Midnight 10 K Run

Jan. 14, 2022

After finishing chatting for a while with some of my students after the last lesson for the day, I changed into my walking outfit and pounded the pavement under the moonlight. Though it was chilly, the sky was clear and starry, and the moon beautifully lit the road ahead. There was little wind tonight. It was just perfect for a pleasant post-work night stroll.

After walking for about 5 minute, I felt so good. I felt so light that I wanted to run. So, instead of walking the entire route, I decided to "run" except for the initial and last 800 M. 

Though the recovering left knee was basically painless, I ran carefully so as not to damage it. I narrowed my strides and took small and quick steps to minimize landing impact. I was especially cautious when going down hills. 

The first 5 K was a breeze. But as the distance increased, an effect of a long absence of strenuous endurance training started to show. Breathing became harder. And my legs became less responsive. But instead of feeling bad about how weak I had become over this course of time, I regarded this difficulty as a fun challenge of how far I could go on without significantly slowing down. Quitting because it was hard was simply not in my dictionary. So on and on I went, and when I finally reached the 10 K mark, I was with in 55 minutes (54:53.88). Not bad for an aging man with a knee issue. 

I hope my left knee feels OK when I wake up tomorrow morning. Fingers crossed.

10 K Run in MUTEKI

Aug. 30, 2019

5.1 K: 29:24.40

5.1 K: 26:12.36

Total 10.2 K: 55:36.76

It's been a while since I ran last. My last post is dated Aug. 19. I hadn't run for 11 days! Why? The reason is I had a serious pain in the ball of my right foot. There was a thick blister that had been bother me for months. And after the last running session, I finally decided to do something about it. I bought this over-the-counter medical tape from a local drugstore, and applied it on the blister. It's supposed to make the dead skin soft, and eventually come off. 

A few days after the application, a layer of dead skin did come off, and it appeared that the area was going to heal. But then under the removed dead skin appeared yet another layer of thick skin which looked like a mini callus. My heart sank in dismay. I put a small piece of medical tape on in, and a couple days were about to pass when the area suddenly started hurting. I removed the tape. Under it appeared an area which turned white because of some agent in the medial tape. It looked thicker than before. But it wasn't soft. It was, in fact, hard, and didn't appear to be easily peeled off. And it hurt! 

I panicked. If the pain remained, I wouldn't be able to train. If I couldn't train, I would be able to prepare for the race in mid September. 

I immediately stopped applying the medial tape, and left it at that while putting kinetic tape on it for protection. 

A whole day passed. The pain didn't completely go away, but it somewhat receded. I decided to go for a short slow jog in shoes. 

As soon as I hit the road, though, the pain that I had left while walking, seemed less distracting. I increase pace to find out a slight increase in pace didn't bother me so much. 

I continued to run at a comfortable pace, and since I didn't feel any major pain, I decided to run a negative split by injecting pace in the second half. 

 In the final K I increased cadence and put on a spurt. When I stopped my Ironman at the finish, I realized that I ran almost 3 minutes faster in the second half.

It's almost an hours now since I got home from the run. The pain that I didn't feel much while running probably because of adrenaline rush is back. It's amazing that now I must limp just to go to the kitchen from my room, and yet that while running pain was largely manageable. It's one of many wonders of mind-body!

10 K Run in MUTEKI

March 21, 2019
10.5 K: 59:20.95

Ran 10.5 K in split-toe minimalist shoes MUTEKI. Ran a course different from the one I had run on the previous night just to keep me motivated.

Just four more days to go before the race. I was originally going to run 10 K on Thursday, do intervals on Friday, and run another 10 K on Saturday. But I've changed my mind. I'll do intervals tomorrow, run 10 K Friday night, and give myself a full rest on Saturday. This is because I have an event scheduled until eight or so Saturday night, and running 10 K after coming home from work might leave me unrecovered.

10.2 K Run + Two 400-M Hill Sprints

March 8, 2019

5.1 K: 30:27.77

400 M Hill Sprint: 1:49.33

400 M Jog: 2:45.09

400 M Hill Spring: 1:39.38

400 M Jog: 2:47.77

5.1 K: 26:49.19

Total 12.6 K: 1:06:18

Ever since I read this book by former ultra marathon world best record holder Mr. Takahiro Sunada, constant practice has become my key word. Before reading his book, I would rest more often, believing that rest was an important part of athletic growth. While there is truth in it, there is also truth in the idea that if you push beyond your comfort zone, your body will respond to it, thus growing stronger as a result.

So the day following interval training I was out on the road cruising along my familiar 10.2 K winding shuttle course. 

I felt heavy at first, but twenty-five minutes into the session, I was warmed up, and prepared to do something more than a steady-paced slow run. I mixed in two 400 M hill sprints. Greater resistance on my legs was anticipated discomfort. There is growth when you get over it. I pressed hard. 

I was happy about this additional challenge. Satisfied, I started off for the second half. The heaviness in the initial phase of the session had long been forgotten. I felt as light as a feather. I increased the pace, feeling my heart beat faster and faster. I imagined the last couple of meters of my next marathon, and surged. To my surprise my body responded with ease. I maintained the fast pace all the way home. When I stocked my timer, it said 26:49, almost three minutes and a half faster than the first half. I was satisfied.