed to kick in the last few hundred meters to successfully finish under the target. 

Tomorrow I hope to do a recovery run for an hour or so. I want to find a good audio lecture to listen to while jogging. 

Midnight Barefoot Run

Jun.15, 2021

0.9 K: 5:06.71

10 K: 53:47.00

0.9 K: 5:23.33

Total 11.8 K: 1:04:17

I hit the road in bare feet. It felt insanely refreshing. As I ran, I remembered those days with a bitter smile when there was still more pain and discomfort than pleasure. Those days are gone. 

I felt particularly strong when running up long hills. I could not immediately attribute that almost omnipotent feeling to anything, except perhaps that body weight muscle training that I had done a few days before which included 20 jumping squats. 

 

I ran at a pace far slower than my usual tempo run, but slightly faster than a regular jog. I don't know where to locate it in my overall training system. I guess it's kind of a prelude to a tempo run that I would like to do tomorrow if I am not too sleep after coming home from work. 

I listened to a TED presentation by Dr. Bert Herring while running tonight together with a bunch of other short lectures by Brian Tracy.      

Dr. Herring is a physician who advocates a dietary recommendation called "fast-5". What it basically says is that whatever you eat, eat within a five-hour window. It helps you put your appetite under control. As a result, you can keep your body weight under control easily. His presentation, though, goes far beyond discussing how to eat. He places diet in a much larger configuration of diet, social interactions, active lifestyle, and constant learning. 

Dr. Herring is not an animated speaker, but very humorous in a deadpan sort of way. I highly recommend my readers to listen to his TED presentation. 

Midnight Intervals: Remaining 2 Sets by 1 K @ 4:25

Jun. 10, 2021

Warm up 3.4 K: 20:06.43

Rest: 30.54

<Intervals: 2 Sets by 1 K @ 4:25>

1st K: 4:20.48

Rest: 1:00.45

2nd K: 4:14.39

Rest: 1:00.42

Warm down: 20:25.20

Total 8.8 K: 51:37.91

I finished yet another important project. It's a big load off my shoulder. I was able to focus on running without worrying about approaching deadlines. . 

I started off with some warm up, which had been significantly shortened on the previous night due to a slight exhaustion resulting partly from a hectic schedule and partly from a chronic shortage of sleep. 

Thanks to a good warm up run, I was able to settle into pace immediately after setting off for the first fast run. 

I continued to feel so light and breathing was easy in the second set. I could have gone from more sets, but since it was already late, and plus I need to recharge my body's batteries by tomorrow morning, I finished with just two fast runs, and wrapped up the training tonight with an easy warm down run for about 20 minutes. 

Tomorrow I hope to jog a hilly course at an easy pace just to relieve tension in legs that is inevitable after a fast run session like the one I did tonight. 

Midnight Intervals

Jun. 9, 2021

Warm up 0.7 K: 5:20.38

<Intervals: 4 Sets by 1 K @ 4:25.00>

1st K: 4:25.64

Rest: 1:00.69

2nd K: 4:16.54

Rest: 1:01.29

3rd K: 4:24.46

Rest: 1:00.75

4th K: 4:18.62

Warm down 0.7 K walk: 8:26.91

Total: 5.4 K: 34:15.28

I wanted to do 6 sets of fast run, but gave up after the 4th set. I'm afraid I'm still not completely recovered from a slight exhaustion after two 2-hour corporate seminars back to back with a brief lunch break on Tuesday. 

Hopefully, I will have been strong enough by tomorrow night. Then I will do the remaining two sets of fast run, and do an easy run before and after the intervals. 

 

Late Night Barefoot Jog

Jun. 7, 2021

11.4 K: 1:03:29

I listened to two lectures while jogging. It was in preparation for two corporate seminars scheduled for tomorrow. Both lectures are by world-renowned motivational speaker Brian Tracy. One is about courage in making positive changes in life. The other is about how to become a great conversationalist. 

As for the first topic, I find two things interesting. One is that the biggest obstacle that stops people from making a new action is fear, but fear is not always a bad thing. He cites two examples to illustrate it. One is playing golf in lightning. The other is swimming with sharks. What good examples to show the original purpose of fear! It's self protection. However, Brian goes on to say that this means of self-protection, when carried to the extreme, can be a shackle. It ends up keeping you in your comfort zone. Interestingly, Brian uses an interesting metaphor of locking oneself in the prison of comfort zone. Again, what a good way to show how it is NOT good stay in one's comfort zone.

With respect to the second topic, he gives us three practical ways to become a good conversationalist. One is to pause before responding. The second is question for clarification. The third is paraphrasing another person's words in your own words. I'd like to follow on them all on some other occasion as I have a super early start tomorrow, and therefore must hit the bed now. Till then.

Midnight 10 K Hill Tempo Run

Jun. 2, 2021

Warm up 0.5 K: 3:34.17

10 K hill tempo run: 45:46.51 (Target: 45:50.00)

Rest: 59.87

Warm down: 1.55 K: 10:31.87

Total 12.05 K: 1:00:52 

My last lesson for the day ended at 10:30 p.m. I left work at 11:05 p.m. An hour and a half train ride got me home shortly before 1:00 a.m. I quickly changed into my running gear, had a glass of cold tea, and got out for a run.

I wanted to run a very hilly course. I wanted to test how strong I had become after the interval training on the night of 28th. 

After jogging for 500 meter, I set off for a 10 K hill tempo run on the course below.

I went easy at first. I didn't want to burn out by going too bullish right from the start. I was particularly careful not to raise my heart rates too high when running upward inclines. It could take a toll on my legs and breathing in the latter half. 

Thanks to my careful pacing, around halfway point, which is probably the highest point in the course after which the course is basically gradually going down, I was able to significantly inject pace. 

Legs were light and strong, thanks to a good rest after the intervals. But breathing wasn't too easy. I had to manage it well to settle into my comfort zone. It could be a giant double cheeseburger that I had eaten two hours before...

When I reached the finish point, the watch said 45 something. I had forgotten my target and thought the target was 44 something. My heart sank. But as always, I consoled my disappointed soul by saying, "It's still better than not trying. "

Later when I checked my target in my running bible, it was 45:50.00. My time tonight is 45:46.51. So, I had made it after all. Suddenly, I felt like I could run another 10 K! But of course, I didn't, because I have lessons to teach tomorrow. I must recharge my body's batteries by having a good night's sleep.