Year-End Interval Training

Dec.28,2023

Today is the first day of winter vacation. I am looking forward to starting the new year with a clear mind and in perfect physical condition by balancing both what I want to do and what I should do. What I wanted to do on the first day was this interval training. This is "what I want to do. But it is also one of the "things I should do" considering that physical condition is essential to my job as an English teacher. Super important as such.

In fact, I had planned to conduct it last night. But I was so sleepy that I could not get out of the futon where I was taking a nap before the training. And the morning came. As it turned out, it was a good thing. Sleepiness is the heavenly voice that says, "Go to sleep. You must listen.

When I woke up after 10 hours of sleep. It was already "noon," not morning. I changed into my running gear and started running. The town was serene, and I felt that it was a suitable environment for hard training, where you had to talk to yourself a lot in your mind.

I ran 3 kilometers with the goal of running at the pace of 4:55 to 4:30 per kilometer. If I could not maintain this pace, I would have to face my "weal self," which would hurt my self-esteem. On the other hand, if I exceed the target pace, I can feel the benefits of my training and motivation goes up. So, when I look at the time of the first kilometer, I am very nervous. But, to my surprise, the clock read 4:07. I thought I was running 4:30 or thereabout, so I felt confident that this was definitely the result of last weekend's 25km hill tempo run. However, it was a little too fast. I had to control my pace a little because I would burn out before completing the 6km. After that, I continued to train steadily until the last kilometer. The high pace of the first 1km was tooking its toll on me and I started to suffer a lot. However, it was important to "push hard" in the last kilometer. I spurted the last 100 meters, tears welling up in my eyes due to lack of oxygen. It was my third best lap of the day.

Cool Down at the end of the day, as they say, is important. The effect of interval training depends on the run after the training. I heard that LSD after interval training is especially effective, so I finished the practice with a solid 4-km jog.

After practice, I cooled myself my favorite pasta. I fueled my body with protein, minerals, and other essential nutrients.

Tomorrow I have the annual joint practice with my runner friends. We will leave Raffine in Kanda at 9:30. We run the first section of the Hakone Ekiden. It's gonna be fun.